Dealing with an old, sick cat. Treat or let die?

decides2dream · April 2010

TravisTheSky wrote:

First, take him in to a vet for a diagnosis!

When you have some understanding of what the illness is, you can think about what to do next: What is the prognosis, what are the options for treatment, how much will the future bills be, etc.

Perhaps it is a simple problem that can be easily CURED! You are asking us whether you should expensively treat him for a long-term condition, or let him suffer with no intervention. You have no idea yet if those are the only two options.... Unless you have made up your mind to refuse to do anything else for him.

.

THIS! ^^^

please.
long red, i understand, it might be pricey. however, it is MIGHT be. but at the very least, you owe it to your cat, and yourself, to see if it IS something life-threatening, or not.....pricey, or not. one vet visit, perhaps a couple of tests, should not break the bank. please bring your kitty to the vet pronto!

and sure, my 20 year old kitty just passed away in january. we spend over 1k trying to 'save' her.....but honestly, we were fully prepared to let her go. however, our long-time vet, who we totally trust, told us there was a good chance should could fully recover and have a few more good years left, so we felt we owed it to her. otherwise, i would've had her put down, or brought her to die at home comfortably.

obviously, you have to make a choice that works best for you and your kitty, but please do so armed with real information. good luck to you and your kitty during such a difficult time.

PureandEasy · April 2010

Red, I’m in the same position, my cat is 15 this year, have had her since she was 8 weeks old or so, and she is my baby. She’s the sweetest cat in the world. She has been losing weight as well, but is still eating pretty good.

I’m just waiting for the day I come home and she doesn’t greet me at the top of the stairs.

I’m dreading it.

I really don’t know what to tell you because I don’t know what to do myself, in the event she goes down hill fast.

I think the only way I could put her down is if I knew she was suffering. I couldn’t bear that.

orig_long red · April 2010

So i'm taking the kid to the vet today. thanks everyone ... even the guy who called me heartless.

michelleelise · April 2010

Good luck to both of you today.

When I first read the symptoms I automatically thought hyperthyroid, which you can give a pill for.

My cat was diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma 4 years ago this month. When they called me with the test result I thought I'd be putting her down that very afternoon. But they insisted I try medication first and four years later, she takes a pill each day and has no symptoms or problems at all

You'd never know anything had been wrong with her.

I also had another cat and dog before this who I eventually had to look at their quality of life and put them down, so I understand that decision, too.

But after what I went through with this cat, I'm always willing to give meds a shot first.

I hope it works out for you.

youngster · April 2010

redrock wrote:

youngster wrote:

I speak from experience when I say this, but in your cat's shape it would be best to put it down. 15 years is a long time for a cat to live and vet bills are VERY expensive. It is a very hard decision and you should think it over before jumping to conclusions. My dad spend over $2,000 on his 13 year old cat in vet bills and treatments. After a month of in and out of the vet's office and countless bills, the cat dropped dead one afternoon. Very sad but my dad said that if he knew the outcome before he would have ended the cats suffering a lot earlier. Think it over and do what's best for the cat.

Maybe when you're 80 and you take a turn and need serious long term medical help, your kids will decide that the gamble on the cost of helping with those bills and the potential years you have left is not worth it so they will ask the docs to end your suffering.

Fuckin A right. I hope so! By the time I'm 80, if I live that long, my kids will be close to retirement age! They shouldn't have to put up with my old tired ass. They don't need that shit. They'll have kids of their own. What else will I have to do at 80 that I can't do in the next 50 years? I figure if I start having problems at 80 that need constant medical attention, I just want nature to run it's course. No need to try heroics. Everybody dies. 80 is a damn good run and every day after that will be a blessing for me.

