Last month we celebrated a very, very special birthday. My sweet (and spicy) cat Little turned 17 this year, and I am beyond blessed to have had so many years with my best friend. Truth be told, I never imagined we would get to this birthday. Little has been on a wild ride since he was 10 years old.
In January of 2018 he had emergency (life saving) surgery for a blocked urethra from a struvite crystal (sadly common for male cats.) In December of 2018 he was first diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. In November of 2020 he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and had to have a radioactive iodine treatment to complete cure it. In May of 2023 he had a vomit fest leading to a misdiagnosis of IBD, when in reality homie was severely constipated.
This resulted in months of steroids he did not need, and I completely overhauled his diet. I never believed he had IBD and after switching to a new vet I was affirmed in my belief.
In February of 2024 he took a trip to the ER (on my birthday) after five days without a BM. Three weeks later we were back in the ER for the same issue (we have since dialed in on this.) And most recently, in April of 2025 he had a double ear infection, but received a misdiagnosis of being BLIND…more on that in a minute.
So yeah, 17 is a big deal. Despite all the above listed ailments, overall he has lived a very healthy life. His kidney disease is chronic, but ironically this issue has been the least of our worries thus far (aside from contributing to constipation and nausea in his geriatric years.) If you have been a regular reader (or are a real life pal) you will know this cat is my world. Each day with him is a special gift I don’t take for granted.
When shit first hit the fan in 2018 there was no guarantee his emergency surgery would work. I knew we had to try despite the gargantuan price tag, and here we are seven years later. Worth every penny.
Admittedly I might be a bit too attached to my cat, and I have extreme separation anxiety after all the chaos we’ve been through lately. This makes his birthday celebrations extra special because I get to celebrate the wins. For his birthday this year he received a new floppy fish toy from Duncan, a new peacock feather from me, and various treats to snack on while us humans ate apple pie. He also donned a very special birthday boy hat, and he was a true sport about this one.
We also took a special birthday car ride, which is the same as a regular car ride, but with his party hat. He only wore it long enough for me to snap a photo, and then he lounged in the back taking in the sights as we slowwwllyy drove. After his misdiagnosis of having IBD I stopped letting him in the backyard incase the grass was aggravating his stomach.
Instead I took him in the car (sans vet carrier) to see if he would enjoy it, and the rest is history.
Although this celebration was mostly for me to have special memories, I would like to think he had a joyful time. During this day I noticed him scratching his ears and shaking his head, and I then noticed it happening each day after for about four days. I called my vet suspecting he had an ear infection, but unfortunately my vet was on vacation.
I was able to see the urgent care doctor on shift that same day, but because my cat is so incredibly spicy at the vet she was unable to handle him. He usually gets a big hit of gabapentin before we go, but I don’t think he had enough time for the drugs to kick in. This vet took him in the back room (despite me telling her I’d have better luck getting him out of his carrier if he stayed with me in the original room, but whatever) for ten minutes before finally let me come back to help.
She proceeded to tell me she did a vision test on him and that he was completely blind. Insert wtf emoji here. I knew he wasn’t blind, but I was so taken aback that I didn’t know what to say. She was about to send me home with nothing more than a quack diagnosis so I asked her if I could swab his ears for her, because I knew he wasn’t scratching his head due to detached retinas.
Sure enough, double ear infection.
The lesson here is to always be the advocate for your pet. Being a vet is HARD, I don’t deny that, but we know our pets better than anyone and I knew he had something wrong with his ears. Just to be sure, I came home that day and brought out the laser. The vet told me he likely still played with his toys because he could hear them, but I figured if he could hear light then he was a wizard.
He chased that laser like he was five years old.
Like I said, this cat has had quite the medical journey, but he is still plugging along bringing me more joy than I could ever imagine possible. Admittedly I have spent the past two years waiting for the next shoe to drop. I obsessively monitor his bathroom and eating habits, his energy levels, his mobility, and his overall demeanor. It seems just when things calm down something else happens, but I am trying my best to enjoy each day individually.
Anticipatory grief is rough. I find myself getting stuck in loops of sadness for when he is no longer with me all while he is very much still alive.
