dreamed i saw a desert rose

Sketch is clearly feeling all the monkey (and monkey-kitty) mojo. I just talked with his vet, and he told me that Sketch is doing much, much better. He’s almost completely out of congestive heart faliure! His vet told me that Sketch ate food overnight (as far as we know, he hadn’t eaten all weekend), and that he was out of oxygen, sitting up, looking around, and being “very, very talkative.”
I talked with his vet yesterday evening, and he told me that Sketch’s lungs were about 2/3 less filled with fluid than they were on Saturday, so he was responding very well to the lasix, and his breathing was down to about 24 from as high as 50 or 80 (sorry, I can’t remember exactly what it was) when we brought him in yesterday morning. It was the news I was hoping to hear, and I burst into tears of relief when I hung up the phone. I made a bit of a spectacle of myself, but I didn’t (and don’t) care. My fat guy is getting better.
It was kind of surreal last night to sit in the theatre at ACME and pitch my sketches for the next show. The word “sketch” was said about a thousand times (duh) and each time I heard it, my eyes filled up. I think I’m going to write a sketch about it, though. It could be pretty funny, once I clean up the gallows humor.
He will get a cardiac ultrasound later today, or early tomorrow, depending on how he’s feeling, and then we’ll know what his heart disease is, and how to treat it. I know he’s not out of the woods yet, but there are rays of hope shining down all around us, and the path is very clear.
Thank you for all your comments and e-mails. This has been a rough few days for me and my family. Each time I’ve heard from someone who had a similar experience with their cat years ago, I feel a little more hopeful that Sketch will be another one of those cats who rang Death’s doorbell, then ran down the walkway laughing before He could open the door.

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66 thoughts on “dreamed i saw a desert rose”

  1. Yay, Sketch! I’ve had to deal with both types of visits to the vet — the triumphant ones and the not-so-triumphant ones, and I’m happy your buddy is on the mend. Our Mallory never quite bounced back from the congestive heart failure — she had a bunch of other complications — and I would rather have gone through what she did than watch her again.
    Continued good vibes and prayers from the Seattle area.

  2. Glad to hear the good news. Any pet is like a family member, better yet they usually never give you grief and just have love for you. BTW: I don’t rmemeber you ever stating how big Sketch is? My cat Keisi is a whopping 17 lbs….

  4. Yay! I’m very very happy to hear the good news. I need to go home and hug my kitty tonight. Jeez, I’ve never met this cat or its owner and already my day is brightened.
    I need to get out more.
    Pax,
    Matthew

  6. Glad to hear the great news — cats do this thing where they crawl into your soul and you find you need them around way past the years they’re given. I wish you and your furrball many years of joy to come.

  8. I saw I forgot a letter. I ment I’ve been thinking of Sketch and you the whole time and not the hole time. 🙂 sorry.

  9. I’m really pleased to hear he’s on the mend. I had to take my little guy to the vet last April and the news wasn’t so as good – well, it was the worst. I understand the heartache you’ve been going through, but it looks like there’s a happy outcome for you all! 🙂
    Eight lives left! And maybe you should campaign for people to use public transport, so if you ever need to make an emergency run again, there’s not as much damn traffic!!!
    Les

  12. Good for you, Wil and Sketch! Glad the mojo helped. (Pamela wondered which vet you went to…if it’s Valley Veterinary Specialists, that’s where her cousin works. Out here, our babies get their care from Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. Seen the Emergency Vets program on Discovery Animal Planet? That’s the one.)
    Incidentally, I also saw your first Onion A.V. Club column today. Rock rock on! Loved the tagline at the end, too.

  15. Thanks for the update. I’m glad to hear sketch is
    feeling better! Also, I hope the trip through the
    rest of the woods is swift. Hang in there!
    C

  17. Sooner or later, we all end up crying while on the phone to the vet, sweetie. Just another part of being a cat parent.
    I’m so happy for y’all. Hopefully, there will be more good news coming. We’re still thinking about all of you and PK is napping the sun in Sketch’s honor.
    * Continueing Healing Kitty MOJO *

  19. Good to hear he’s coming around. That lasix is strong medicine. My youngest went through several courses of it during her preemie days. You probably will be looking at daily pills for ol’ Sketch. Talk to the vet tech for tips on getting them down. Our cat has arthritis, and stuffing those pills down isn’t fun. She tolerates it now only because she knows she gets a few chewy treats afterwards (spoonful of sugar and all that).
    Continued Mojo!

  20. Wil,
    So glad Sketch is doing better. That is great news, and I cna see now that the MOJO has worked. Keep positive and give him lots of love when he gets home. (I know you will) After care may be tough, so hang in there! 🙂

  21. So glad all the MOJO has worked for Sketch Wil.
    Keep positive, and allthough the after care may be tough, hang in there. Give him lots of extra loving when he comes home! 🙂 (I know you will)

  22. I told Aloysius and Snuggles about Sketch and they have been sending good kitty vibes. I’m glad it’s working and they will be too. Give him a hug from us.