iluvcats · April 2010

my cat started urinating more than normal. he was in the final stages of kidney failure. then he had diarrhea every where. I had many trips to the animal ER after hours care and vets and even an oncologist. my mom said i over did it with the vets, that he suffered due to the medical tests. he had tumors on his liver. he was put to sleep on my father in law's birthday in 2007. for a year, we did not know what was wrong with his shoulder and we took him to a dermatologist. we're sure it was skin cancer and then it spread to his liver. my husband had to pull him out from under the bed to take him to the after hours ER for the euthanasia. he was still walking etc, but had gotten very thin. his eyes had pain in them, my husband said. he was a few days away from turning 16 :(

just wanted you guys to know that some vets will not put the animal down if there is no diagnosis. my mom has drastically declined in her health and never took her cat to the vet but once every 2 yrs. i tried to take her to the vet when my mom was visiting her brother but she became vicious! we could not put her in the carrier and had to cancel the appt.

her huge cat got so thin, her head was too big. she made the appt for the euthanasia and my husband had to take her in for my mom. the vet refused to put her to sleep without a diagnosis and wanted to do tons of tests. my husband said that my mom can't afford it and she can't take care of her anymore. the cat was about 16. the cat was still alive when we left but we had a receipt saying she was put to sleep. i felt sorry for the cat and my husband. i know it brought back memories of our cat. we think the vet got another vet to put her to sleep.

let us know the diagnosis. I hope all goes well

comebackgirl · April 2010

See what the treatment is first. My cat is 14 and started doing this last year. Turns out she has an ulcer and just needs an antacid. It costs me $4 every 3 months for the medicine. When cats are sick they don't use their litter box, so this could be something minor and easily fixed.

Thoughts_Arrive · April 2010

What pisses me off still is how the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong.
We don't know and will never know what was wrong.
After spending almost $1000 on vet bills they couldn't figure it out.
:x

redrock · April 2010

long red wrote:

So i'm taking the kid to the vet today. thanks everyone ... even the guy who called me heartless.

I'm not a guy. And I'm glad you are taking the cat to the vet - whatever the outcome. Should have done so weeks ago but at least it's happening. I hope your kitty will be OK and it's only something minor like an infection, irritation or blockage.

decides2dream · April 2010

long red wrote:

So i'm taking the kid to the vet today. thanks everyone ... even the guy who called me heartless.

let us know how your kitty is doing!
*fingers crossed* for good news....and yes...please take good care of him/her....love em up and make sure the litter box is nice and clean!

Riverrunner · April 2010

Our 15 year old cat had thyroid surgery last week and is back to her old self again. It cost $300.00 but she has so many good years left we couldn't put her down.

We have a cat that is almost 22 years old and he is skin and bones, and he doesn't groom himself anymore. But our 100lb lab licks him. It's like he knows he needs to be groomed. He doesn't do that with the other cats. Last year we took Virgil (the cat) to the vet and had over $500.00 of diagnostics completed and nothing showed up. He eats good and still gets up with me every morning and hangs out with me while I get dressed. He can't wait to eat, but he looks pitiful. I know if I take him to the vet again there will be another $500 of diagnostics and for what purpose I'm not sure. So I just put off doing anything for now, at least until he seems to be in pain or unhappy. But he is painfully thin and that bothers me.

But to the OP it is a good thing you are taking your cat to the vet. You need to at least know what is going on. As others have said it could be something very simple. At least you will have information to make decisions you need to make. But a 15 year old cat is not all that old.

decides2dream · April 2010

Riverrunner wrote:

Our 15 year old cat had thyroid surgery last week and is back to her old self again. It cost $300.00 but she has so many good years left we couldn't put her down.

We have a cat that is almost 22 years old and he is skin and bones, and he doesn't groom himself anymore. But our 100lb lab licks him. It's like he knows he needs to be groomed. He doesn't do that with the other cats. Last year we took Virgil (the cat) to the vet and had over $500.00 of diagnostics completed and nothing showed up. He eats good and still gets up with me every morning and hangs out with me while I get dressed. He can't wait to eat, but he looks pitiful. I know if I take him to the vet again there will be another $500 of diagnostics and for what purpose I'm not sure. So I just put off doing anything for now, at least until he seems to be in pain or unhappy. But he is painfully thin and that bothers me.

