Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My almost 19 year old cat isn't do so well. He's becoming very lethargic and is breathing rapidly (two weeks ago, the vet said he may be hyperthyroid). Eating is minimal. He's lost interest in cuddling and playing. Can barely meow and purr. Yet he is still alert and can walk.
I had hoped that when it came to euthanize Tang, he'd be kind of out of it, but he's still alert. I just don't know that he has much of quality of life and he seems so exhausted. Is it time for him to go just because he is weak and appears to be failing?
My almost 19 year old cat isn't do so well. He's becoming very lethargic and is breathing rapidly (two weeks ago, the vet said he may be hyperthyroid). Eating is minimal. He's lost interest in cuddling and playing. Can barely meow and purr. Yet he is still alert and can walk.
I had hoped that when it came to euthanize Tang, he'd be kind of out of it, but he's still alert. I just don't know that he has much of quality of life and he seems so exhausted. Is it time for him to go just because he is weak and appears to be failing?
I don't think he's in pain----but I think he is experiencing extreme fatigue and having some difficulty breathing. He gulps as if he is having a lot of fluid in his chest. And with the minimal amount he is eating, I'm afraid it will go into fatty liver disease...
19 is old, and cats do hide pain well. But you never want to feel like you gave up too soon, or at least I wouldn't recommend just doing that and then being left wondering if it was too soon....
Did you do the bloodwork and get a confirmation of the hyperthyroid? That can be treated with inexpensive meds for most cats. (I get 90 of the methimazole pills, a 60-day supply at her current dose, for 10 bucks at one local chain that has those $4/$10 pharmacy deals.) My going-on-16-year-old has been on thyroid med for a couple years now. She's fine, or at least she acts fine. We're heading to the vet on Sat for a new check to see if anything else is up; I'm always worried about renal failure which we had with another cat.
It's not unusual to me for an older cat to have little interest in playing and sometimes even in cuddling. Although it really depends upon the cat personality. Mine has always been a fairly aloof cat, not very cuddly except in specific circumstances of her choosing. If yours was always cuddly up until very recently, then that could indicate a change, sure.
He needs to eat, though. You want to do anything you can to make sure he eats enough. Feed him whatever he will actually eat IMO at this stage. Is he losing weight? That would also be an indication of the hyperthyroid.
It's tough, I mean, you feel like you don't want to spend mega $$$ on tests only to be told there really isn't much you can do, but again you don't want to give up too soon. If you didn't do blood work a couple weeks ago, seems like that would be in order. A blood panel for common items would be around $100 I think, maybe less. If the hyperthyroid is confirmed but nothing else you can treat this and he may have many months or even years left to live, even at 19 already.
Thanks, Greg. No, the vet only suspects he has hyperthyroidism (dilated pupils and galloping heart). We didn't want him to be tested and put on meds (he already takes steroids for inflammatory bowel disease)---would necessitate frequent trips to the vet and he is 19 years old and has always hated going to the vet. Wasn't trying to extend his life. Don't want to prematurely end it. But his behavior has drastically changed from a week ago. He has lost interest in being brushed (his greatest pleasure in life).
I feel like he could live a few more days/maybe weeks without pain---but am not sure if the distress of being weak and having some trouble breathing could be considered a type of suffering. It's just that he is still alert, so I still see some of him left in a failing body....
It'll be hard to tell if he's truly in pain/suffering, I think. Cats take on a lot of pain before you'll see much outward indication of it; it's instinctive for them to hide it.
It is a tough choice regardless. I mean, clearly the quality of his life has diminished a fair bit at this point, but does that really mean you couldn't do as kitty says above and let him go naturally? I don't really know. I don't think a vet would tell you it was too soon if you were to choose euthanasia. Yet I'm still wondering if what we did a couple years ago was too soon for our other kitty. She didn't have the same problems, but clearly her quality of life wasn't there. But she could still walk and was still plenty alert....
The time left would appear to be short either way. Cherish it. Best wishes to you.
I have older dogs and cats and I would say that if there seems to be no pain then the rest is maneagable. I've thought the same thing in the past but I'm not going to do it unless I absolutely have to. I give them pain pills sometimes to help with the walking.
Tangs' breathing difficulty is what's concerning me, I had to help Saber pass when I did, because of this one issue.
What I'm going to say next may seem indelicate, but you will hear it eventually, and I don't want it to cause more pain because you didn't know when it mattered.
Fluid in the lungs, is essentially Drowning, not a pleasant experience, and unless you are going to have Tangs lungs drained, painful, and will probably need to be done ongoing unless the cause can be found AND cured .....
I would take Tang to the Nearest vet and have his lungs listened to immediately, or find a vet that makes house calls so Tang won't have to be so scared.
This situation is not going to be easy on any level, but I can tell you are putting Tangs needs ahead of your own, that is love, we will be here for you.
19 years is a good long life for a cat and a testament to your loving care. No one but you and your vet can really know for sure if it is time. However.
I agree with the above poster about trouble breathing. Pain or not, struggling to breathe is a terrible way to live. It is absolutely a quality of life issue.
Please, take him to the vet and have his condition evaluated. And as has been said, cats hide pain. Lethargy and lack of appetite can be a sign of pain. But not being able to breathe....that is very frightening to a cat and in my opinion is considered suffering.
I'm sorry you are going through this and I am not insensitive to what you are going through. I had to make that Decision for my soulmate only 5 weeks ago. He was only 12. (untreatable cancer) Though I miss him terribly, and it was a devastating moment, I take great comfort in knowing that I did not let him get to the point of suffering. Too soon is better than too late, in my opinion.
Don't leave it too late and be tortured with the thought you let him suffer. Ask him. Look deep into his eyes and ask him if he is ready to go. He'll tell you.
Last edited by catsmom21; 01-05-2012 at 10:55 AM..
In all the talk about letting go too soon I think sometimes we forget that sometimes we also hang on too long. We tend to forget that cats are great showmen and will hide emotion and pain. They do so for us.
I think that if you are truly wrestling with the decision of "is it time" then you already know your answer - it is just one that you don't want to yet face. Very very rarely do we let go too soon - more often than not we keep our ailing friends around until we have had the time to come to terms with what is happening - what they already know. I'll share the following with you - after I lost my furry soul mate I found it. I read it at his burial.
Poem For Cats
And God asked the feline spirit Are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul
And, as a cat, I am most able
To decide anything for myself
Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel
But I must come slowly.
For my human friends are troubled.
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.
But don't they understand? asked God
That you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined for all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just is...forever and ever and ever.
Eventually they will understand, Replied the glorious cat.
For I will whisper into their hearts
That I am always with them I just am...forever and ever and ever.
Author Unknown
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