  23. Glad to hear about the kitty. I know how hard it can be. I’ve gone through way too many pets.
    That’s why we now own a tortoise. Really. The little bugger will definitely out-live me. (If I ever get real mad at my kids, I’ll change my will and leave all of my money to Frances, the tortoise.)
    I, too, read the game review you wrote after your trip through The Onion’s Time Tunnel. All I’ve got to say, Wil, is,
    “Sometimes… a cactus is just a cactus!”
    Chuck Field
    [email protected]

  25. Wil, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!! Keeping the prayers and good thoughts up for Sketch. Believe it or not, there’s a verse in the Psalms that talks about how God will take care of our animals. Jean-Luc sends lots of Kitty Mojo and purrs, too.
    Wendy

  27. WAY TO GO SKETCH!! Our furry family is very relieved he’s doing so well. He is very lucky to have such loving parents. Sending continued mojo his way for a complete recovery.

  29. so he was very vocal huh….
    makes me wonder if i take for granted hearing Julius (my cat) meow insistently before i’m ready to get up.

  30. Great news Wil! Now make sure you visit the old guy while he’s there so he knows you are still around. When my cat was 2 he ended up on deaths door and I was faced with the possibility of making “the decision.” I asked if I could go in and see him at the vet the night before I had to decide. I went in and loved on him for a bit and then went home devastated. Vet called the next day to say he’d made miraculous recovery and was able to come home. He lived another 14 years healthy and ornery as could be. But he was my baby till the end, and I’m glad to hear yours will be ok.

  34. I’ve been following your writing for a while, but this is the first time I’ve been moved to comment.
    This is a picture of my cat, Mallory, taken late last year. It shows him with a tube in his neck (not really gross, don’t worry), through which we had to give him daily meds for about three months.
    Short story is that when we moved to a new house, he freaked out and stopped eating completely. We have other cats, and free-feed, so we didn’t notice until his weightloss became severe. His liver had shut down altogether, and he required a massive about of specialized care, but now, less than a year later, he’s absolutely good as new.
    Much love and good wishes to Sketch for a speedy recovery… 🙂

  38. See? I TOLD you that monkey mojo always works. 🙂
    (Or maybe I posted it on teh Soapbox.)
    Glad he’s doing better.
    Death sometimes has the voice of Norm MacDonald and sometimes has the voice of Adam Carola.

  39. Ahhhhhh….thanks for the update. I got online specifically to see if there was any word on the kitty. We’re all still sending good thoughts and mojo Sketch’s way.

  40. YAY for Sketch Kitty! 🙂 So very glad he is doing better. You too Wil.
    I’m thinkin’ bout getting a Maine Coon myself. Glad to know that this is something to keep an eye out for.
    I gotta feeling he is going to be kickin’ kitty @$$ again very soon! 🙂
    Jenga

  41. My other kitties didn’t seem too intersted when u told them about Sketch, but Shiro drooled happy purr drool on my arm, so he was probably sending the mojo. Glad to hear he’s better

  42. I have been on the canine version on the roller coaster and am thankful the felines in my house are healthy. I brought home a 8 week rescued puppy who ended up with a horrible case of kennel cough not more than 5 hours after getting home. She was breathing fast, coughing, vomiting and couln’t stand well–we did the emergency thing and started antibiotics immediately–we were hoping this would not turn into a life threatening pneumonia but were only given a 50/50. Well she responded to the 2nd antibiotic yesterday so I was feeling hopeful. Well my other dog, Tanner boo boo bear, began the same symptoms but he got sick way faster. Add two more visits. I have spent three days home from work and the past few nights asleep bu their dog crates to monitor their breathing. These are my babies, two cats two dogs. I don’t think I have ever been so exhausted in my life and we are not out of the woods yet–this could go on for 2-6 more weeks. Als, the cats can get it if its bacterial, so I am trying to partition off the house. You made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the pet love struggle–mojo to sketch, please return a little to Tanner and Chloe and think anti-infection thoughts for kitties Jasper (a coon cat) and SImba ( a gray domestic)–tx

  43. that is great! my vet totally saved one of my bunnies’ life a few years ago. let’s hear it for vets! sounds like sketch is one tough kitty and totally looking forward to more fun with his family.

  45. oh, Sketch is going to be fine, i just know it. Sketch’s going to be awesome. cats can be such fighters! and that comedy sketch is going to be awesome too! you HAVE to write one about Sketch, it would be so good. good luck with everything

  46. I’m glad to hear that Sketch is doing much better. I thought it was the end of the world when my kitty went into kidney failure. That was 5 years ago and she is still kicking it kitty style.
    You made my mind twist around with the fact that every time they said ‘sketch’ it made you tear up. I had an odd flash of someone naming their cat ‘cancer’ and the opposite situation happening. 🙂

  47. I think I know just how happy you are, my dog recently went missing and then got found again, so I know what a rollcoaster you are on. I’ll keep sending mojo Sketches way and hopefully I will get some in return for the jobs I am going for at the moment. Good luck Wil, Family and of course, Sketch.

  48. Sketch (and Staff),
    Keep up the healing, we are all glad to hear the good news!
    Ping, Copper, Mr. Bojangles, Domino and their staff 🙂

  49. I don’t know why, but something in me objects to the pronoun for death being capitalized. Maybe we should refer to death as hE and hIM.
    At any rate, I’m so very glad to hear that Sketch still has 9 lives left. Keep your chin up.

  50. Wil, hang in there. Our coven is sending Reiki energy to Sketch, and has lit some candles to help him through this crisis and to help him improve over the long run. It isn’t over til it’s over. Blessings to all of your family.

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