Nestled amongst cosy blankets and quilts, his thick fur tousled and a little unkempt, my sweet cat Ossie enjoys a sleep after a period of illness where he has lost a kilo in weight.
He has trouble breathing and has lost his sense of smell, so he can no longer recognise food and was refusing to eat. I tempt him with warm chicken, his favourite food and at last, he is eating it!
Dartmoor Flower Shed 
Hope Otto picks up soon, xxx
Thank you Sarah. Otto is still struggling, this one is Ossie…I know, the names are very similar and a little confusing.
Nice. He makes napping look completely effortless, and without guilt. We should all be so skilled as Ossie!
Cats are really good role models for living their life the way they want it to be. As you probably know it is impossible to make a cat do anything other than what they want to do.
I like to be around them as they sleep and stretch and carry out their laid -back daily routines. It slows down my peripatetic mind!
Thank you for the message.-Karen
Hope he picks up…He looks very peaceful…
Thank you so much Jane. This was the first time he had slept in a relaxed position, I was so happy to see him like that.
Hi Karen,
I am glad to have a face to match with his name. Ossie is a cutie. I am so glad to hear that he is eating again. That must be a huge relief in it self for you. He looks content and comfortable. I hope that his breathing improves as well.
Honey
Thank you Honey. He is taking medication. The vets are not sure what is causing the problem as he has had an endoscopy and they can see no real cause for his breathing problems. It could be an allergy.
To get him to eat I kneel down with him on the rag rug in the kitchen and place his food down one little piece at a time. Ossie is such a gentle and loving cat, he is worth all the effort and more.-Karen..
I am glad all your hard work has helped find a way to get him to eat. I was really getting worried. It sounds like he is stable now. That is a huge triumph in itself.
Honey
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment. It is so difficult with animals who do not understand that they will die if they do not eat. The only alternative is just to do nothing-I could never do that.
Karen.
I have learned you are a special lady. It shows in how you love, care for and adopt sick animals.
Honey
That is such a lovely thing to say, Honey. Thank you.
You are welcome
Honey
He’s a beauty. May he fully recover.
Thank you Gretchen. There have been many changes in my life recently,I think cats are very sensitive to such things.
Oh, he’s such a handsome boyo! I have cats, too, and would do most anything to keep them as happy and comfortable as I possibly can. I hope both of yours bounce back–that restful sleep can be a healing sleep, too. Lucky them, to have you. And lucky you, to have them.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Ossie has a brother, called Josef and they are like two peas in a pod and even I sometimes confuse one for the other.
I am pleased to be able to count you as one of my group of friends who would all do everything can can to help their animals.
I am sure that my cat Otto, who I took in as a stray, was thrown out because his previous owners had either discovered how ill he was and did not want to pay for medication, or the full extent of his medical needs were never diagnosed (Hyperthyroidism and heart damage) So all they would have seen was a cat who was always hungry because his thyroid was out of control. Otto ate 6 sachets of food a day when he first came here. Otto has now had his thyroid removed and is on medication for his heart for the rest of his life. He needs care and monitoring to keep him in relative health. The operation to remove his thyroid was a HUGE risk, given his bad heart. But he pulled through. The vet says that because he had no treatment for his thyroid condition for so long, his heart muscles thickened and will not repair. He also said Otto would die if we did not do the operation.
Otto now walks in the garden, sleeps in my studio and all over the seeds in my greenhouse! He has a chance to live and we both have been given the chance to enjoy a fabulous time together.
He is now big and strong and when he recently hid behind a wall my neighbour and I felt we were wrestling with a tiger when we tried to get him out!
One of our cats had his thyroid removed recently, too, but we caught it soon enough that he isn’t having the added problems Otto is. Another of our cats, though has had cardiomyopathy since he was a kitten so he gets heart medication twice a day, every day. It’s really all quite a lot to deal with but, as you say, when I see them sleeping in the garden or playing in the catnip, I know it’s all worth anything I need to do!
Oh, I am so sorry about your cat! How old is he? I’m glad to read he ate your chicken. I hope he gets better. Sick pets hurt my heart, as Sophie says. Sending a big hug to you & your cat. ~amy
Thank you so much Amy and Sophie. Ossie is nearly 13, but he has been ill since he was a kitten. I so totally feel the pain of his illnesses in my heart, as you do too. What is so hard is getting him to eat, every day I spend time tempting him and I have started to rub the chicken on his face and whiskers! I am sure people think I am quite mad. But If I gave up he would die. He is totally adorable and he lives inside my heart. Then so do my other two cats, who are also ill. Thank you for the hug, I will share it with Ossie. Bless you both,-Karen.
You are not mad to do anything to keep your heart alive as long as you can. I love my animals so much, i would do the same. You have three ill cats…that is too many. Does your Vet. have any ideas? I’m glad you passed along our hugs. Keep up the great, loving work, Karen. ~amy