Greetings, Stafford fans!

It’s time for another update on our sweet boy.

Medical news first: At present, Stafford’s diabetes is being managed with diet and insulin. His blood glucose curve was reviewed over the past few weeks; no adjustments were required, and that is very good news. As long as he stays stable, we’ll review the curve again in three months. In other medical news, Stafford has had some intermittent vomiting. We’re not sure of the cause, but we’re keeping a close eye on this.

On at least one occasion when he vomited, Stafford was vocalizing. He has been heard vocalizing periodically when he is not vomiting, as well; the vocalizing usually occurs when no one is in his room or within his sight. This could be happening for a number of reasons. While pain can be a cause of feline vocalization, we do not believe Stafford is in pain.

Possibly, the vocalizing is due to anxiety, given the recent changes in personnel at Tabby’s Place, but considering that there have been so few people there for months now and he’s just started the vocalizing recently, this seems doubtful.

The vocalizing may indicate some hearing or vision loss, or it might be due to Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS), which can afflict senior felines, or it might be something else entirely. We are watching Stafford carefully and will intervene medically if it is necessary, but it’s important to understand that he might just be talking more.  Tabby’s Place has had other senior felines who vocalized periodically and were none the worse for doing so.

Times are far too interesting these days, and we are all looking forward to a point where we can get back to something approaching normalcy. That’s going to take a while.

I know how tough it is for so many people now, and I cannot thank you enough for helping us keep Stafford well cared for. Stay safe, please!

Your correspondent,
Stephanie