For cat lovers: How to decide when to put the old sick cat down...

by nsrn 24 Replies latest jw friends

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  nsrn

  I have an almost 18 year old cat, a manx calico named Spunky. At birth, she was rejected by her mother and so my mom dropper fed this kitten until it was big enough to eat from a bowl, and then the cat moved in with us. My daughter was about 3. She's always been MY cat. (Sleeps with me, greets me at the door, drills me with her nails regularly). Due to her Manx deformity, she has underdeveloped back legs and a hopping gait. She's had lots of trouble with her bladder control, which is common with cats with this problem.

  Well, Spunky has been rubbing her ears, clawing at her mouth, and having some obvious discomfort. I took her to the vet, assuming she had an abcessed tooth. Well, the vet says she had a rapidly growing cancer in her mouth. Probably squamous cell carcinoma. It will grow to occlude her airway, or she will bite into it accidently as it gets larger and bleed out. He advised putting her down before that happened.

  Here's the dilemna; I love her. My daughter just got married and left home, my elderly parents fail more each day, and my husband is disabled and not helpful. So I just hate the thought of losing someone else. She's been alongside my thigh on the couch or the bed through almost 18 years. I do have a much younger cat who will rapidly assume her position when she's gone, but he's just not the same.

  I've know now for about 6 weeks. She isn't bathing (hurts her to stick her tounge out) but she is eagerly eating small amts of canned food, gravy, eggs, bites of lunch meats, etc. She drinks okay. She purrs when handled, and the gets annoyed and clobbers me just like she has for 18 years. She hops through the house, even goes out on the back porch to nibble grass and lie in the sunshine.

  Sometimes she rubs her ears, or gags, or paws at her mouth. She's getting less active. She's lost a little weight. I've got some liquid pain medicine for her but she hates the taste and I'm reluctant to put her in the headlock it requires to get it down her. It just makes her glazed over.

  So my question is to other pet lovers here: How do I know when to have her put down? Do it now? Wait until she seems more debilitated? I don't want her to suffer extra because of me being selfish about wanting to keep her with me. But I don't want to shorten what enjoyable time she has left. What has experience taught you?

  As you can see in the picture, she is celebrating Christmas!

  Thanks for 'listening'.

  Nancy
• 

  candidlynuts

  how sad! i'm so sorry your family member is sick! ( any pet thats been around 18 yrs is a family member!!)

  in my experience, there comes a time when you look in your beloved pets eyes and you see that they are suffering unduly..and you just know its time.

  if she seems to still be having some good quality of life then hold off a few days.. it sounds like your decision is going to be imminent though. it is hard and i have been there in the past.

  your vet will help you decide.. usually vets will not push it till they really see the animal is suffering too badly for meds to help.

  hugs
• 

  luna2

  Oh, how sad! Like candidly said, though, you'll know. Your love for your kitty won't allow you to let her suffer for too long.

  I'm so sorry, nsm!
• 

  unclebruce

  18 years is a good life for a cat.

  Most vets are very good. Our lovely tortoise shell cat had a long innings and putting her to sleep was a tearful but good experience. She went peacefully in the company of people she loved - when the time comes please take me to the vet

  
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  Dr Jekyll

  Your cat has cancer that is rapidly spreading. She's in pain. In your heart you know the right thing to do, you just have to be brave.

  Be brave for her and do the right thing.
• 

  Scully

  It might take some time for you to come to terms with losing your beloved pet, and maybe all you need to do is spend a few quality days with her and taking pictures and cuddling and having your family know what is happening and give them an opportunity to say their goodbyes too.

  If you want to have your family around you when you decide it's time, there's nothing wrong with that.

  If it were me that was terminally ill, I'd want to have a chance to say my goodbyes to everyone who was important to me, have a nice dinner party with all my friends and family, play some games, do a little dancing, take some pictures, give everyone one last hug and kiss, and then off to the vet after a good night's sleep.
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  AnnOMaly

  I agree with the other posters. It's a tough judgment call but you just KNOW inside yourself when enough is enough. I've had a few cats get terminally sick, didn't have the heart to call it a day straight off because there was some quality of life left for them and I also needed time to be sure it was the right thing, and to get used to the idea of losing them.

  I lost a 17 year old cat 2 winters ago - raised from being a kitten - end of an era - but she was ready - her kidneys were atrophied. Strangely, I was less upset about her than some other younger ones I lost. A certain clue is when they stop eating and drinking or their elimination goes totally screwy, or if they're hunched up looking miserable all the time. Once you see they're having no quality of life, it's time.

  I'm sorry that you're facing this.
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  nelly136

  at least we have a choice with pets to let them go with dignity and painlessly (to them)

  personally i'd do it while she is still getting a bit of quality of life but before something drastic unexpected happens and you end up with memories of her suffering instead of drifting off.

  18 years is a good cat age and shes obviously had the best of cats lives with you, its a horrible decision to have to make, sooner better than later eh?
• 

  Jourles

  We just had to go through this a few months ago with our tonkinese. He had renal failure over the last year and a half. We kept him living through saline injections under his skin, but he finally took a turn for the worse and we knew we couldn't keep him any longer. We still talk today as if he is still around - joking about things he would do. It's sooo very hard to euthanize a family member. But in your case, you may want to do it sooner than later. It's tough, but try and look at it from your baby's perspective - try not to be selfish(no offense meant, but I hope you know what I mean).

  It sucks, I know.
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  Lilycurly

  I know how you feel....I have had to make that decision for one of my kitties, and whathever some will say, for us animal lovers, our babies are family, too.

  But when it's time, it's time. We made the choice because we knew that if we didn't have the strenght to do it, then my poor baby would suffer more and more, and that scared me.

  It was hard, so hard, but what helped me was to keep a little picture of him in a little circular frame on my desk. I'll never forget to sweetness that he was. And as bizarre as that might sound, I went and adopted a new kitten as soon as possible. Not to replace the one I had lost, but because I knew that I needed to fill the empty space. The fact that there would be no little furball to great me would make me cry even more. But having a new life to care for and to give you love is just what I needed.