I don’t want to look back on this time and regret living too far in the future, so I will leave it at this: happy birthday to my geriatric feline, thank you for 17 amazing years thus far.
Q: Have you ever received a misdiagnoses from your vet? If you don’t have pets have you received one for yourself!? Anyone else have a bionic pet like mine who continues to survive everything thrown their way?
Blissfulbritt 
51 thoughts on “Seventeen”
mjeanpike
Aww happy, Happy Birthday to Little. What a sweet soldier! I lost my darling tabby, Darby, to a blocked urethra from a struvite crystal a few years ago. They also told me it was quite common, though none of my cats had ever had that before. I spent a fortune I did not have, only to lose him in the end. My poor Emma (beagle) would not eat for a week and kept checking the house, trying to see where his buddy might be 😦 Pets become family. I wish your beautiful Little a lovely day!
Brittany
Ohh this breaks my heart. I am so sorry you had to let go of Darby. The blockages are such a jarring and scary issue. As I’ve delved more into my own research with cats and their ailments it seems a lot of these problems are from eating dry kibble. The lack of moisture in the dry food can cause urinary issues which I suppose makes sense.
I think it’s more common with male cats because they have a longer urethra and more opportunities for a crystal to lodge and block. Either way it’s horrific. My heart literally aches reading your comment for you and for your sweet Emma. Thank you for sharing.
mjeanpike
They did tell me it was common, more so in male cats, and before that I had always had females. I felt so much guilt – maybe I did not give him the right food (though he was a scavenger, lol, would get in the kitchen garbage every chance he got!) maybe I should not have used the cheap litter, etc. etc. It was a few years ago now, but Emma and I have never forgotten our sweet Darby.
Brittany
The guilt is absolutely normal. I would have felt the same way. At the end of the day even if we do everything right sometimes these things happen. I think you trying to save Darby in the end is all you could have done.
They asked me if I wanted to spend the big price tag or if I wanted to euthanize Little when this started and I knew I had to at least try. I’d rather try and loose him than not try at all. I understand not everyone wants to (or can) spend the money, but I knew even if he didn’t make it I could always make more money. You did all you could do.
What brings me comfort for when cats pass away is knowing they always live in the moment. Your Darby had a lovely life and his pain was so quick and temporary compared to his entire life with you.
I lost my other cat in 2017 (from old age/kidney disease) and I still think of him all the time. They never quite leave our souls. A bittersweet beautiful thing. 😭
Grace @ Cultural Life
Happy birthday to Little! He’s a lucky cat to have you.
I hear you re: the anticipatory grief. We’re dealing with a similar thing over here – my dog Aimee, who lives with my mum, is ageing and has a severe heart murmur. I know that she will be with us for another 2 years at most.
It’s doubly hard because when I moved to live with my partner, Aimee stayed with my mum, so when Aimee goes she’ll be completely living alone.
Sorry for the downer of a comment! I guess life isn’t all roses and positivity all the time, right.
Good for you for the persistence with getting the right diagnosis. I haven’t experienced anything like that but a pet, but I am going through something similar with my health – and by coincidence, it also involves ears. It’s challenging to ask for a second opinion from medical professionals sometimes, but they don’t always get it right!
Brittany
I’m so sorry to hear about Aimee. Your comment is not at all a downer, it’s real life! We develop bonds with our pets who become family and it is devastating when they leave us. I know Aimee feels the love you and your mom give her and she will live as happy as can be in her senior years. I wish I could shut off the switch in my brain that knows we are on the very downhill slope towards the end, every day I fear a decline.
I am also sorry to hear about your struggles with doctors. I had a similar situation many years ago before I was finally diagnosed with my autoimmune disease. It took SEVEN doctors to listen to my symptoms and try to find a root cause instead of just wanting to give me bandaids in the form of drugs.
I hope you can find another person to give you a second opinion. Although it’s a weird way to phrase it, we are the “customers” with our doctors and we must find someone willing to give us what we want/need. Obnoxious that it can be so hard sometimes. Sending healing vibes!
