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I am in a similar position to yours, and the decision of when to put down a beloved pet is one of the hardest we ever make.
It IS ok to let your beloved cat go.
I understand it is not bec. of the diarhea etc, those posters should be nominated for 'least compassionate poster" of the year.
Anyway, forget about them. It sounds like you have done everything.
I have also tried every food on the market, and still my baby won't eat and is skin and bones.
It is heart-breaking. And something when I get up in the morning it is the first thing I think about, and I bet the same is true for you.
When I come home first thing I do is go to see if she is still alive.
I am never not thinking about what should I do, and when should I do it.
We have to decide, bec. they cannot.
Sounds to me like you are at that time. I know I am, I am just putting it off.
But first thot must always be - what is best for them.
Feel free to pm, if you wish, as there are some real idiots on this thread.
I am wishing you the best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderlustgyrl
Hi Everyone -
I have a 15yo cat who has had IBD for close to a year now. Her main sympton is chronic and persistent (liquid consistency) diarrhea. Originally I took her in for a battery of tests and blood work, which all came back normal except that the vet determined her lower intesting was swollen and that she most likely was suffering from IBD. At that time I tried switching her food to healthier brands, and while she would get better for a few days, she eventually became completely intolerent. While I was comfortable with the thought of steroids, I did agree to trying a trial steroid that only lasted for a few days in the system, to see how her reaction was. I didn't help, so I didn't pursue more steroid use.
Since then I have tried every quality store bought food under the sun (all meat types as well). I've settled with Evo, but at this point it doesn't matter what I feed her, her symptoms are constantly present. I tried to make raw food as well. I fed it to her for about a week and it did no good.
A few weeks ago I thought she might pass away. She grew very thin, listless and wobbly on her feet. She had almost stopped eating completely. My boyfriend decided to take action and began feeding her all sorts of treats (the kind cat food that aggravate her the most) which she happily gobbled down. Yes she went to the bathroom A LOT, but she did put on a few pounds.
Fast forward to today. Last night within a half hour she vomited and had a liquid diarhhea episode (these typically occur 5 times per day) which got all over her paws so I had to wash them in the sink (happens a lot). She's always drinking a TON of water, always hungry since everything goes right through her.
I'm tired. She's tired. I really don't have the will to continue on like this, as my quality of home life has dropped dramatically in having to spend so much time cleaning and caring for her. I love her so much but I've made an appoitment to have her put to sleep on Friday. I guess I just want to know that it's ok to "give up", that other people have done this, and that I'm not missing out on some miracle cure they may have recently come up with.
I have a low opinion of people who keep their pet alive
for their own selfish needs, instead of thinking about what is best for the animal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Racelady88
I am inclined to agree that putting a pet down simply because it has become inconvenient for you is not a good reason.
Has she been tested lately for thyroid, diabetes, CRF, or any of the other things that make older cats hungry and have unstable weight?
Have you tried more than 1 steriod treatment option?
Have you taken her to a different vet for a second opinion?
I would never "give up" on a pet. I do not have a very high opinion of people that do.
I also have an older cat with IBD. Buzz is 17. Buzz vomits, Buzz has nasty bowel movements. If I stick to the food I know works for him, make sure he eats controlled portions at regular intervals, and does not get stressed out he is just a normal cat. If I am not on my game he suffers a little, then I do some cleaning.
You did the thing to be the best for your baby.
I am going to have to do it soon.
My cat was a feral when I adopted her, 15 years ago, and I try to comfort myself with the thot, that had I not adopted her, she would have been dead long ago, and plus would have had a horrible life.
I gave her the best life I could.
But it is still so hard...
I think your cat would thank you if she could. You did a brave thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderlustgyrl
I just wanted to give all the people who shared their stories and advice with me an update.
About a week and a half ago, and after much deliberation, stalling, and just plain hoping for a miracle, I decided to have Chloe euthanized. I still had my doubts, wondered if I should wait longer, try more steroids, etc, but in my gut I knew that all I would be doing was prolonging her misery and also setting the stage for a possibly more traumatic and painful departure from this world.
It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I cried the during the procedure and for days afterwards. When you have a companion for that long they become one with your life. It really is like losing a family member.
For anyone considering it for a chronically ill pet, euthanasia is a very, very humane way to end an animal's suffering. The hardest part is for us, the humans, because we can't say "I'm sorry" or let them know we love them in a language they explicitly understand while it's happening. At least, that was the hardest part for me. But they do not feel a thing and pass with dignity.
She's over the rainbow in a meadow, young and spry and chubby, chasing mice and purring contently in the sun. And one day I'll see her again
there is a website, Holisticat, which has a lot of info on raw food.
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coral714
That's wonderful news about the raw food, wow. Is this food you make yourself of food you purchase?
I did raw for this kitty for a little while, didn't make a difference, but perhaps I would need to give it a few weeks to make a difference?
I want to thank everyone who gave such gracious replies. Even tho I am now crying heartily I recognize myself that I have been putting off this decision - for my sake, not for kitty's.
Bec. I don't want to make the decision.
But for her sake, I will.
Thank you all for giving me the strength.
I want to thank everyone who gave such gracious replies. Even tho I am now crying heartily I recognize myself that I have been putting off this decision - for my sake, not for kitty's.
