Sparty made a surprise appearance into our lives when my godmother, who was a second mother to me, died suddenly of pancreatic cancer. He was a beacon of light when everything fell apart. He made the darkest time feel a little lighter.
But his was a seemingly overnight deterioration from an affectionate little being to an incapacitated cat we hardly knew. Taking him to the vet, his prognosis was “persistent arthritis” attacking most of his joints, from nose to tail. The vet could operate, but it’s a recurring condition, so it was futile digging a hole just to have it filled again.
An impained Sparty quickly degenerated, his plaintive meows permeating every waking moment, even through his sleep.
My family and I furiously searched for antidotes for his pain. One solution was high-dose morphine adjacent pain medicine. It was difficult to tell if this helped Sparty, since the potent medicine left him in an impenetrable daze, making him even more sedentary than before.
There was talk of end of life planning for him. There were arguments. There were tears. I couldn’t fathom losing him after only eight years.
My recommendation was CBD. My parents were split on this solution, but what they did agree on was that in his condition, Spartapuss had zero quality of life.
We administered the CBD oil to Sparty every day, which was met with great resistance from him. After my mom tasted the CBD and found it to be bitter and generally revolting, we found a nearly flavorless variety that was met with far less contention.
Within a week, Sparty experienced great progress. In two weeks, there was extreme progress, and at the three-week mark, the vet noticed the arthritis actually receding! Today, Sparty has been taking CBD oil every day for two years, and is back to the same cat he was before his diagnosis. We’re so glad to have our little furball still in the family.
