Pablo Lived a Long Time
Pablo chillin’ at home
Pablo was a funny cat. Most cats are nimble and stealthy. Pablo always seemed a little uncoordinated and walked with a bit of stiffness. His meow was more like a squawk. What he lacked in normal cat "mojo", he made up for in affection and adorableness. He was very friendly with the other members of the RejuveCat family, rarely getting into a fight. My wife used to say that he would not hurt a flea.
He was always in good lean shape, loved basking in the sun, and enjoyed overdosing on catnip. He was the classic nose-rubbing cat. If you were not petting him on the nose, he was rubbing his nose on you or in your face...constantly. This is great if you are a cat-lover, but Pablo did it so much that even someone who is not allergic to cats would start to sneeze.
Pablo catching a buzz rolling around in the catnip patch
Pablo was our longest-living cat (so far). He lived to a grand old age of 18. We were lucky that he experienced a slow decline with no major illnesses. His eyesight diminished during the last 2 to 3 years of his life, so much so, that he was almost completely blind during the last few months. It is amazing to see how other senses compensate for the loss of one of the others. Even though Pablo was blind he would still walk around outside and find his way to-and-from the house (under our supervision, of course). One day, just using hearing and feeling, he followed me around the yard and through the woods for what must have been a 100-yard circuit. He followed the path even though he could not see it. Amazing.
Pablo was another cat that received a possible "anti-aging" supplement late in life. In contrast to the experience with Lynx (who received C60), Pablo responded well to a small amount of an NAD+ boosting supplement. As a general description, NAD+ is a basic component of the cellular energy cycle in all animals. It is still unclear if it has true anti-aging or rejuvenating effects, but that is what NAD+ proponents claim. With Pablo, he definitely seemed to "perk up" after taking small amounts. Unfortunately, I was unable to measure any specific markers of cat health to prove that he was doing better, but he seemed better, and there were no noticeable negative side effects for a 17 year-old cat.
Kidney disease or chronic renal failure (CRF) is very common in older cats and that is what eventually took Pablo's life. Once the issue became noticeable, we gave him once-a-week fluids to help him with his condition for the last few months, but the decline in kidney function was inexorable. Life gets tougher in these times, but Pablo soldiered through. The final straw was an accidental heatstroke. One warm and sunny September day when the temperature was around 80 degrees (which is not all that hot for a cat) Pablo wanted to go outside and lie in the sun - one of his favorite pastimes. He seemed to be enjoying his afternoon sunning, but his frail condition did not tolerate the warmth as well as in the past. In a short 5 to 10 minutes, he started showing signs of over-heating - a quickening pulse and rapid breathing. I quickly moved him inside and placed him near an air conditioning vent. This cooled him off and the heatstroke subsided, but he was not the same. He was no longer able to walk straight or find his way around very well. That was the end. It is a cautionary tale about caring for an elderly cat. They might not be able to tolerate activities as well as they did when they were younger.
Pablo loved the sun, more than most cats
In contrast to Sole’ and Lynx, Pablo's passing was not as disheartening. It was sad, of course, but he essentially died of old age after living a happy and longer life than most cats. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not easy to ameliorate unless a transplant is performed. If you do some investigating, you will find that the most-suggested option is to manage the situation through dietary changes - trying to postpone the inevitable. It is often stated that CKD is "irreversible". Here at RejuveCat, we do not believe this is true. We are investigating methods and therapeutics to substantially reverse CKD and hope to begin clinical trials this year - 2021. Stay tuned to the blog and our video channel for updates over the next few months.