~ The Kitty Thread!! ~ Take 2!

eddiec said:

My 19.5 yr old cat, Tigger, went into septic shock today. He was off his food a bit, but he's been dealing with kidney issues so that's somewhat normal. He went outside this afternoon (he still likes his little patrol of his turf, but normally doesn't stay out for long). When I had to leave for work, he was still out, so I went to work for two hours then came home to let him in. He's usually waiting for me by the door, but he wasn't to be seen. I checked his usual outdoor hangout spots but he wasn't around. Went back to work and returned to check on him an hour later. (I live very close to my job.) When I pulled into the driveway he was under the bush he likes to sit. Went over to him but his nose was face down in front of him. He's deaf now, so I petted him and he looked up and meowed but I immediately saw his legs were splayed out. When he tried to get up he couldn't stand. I picked him up and drove straight the vets. I was thinking maybe he had a dog bite or was hit by a a car. 
Turns out he is septic and went into shock. Vet said his back legs were so cold, and his whole body, that the thermometer wouldn't even read his temperature. It doesn't look good. There may also be a blood clot in the artery between his legs which has rendered them unfunctional. My wife is in London working but she booked a flight home tomorrow. (I live in Ireland.)
I'm dreading tomorrow. Sorry for the long post, but I'm just devasted at the moment. There's still a slim chance he could pull through, so I'm just hoping.

eddiec said:

My 19.5 yr old cat, Tigger, went into septic shock today. He was off his food a bit, but he's been dealing with kidney issues so that's somewhat normal. He went outside this afternoon (he still likes his little patrol of his turf, but normally doesn't stay out for long). When I had to leave for work, he was still out, so I went to work for two hours then came home to let him in. He's usually waiting for me by the door, but he wasn't to be seen. I checked his usual outdoor hangout spots but he wasn't around. Went back to work and returned to check on him an hour later. (I live very close to my job.) When I pulled into the driveway he was under the bush he likes to sit. Went over to him but his nose was face down in front of him. He's deaf now, so I petted him and he looked up and meowed but I immediately saw his legs were splayed out. When he tried to get up he couldn't stand. I picked him up and drove straight the vets. I was thinking maybe he had a dog bite or was hit by a a car. 
Turns out he is septic and went into shock. Vet said his back legs were so cold, and his whole body, that the thermometer wouldn't even read his temperature. It doesn't look good. There may also be a blood clot in the artery between his legs which has rendered them unfunctional. My wife is in London working but she booked a flight home tomorrow. (I live in Ireland.)
I'm dreading tomorrow. Sorry for the long post, but I'm just devasted at the moment. There's still a slim chance he could pull through, so I'm just hoping.

eddiec said:

GlowGirl said:

eddiec said:

Thanks everyone.

Update: He made it through the night. It turns out his pelvis is fractured. Out of all the possible problems, vet said this was the best outcome, but his age is against him.
They're sending the x-ray to a specialist to see if he feels the fracture will heal naturally and not create intestinal/bowl problems.
We visited him today and he was in relatively good spirits despite the injury. 
Vet did say his temp was so low from the shock it was touch and go for a while.

I am sorry for the fracture but happy to hear it was a better outcome than expected and he is in good spirits. Hopefully, it will heal right up. I wonder how it happened. Is it like a hip fracture in an elderly human?

They think it was a car. At first they didn't suspect that because he has no exterior wounds, so they thought it was a blood clot or sepsis. We have him home now but he has to spend 6 weeks in a cage. They said the first two weeks would be very difficult. We have to give him morphine twice a day, but he's really struggling. We're having serious discussions if he's too old to go through this. He's had a great life for almost twenty years. It's very hard to watch. 

eddiec said:

GlowGirl said:

eddiec said:

Thanks everyone.

Update: He made it through the night. It turns out his pelvis is fractured. Out of all the possible problems, vet said this was the best outcome, but his age is against him.
They're sending the x-ray to a specialist to see if he feels the fracture will heal naturally and not create intestinal/bowl problems.
We visited him today and he was in relatively good spirits despite the injury. 
Vet did say his temp was so low from the shock it was touch and go for a while.

I am sorry for the fracture but happy to hear it was a better outcome than expected and he is in good spirits. Hopefully, it will heal right up. I wonder how it happened. Is it like a hip fracture in an elderly human?

They think it was a car. At first they didn't suspect that because he has no exterior wounds, so they thought it was a blood clot or sepsis. We have him home now but he has to spend 6 weeks in a cage. They said the first two weeks would be very difficult. We have to give him morphine twice a day, but he's really struggling. We're having serious discussions if he's too old to go through this. He's had a great life for almost twenty years. It's very hard to watch. 

Merkin Baller said:

eddiec said:

After a few agonising days, we called the vet today. She drove to our house and put Tigger down. 
He had a great life for nearly twenty years and my wife and I felt he was too old to go through such a tramatic ordeal. He was suffering and we both knew he'd had enough. 
In the end, he went peacefully. 

It's amazing that I was 30 when I moved to Ireland and within a few weeks he showed up at my backyard door peering in at me. I'll be 50 in May and he was with me that whole time.