Grace @ Cultural Life
Absolutely, our pets are definitely part of the family. And so we want to do our very best for them.
Gosh, sorry it took you so long to be diagnosed! I know autoimmune diseases can be hard to identify, but it frustrates me so much when doctors aren’t willing to look at the whole picture and piece together the story. I think medicine needs to be a team practice sometimes with multiple specialists working together.
Thank you 🙂 It’s been a long road so far but I’m determined!
Peg
Happy 17th birthday to Little! He looks exactly like our Summer Girl and they are the same age, too. Thankfully, she hasn’t had nearly as many health issues as Little has. I know what you mean about fearing the day when they aren’t with us. We lost our other cat, Precious Baby, in 2018 and I don’t think I ever cried so hard in my life. It will be worse with Summer Girl as she was my buddy when I had my garden…always coming up to sit in my lap while I was on the ground picking veggies! But we just need to enjoy the time we have with them, however short it may be.
Brittany
I just adore how Summer Girl is the same age and they look so similar. I am hopeful she continues to have a long healthy life.
I know when Little’s time comes I will be immobile for weeks. I fear how I will handle having to work, I already know I will need a full week off if not longer just to cope. I lost my cat Shampy in 2017 to old age/kidney disease (he was a few months shy of 20!), and that was horrible, but with Little we have a much stronger bond. I think I will be forever changed when Little is gone, but that’s the flip side of having so much love for another being.
Peg
Yes, being a parent to a furbaby has it’s downside…they don’t live nearly long enough to.
Rootchopper
You’re like a car Dr. House! You may have missed your calling.
Brittany
I can’t pretend to understand the first part of this comment, BUT I do sometimes feel I would have made a fantastic vet. Alas, I don’t have the same draw to dogs and I think having to euthanize animals would destroy me.
Rootchopper
Dr House is a TV doctor who diagnosis obscure diseases that other doctors miss.
Brittany
Oh yes yes. I know who you are talking about. My bad. LOL. I would absolutely be just like him. HA.
Melissa Widmaier
Awe! He’s such a sweet baby. I’m sorry he’s had a rough time of it, but it looks like he’s in the best hands with you to love him. Black cats are the best. Our little guy Aramis also turned 17 in April. He’s been relatively healthy so far (knock on wood) but we sadly lost both of his brothers in the last two months due to cancer. I understand the anticipatory anxiety. I look at Aramis with so much gratitude. Each day with him is a wonderful gift, but I know he’ll go to his rest some day. Until then, like yourself, I will love on him and care for him endlessly. I don’t think you can ever love your fur babies too much.
Brittany
How wonderful for Aramis to turn 17 too! I’m so sorry to hear about his brothers though, that breaks my heart. I can’t imagine loosing his brothers back to back and seemingly waiting for the shoe to drop with him. Praying he stays healthy and cancer free for as long as possible. All we can do is cherish the time we have with them. They are so pure and special.
Liz H-H
Felicitous birthday, Little! You look great for 17! Wow!
My own green-eyed tuxedo just turned 15 and has started on monthly shots for arthritis and a new diet for early stage kidney disease. Best money I’m gonna spend. He’s currently snuggled on my chest and under a blanket, quietly undemanding now that he’s been fed. My true and steady Beau!
Brittany
15! How wonderful. We are both so blessed to have our geriatric felines. I think Little likely has some arthritis as well. I don’t give him anything for it, but perhaps if it seems to worsen his ability to move I will look into it.
We attempted a kidney/urinary prescription diet when he was diagnosed with IBD, but he wasn’t taking to any of them. He was on a prescription urinary food for five years, but when I overhauled his diet I just switched to a high quality over the counter wet food. My vet and I decided to stick with whatever he would eat so that’s what we’ve been doing for two years. Amazing you made it to 15 before any kidney disease showed up. Little has been living with it for about 6.5 years and thankfully it hasn’t aggressively progressed yet.
Thistles and Kiwis
Happy Birthday Little!
Brittany
He says: “thank meow!”
gpavants
Brittney, We had this with our Remi. It was too expensive so you took a chance on the crystals coming back. Hope he is good. Thank you, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Brittany
I’m sorry to hear you had this struggle too. It’s such a sad occurrence. I don’t wish it on anyone.
