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The vet did this therapy but they said it's expected for her to at least respond slightly to it each time it's done. Her chemistry panel was actually worse than before they did it. I wouldn't even have a clue how to do that myself?
There is more information regarding SubQ Fluid Therapy and an illustrated walk-through of the procedure on FelineCRF.com. Your vet should train you how to administer fluids and allow you to practice in his office the first couple of times until you are comfortable. Please note that Penny should be tested for heart conditions and high blood pressure before starting this therapy, as extra fluids can complicate those conditions.
i am in such a dilemma with my cat - my beloved sundance is dying of progressive kidney failure - after much discussion with the vet we set a date to say goodbye - however i did not feel ready and he is still here - his appetite is back - he is purring and grooming - and is still able to get in and out of the cat flap. I'm not sure if this is just a flukish turn of events - i can't bear to wait for his to show signification signs in decline before i decide he can't got on much longer. Am i the only one who is feeling this way?
This is why I haven't been able to bring myself to do it either. She's now doing a thing that when she's ready to eat, she'll just start gobbling down the other cat's dry food as fast as she can. Then of course I feed her the canned mushy food and it all comes out-usually all over rug. I've had to start keeping the dry food away until the other wants to actually eat it.
I recently went looking for a place to rent, and the realtor showed me a place I loved, but it turned out they didn't accept pets. I had mentioned to her on the phone that the cat was in renal failure and had been for a year. So she looks at me and starts going on about how her husband had renal failure and how miserable he was. She said he felt nauseous all the time and it's a terrible thing to prolong. Needless to say I didn't take the condo, but she certainly got me thinking about whether keeping her (penny the cat) around is more selfish on my part, than me doing it for HER.
i'm sorry to hear that- it is a real problem when the cat doesn't appear to b e in agony but i wonder if the longer i leave it the more upset both of us will get
We have had several cats die of the liver/kidney thing over the years They continued to eat and drink normally, but just get thinner and thinner until they're just skin and bones. They also get a lot friendlier..seem to want to be nearer. We did not feel as though they were in pain..I hope that's true, so at the end we put a little bed right next to the food and water and they eventually just passed away.
I had to put my 18-year old cat Ben to sleep last summer. He had been diagnosed with renal failure (as well as inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis) 4 years prior to that, and had ups and downs in the years that followed.
The vet prescribed a special diet, but because Ben was very fussy - more so in his old age - he wouldn't accept it. I also tried giving him IV fluids at home, but the whole thing freaked him out, and he was hiding from me all the time. So I decided to let nature run its course, keeping him as comfortable as I could.
As I mentioned, he had ups and downs, and I was often amazed at how he would keep bouncing back.
I knew it was time to let him go when he had trouble jumping, would barely eat (even after being given an appetite stimulant that the vet prescribed), kept vomiting, stopped using the litter box completely, etc.
It was one of the worst days of my life when I had to bring him in for his final visit. However, I do feel good knowing that I provided him with love and comfort for several years.
floridadreamer, I have had many cats, --five that I can remember offhand-- that have suffered from kidney disease/kidney failure, or CRF. Three of those cats developed it late in their life, 15-16 years old, and it was due to old age that they developed it. However, it was my relatively young tabby, Alex, who went into renal failure at the age of 11, who taught me everything I know about managing the disease.
Alex had been youthful and vigorous up until the day he got sick. It was an acute failure, cause unknown but I believe it was due to him nibbling on a "Christmas Cactus" plant which is NOT on the list of toxic plants for cats that I know of, but I do believe those plants are dangerous to cats. One other cat that ten years earlier had died from renal failure at the age of 11 too, had been a nibbler of that plant, but I didn't make the connection at that time.
Alex almost died despite emergency care treatment that put him on IVs overnight and then for another 2-3 days at my vets. My vet essentially sent him home to die, not even prescribing any form of treatment for this illness. Fortunately, I discovered a Yahoo community message board dedicated to information regarding CRF. I learned about subcutaneous fluid treatment, managing diet, and many other things, through that board. I taught that vet a few things about CRF management, I believe.
Alex recovered from his initial failure. The following 14 months were the best days of our life together. He did receive daily sub-q treatments which he was not thrilled about, nor was he thrilled with the special diet that I carefully prepared and made sure he ate (but he had always been a finicky eater). The rest of the time, though, he played like a kitten, slept with me every night, and generally purred his way through his days. He had a couple of minor relapses and I knew he wasn't feeling well, but those 'punk' days didn't last for more than a day at a time, if that. He'd always pull out of them quickly and fully.
Alex's kidneys did, however, continue to degrade despite all my efforts. There came the day when he became, once again, very sick and this time he would not pull through. I did not force the issue for long, despite the fact that I dearly loved this cat and didn't ever want to let him go. But 14 months after his initial failure, at the too young age of 12 years and a few months, his life was at its end. I knew it, he knew it. Neither one of us fought it, nor could we fight it any longer.
