Things ended up taking a turn for the better; however temporarily. His condition had been worsening during his three day stay at the vet (heart disease and seemingly blood clots in his leg) , and when I visited him yesterday afternoon, it was bad enough that when I returned that night, I had pretty much come to terms with that would be it. I was in the exam room and was given some time alone to say goodbye, and he seemed much better. Not good, but he was himself. The doctor gave the okay for him to come home with me so at the very least he could spend some time in a calm, familiar place. So after a stressful drive home, he’s spent the day on some pain meds curled up with me watching TV. I don’t know how much longer it will be before there’s a turn, but I’m glad to have this extra time with him.
I put down a cat a few months ago. She was bonded to my wife, so I didn’t take it very hard. But we paid extra to have a woman come to the house to do the euthanasia. Highly recommended if you can afford it.
I am so sorry you are going through that.
Our last cat died while laying on my chest. About five years ago now, but I remember it all too well: the experience was both haunting (it took two hours) and beautiful, in the sense that I could be there for him. But in hindsight, I feel quite guilty that I didn’t call in the vet (that we had been to that afternoon) to speed up the process and ease his suffering. It just didn’t even occur to me, at three o’clock in the morning, that I had that option. I hope he felt safe enough to go without too much stress…
After that, we got two kittens, one of which disappeared after a year. Like Nesrie, we’ve been wondering whether we should get our remaining cat a playmate, but as cats are solitary by nature, I’m not convinced we’d be doing him a favour…
So now he’s lucid and enjoying attention and affection, but he’s clearly getting weaker, and is experiencing some level of discomfort.
I just don’t know where the line is on when the call should be made. When does his physical condition outweigh what comfort he is receiving? Do a few more hours or days actually matter?
I’ve gotten close to making the call a couple of times, but then he’ll do something and seem like his old self and I waiver.
It’d be a lot easier if he were more visibly out of it.
It’s an incredibly though choice to make, and I’m really sorry you have to make it. All I can say, based on my own experience, is this: if you already know he isn’t going to recover, then I would only prolong things if you are absolutely sure he’s not in any pain. Otherwise, the extra time you are getting is not worth it.
Mind you: I do not blame you for one second if you choose otherwise. Like I said: it’s a though choice to make. Hang in there!
The best advice I’ve gotten on the subject is “when the bad days are outweighing the good days.”
It sounds like you are down to a day-to-day evaluation of this, and it also sounds like you are doing it as best you can. Its an incredibly tough time, and one of the hardest things you will ever do.
In my opinion, when you take in an animal, you are basically agreeing to a contract to take care of that animal for life. Unfortunately, that means also reaching the end of that life in most cases (things like parrots and turtles notwithstanding). It is hard, hard, hard. But it is part of the deal. You will know when it is right.
When you and your cat are both ready, you’ll know. When you see pain and know it isn’t helping to keep him going.
Hang in there. But be there for you buddy when the time comes. You are the only one he can rely on to make it easier for him and to take the pain away.
Appreciate it.
So far, there hasn’t been a lot of overt distress (though it’s hard to tell because by nature he’s very strident and vocal about, well, everything) but mostly he’s been laying around, breathing at a slightly elevated pace. The promise of his crunchy treats certainly get him up and moving, so he’s not totally out of it. The only real sign of pain is his limping.
Another thing I’ve learned from 50 years of having cats: all you can ask of a cat is that they eat and drink and pee and poop. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
If he is still wanting treats, I’d think that is a good sign for now. He is still hanging in there.
My 15yo (?) cat has not pooped in the litter box for about a week. Either he found a different place or something is wrong. But he seems okay otherwise, so not sure.
Anything changed recently in the household? New members, or somebody leaving? Cats hate change, and I’ve known mine to poop outside the box to express displeasure with change.
Maybe worms, one time my old cat hadn’t pooped for awhile and when he finally managed to squeeze one out(along with lots of crying) it was full of worms. Went straight to the vet after that.
My old cat had this too, and it was the first time I dealt with it as an adult. It wasn’t as obvious as I thought it would be, but now I know.
Bathroom changes, food and water consumption changes are usually worth vet check-up for pets.
Okay, he has stopped eating and is moving very slowly around the house. Not making any noises though. Got some paste from the vet I’m supposed to inject in his mouth.
Did the vet give you any idea what might be wrong?
Is he peeing, though? Could be kidney/bladder issues if he isn’t.
Benny’s first rule of cats: all you can expect any cat to do is eat, drink, pee and poop. If they are doing those four things, they are probably okay.
If they aren’t, get them to a vet.
Vet said he has kidney issues, though he is peeing in his litterbox. (Just not eating or pooping.)
We ended up putting him down today. He still had not eaten.
As an experiment, while he was not eating solid food, he really liked a bit of (lactose free skim) milk I gave him. Not sure if this was significant. That was probably the only protein he had in nearly two weeks.
Anyway, 15 years is a pretty good run for a pet. No point in making him suffer more.