Scrap: Salvaging a Family garnered a couple of beautiful new reviews over the past few days. I am so grateful for the readers for their reviews.
The book’s reviews have been excellent, but they are coming in very slowly. I don’t think readers realize that even a one sentence review on Amazon helps the algorithms immensely.
It’s tough going to sell a book, even one with good reviews. And then the path to the reviews is kind of tortuous (medical term hah). I like how Ellen Morris Prewitt describes it in her blog post The Kindness of Strangers. She says:
This authoring business is a Blanche DuBois undertaking. Like the heroine in A Streetcar Named Desire, authors must depend on the kindness of strangers. First, an author asks people to come to their event. Then, when the guests arrive, you want them to buy a book. After that, you’re hoping they crack open the book and read it. Once they’ve read it, here comes another ask: will you tell people you like the book? That’s four things you’re asking of a person. Four. That seems like a lot to me.
You can translate that first one, the event, in my case as to read my social media, blog posts, substack notes, etc. So I am humbly asking for those other three things if you’re reading this post: a) buy the book, b) read the book, c) review the book with even one sentence. Actually I am pleased if you do a, and thrilled if you do b. I am downright relieved if you do c.
Anyway, here’s a little pic of the darker side of Scrap as a reward for reading through the above words (mine, not Ellen’s). Then I want to update you about Lily.
Hah, isn’t that cool? Playing around with Book Brush, as you can see.
So Lily. She had stopped eating and I had to bring her to the vet last week. She then had a dental procedure because she had a big resorbing tooth that had to be removed. After the surgery on Thursday, she ate and then Friday she seemed as if she was recovering well. She ate and took her meds.
But then yesterday, Saturday, she did not eat all day. She didn’t act like herself.
Today she still wasn’t eating, and I had to take her to the vet. This new vet is open Sundays, but not Saturdays. Her meds got changed around and she got fluids because she was dehydrated again. Tomorrow I have to take her in for fluids again. I won’t do them myself as I did that with Felix years ago for some time, and it drove a wedge between us as he hated it.
I hate making this about myself (instead of Lily) but actually I’m getting PTSD over my cats.
I don’t want Lily to be part of the prevailing pattern.
For instance, from July 2021 to June 2022, I lost four cats. Three of them were from July to September!
Then in 2024 I lost Kana. Not part of a pattern.
However, in February of this year I lost Meesker and then on June 28 the King of All Cats, Perry.
I wonder if Lily is doing what Pear Blossom did when Mac died in 2015. She stopped eating completely. I tried desperately to get her to eat, but she would not. Our vet thought she was going to die. Then one day she just started eating again.
However, I do think I must have gotten a bit of nourishment down her somehow. Lily is refusing ANYTHING.
What if Lily just doesn’t start eating in time? Cats can only go for a short time without food or they get a life-threatening condition called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).
I am so sorry. I lost two cats in 14 months and thought that was too much. Sending hugs for the whole house.
Thanks so much, Kate. It’s so horrible.
Poor Lily. Praying for her and you, Luanne! -C.D.
Thank you. This is so awful. I appreciate it, Carole.
It’s hard having a big family to care for.
Yeah, no more big family. I can’t keep going through this stuff.
I agree, you should lighten your load. It’s so hard to lose them after going all out to try to save them all.
Luanne, this is rough, no doubt about it. Don’t feel like you have to explain. And I totally get it about taking her in for fluids. We had to give Maxine fluids 2-3 times a day for a few weeks before she passed and it was traumatic for everyone! I don’t think we could ever do that again.
Has your vet mentioned tube feeding yet? We had to do that with Wendy last year. She had suddenly stopped eating, turned her nose up at everything we tried (even Churu) so tube-feeding was the only recourse unless we were ready to let her go which we weren’t. She was in the hospital for three nights. Once she started eating on her own, they let us bring her home. It was touch-and-go for a few days and then suddenly she decided she liked the special diet that was recommended. Well, we also had her on a complicated medication regime which included steroids. She’s still on a steroid even though she’s doing well now. Her particular problem was a GI disorder. It probably had been developing for a long time.
Anyway, I wish I could do more than just send love and positive, healing vibes to you all! 🩷
Marie, thank you for that information. The vet wants to get a steroid compounded tomorrow and I really think she wants her to have an abdominal ultrasound although her xray was fine. I mentioned a feeding tube to the Gardener, and he was very resistant to that idea, so I will tell him Wendy’s story. Was the GI disorder something like IBD? Thank you sooooooooooo much for the <3!
Luanne, here’s my post where I wrote about Wendy on the feeding tube. https://1writeway.com/2025/05/19/five-things-on-may-19-2025/
I agree she should have an ultrasound; our primary vet did that for Wendy and diagnosed her with a form of IBD. 🩷🩷🩷🩷
Ugh, what a nightmare. You mention something here that gave me pause about Lily. The appetite stimulant is doing nothing for her. She acts like she’s afraid of food. Can’t wait to get away from it. Perry had IBD and so did Felix. But though it became difficult to feed them both, only Perry stopped eating and drinking and by then he had a lot of problems. So I don’t know . . . .
Wendy was given three appetite stimulants, definitely Cerenia and the steroid also serves as a stimulant and there was one other one (can’t remember the name). Even with the stimulants, we still had to go with the feeding tube. We assumed that food made her feel nauseous and that’s why she had stopped eating. And the IBD probably made her feel crummy overall. It seemed like forever but it was probably a month from the time we first took Wendy in to when she was (finally) eating regularly and not throwing up, with follow-up vet visits about every two weeks. Anyway, I hope Lily gets a diagnosis that can be treated. What worked for my cat might not work for yours, but I can definitely empathize. Will be praying for you all! 🩷
Thanks, Luanne, for the update. I will pray for your Lily.
Elaine, who is celebrating the reissue of two books – From Calcutta with Love and Santa Fe on Foot.
Congratulations, Elaine! I am planning to do that with Doll God, too. Good luck with the process. I love your Calcutta book! Thank you for your prayers for Lily. Poor girl. She is so miserable.
I’m so sorry to hear that Lily still isn’t doing well. Sending healing vibes, very strong healing vibes, her way.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!! xo
You’re welcome, Luanne.
–🙏 — for Lily and for you
My son now works at a veterinary urgent care. They’re open 7 days a week from 12pm-10pm. He mostly sees urgent cases but some people bring in pets for well checks because their hours are more convenient than regular offices.
Those are great hours. Bless him for working with the fur babies.
Lily, lifting you into healing light on Angel wings
Thank you, Annette. And BACK AT YOU!!! Praying for your health, my dear.
Thank you! <3
I’m praying for you both. God bless.