Duncan
I’m so amazingly proud of how strong you have been in recent years with Littles’ health issues! You have shown endless love and care for this distinguished gentleman, and are the sole reason he is able to live the best life a cat could dream of. I’m aware of how much joy he has brought into your life, and I’m also sure you have shared the same amount or more with him, whether its letting him nibble grass, taking him for drives, or quite simply playing with him on his rickety cat tree. He is very lucky to have you as his guardian, even though he may not realize it when you attempt to cut short his backyard wanderings.
I hope with all my heart we can celebrate an 18th birthday next year, where we can spoil him even further.
Much love,
Duncan
Brittany
Thank you for being my endless support system, and for being patient when I don’t want to leave the house. He is lucky to have me, and I am lucky to have him. But WE are lucky to have you.
Atheria
Bleu, Mizu, and I wish Little a great belated birthday! 🎂 I totally understand appreciating every minute with our fur kids when we know they will not live forever. Little is extremely lucky to have you and Duncan as his parents and I’m sure he knows that. Don’t get me started on bad vets!
Brittany
Little says thank meow to his fur friends from afar! I am very jealous of your mix of modern medicine and holistic approached vet! Once you find a good one it feels like winning the lottery.
Atheria
I know. My vet is a godsend in a few major ways, but he is very elderly and I don’t know how much longer he’s going to be working as of it. I’m not sure what to do because we have very few veterinarians here and a couple of them are awful. I’m starting to wonder if Bleu may have IBD besides his liver problem. He’s been throwing up a lot again lately.
Brittany
Oh poor baby Bleu. I’m sorry he’s having tummy troubles again. He’s been such a fighter! I hope you can get him back in with the good vet soon to check whatever needs to be checked. Definitely harder as they get older to pin point what’s wrong. Has he ever done well with probiotics?
Atheria
I’ve actually not tried probiotics. Hmmm….
Brittany
People swear by them. I used them for a while with Little to help his constipation. I liked them, but then I still ended up needing to use a laxative after some time. I haven’t used probiotics in a while, but could be worth trying? 🤷🏻♀️
Bradley on the Run
Happy Birthday Little! We lost our Osker (a little house panther) back in 2021 at the age of 18. We had been giving me subcutaneous fluid injections for a few years due to kidney failure, but that’s what finally took him over the rainbow bridge. It was a huge loss and we still miss him. We have two new kitties (Miring and Ponzu), but Osker will always been in our hearts.
Brittany
I’m so sorry for your loss of Osker! I had to give my senior cat Shampy sub q fluids for about 6 months before his body gave up. He was just a month shy of 20! We said goodbye to him in summer of 2017.
I’d say we both got lucky to have such old men kitties! I’m hopeful I get another year with Little. They will always be with us, even when they are gone physically. 💔😭
niall
❤️
Brittany
🐈⬛🐾
youngv2015
Your cat Little is beautiful! I understand about your grieving about him being gone while he is still here. I have a standard poodle that is nearly 14 1/2 years old. While she’s in fairly good health, she is old and I sometimes find myself sad while she’s still here because I know how much I’m going to miss her.
Brittany
I don’t know much about dogs, but I do know 14.5 is a big deal! Amazing you’ve had her for so long. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully stop feeling sad for something that hasn’t happened yet, but I do my best not to live in that feeling. 🤪 I’m glad I’m not alone in that.
lornaroberts99
We had a vet completely miss the onset of mouth cancer in one of our previous cats. We took her back about a month later to the vet’s husband who was also a vet and he was shocked she’d missed it.
We’ve also had vets completely miss the fact that our current cat, who had been scratching to the point of deep welts and cuts on his neck, was actually allergic to our pet dog. We only found out when the dog was put down and his scratching ceased.
All the best to Little!
Brittany
Oh gosh. I hope the husband was able to catch the cancer in time. Mouth stuff has to be hard, but I suppose this is why a full exam is important. Having a spicy cat (Little) makes it harder and I don’t discredit that, but patience and care go a long way in helping find issues in our pets.
