Punkin Limbaugh Gives Us a Scare

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | July 26, 2013 | Rush Limbaugh

[Kaslin]

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RUSH: Folks, I got so scared yesterday. You know, my little cat, Punkin, is 16 years old. I got Punkin in 1997. She's Abyssinian and, for most of Punkin's life, I think the breeder that we got Punkin from bred the cats for potential show, and there might have been some inbreeding for purity's sake. I've done a lot of reading about Abyssinians. Punkin's always had urinary tract problems, kidney infections. Her kidneys produce -- as it's been explained to me -- crystals that clog up her urinary tract and make her think she's gotta go to the bathroom when she doesn't, and you can see that when it happens. So she's constantly getting medicine for it and frequent trips to the vet her whole life.

But we'd reached a point a month ago where every antibiotic that had been given to her in pill form, she had built up a resistance to and none of them worked. So we had to send her to the vet for a three-week stay in the cat hospital. And we took the hammock that she sleeps in and the food balls and took that stuff over there. She had to get a shot twice day, had to get an injection of antibiotic twice a day at the cat hospital. The vet wanted to monitor her every day, that's why we couldn't do it at home, and some other things, too. And, you know, she's16 years old, two injections a day. So I've been sorta apprehensive about Punkin.

We picked Punkin up on Tuesday and brought her home, and she's been fine, actually a little mad, as she always is, thinking that I abandoned her. I did. I went by to see her one time, and people said, "Why didn't you go by and see her more?" I said, "Wouldn't it be cruel, she's an animal in a cat hospital, to show up and then leave? I mean, that would lead to abandonment issues with the cat." We humans, we always transfer our own humanity to animals. So we think that they feel and react in ways like we do. People showed up to see me in the hospital and left, and I'd just assume they not show up.

So, anyway, yesterday I'm sitting on the couch, and Punkin's right next to me, and I'd just gotten home and I'm just settling in to do some reading on the iPad. She's sitting on her blanket right next to me on the sofa, and out of the corner of my eye, I think she's gonna get up and jump off and go running around somewhere. And out of the corner of my eye, that's what I thought happened. It turned out she fell off. She literally fell off, just rolled off. I see this out of the corner of my eye, I didn't know until later she actually rolled off. I didn't see her moving after that, I said, "Oh, my God!" I leaned forward and she splayed out on the floor in the weirdest position, and her head's under the sofa, and then she started crying like crazy. I mean, I'd never heard this kind of meowing, crying.

So I bolted up out of there and I went over there, and I picked her up and I didn't know what had happened 'cause we give her blood pressure medicine every day at three o'clock. So I said, "Aw, no," 16 years old, you know the thoughts that go through your head. She was scared to death. Her eyes were dilated, and she's continuing to cry, so I picked her up and I held her for a while. She stopped crying immediately. I didn't know if she was paralyzed. I've never seen her fall off of anything. This has never happened. So I put her down on the floor and she wouldn't move, but she could stand up. So I said, "Ah, jeez." You know, you have all those sad thoughts that start going through your mind.

So I put her back down on the sofa, and I remembered that she gets her blood pressure medicine at three o'clock. She has high blood pressure. Sixteen-year-old cat. I mean, she's two years beyond her life expectancy for this breed, the Abyssinians. They usually, at 14, that's the upper edge. She's on, well, what you'd say borrowed time. Anyway, after about a half hour, totally normalized, started getting same old Punkin, jumping off the couch, running around to get a drink of water and so forth. So I figure what happened, she either fell asleep -- by the way, when she got back up on the couch herself, she sat as far away from the edge as she could. I figure she either fell asleep and just rolled off, or else the blood pressure medicine, she lost consciousness. I had no idea what it was. So we're gonna monitor it today when she has to get the blood pressure medicine.

Boy, it was just scary. I just love this little cat, and this little cat, we've got these three giant sheepdogs, and they're just intrigued as they can be with this little peanut animal. They don't know what it is, but they know it's some kind of an animal, and Punkin doesn't care. She thinks they're idiots. Brutish, dirty, filthy idiots. You can just see it in her face. But she was perfectly fine so I chalked it up, the blood pressure medicine just lowered her blood pressure too much. But, you know, at 16, you just... I don't know. I had forgotten she was that old when we took her to the vet for this three-week stay. I said, "What is she now, 10, 12?"

"Oh, no, we've been treating her since 1997."

"Oh, my gosh, 16 years old."

And ever since then I've become hyper-attentive to everything she does. I don't let her walk up stairs anymore. I carry her. When it's time to go to bed I pick her up and carry her up the steps. I drop her right at her food bowl and her water bowl. She even licked me in the face after this whole thing yesterday. So that was cool.

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[Pinkbell]

Awww... I just lost a cat in March, and while she had a quick illness that took her 11 days after it began, it was so hard watching her suffer. We did all we could, but ultimately, she was suffering and dying and had to be euthanized. It was one of the hardest days of my life. They really are part of the family. I hope Punkin lives as long as possible. My other cat has kidney issues and is taking Transfer Factor. She is doing very well.