But to the OP it is a good thing you are taking your cat to the vet. You need to at least know what is going on. As others have said it could be something very simple. At least you will have information to make decisions you need to make. But a 15 year old cat is not all that old.

sounds like our little suki, who was 20 when she died in january. she had stopped grooming herself for years - we had to give her monthly baths!, but outside of thyroid meds, she was as healthy as could be right up until a few days before she died. our pug igby used to clean her ears for her tho, it was so cute!

and exactly!
making informed decisions is always best.

PureandEasy · April 2010

Fifthelement wrote:

titchinello wrote:

a few years ago, one of our cats was losing weight, not eating, etc, and we could tell something wasn't right, so we took her to the vet, can't remember what she was dignosed with but it wasn't good, the vet said we could take her home, and care for her, but she'd be in suffering, as there was nothing that could be done for her, so we choose the hard decision, and let the vet put her down there and then, it was a tough descion. one that still breaks my heart when i think about it, but it was for the best, don't know if that helps you any, but just wanted to let you know, it tought, not easy, but you gotta think of the poor cat, its given you 15 great years, let it go, before it gets too far.

love and peace to you.

This is good advice.

To the OP, we had a similar issue with our cat Stella. She had many of the same symptoms that you have described. It turns out she suffered from hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism

Each cat responds to his or her hyperthyroidism a little differently, causing observed abnormalities to vary from cat to cat. Among the most common owner observations are the following:

* Weight loss
* Increase in appetite
* Patchy hair loss or failure to groom (some cats have been observed to pull their hair out)
* Increase in water intake
* Increase in urine output
* Increase in activity level (some cats are persistently restless or nervous)

Some hyperthyroid cats have a change in behavior and when this happens, they tend to become irritable, mean, or easily upset. Vomiting and diarrhea are a little less common. Some hyperthyroid cats have unusually bulky stools and others have unusually large amounts of stool. Relatively uncommon but well-documented problems caused by hyperthyroidism include panting (open mouth breathing), difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, listlessness, and seeking cool places.

Because of her age, she was eighteen, we discussed quality of life for her and for us. She had been sick on and off for the last few years. The option to treat not only the hyperthyroidism, but also the underlying issue that caused it, didn't seem realistic when she would only have possibly a couple years left in her. The day that we actually decided that we would have her euthanised was hard for us. Ironically, she seemed to have sensed it because she was her normal, affectionate old-self all that day. At 10:15 that same night, she walked into the living-room, looked at me, meowed once and then went onto cardiac arrest. She died within minutes and in my arms. It will be three years on April 15th and not a day goes by when I don't think about her.

Best of luck with your decision. I know it's not one made lightly. Hugs to you and your baby.

Ok, this seriously brought tears to my eyes. Now I just want to go home and see my Saffie cat.

Lesbelges · April 2010

long red wrote:

Now I know the title of this thread has you thinking that I'm a cold, heartless bastard. Hold on a minute, this is untrue. My 15-year-old cat has had nasty diarrhea for a few weeks now. He's lost a lot of weight and has been pissing and pooping everywhere except his litter box. All of this and yet he still has a voracious appetite.

If there is some kind of treatment I can give him that will allow him to live comfortably in his waning years, I would definitely be open to it. However, if the only option is expensive visits to the vet (I am literally broke), then do I just make that tough decision to have him put down?

It's sad and it sucks. He's been my furry companion for 15 years now ... he was there when I lost my virginity and he's comforted me during bad acid trips ... he's moved with me through four different towns and he's seen numerous women come and go. He's been my counsel, my partner in crime and my friend.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Purchase animals when we know damn well that it is going to end horribly one day?

Take your cat to the vet and at least find out if there's hope or not before pondering putting him down. Might want to try to give a bland diet (boiled chicken and rice?).

mca47 · April 2010

I had two cats growing up.
One got to be 19, the other 17. Both were amazing and great friends. When it came "time", I was away at college and my folks dealt with it. Hearing the news was tough enough!!!

My one cat had a tooth knocked out when she was young (one of her front incisors). So her tongue would often hang out to the side of her mouth. Was really funny and super cute and she had complete control over it!

