--> The "howling dog" worried me.  Was he causing Lester distress?  Also
--> was he suffering?   Have you had time to give to Phunny

Well, the howling dog (whose cage was labeled "muzzle tumor" seemed rather out
of it - he made no effort to make contact with me, standing by necessity
directly in front of his floor-level cage.  His bedding seemed to have lots of
blood stains, whose source wasn't obvious, and he had several IV lines.   I
can't say that Lester was obviously bothered, in that he (Lester) didn't jump
or flinch or react during the howls.  There appeared to be a lot more dogs
than cats in this large room. Lester used to live with my pit bull in his
early years here, although Neptune (the dog) died 11 years ago.  There was
never an issue with dogs, so I'd say it is more a nuisance noise than a source
of terror.

At the risk of overburdening the newsgroup with Lester, I called this morning
for an update, and reached one of the techs, not my surgeon.  She thought
Lester was acting a little more sprightly, and appearing a little healthier,
than yesterday.  They had given him a litter box, finally, and he used it.  
He's still not eating, but they're using the nose tube.  No test results yet.  
To my surprise, she said that if he comes home tommorow evening, the tube will
stay, and it won't be a big deal for me to use it.  I have another 7 pm
appointment to see him.

I still haven't purchased any special food for Phunny, but have given him lots
of attention.  I decided to sleep on the couch last night, as sometimes the
change of location and the different feel of the cushions gives me a better
night's sleep, and I was crowded by Milo, Calico, and Watermelon (who kept
trying to push me off the edge).  Phunny cuddled with my wife all night.  
Again, he has no idea that he's sick (or potentially sick), so this isn't an
urgent situation.   When I picked him up this morning, I was concious that he
was somewhat less muscular and more flabby than in the past, which goes along
with the vet's observation that heavy muscle tissue is what tends to gradually
disappear when cats (and ourselves) age.

Art

He may actually do better at home in familiar surroundings. It is sometimes
the case. I sure hope he is on the mend.

Karen