Dickens has been diagnosed with asthma. From what I can tell, asthma is hard to diagnose, being rather what’s left after other things are ruled out.
I have a whole pamphlet on feline asthma, now.
I’m hoping the biggest expenditures are over. If not, lock your doors lest we sell our house and move in with you.
So when cats have asthma, are they allergic to people?
(Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)
We have two cats – both males, both litter mates – both acquired at the same time from the same place. One is perfectly fine and healthy. The other is a nervous neurotic mess who vomits with amazing regularity on a daily basis. He ate a cheap artificial Christmas tree a few years ago and suffered brain damage in the aftermath of a truly life-threatening illness.
He now shivers at all strange sights and sounds as well as at familiar ones which he seems to be unable to remember from day to day, hour to hour. He falls off of most things because he has no sense of balance nor does he seem to possess any sort of depth perception and his favorite food is paper products of any sort – including wedding cards and cable bills as well as the more ordinary toilet paper and paper toweling.
He cannot sit on a lap nor can he stand to be touched for longer than 3.5 seconds. He cries loudly for attention but when you give it to him, he bites you. He will sleep curled up along-side my pillow but if I move during the night, he will immediately attempt to take my nose off or my eyes out.
I do not sleep soundly knowing he’s in the room and yet I routinely make a space for him at the head of the bed.
It’s the only time he looks happy.
I like to think it’s because he feels safe there – but I am afraid it is because he knows that eventually he will find a way to kill me while I sleep.
Lo