IBD in Elderly Cat - When is it time to let go? (kittens, throwing up)
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I have a 17 year old cat that suffers with diarrhoea and vomiting. There's no easy drug fix and the vets advice was that expiratory tests would only traumatise an elderly gentleman cat. My cat is only going to get worse and he will have a slow and painful death unless there is intervention. I've always had pets and kept them until their natural death but in hindsight the quality of their lives is more important than the length of their lives. We give older pets a home when no-one else wants them, so I have seen this natural decline all too often. The impact on the family and their health has to be considered when a cat is spreading diarrhoea throughout the house, on every work surface. My cat is still around but I have made the decision to put a pet down for the very first time.
I'm absolutely gutted, we've had him for 9 years and he is loved to bits. I would choose the same for myself rather than a long drawn out decline.
I've been putting it off for weeks but as I said the impact on the family is just too much, the kids won't come back here (accommodating grandparents) until the house is diarrhoea free!
There were some harsh comments made regarding the original post, only a loving pet owner would seek some support on here, when she was at the end of her tether and needed a little support!
I have a 17 year old cat that suffers with diarrhoea and vomiting. There's no easy drug fix and the vets advice was that expiratory tests would only traumatise an elderly gentleman cat. My cat is only going to get worse and he will have a slow and painful death unless there is intervention. I've always had pets and kept them until their natural death but in hindsight the quality of their lives is more important than the length of their lives. We give older pets a home when no-one else wants them, so I have seen this natural decline all too often. The impact on the family and their health has to be considered when a cat is spreading diarrhoea throughout the house, on every work surface. My cat is still around but I have made the decision to put a pet down for the very first time.
I'm absolutely gutted, we've had him for 9 years and he is loved to bits. I would choose the same for myself rather than a long drawn out decline.
I've been putting it off for weeks but as I said the impact on the family is just too much, the kids won't come back here (accommodating grandparents) until the house is diarrhoea free!
There were some harsh comments made regarding the original post, only a loving pet owner would seek some support on here, when she was at the end of her tether and needed a little support!
I have to agree with the original poster, the condescending replies are unrealistic and you're overlooking the simple fact that the cat's internal organs are shutting down. In the wild, an elderly cat with problems like this wouldn't survive for obvious reasons.
The original poster's cat wasn't getting any nutrition from the food because the poor animal was unable to digest it. The fact the people replying would rather prolong the suffering of the poor animal rather than making the difficult decision of what options might be best for the cat makes me question if they've fully accepted the responsibilities of ensuring the well being and quality of life of any pet they have. "I do not have a very high opinion" of people that do just that.
I am in a similar situation with my 12 year old who was just diagnosed with "mild IBD" in April via pathology from exploratory surgery, because we initially thought he had a bowel obstruction. He was on steroids, appetite stimulant, abx, and Prilosec...nothing is working. He had been fed grain free food, and still nothing. Now his weight is almost nothing, he's getting weak. He "wants" to eat, but turns his nose up at the food once I put it down for him. He is drinking plenty though. As of 2 weeks ago his labs were great- kidneys, liver, wbc, etc. He has this constant "rumbling/gurgling" sound in his abdomen, and from what I understand it is gas. I know coming from a human perspective, gas in the belly is very painful. I've tried force feeding him, worked before, now he just throws it back up with a bunch of bile. I feel so helpless for him. As much as I hate the thought, like we all do, I think I am going to have him euthanized tomorrow when I take him in for his appointment. My heart is breaking terribly!!!! He's an indoor cat, but he LOVES to go for walks on our deck with his leash or in his stroller. He also sleeps by my side EVERY night. Oh, this has me in tears just writing it....My poor Taz!!!!
Young kitties are independent and affectionate. As they progress, they become more dependent and mutual love continues. Caring for an aging kitty can be high maintenance, IBD or not. Each situation is different and we shouldn't pretend to understand another person's decisions completely. Some can share the grief and all have the memories of the joy of cats. Each cat always has a piece of my heart. So much like people, nature made our shared affection outlast frail bodies. Pets all go to a beautiful heaven. Shelter kitties are waiting to share a piece of the same soul, and we can find comfort knowing that a passing pet wants us to share their love through them.