Anyways, my mom told me this story...(and thank god I wasn't there)

When it came time for them to bring her to the vet to be put down (she was no longer able to walk or stand on her own) and during their last minutes together and after their last hug, she looked up at her with her big green eyes and once their eyes made contact, she stuck out her tongue one last time. It was all she had left in her.

To this day the story still makes me tear up. I wasn't even there and I can picture it in my head so vividly!
Enjoy your last moments with your friend and do what's in their best interest...not yours!

titchinello · April 2010

decides2dream wrote:

long red wrote:

So i'm taking the kid to the vet today. thanks everyone ... even the guy who called me heartless.

let us know how your kitty is doing!
*fingers crossed* for good news....and yes...please take good care of him/her....love em up and make sure the litter box is nice and clean!

just checking in, how is everything, good news i hope.

Gern Blansten · April 2010

put the poor thing to sleep.....it's probably miserable....

DreamOfAngels · April 2010

I can't even tell you the incredible timing of this post. On Friday, April 2nd, I had to have my 15 yr old cat euthanized.

At the end of January, I had a stroke. A friend of mine took care of my cat while I was in the hospital. Mid-February I was released and my cat started vomiting and having diarrhea. Took her to the vet and they said her white blood count was really high so they gave me an antibiotic to administer for 2 weeks. They suggested she might have been stressed due to my being gone for a few weeks. Beginning of March, the antibiotic was finished and she started vomiting and having diarrhea again. Took her back to the vet. The white blood cell count was still elevated but her red blood cell count was low. The vet said the reasoning for this and her symptoms might be intestinal bowel disease (IBD) or possibly intestinal lymphoma. The only way to be sure would be to do a biopsy which would run about $800. We could try giving her another round of antibiotics and add in a steroid for a few more weeks and see what her counts were at the end of that as an alternative. I couldn't afford the $800 without borrowing from friends and said - lets do the 2 weeks of antibiotics and steroids first and then see if we need to try something more invasive. Well... after the 2 weeks of medicine she started having diarrhea and vomiting again. Took her to the vet and they said her red blood cell count was dangerously low and she was dehydrated. They were concerned about giving her fluids because it would thin out her blood even more and could cause her to crash. The vet had basically said - she's dying and we can't do anything - and sent us home. My sister is a vet, an internist, so I spoke to her about what to do. My sister was appalled at this and provided several ideas of things the vet could prescribe that would at least allow my cat some comfort even if she wouldn't pull through.

My cat fell pretty fast Thursday night (Apr 1) and I didn't think she would make it through the night. I held her in my lap and stayed awake all night to be with her... the darn cat continued to live. In kind of a rally, she started lifting her head and looking at me, purred as a I pet her, etc. I took her back to the vet that afternoon to ask that they perform a blood test again and found her kidneys had shut down and she was close to passing. I asked them to go ahead and euthanize her. It was absolutely terrible. I spent the last several days wondering if it was my fault... or the vets fault... 15 just seemed too young to pass and it seemed so sudden...

Someone mentioned that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I had that phrase in my head Friday evening after being awake for 36 hours - and said - that's bullshit. Why pick up a pet that will steal your heart and then die in 15-20 years or less. Then I realized... it was worth it. Every day I had her from 4 weeks on.. she was worth it. My biggest confidant, cuddler, and friend. I miss her terribly.

For the OP, knowing that you did everything you could within your means will allow you to be OK. Live with no regrets. My kids may not get to go on a vacation this year because of it but at least I can tell them I did what I could for our cat to be comfortable.

Sorry for the long post here. I'm still grieving. Listened to Sad and Long Road.

decides2dream · April 2010

dreamofangels....deeepest sympathies on the loss of your beloved kitty. :(

long red - how is YOUR kitty?
let us know!

MayDay10 · April 2010

sorry to hear Dreamofangels.

there is nothing I could type that could take away from the suckiness of losing a friend.

Dealing with an old, sick cat. Treat or let die?

Comments

Categories