Hi everyone, I found this forum a few weeks ago when I was in a similar situation. It started off with our family pet vomiting all the time, then she started losing weight. We thought it could be hair balls so we bought her hair ball remedies and the it eased up. She started getting very thin and couldn't jump as much or walk as far anymore. We took her to the vet and found out she was at least 15, more since I remember growing up with her as a kid (we took her in after a store owner abandoned her when we moved and literally kicked her out). So I'd say she was about 18-19, maybe a tabby breed but not 100% sure Anyway, the vet took a urine test-wasn't diabetic. Blood test-had a double white blood cell count. She weighed 4.6 lbs and for her age, should have been 8-10 but she was always on the smaller side. When you pet her all you could feel was fur and bones. The vet gave her an antibiotic shot which made her poop and sent my mom home with medicine, the diagnosis was either cancer or a kidney infection. My mom didn't get an X-ray because of the cost and surgery so took a chance on the kidney infection. The vet bill came out to be around 250, the cat started to get better, she would eat more, one day she ate 2 cans. The final days she was falling because she couldn't keep herself up and ate very little. My Mom saw her take her last breath yesterday. Sad but she was so pitiful and in so much pain. I made sure to post this in case someone was in a similar situation. The medicine might have prolonged her by a week but she didn't finish taking it. Had my mom given her the surgery she might have lived but she was old and might have not survived it. Vets are extremely expensive and just didn't help in this case. Good luck to anyone who has a cat like mine and just keep in mind when they pass that they were suffering and in pain.

A really GOOD pair of baby fingernail scissors (anything sold in a bubble pack is not thin enough or sharp enough; we got the Denco brand from the cutlery-quality scissors kiosk at our full-service pharmacy.) a nursing pillow--not a rounded one, a flat one Made a HUGE difference; I had three friends who suffered through nursing, finding it hard to hold their babies up high enough to meet the breast, until I loaned them mine. Nojo doesn't make it any more; My Brest friend is the closest I've seen, though I'm skeptical about the strap around the back and think I personally would find it annoying. I think I'd like it better than the Boppy because the Boppy is rounded; I used to just lay my baby directly on the flat surface of the nursing pillow and lay my arm behind her back; I'd be afraid of the baby rolling off the Boppy. Plus the Brest Friend can be made to slope up toward the baby's head, so the head is higher than the torso, and I liked that about my nursing pillow. Baby Bjorn Had a Snugli w/ the first baby and hated it; went out and got a Baby Bjorn. Breast pump If I had it to do over, I'd have purchased a Medela Lactina for $400 or so, used it for the full year that I rented one, loaned it to friends and relatives (if I asked them for a $25 donation to help cover the costs, they'd have thought it a huge bargain), used it to feed Baby No. 2 a Preemie, then sold it used. I'd have still come out ahead. I got the Pump-in-Style for Baby No. 2, and it's pretty wimpy compared w/ the Lactina (which I loved) Here is a link that might be useful: My Brest Friend nursing pillow

I have a 16 and 16.5 year old cats. we had another 16, but she died. a few years ago they began to have a hard time with their food and wanted more and more people food so i did just that, including my 7 year old pup. in the morning the eldest who seems to need the most eats a little really buttery scrambled egg. if we lunch for tea, they get to share a small amount of sandwich meat - yea, that is just spoiling them. for dinner they get meat from our dinner mixed with dry food (for all those vitamins) and a little warm water. gives them a soupy mix, keeps them happy, healthy, and active. i keep canned tuna, and chicken for tight moments for others i do deli roast chicken. also, i have brought mine through a few times, vets said they would die, with kitten formula and pedialyte, i often mix with chicken broth too.

I can't eat after I've been sweating unless it's guacamole and chips. :) Trail, you make a good point about sugar. It plays a big part in helping hydrate our bodies. Taken from the internet and I've read this many times, "The specific amount of sugar and electrolytes in sports drinks is intended to allow for quick hydration and absorption. This type of nutrient depletion generally occurs only with high-intensity exercise that lasts an hour or more." DS2 has been working out like this for 20 years and I think since he's now living in Florida his body is trying to tell him something, if that's the reason. Honey is also good if you make a homemade drink. Water, tea, seltzer, etc. is all fine for minor dehydration, but not for extreme workouts or anything that causes a lot of sweat for a long period of time. Sweating constantly for an hour is losing a lot of liquid. I've sure learned a lot on this topic.