Well, we've moved...

[Tina B and crew]

..in with my mom. She's got to the point that she needs help keeping house, cooking etc. so we decided to fix up her place a bit (re-did bathrooms, fresh paint, took out carpet and put in new floors etc - we still want to redo the kitchen, but that will be a few months down the road) and move in with her. This is going to be an interesting prospect, I'm sure! We moved some of our stuff in so there would be familiar items for the cats before we moved them in, and made sure we moved them when we had time to be around to comfort them. Anyway, Lucy has made herself at home. She's doing great, although I don't think she slept at all last night for exploring She is eating just fine, and loves all the windows she has to sit in front of and look out. She's taken up a spot on my mom's couch that we put a throw over and you would think she'd been here forever. She does get a little jumpy at noises, but is no longer hiding for long after she gets startled.

Chunk on the other hand is not adjusting as well. We kept him in one room for a while until he seemed to be a bit back to normal (he's not good with change) and then let him come out. He has explored some but spends most of his time under the couch. He comes out when I look under there and ask him to, but after 10-15 minutes he heads back under there...sooner if he hears a noise. I don't know if he ate overnight, but both bowls were empty this morning, but he hasn't eaten today other than some tuna juice and a bite or two of wet food, that I know of. I have food and water within easy reach under the couch, but he doesn't seem to be too interested yet. Hopefully by tomorrow he will start getting into the swing of things. I'll try some more tuna tomorrow if he doesn't show any interest when I feed them in the morning. Tonight I'm going to put him in the bedroom with us and keep the door closed I think. I'm not too worried yet, since he is coming out and he has even started to play some, but I don't want him to go too long without eating.

One of our other issues is the doors. I am worried about the cats getting out when my mom goes out, because she's not always attentive. I wish I could figure some safeguard. Eventually we want to screen in the deck off the back sliding glass door and maybe the small porch on the front, but that's probably not going to happen for a few months. I've thought about gates but I don't want my mom to be trapped inside and she couldn't step over a gate. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

[Tina B and crew]

And wouldn't you know it, as soon as I posted that Chunk came out, ate a few treats, and seems to be a bit more at ease! He's still kind of jumpy, but he wouldn't eat his treats earlier today so the fact that he ate several makes me happy!

[E's]

Hope your mom is adjusting well?

[Tina B and crew]

E's...she's adjusting fairly well. I think it's actually good for her because she was falling into depression being alone all the time. I mean we had daily contact with her, but otherwise she was alone day in and day out since my dad died. It will still be an adjustment for all of us, but I think it will ultimately be good for her. She's starting to show some memory loss too...that concerns us more than anything. She also knows that this isn't set in stone, that if it doesn't work she may have to move into independent or assisted living and she's somewhat OK with that. We shall take it day by day.

Oh..and I just saw Chunk at his bowl eating - more than just a few nibbles this time. I think the treats whetted his appetite. Yay!!

[E's]

Good to hear. Best wishes to all of you!

[Traci]

You mentioned some memory loss, is this serious? Progressive? If so, there is not a lot you can do to ensure the safety of your cats unless they are in another area in the house away from mom's opening doors etc.

That said, they do make gates that open from side to side. They latch onto a wall, the gate opens just like a small door. Would that work?

But you'd have to make sure the cats couldn't race through the gate when mom opens it and when she's not looking, or not quick enough.

On the other note, I'm so glad Chunk is doing better. Keep a close eye on all of them.

[Tina B and crew]

Her memory loss is mild right now. There have been a few things that have concerned us but we are working with her general practitioner to get her in to see a geriatric specialist. The doctor thinks it is a B12 deficiency and has addressed that by giving her frequent injections. Actually I give her the injections. I'm still seeing some issues so I'm not sure if that is the issue.

Once the weather is cold she will not open the doors, she only goes in and out in warmer weather, to sit on the deck/porch. Right now the cats run the other way when anyone opens either door, so I'm considering that a good thing. When I'm not home, for now, we will confine them in the master bedroom. The have plenty of windows in there and I have a litter box in the attached bathroom. My mom no longer uses this room, she moved to one of the other bedrooms we fixed up for her. I would rather not have to do this but for the next few weeks I'm going to just to be on the safe side. I will put a sign on the door to remind her not to open it.

Chunk was almost back to his normal self this morning. He's still a little skittish, but he's coming out and he ate when I fed them. It is a big adjustment for all of us!!

[k9Karen]

Memory issues are difficult to deal with. My DH's mother was diagnosed with Lewy Body dimentia and beginning Alzheimer's last year. She is in VA and we're in FL, and she prefers to remain in her home (she's lived there 40+ years) so she has a caretaker (nurses' aide) who comes to the house several times a day to check on her, prepare her meals, and make sure she gets her meds. She also has her sister plus a niece and nephew nearby if she really needs anything. They'll been wonderful with helping her out and we are very grateful they are willing to do it. She's added her son, my DH to her checking account and he has taken over paying all her bills and has all of them mailed to us. Please have your mother seen be a competent neurologist, preferably one who specializes in memory loss of the elderly. B12 defeciency is certainly a possible issue, but if you're not seeing a significant change, the only way you can know for sure what's going on is to have the testing done (they'll probably order some radiolgical tests, an EEG, and assess her memory by asking questions and performing memory tests with her). Her Medicare should cover most of the cost of the assessment.

Glad to here Chunk is adjusting to his new surroundings.

[Tina B and crew]

Thanks karen. She has a neurologist that she has seen for years for her dystonia, but I have not been really happy with him overall so we are considering taking her back up to one at UVA Medical center. Her B12 was really, really low and that is why the doc thought it was the issue and took that approach first. I am hoping between the Center for Healthy aging (that has several doctors and other professionals on staff to help assess her. She went there once before and I was really pleased with the attention she got. She wasn't too happy when they suggested an independent living facility though We are hoping and praying that this isn't permanent, but if it is we will deal with it somehow.

PS...Chunk is finally back to his normal self, chasing and annoying Lucy (who really loves almost every minute of it until he has her pinned down. Then she gives him the what-for and he slinks away)

[Cleo]

Good luck. My mom leaves the house with the gas on her stove or the curling iron plugged in all too often. She's in the apartment below me so it's become a daily habit for me to check when she leaves the house. I took the knobs off her stove at one point in time but my idiot BIL showed her how to use them with a pliers.

I'll never forget the time my beautiful angel baby Simon was circling and meowing like crazy one morning in my kitchen. Sure enough, a pan was on fire on her stove down below.