I thought about putting something around the wall and litterbox area to make clean up easier. Thank God I'm renting an older apartment and the landlord doesn't come over that frequently, that's all I can say . My boyfriend has been a tremendous help in caring and cleaning up after Chloe. We have another cat who's 14 that I think has a touch of IBD but nothing to the extent of my cat.
I can't say Chloe is happy, and that is what I struggle with. She often seems sad and lifeless. I'm sure she's suffering from some degree of malnutrition, since she can't be absorbing nutrients properly. Lately she has been very affectionate. I can't tell if she's telling me it's time or if she's telling me she's ok.
You know your cat and we don't.
If you think it's time then it probably is.
People should not judge you. They seem to
just be reading the part about putting her down
in my opinion, instead of answering your question
about solutions.
My cat has the same problems and as much as we all
love him we don't want him to suffer.
We have loved Milo for a long, long time and he has loved
us too!
It's important to separate our feelings of love and his sad
state of life.
Do what you think is best for your Chloe. No judgement here 😻
This was a good thread to read. I started an earlier thread today about diarrhea with an IBD cat.
I don't think my Mattie is ready to check out yet. She has some days when she sleeps more and appears lethargic, and a few times I went to bed with a heavy heart thinking she might be gone in a day or two only to have her jumping on me in the morning, poking me in the face and meowing for food. I have a small fenced-in patio area in the back of my condo, and she still like to go out and stretch out on the concrete in the sun with the other two when I open the door. She runs over to her scratching post once or twice a day. It's a roller coaster illness. Someday she won't bounce back, but right now, I just want to find a way to deal with the smelly poo, which, as someone pointed out, inconveniences ME a lot more than it bothers HER.
They ARE always hungry, especially on the prednilisone. Last week I got myself a pizza, and I sat on the couch with the plate in my lap reading my book and out of the corner of my eye I see one of the slices moving. She'd grabbed the corner of the slice with her teeth and was trying to drag it off the plate. I couldn't let her have it, because pizza is NOT a good thing to feed an IBD cat lol (or any other!), but I got her something else instead.
I am going through something very similar. My 10 year old cat has been having continual diarreah for a year or so. At first, the vet would give her a shot monthly, we switched her diet, and it was ok. But now, nothing seems to work. Her blood work came back good, but she has lost half her body weight, is constantly hungry, and now even with the shot and just eating chicken, she goes all over our clothes, furniture, and floors. She is so skinny, and I love her. It is breaking my heart, because we've had to stop her food yet again, for another 12-24 hours, as per the Vet's original instructions, and she is howling right now.
I am going through something very similar. My 10 year old cat has been having continual diarreah for a year or so. At first, the vet would give her a shot monthly, we switched her diet, and it was ok. But now, nothing seems to work. Her blood work came back good, but she has lost half her body weight, is constantly hungry, and now even with the shot and just eating chicken, she goes all over our clothes, furniture, and floors. She is so skinny, and I love her. It is breaking my heart, because we've had to stop her food yet again, for another 12-24 hours, as per the Vet's original instructions, and she is howling right now.
I'm so sorry to hear this. It doesn't seem like her quality of life is very good right now and it sounds like you've run out of options.
I am going through something very similar. My 10 year old cat has been having continual diarreah for a year or so. At first, the vet would give her a shot monthly, we switched her diet, and it was ok. But now, nothing seems to work. Her blood work came back good, but she has lost half her body weight, is constantly hungry, and now even with the shot and just eating chicken, she goes all over our clothes, furniture, and floors. She is so skinny, and I love her. It is breaking my heart, because we've had to stop her food yet again, for another 12-24 hours, as per the Vet's original instructions, and she is howling right now.
If you haven't already, try slippery elm bark.
My now 16 year old cat had a very hard summer last year. He suffered from 5 times/day diarrhea for five straight weeks and nothing the vet did could stop it. I tried SEB and within 2 days his diarrhea was gone and has not returned.
I really think this may have saved his life. His food would go right through him and he couldn't gain any weight. He has now gained back the two pounds that he has lost before I knew he was hyperthyroid and because of his diarrhea situation.
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I'm with you
. My boyfriend has been a tremendous help in caring and cleaning up after Chloe. We have another cat who's 14 that I think has a touch of IBD but nothing to the extent of my cat.
