This is a personal record of my life with my cat, Mickey, who lives with a chronic illness.
The English version is translated with the help of AI tools, with care and love.
This post was originally published on July 1, 2025.
A Restless Morning
That morning began differently than usual.
Mickey suddenly started to retch.
The sound was sharp and urgent — the kind that instantly tightens my chest.
For a cat living with chronic kidney disease and heart concerns,
vomiting is never something I can simply “wait and see.”
I stayed close, watching carefully.
Then Came the Coughing
Not long after, he began coughing.
It wasn’t constant.
But it was enough.
Each small sound felt heavy with possibility —
Was it nausea?
Was it his heart?
Was fluid building somewhere it shouldn’t?
When you live with a chronically ill cat,
you learn that hesitation can cost comfort.
Even If It’s a “False Alarm”
In the end, I decided not to second-guess myself.
Even if this turned out to be nothing serious.
Even if we were told, “He’s stable.”
Even if it was what some might call a “false alarm.”
For us, there is no such thing as overreacting.
There is only choosing the safest path.
So we went to the hospital.
At the Clinic
By the time we arrived,
his symptoms had already eased.
He sat quietly in his carrier, as if nothing had happened.
The examination showed no immediate emergency.
His breathing was stable.
His heart sounded unchanged.
Relief came slowly — not in a rush, but in layers.
The Meaning of “Empty Swings”
In Japanese, we sometimes say “空振り” —
a swing that hits nothing.
But with chronic illness,
even an empty swing has meaning.
It means:
- I listened carefully.
- I acted quickly.
- I chose caution over regret.
And that is never wasted effort.
Living Without Regret
When you care for a fragile life,
your decisions are guided by one quiet question:
“Will I regret not going?”
If the answer might be yes —
then we go.
This morning was not dramatic.
It did not end in crisis.
But it reminded me that vigilance is love in action.
And today, that was enough.
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