Mia is feeling much, much better. We were devastated to find out she has lymphoma in her liver, but at the same time, knowing allowed us to treat her for symptoms. Seeing her feeling better is such a relief. And as long as we’ve got her for, we’re going to enjoy her as much as possible.

Some of the signs that she’s feeling better:

[1]

She went on prednisone, and within a few days, she was in much better shape. Her weakness gone, she immediately got to work on the (red) bandage she had been wearing (no more cone). For our overnight in Vegas, we checked her into Dr. Jones’ hospital, where she is quite a popular celebrity among the staff these days. While there, she was given a new, green bandage. Several days later, however, she had deposited shredded pieces of green bandage all over No. 6 and managed to puncture her feeding tube somehow with tiny holes. So ANOTHER trip to the vet later, she is now in purple, with accessorizing white medical tape plugging the feeding-tube holes and sticking it all to her fur FOREVER. Do you think she is deterred, though? Um, no.

[2]

She has been joining Linus in the prime sunny spots that appear as the day unfolds around the house. No fear. For his part, Linus has gotten over his obsession with smelling Mia’s face since her feeding tube showed up (this made for many tense moments, as Mia’s “Linus sense” is BROKEN, and she doesn’t know of his presense until he is actually in the PROCESS of smelling her face). He certainly defends his sunny spot claims with evil stares, but is thankfully made too docile and gelatinous by the sun to make a move. Mia knows this, and now she is feeling well enough to act on that knowledge again.

[3]

At one time submissive to all medical treatments here at home, she now tries to wiggle out of feedings and medicatings. The VERY IMPORTANT blue pill that cannot be crushed and squirted down the tube, the craw-jamming of which she once had no energy to fight, she now hides in some secret mouth-pocket until I think she has swallowed it, and then deposits it on the linoleum in front of me. Meanwhile, she has several times wiggled away from me during my pre-feeding set-up. I’m not sure why, since she starts purring ravenously the second the hypodermic smoothie hits her stomach. Maybe she just wants it to be on her terms.

[4]

Twice today she tried to escape No. 6, heading west toward Venice Beach. Luckily, her runaway episodes took her only as far as No. 4 before I caught on. But silly me for thinking a FEEDING TUBE and ELABORATE BANDAGING might prevent her jumping a six-foot fence.

[5]

She is eating not just a little more than she used to but THREE TIMES as much, and that’s on her own … add to that the hypodermic smoothies, and it’s clear why she’s gained a pound already. And why my litter-box-scooping duty has become a full-time job.

So as hard as it still is to know our time with her is going to be shorter than we thought, for now—for right now—she is doing better and FEELING so very much better, and that’s what we’re both focused on.