One Week In

So, here are. Cleo is holding her own on 10mg Prednisolone and 2.5 of Pepcid. Yes, that Pepcid. Her vomiting is gone. She is no longer having accidents. She is currently sprawled in the sunshine under the living room window. She and Callie are sniffing each other with the usual mix of curiosity and animosity. Most of the time, life seems pretty normal.
Until we hear digging in the litter box. The smell follows her out, gagging humans and Callie. It has congealed a little, but it is still unmistakably not right. If anyone knows what c-diff smells like, it is close. It is not the same, it is less sour and more ... something else. One of us runs and grabs the scoop and the litter box spray. Glade was not made for this. Cover and spray. Fast.
I have been told cats with intestinal lymphoma who respond to the meds can last a year or two with relatively good quality of life. I wonder how anyone who smells so dead inside can last that long. I don't tell Cleo this. She is doing the best she can. And can't speak English. There is that.
Callie has taken over the high perch and the dominant role. Cleo doesn't care. I don't think she has the energy. As long as we spoil her and she gets to mark our shoes up, she is pretty content. In the old days, she would have fought tooth and nail. Seeing her give up makes me sad. But, she still plays with some of the toys and wants lap time and follows us around all curious as ever, so that makes it better.
The prescription diet z/d is staying down. I don't know if it is the meds or the food, so i am not messing with it... The food lasts about 3 weeks for 2 cats and petsmart carries it for under 30, so adjusting the budget accordingly. Their food is part of the grocery budget, so guess who will get less in all this... Yep. Low budget. Nothing learning about couponing won't cure, though! About time i did that anyway.
Callie likes to shred paper, so maybe she can help clip them...