Because I was so sad about losing my 'little man in a cat suit', I went on a trip by myself, taking along my little poodle for company. My husband stayed home with the rest of the 'kids' (five cats and a golden retriever sweetheart who also had a kidney disease!). I hadn't planned on looking for our retirement home, but as 'luck' would have it, on that trip, I found a beautiful home in an area we wanted to retire to. I put in an offer for the home, and exactly 11 months after Alex passed, we moved into our beautiful ocean front home, far from SoCal where Alex had lived his last days.
Since coming here, all but one of my kitties that lived with Alex have joined Alex. Soon after moving here, I found a stray tabby that looked a lot like Alex; he was semi-feral but within a few months time he was eating out of my hands, and eventually he tamed down enough to come inside my home where he has remained, as sweet a little tabby-boy as any I've ever known. The following year, another beautiful female tabby came into my life on Valentine's Day. She is without doubt the happiest cat I've ever known, purring ALL THE TIME! Two years after moving here, I wound up fostering a 3-day old Siamese kitten that was very, very sick. No one expected him to survive, but survive he did, although apparently he has a chronic upper respiratory condition that will always require special care. I decided to adopt him, and named him "Leo" (hoping a strong name would give him needed strength to get and remain healthy). Leo has become my latest "Alex"... you know, those very special cats that hijack your heart and take it on a long wild ride. My husband adores him too. Leo is outgoing, intelligent, engaging, and a total clown! I call him my 'little BOY in a cat suit.'
One day recently I looked around and marvelled at how my life has so completely changed, rather suddenly and unexpectedly. And all because of Alex! If it weren't for Alex, for his illness and his eventual passing, I wouldn't have taken that trip, that trip that lead me here, where I have found all these sweet little kitties that needed me, as much as I've needed them.
I hope your Penny is doing okay. I hope her days are filled with the care and joy so deserving of these fine furred creations of love.
i am in such a dilemma with my cat - my beloved sundance is dying of progressive kidney failure - after much discussion with the vet we set a date to say goodbye - however i did not feel ready and he is still here - his appetite is back - he is purring and grooming - and is still able to get in and out of the cat flap. I'm not sure if this is just a flukish turn of events - i can't bear to wait for his to show signification signs in decline before i decide he can't got on much longer. Am i the only one who is feeling this way?
Only you can determine whether Sundance's quality of life is good enough for him to continue living. From what you write though, he appears to be doing pretty normal things in a pretty normal way.
The thing I found helpful in evaluating my cat's care, and his decline, was watching the creatinine blood levels. The higher that number is, the worse the kidney function is. This, of course, requires routine blood tests but they are generally not a problem for either the cat or your bank account. The vet should be able to do the test in office (most can, anyway).
If I may say so without sounding callous and of course, I'm at the disadvantage of not really knowing the full situation, but for a vet to 'set a date' to put your cat down seems weird to me. How did he/you determine when that date should be? And what was it based upon? If Sundance had been really sick at the time you spoke about putting him to sleep, why wasn't he put to sleep at that point? I'm glad that you didn't keep that date, in any event.
I've had to put too many of my fur-babes down, and each time, that moment has come rather suddenly. From my point of view, it is far better to get every single hour of QUALITY living out of their lives before letting them go. In addition, each of my cats (and dogs) have let me know in their nonverbal but clear way that it was their time. And not a day before.
Trust your heart on this one, not some vet's scheduling plan.
stephen n, I'm sorry for your loss of Ben but it sure sounds like that cat had a wonderful life with a wonderful person who did everything right for him. The way you handled his last few years with his two illnesses was exemplary, and you did far more than many people do.
Ben was a lucky cat. Along with many sweet memories, you have the satisfaction of knowing he lived a long good life.
I hope you have acquired another cat (or two, or three). What this world needs, and what cats need too, are more people like you.
Many thanks, and wishing you many happy purr-days!
stephen n, I'm sorry for your loss of Ben but it sure sounds like that cat had a wonderful life with a wonderful person who did everything right for him. The way you handled his last few years with his two illnesses was exemplary, and you did far more than many people do.
Ben was a lucky cat. Along with many sweet memories, you have the satisfaction of knowing he lived a long good life.
I hope you have acquired another cat (or two, or three). What this world needs, and what cats need too, are more people like you.
Many thanks, and wishing you many happy purr-days!
Thanks for your message, furyu. I did adopt a kitten from the local animal shelter back in the fall. She's a calico named Chelsea - a real playful and affectionate purring machine! I hope to have her around for many years to come.
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is there ever a good time to say goodbye?
