Nothing much new to report, and truthfully, that's such a relief! Milk continues to - KNOCK WOOD - be controlled on (approximately - the vagaries of chopping up pills make it somewhat uncertain) 8mg of phenobarb and 125mg of levetiracetam (generic Keppra) BID. His weight continues to be under 9 pounds, which doesn't make me happy, but he's an eager and willing eater these days. I have noticed recently that he's not jumping very well - it frequently takes two tries for him to get to the counter for his pills, or to jump onto the bathroom sink. He has been wobbly ever since he started on phenobarbital, so I assume that's just his natural state now, sadly.
We have quite a few younger cats now (the Big Kittens and the Little Kittens - all under two and quite obnoxious). Milk hasn't developed a relationship with any of them, although he will occasionally curl up with Stinky, the most feral of the kittens. His primary attachment is to me, and then to Scruffy. He loooooves his Scruffy! He will drape himself over The Puffer at every opportunity. It always makes me laugh, and feel glad that Milk has his kitty friend. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of the elementary school age kid who doesn't quite fit in - he tends to stand around and watch while the kittens are thumping and bashing around, as though he'd like to join in. He probably knows that he wouldn't be able to keep up with them, I suppose. He stands safely on the sidelines, which is a good thing.
I keep thinking that I should take a video of Milk getting his pills. This little cat, who made me cry out of frustration about not being able to give him his medication a couple years ago, is way beyond cooperative. All it took was the generous offer of Temptations treats and a little Pill Pocket. Now, I call him and shake the Temptations box, and before I know it, there he is, sitting in front of me, just waiting for me to poke the pills down his throat and give him his water before and after.
I'm still surprised when I realize how long it's been since Milkshake had a seizure, and how fortunate his control has been. I would like to credit the Yahoo EpiKitty group (http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/epi-felines/) for their support and friendship, if I haven't already. It was really helpful to find that there were other people struggling with the nightmare of being awakened in the middle of the night by a beloved cat having a seizure.
We celebrated the five year anniversary of Milkshake's adoption a couple weeks ago. Five years of my sweet white kitty's presence and all the pleasure he has given me. It was a lucky day that I stopped to look at that kitten in PetSmart, for both of us.
