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.
Our cat, Mike, is dying. He's old, about 12-13, we're not sure, since we adopted him as an adult.
To make a long story short, he has a variety of problems, including hyperthyroid, arthritis, and cardiomyopathy. He's under a vets care, we've taken him to speciality clinics. I feel we're doing all we can for him.
He's lost a lot of weight and is basically skin and bones. Getting meds down him is harder and harder. He resists pilling, we use ear creams, I crush his pills up and mix with tuna water, anything to get meds in him.
He had difficulty breathing today, his breathing was rapid and shallow. We took him to the vet, they prescribed prednisone, which was difficult to get down him.
Its only a matter of time before he goes. I was hoping to keep him for one more Christmas, but now I'm wondering if I'm being selfish. He doesn't know and look forward to Christmas like people do. He just lives a cat's life. Are we just allowing him to suffer for our own "enjoyment" of having him for one last holiday?
He's in a "gray area" right now, he has good and bad days, its not a clear cut decision.I'm just tormented wondering if we should put an end to his suffering now or let him live out the rest of his time. Its a difficult decision, I wish I had some sort of answer!
Awww Mary I am sorry about your cat .. What does the vet say? and what does the cat say when you look into his eyes? I would let that be my guide here .. Mike might be ready to go .. ask him.. and then do what he wants .. its hard .. I dont always post to the rainbow bridge stories because they break my heart to read them yet when my cat died unexpectedly a few weeks ago I did and everyone was so nice and gave me a needed shoulder to cry on and it helped.
I think we all wish the pets we love would pass away quietly at home but ::sighs:: it doesnt always happen some times we have to help them on thier way and live with that decision as well as all the other things life hands us .. :: gives Mary a virtual hug:: I am sorry ..
Awww Mary I am sorry about your cat .. What does the vet say? and what does the cat say when you look into his eyes? I would let that be my guide here .. Mike might be ready to go .. ask him.. and then do what he wants .. its hard .. I dont always post to the rainbow bridge stories because they break my heart to read them yet when my cat died unexpectedly a few weeks ago I did and everyone was so nice and gave me a needed shoulder to cry on and it helped.
I think we all wish the pets we love would pass away quietly at home but ::sighs:: it doesnt always happen some times we have to help them on thier way and live with that decision as well as all the other things life hands us .. :: gives Mary a virtual hug:: I am sorry ..
The vet says Mike is "ok" with proper support, he could live another year. Mike "says" he wants to live. He hasn't given up the battle. He has that "I want to live" attitude. I guess its hard to see him go downhill like he is.
He can't even clean his paws. tonight I just noticed some "dirt" on his back paws, when I tried to wipe it off I found it was literally embedded. Poor kitty, he must have had that for awhile. His teeth are bad, he can't clean his hind feet. I spent almost two hours gently cleaning his back paws, just soaked them with warm water and cotton balls until I got it loose, then dug it out with q-tips, cut some out with manicure scissors. He just lay there and let me, it must have felt good to have his little feet cleaned. But he hasn't given up! I think I need some sleep, he will probably feel better now with his feet cleaned.
I know it's difficult for you, to see him like this.
Let me throw myself onto the top of the pile her and add another big huge ::virtual hug:: to you!!
And believe me, it means the world to him, that you're taking such attentive care to him, he won't ever forget that. If you do ever decide to take him out of his misery, he will love you in the end for it as well, because it is out of your love for him, that you are making the decision to end his pain.
I, like the above stated, would strongly suggest you ask him. Wait for the day you look into his eyes and he tells you its ok. If he still wants to be a trooper through these particularly difficult days, then march along with him, and cherish every moment.
Have you looked into homecooked food.. stuff you would eat? Yanno I found that some of the cemerail stuff is so fulla crap it will be the death of my critters .. We are pretty sure that diet was some of what caused Nappy ( the cat I just lost ) to drop dead like he did .. he ate only store bought cat food .. altho I feed my dogs combo of homecooked & raw and bake my own kibbles .. he wasnt interested .. something was in his cat food and he was addicted to it .. fer real .. he would only eat that stuff.. nothing else .. try some home made for him .. if you can eat it so can he .. the trick of course is will he.. .. he isnt that old but his system is shot thats a fact .. .. I'm not a vet I'm just an old lady who loves her critters and does what seems to work best for us .. to me its worth a try and see if you can perk him up with that new food offering ..
Have you looked into homecooked food.. stuff you would eat? Yanno I found that some of the cemerail stuff is so fulla crap it will be the death of my critters .. We are pretty sure that diet was some of what caused Nappy ( the cat I just lost ) to drop dead like he did .. he ate only store bought cat food .. altho I feed my dogs combo of homecooked & raw and bake my own kibbles .. he wasnt interested .. something was in his cat food and he was addicted to it .. fer real .. he would only eat that stuff.. nothing else .. try some home made for him .. if you can eat it so can he .. the trick of course is will he.. .. he isnt that old but his system is shot thats a fact .. .. I'm not a vet I'm just an old lady who loves her critters and does what seems to work best for us .. to me its worth a try and see if you can perk him up with that new food offering ..