I can’t imagine being responsible for diagnosing all these things, I’m certainly thankful for most veterinarians, but slowing down and thinking outside the textbook is helpful. If only these precious babies could tell us what they were feeling.
lornaroberts99
Luckily, he did some pretty extreme surgery taking out a large chunk of her jaw but it gave her 3 more quality years so we were very grateful.
camilla wells paynter
Happy 17 Little! What a trooper!
Thanks for visiting my site, Brittany! I used to love running. I still miss it, but my body doesn’t want to do it anymore. I’m grateful to still have hiking!
Our previous cat, an elder cat when we got him, was likewise a champion car-cat. The first cat I’ve ever had who didn’t completely freak over riding in the car. It blew my mind. If you’re interested, this is his story, and the story of his parting gift to me. (I take for granted that consciousness survives death. In case you don’t, I’m just droppin’ that on ya as a content warning. 😉 ) I had a bond with this guy like the one you have with Little:
Brittany
I understand when the body doesn’t want to run all too well. I had to stop for about ten years, and started back again with some self set boundaries a few years ago. Even now it’s not perfect and sometimes my body is screaming to stop (my next post is about that lol.) Hiking will always be my true love, and I can only hope that it never leaves me.
I will be heading to your blog to read your post about your kitty right after I leave this comment! Thank you for sharing, I don’t know enough people in my day to day life who have shared this type of bond and understand. ❤️
camilla wells paynter
Thanks for responding, Brittany! Running can be a harsh mistress, but so rewarding. I’m grateful for the time I had as a runner. And yes, hiking we will have long into the future!
You can never be “too attached” to your cat. ❤️
The Oceanside Animals
Charlee: “Happy big one-seven, Little!”
Chaplin: “Many happy returns!”
Oona: “You are a very handsome ninja, Little. Oona approves!”
Brittany
He said: “thank meow to you all!” 🐾
songflower
What a beautiful cat! My cat Polly lived to 19 and she was so special to me. I got her when I was 9 years old and she was a great comfort during my awkward teen years.
Thanks for your like on my sugar and dust post! I always like meeting more bloggers 😃
Brittany
Amazing Polly lived to be 19! I had a cat who lived just a month shy of 20. He was so friendly, and my current cat loved him so much. We miss him dearly, but it feels extra special when they make it past 15.
Amy
HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY, LITTLE!!! ♡ I love that you threw him an entire birthday party, complete with presents and special food for cats and humans alike. That adorable hat… PRICELESS. I’m amazed that he wore it long enough for multiple photos!!
Your line about not scratching his head due to detached retinas made me laugh… I’m not a vet, but that seems like common sense! 😉 That’s a fantastic idea about using the laser pointer as a test. So glad you advocated for him, got the correct diagnosis, and he’s still plugging and chugging along! I hope you two have MANY more special memories to come! ♡
Brittany
I live for these birthday parties!! They feel so much more special in these geriatric years. I still feel haunted at times by that vet visit, I’m constantly praising how well my “blind” cat is doing at navigating his world. LOLLL.
Amy
Do you remember the three blind mice from Shrek?? I’m picturing Little with sunglasses and dancing like that… 😉
Confession: I’ve never thrown my dog a party — or even done anything to celebrate her birthday! I’m thinking that needs to change if she makes it to 17 this fall too. She’s showing a few more signs of age, but I have my fingers (and toes) crossed we have more months together. (I’m knocking on wood too, just to be safe and cover ALL of my bases!)
Brittany
LOLLLL at Little in the sunglasses with the tiny cane.
YOU HAVE TO THROW a 17 yr birthday party for your dog. You MUST. Even if you just get a cute little hat or fancy collar with like a big 1 7 balloon. I’m sending all the positive vibes she makes it to 17. We are so blessed to have our babies so long, but it makes it that much harder as they start to slow down.
Amy
Deal!! I’ll go all out and give her a birthday pup-cake too. I have a LOT to do to make up for all of those missed birthday parties! 😉
(And that’s so true. I’m noticing more signs of age by the week right now, but I’m incredibly grateful that she’s still around!)