[martin_fierro]

lulz

[Georgia Girl 2]

I know how he feels. We had one that made it to 19. Sometimes she wouldn’t move for hours. I would make Mr. GG2 go over and touch her to make sure she was still alive.

Now our Beagle Buddy is almost 17 and we do the same thing to him. :-)

[Yardstick]

It sure was. It’s so obvious that Rush is a nice guy — in the way he treats Punkin and in a hundred other ways — yet liberals see him as this big meanie, and they’ve convinced a lot of other people that he’s that way too. They did the same thing with Reagan, perceived him 180 degrees the opposite of how he really was. And the same with Bush and Palin and the latest example is George Zimmerman. Liberals have this capacity for utter wrongness that’s really pretty amazing.

[Don W]

I had my Quatorze put down about a month ago (at 16) after she told me it was time.

Be grateful for the love you shared, but don’t prolong kitty’s pain for selfish reasons.

The dogs miss her too...

[Hot Tabasco]

We owe them and ourselves that much.

I couldn't agree more......

[Kaslin]

Why would I flame you? Not all pit bulls are bad. It depends on how they were raised. My son used to have a pit bull who was the most gentle dog you could imagine

[Vaquero]

cause I am not a cat person...not the breed of dog.

we lost a dog 3 years or so ago who was half pit bull, half Chocolate Lab and all MUSH. I love the non abuse trained pit bulls, they are mostly just big lovers.

[MarkL]

I can't believe that Punkin is 16 years old! I remember when Rush first got it, and I remember that before that, Rush was NOT a cat person. I seem to recall a regular caller from the "high mountains?" who spoke of making cat tacos. Does anyone else remember that guy?

When the right cat comes into one's life, one may or may not become a "cat person," but the bond can be so incredibly strong, they won't even realize how much they love their furry little friend.

A co-worker hated cats, a favorite saying that "they're a waste of fur." Then his wife brought home a Ragdoll from a rescue. Within a month, they had gotten a playmate for the first (and later on a second), and he was talking about all the cute things that his cat was doing.

Mark

[bigredkitty1]

I feel the need for a few kitty hugs. I still miss the ones I have lost, but I do treasure the ones I still have. :-)

[Hot Tabasco]

I only have the one, Squeek, who is about 10 years old. Nothing special about her except that she's not affectionate, lies around and only makes her presence known when it's breakfast or dinner time..........

Occasionally she'll get up on the bed when I go to bed but only for about 10 minutes then she jumps off and goes to her own bed outside the bedroom door then comes back on the bed when the coffee pot goes off at about 4:15 a.m. ...Once in a while I'll slightly waken in the middle of the night and find her sleeping beside me.........

[Ronin]

Wow. Best wishes to Punkin. 16 though... that’s an old lady. I have five cats, the oldest is 15 now, and I watch her very carefully. Fortunately, she’s never had any serious health issues.

[Shadowstrike]

I’ve got a 20 something year old cat, did mostly the same thing, fell off the bed, wouldn’t stand, started crying, thought she’d had a stroke. Rushed her to the vet...

Turns out she had a bad ear infection that hadn’t shown up in any way before this.

She’s the PuffnStuff, and she’s still going strong.

[bigredkitty1]

(Smiles) It does my heart good to hear about furry family members reaching the big 2-0. I seem to recall an age chart at my vet’s office giving cats ages. At 2 years, they are the human equivalent of a 24 year-old. For every additional year of life, add another 4 years.

Grief! She is quite the geriatric girl. Good care will accomplish that.

[flaglady47]

My one cat lived to 20, the other to 15. It was a bummer when each of them died. I had their ashes scattered over at a beautiful little pet cemetery nearby, so that I can periodically drive over there and think of both of them. It is very peaceful, and a lovely resting place for both of them.

[CodeToad]

I remember when he got the cat he wasn’t so sure he liked cats, but this thing took to him like a duck on water, and he took to it.

[pbmaltzman]

I hope Rush and the vet are able to pull Punkin through this. Still, 16 years is a good long life for a cat.

My oldest cat is about 12 years old, and I hope to have her around for more years and in a healthy state.

[LiberConservative]

Heard this live. Had no idea Punkin was still alive. She’s under the best care possible. Long Live Viking Punkin!

[Shadowstrike]

my big mixed breed dog lived to be 16 years old. He was 130 pounds, miss my big guy.

My Mama, and Dad told me at a young age, they can’t fend for themselves, if you take in someone you take care of them to the very best of your ability. Things’ll happen that you don’t have any control over, but do the best you can.

We’ve been blessed with some of the best four legged (and in one case 3 legged) furry family God every graced the planet with.

[Jane Long]

I remember when Rush got Punkin, too. And also, when he was not a cat person :)

Our kitty is 19 years old. Hubby's not a cat person but really gives this old cat such wonderful TLC. He feeds her stinky canned food twice a day...because "she likes it, and deserves it!". She knows when it's time for the canned food and begins the demanding stares, right on time.

Every time we think it's her *time*, she bounces back with another life :) She's well past her 9th one.