Chrissy Made Me Ask a Different Question (Feline)

Chrissy Made Me Ask a Different Question

Chrissy, my beautiful tortoiseshell cat, was almost 14 years old when she passed away.

For years, she struggled with arthritis. Some days, she limped badly enough that it was painful to watch.

During one veterinary visit, Solensia injections were recommended to help manage her discomfort. I knew very little about the medication at the time, but I remember saying something to Aaron:

“Every medicine has a cost. Are you comfortable with that?”

We didn’t know what the future would hold. Like every family trying to help an animal they love, we made the best decision we could with the information we had. Aaron took her for several injections.

About a year later, Chrissy began losing weight—and she was still limping.

This was happening just as I was beginning my animal-chiropractic education. I was learning more about medications, aging animals, and what chiropractic care could offer as part of a more complete approach.

Then Chrissy was diagnosed with diabetes.

More medication was recommended, but her health continued to decline. I cannot say that one medication caused everything that followed. I can only tell you that watching her struggle changed the questions I began asking.

Was she comfortable?

Was she still enjoying her life?

Were we treating numbers and symptoms, or were we truly helping Chrissy feel like herself?

I began adjusting her and made changes to her care. Chiropractic could not make her young again or reverse everything happening inside her body—but something meaningful changed.

She stopped limping.

She seemed more comfortable.

And near the end of her life, my sweet girl was not unhappy.

Chrissy became one of my earliest and most personal animal-chiropractic teachers. She taught me that caring for an aging animal isn’t merely about extending life at any cost.

It is about protecting their comfort, mobility, dignity, and joy for as long as we are blessed to have them.

Sometimes the animal who needs us most becomes the one who reveals our calling.