May be something to that---he ate a whole can of tuna tonight. He usually eats very little of canned cat food, I thought because his teetch are bad. Perhaps part of his problem is he's hungry. I will try "people food" such as chicken, tuna, something I would eat. BTW, do you have a recipe for kibbles? He still likes his dry crunchies, despite his teeth problems.
Marylee,
hope you got a little nap in. Take your buddy and wrap him up in a blanket and walk around and hold him to your heart. Animals speak to our inner souls. He will give you the answers.
How lucky he is to have had you as his protector. I went through this will our old cat last year, my now college son found him 18 years ago as a near newborn next to a dumpster where someone has tried to throw him away.
Your cat cannot conceive of any other time than the here and now. What the experiance is happening at the moment good or bad. When the bads outpace the good, well you will know. God bless, allow yourself to morn, tell others.
here try this one .. my dogs love it and I use it for treats only for them but most Cats love it to .. Nappy was hooked on the crap foods when I got him so I just did what he demanaded rather than doing what I knew was best .. and it cost me a cat that I thought was wonderful ..
Cat Food Recipe Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups soy flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup brewer's yeast
1 (15 ounce) can mackerel
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cod liver oil
2 cups of water or as needed
Cat Food Recipe Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mash the mackerel into small pieces. Mix in the oil and water.
Add the mackerel mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The dough is tough, so use your hands. Roll dough out to about 1/4" thickness and cut into 1/4" bits, using a knife or pizza cutter. Mound the bits onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 25 minutes. \
During baking, occasionally toss the bits with two wooden spoons, so they brown evenly. Turn the heat off and allow the treats to cool thoroughly before removing and storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe freezes very well for longer storage.
btw the stuff "smells" when your cooking so get the febreeze out .. LOL has a fishy smell .. cats and dogs love it .. but then they roll in dead stuff so .. ahem be aware ..
heres some more home cooking for the cats.. most interesting reading ..
MaryLee,
My heart goes out to you and your little companion Mike.
The knowing "when" is really tough. Three days ago I was faced with making this decision regarding my beloved Kitty. My heart screamed "no"; the situation indicated "yes". I sked our vet what she would do in my place.
Kitty has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Prayers are with you.
Although I have cats, I have had the experience of two dogs dying in my arms: I did not have them put down.
I'm very sorry about your cat and only you can make the decision. I just wanted to let you know it is very hard, but it is possible to let an animal go in their own time.
I did everything possible for my dogs when they were elderly, became blind, and had arthritis. I bought fresh liver, ground beef etc, whatever they would eat and fed that to them throughout the day so that they would not lose too much weight. When they became incontinent, I got up with one dog seven times a night (she would come to me) and I would carry her out, balance her so she could do her business.
I was not totally opposed to having her put down, but her eyes told me she wanted to live. On on her stronger days, she took great pleasure in hunting for mice in the fields. The last day of her life, she sniffed out a mouse, but one of my other dogs caught it, and I took it away from the other dog, and my old dog slept that night very peacefully with the dead mouse between her paws (I let her take it in the house - what's one night with a dead mouse compared to the happiness of a dying dog?).
Threw it out the next morning but the point was she felt like a dog for that while.
And that evening she died very peacefully in my arms.
I had another old dog pass away last fall in much the same manner and if anything, we got even closer in that time period. The vet told me her heart was failing and she acted almost as if she'd had a stroke, with her paws turned inward in such a way that it was impossible for her to walk or even turn over.
My husband and I made up our minds that we would give her until after the weekend since her condition was such that it seemed horrible. I really thought we would have to put her down.
During that time I spent every minute with her, massaging her. We hooked up a sling with a sheet and I carried her that way to all her favourite places and neither the vet nor I have an explanation for what happened next.
Before the dreaded Monday, she became her old self for an additional six weeks. She went hunting in the fields on her own and enjoyed every minute of those six weeks. Then one night, she was extremely thirsty, vomited it all up, and was restless. I stayed with her, singing to her, and she passed away in my arms. The look on her face was so peaceful, so at ease, it was heartbreaking all on its own.
I miss her terribly. But I am so glad she went at home, and with me. I think I would always have wondered/worried if she'd felt I had deserted her in her time of need if I had taken her to the vet to be euthanized.
I apologize if this post doesn't belong here since it isn't about a cat. I have a cat too but cats were relatively recent additions to my animal family, and so far, thank god, I haven't had to endure their passing. I just wanted you to know there is hope if you decide to go the distance with your cat. I know how painful and how hard it is to know what to do.
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.
Take your buddy and wrap him up in a blanket and walk around and hold him to your heart. Animals speak to our inner souls. He will give you the answers.