Bec. I don't want to make the decision.
But for her sake, I will.
Thank you all for giving me the strength.
Sending a hug and gentle purrs. In the few days before we made that decision for Tucker, DH and I argued about "when" it would be time. It's so stressful, and not an easy decision to make. Hold her close and let her go. . .
This stuff is tough. We have been dealing with these type of symptoms for a couple months now, but the diahrea didn't start until the day after the first vet started him on denamarin. Every few days he has multiple barfing fits and has had diahrea ever since and gets lethargic. Dealing with the cleanup is exhausting. I feel real guilty because the first vet I saw I think was clueless and didn't refer me out. Told me they could help treat the cat and help with these symptoms we were stressed about and ended up having us leave with the same routine because some liver numbers improved on a test. What a waste of time, so we hit up the next vet.
This cat is 15 years old and despite these issues still eats and has maintained weight, but finally with imagine they found mast cell and a tumor near liver with fluid.
So I have been bouncing back and forth on what to do. Do I let them pump the drugs to try and mask what I know is wrong in how his body functions or let them take the spleen out with other tumor and biopsy.
I went with my gut and will have to sign a waiver and take him in tomorrow am for surgery and plan to say goodbye just in case. Looking at the pet and petting him I am purely going with my gut here to give him a chance for an extension of life at the cost of thousands of $$$.
If he couldn't move around or jump or was losing appetite and weight over the course of this time I think I might have decided to try only the drugs and hope to get some months. For some reason hes telling me he will make it and come home in a couple days and start to bug us again
I have already tried to prepare myself for the ultimate guilt and pain if he passes or has an overly painfull recovery post surgery.
This stuff is tough..........I feel real guilty because the first vet I saw I think was clueless and didn't refer me out. Told me they could help treat the cat and help with these symptoms we were stressed about and ended up having us leave with the same routine because some liver numbers improved on a test. What a waste of time, so we hit up the next vet.
This cat is 15 years old and despite these issues still eats and has maintained weight, but finally with imagine they found mast cell and a tumor near liver with fluid.
So I have been bouncing back and forth on what to do. Do I let them pump the drugs to try and mask what I know is wrong in how his body functions or let them take the spleen out with other tumor and biopsy.
I went with my gut and will have to sign a waiver and take him in tomorrow am for surgery and plan to say goodbye just in case. Looking at the pet and petting him I am purely going with my gut here to give him a chance for an extension of life at the cost of thousands of $$$.
I looked up the average life span for a cat--it supposedly varies by breed. But I can tell you, 14-15 years is a long time for a cat to last w/o developing very serious health problems.
My last 3 cats; my biggest mistake was "keeping them going", for far too long. Months after they were clearly not getting better, despite all of the expensive vet visits/tests/an $800 ultrasound in one case. Paying $800 to have dental surgery on a Russian Blue. They extracted a bunch of his teeth; & I've never seen a more miserable cat; he never recovered; then it turned out he had a horrible disease on top of it (that the clueless vets never diagnosed properly).
But I was too clueless to see that they weren't going to get better (I don't have time to go into details of all 3 cats). And the vets were NO help; I mean less than no help. In retrospect I think too many vets.......well, if they ever told a pet owner that it might be time to put the pet to sleep, they wouldn't get the ever-increasing revenue stream that doing endless procedures on that sick pet generates.
So my "guilt", if any, is not having the sense to have any of them put to sleep when it became obvious they weren't getting better, & didn't have much quality of life left.
damac2004; I wouldn't give you my opinion on a public forum about what to do; but I wish you the best. I just think too many pet owners think that they have to keep an aging, sick pet going at all costs, b/c they can't bear to let go, & they can't bear the guilt. But is that what the animal would want? And only you can decide how many $$thousands to spend on a 15 y.o. cat, with tumors........& whether or not that's really the best thing for the cat......
I've been dealing with an IBD kitty for a year now (confirmed by ultrasound). I can certainly relate to the difficulty for all involved. Not only did we have the messes all over the house, we have dogs who snack on it. Our cat has lost nearly half of her weight, but still moves about and seems to still have some level of happiness. Because of the dog snacking we've had to move her to her separate area of the house, essentially an IBD room and a sectioned off area of our living room with her box and bed so at least she can be in the same area but the dogs can't get to her box. I hate having to do that immensely, but it's the only thing I can figure out that keeps everyone healthy.
I can't say I had *any* idea of how bad IBD can be setting out, and I've had cats all my life and been through a ton of different illnesses between them and the dogs.
I just wanted to add that we have tried both raw and slippery elm (for several months at a time), in addition to trying all kinds of other holistic supplements, pumpkin, homeopathic remedies, acupuncture... ideas from 5 different vets - and nothing has worked. We had a whole allergy test done, and have been through different proteins and combinations - nothing.
The best we've been able to do is use a Gastrointestinal prescription kibble from Royal Canin. I haven't fed kibble for ages, and hate giving it to a cat especially an ill one, but it's the only thing that changes explosive to this weird pulpy mess that is sometimes almost "normal". It has improved the situation for her and us, but not ideal by a long shot and almost makes determining her status on dignity, happiness, and decline more difficult to assess.
Anyway, just wanted to share our experience.
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I have a low opinion of people who keep their pet alive
