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It has been almost two years since I've posted here. I had my other cat, Jasmine, put to sleep in August 2017.
I had a little over a year with Ariel by herself until she, too, became hyperthyroid. I began treating her with the liquid methimazole, which caused her to projectile vomit. We switched to the transdermal gel, which is rubbed on her ear twice a day. I've been doing that consistently since November.
In addition, she had a giant cyst removed from just above her left eye; this was in December 2017. She recovered from the operation very well; I think the cone bothered me more than her!
Now she's 13 years old... She wakes me up every morning between 3:30 and 4:00 by vomiting. It's odd, because she starts out vomiting up a hairball but then she keeps bringing up clear liquid, like once the vomiting starts it just continues. She can't be feeling very well. I'm brushing her as much as possible, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
She was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease a few days ago, and the vet said I should start giving her subcutaneous fluids, put her on a special diet, etc. Every time I take Ariel to the vet for tests, it costs $260. The medicine costs $56 per month. When do I cry "uncle"?
I love her dearly, but I'm exhausted. How much time would I really be buying for her? I'm not going to spend $1,500-$2,000 more on radioiodine treatment (she wouldn't even qualify right now due to the kidney issues). I realize many people think of pets as their children, but quit honestly, I don't.
The vet recommended Pepcid AC to calm Ariel's stomach, so I'll do that. I'm hoping she'll gain some weight and that her T4 will go up (it's too low). Fortunately she hasn't been vomiting food for the past few days, only hairballs and liquid.
My son seemed surprised when I told him I don't want any more cats. I have been dealing with ill cats in one way or another since 2015. I'm burned out. Of course, this makes things more difficult at the same time, because I've had cats for fifteen years, and to suddenly have NO cats will be weird - and yes, somewhat lonely. However, I'm also looking forward to not being a slave to the 2x/day methimazole regimen, having clean carpets, and being able to get a full night's sleep.
I'm wondering if you've tried the pill form of methimazole (sp, you mentioned the liquid)? A two-month supply costs me about $30.
And as for the liquid puking, when did you last have her levels checked? Our Benny is hyperthyroid and we've noticed that when his levels are off, he pukes the same kind of clear and sometimes foamy liquid.
It's hard to watch our cats get old. Our Benny is on two meds, an eye drop, and a weekly injection, so I feel your pain. But I treasure every day with him because he's such a love bug. Sending you purrs.
As soon as you said vomiting, clear liquid I thought kidney disease. We had a sweet one with kidney disease eventually and hyperT.
If you do give yours the subQ fluids, make sure to get the very thinnest needle. So much easier on you and the cat. I was really annoyed after using the thicker needle when I read on the kidney disease group board about the thin needle. You do go slower with the fluid but not a bad thing. You might want to give it a try and see how you and kitty feel after that. You may feel she is much better. And then you can make a decision based on what you see and what she lets you know.
Thank you, Rene S and petsandgardens. I guess I just needed to vent a little. She was tested last Friday, and since the vet called me Saturday afternoon I've cut the methimazole dose in half. She's doing a lot better, because she's only vomiting hairballs (and then liquid afterwards), not food. She still jumps into my lap when I'm reading, and she still sleeps on me at night. I'm hoping she'll continue to feel better as the T4 level goes up a little.
If you do give yours the subQ fluids, make sure to get the very thinnest needle. So much easier on you and the cat. I was really annoyed after using the thicker needle when I read on the kidney disease group board about the thin needle. You do go slower with the fluid but not a bad thing. You might want to give it a try and see how you and kitty feel after that. You may feel she is much better. And then you can make a decision based on what you see and what she lets you know.
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I think it depends on the cat. When we were giving our late sweetie Melba sub-Q fluids for kidney disease, I thought for a while that the smaller needle was better, but she would still ultimately wiggle away from me and end up getting less fluid. We made the decision that the bigger and faster needle was less stress for her and us. Our vet gave us 20 or 22 gauge needles (20 is bigger). Some cats are calmer during sub-q than others.
I gave mine to my cat on a soft blanket on the washing machine. She loved the laundry room...small and cozy. And I hung the bag on a hook above my head. She also liked being in my lap on a blanket at the foot of our bed on the floor. Took the top piece of the bed post off and hung the bag from the remaining post.
With our cat, it was just her and me.
With the dog that needed it, it was the dog in the same position at the foot of the bed and all the animal kingdom gathered peacefully around. They just laid on the floor relaxed around the older dog.
They liked the thinner needle because it didn't feel like much going in, easy to put in and they got lots of strokes.
I had a cat with CKD and used the larger needle - it only took about 5-10 minutes. I always warmed the bag in warm water until the water and the fluid bag reached a temperature of 90-97ish degrees fahrenheit or (32-36 degrees celsius).
Ariel is crossing the rainbow bridge tomorrow. Along with being hyperthyroid and having kidney issues, a cyst is growing above her left eye. She had surgery to remove another cyst from this exact area back in December 2017. I don't know if a new one is growing or if it's somehow coming back, but regardless, I'm not putting her through surgery again when she already has so many other problems. I'm hoping this procedure will be quick and painless for her. I'll miss her, but at least she'll be pain free.
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She can't be feeling very well. I'm brushing her as much as possible, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
I guess I just needed to vent a little. She was tested last Friday, and since the vet called me Saturday afternoon I've cut the methimazole dose in half. She's doing a lot better, because she's only vomiting hairballs (and then liquid afterwards), not food. She still jumps into my lap when I'm reading, and she still sleeps on me at night. I'm hoping she'll continue to feel better as the T4 level goes up a little.
