My old kitty....what should I do?

[RhondaM.]

My abyssinian is almost 15 years old. She is an indoor only cat. For years she has suffered with what I think is IBS. I took her to the vet years ago but as she was doing well otherwise I never got an official diagnosis from her and just treated her with added fiber in her diet. This worked like a charm for years.

 

It is not working anymore. She is loosing weight. She is frail and old. She is using her box to urinate but that is all. Her stool is very loose. Sometimes has a little blood.

 

I know that these symptoms (weight loss and diarrhea) can be signs of other things. I've been researching these other things: liver disease, kidney failure...and all of them require medication of course.

 

This cat has always been a nervous cat. She LOVES everyone...but she is just a nervous nelly. And now she is so frail as well.

 

I just cannot see stuffing a pill down her throat every day. It would break her heart and her spirit. She would hide under my bed everyday and not come out.

 

I also cannot see sticking her full of needles to find out what is wrong with her if every diagnosis will be something that requires me to pill her every day.

 

In a situation like this, with an old frail cat who is loosing weight and suffering from diarrhea all day long...don't you think it is just cruel to subject them to this??

 

I am so so very torn. I don't want her poked and hurt. But it is killing me to just watch her get frailer and frailer.

 

What would you do? This is killing me. I don't want to put her down. But I feel so cruel letting her get so skinny. (She is eating fine. I give her as much as she ask for. I feed her canned Iams)

 

She does not seem to be in any discomfort. She is getting around fine. She is loving. Her eyes are bright, her coat looks good. But she is just sooo frail. :sigh:

 

RhondaM.

[Tammy]

It is hard to watch an pet suffer. I have had to do this with two of my dogs....and I was glad I did.

 

I think you would be doing the cat a favor by ending her suffering. Then.....I would go out the next day....and get another one!

 

.

[Lara in Colo]

FWIW, my older cat (18yr)had a similiar problem and I put her down, but at the appointment the vet said it could be a thyroid problem that can be fixed with surgery. She said that this is common in older cats for the the thyroid to go hyperactive. Onyx was eating well, getting thinner and thinner, peeing a flood and getting weaker. If these symptoms fit, perhaps a this could be the problem and no pill required to fix it. I put her down because of her age and the cost vs her amount of life left just didn't make sense at the time.

Sorry for the pain you are going through!

 

Lara

[RhondaM.]

FWIW, my older cat (18yr)had a similiar problem and I put her down, but at the appointment the vet said it could be a thyroid problem that can be fixed with surgery. She said that this is common in older cats for the the thyroid to go hyperactive. Onyx was eating well, getting thinner and thinner, peeing a flood and getting weaker. If these symptoms fit, perhaps a this could be the problem and no pill required to fix it. I put her down because of her age and the cost vs her amount of life left just didn't make sense at the time.

Sorry for the pain you are going through!

 

Lara

 

Right. I was reading about this problem in older cats too. I really don't want to put her through a surgery...even if I could afford it. If she was younger this is something I would consider. I've been through 3 surgeries myself. Not fun. Can't see putting my sweet girl through it.

 

Thanks.

Rhonda

[jenL]

Rhonda, I am SO very sorry! :grouphug: Having to recently put a cat down for illness, I completely understand your anxiety and pain.

 

I will never forget the day one of my cats (who was 16 and was experiencing the same symptoms as yours) needed to be put down (this was 5 years ago). The vet at the time said something that will stay with me forever: "Cats can be sick for a LONG time before they show any symptoms, and often it becomes too late or very costly to make them well. Whereas dogs tend to show signs of illness much earlier, making them easier and more cost effective to treat."

 

Fifteen years is an excellent life for a cat, and it sounds as if you have treated her like gold. Do what your gut is telling you to do. If it's time to let her go, love her until that moment needs to come. It's so hard to let go though. :grouphug:

[Audrey]

It's such a hard decision to make. 15 is quite old for a cat. Your sadness and concern for her come through clearly in your post. I had an old cat who was going downhill. I couldn't bring myself to put her to sleep. I still feel guilty about that. At the end, she was so sad. I knew I should have done it, but I couldn't. It's so hard. Whatever you decide :grouphug: to you.

[RhondaM.]

It's such a hard decision to make. 15 is quite old for a cat. Your sadness and concern for her come through clearly in your post. I had an old cat who was going downhill. I couldn't bring myself to put her to sleep. I still feel guilty about that. At the end, she was so sad. I knew I should have done it, but I couldn't. It's so hard. Whatever you decide :grouphug: to you.

 

See...that is just it. She does not seem sad. Just tired and old and frail. But honestly, she just lights up when she sees me. She loves me so much and hardly leaves my side. This is very hard.

[weaver_67579]

I'm sorry you are having to deal with a sick old timer-it is hard when they get old.:grouphug:

 

I have a 17 yo cat that has had similar symptoms. She was diagnosed with early kidney failure 2 1/2-3 years ago. We also believe she has iritable bowl-never got a good diagnosis on that, but we had to try several foods before we found one that worked for her. We do not have to pill her. She is on Hills perscription KD canned and her kidney values have been in the normal range since she has been on the perscription food-just now I think she is starting to lose weight again. Really-you don't know what it is until you check-then it is easier to make an informed decision. Treatment may not be bad-depending on what it entails.

[Denisemomof4]

See...that is just it. She does not seem sad. Just tired and old and frail. But honestly, she just lights up when she sees me. She loves me so much and hardly leaves my side. This is very hard.

 

:crying::crying::crying::crying::crying:

[mhg]

She's 82 years old (using the cat years to human year comparison).

I think you're right in knowing that the trauma of various treatments may greatly end what JOY she has in life. My cat Neville is 15. He looks quite frail and elderly. But, though he looks terrible -- hair falling out, etc. he hasn't been diagnosed with any major problems (not that I go to the vet too often either). But so far he doesn't look to be in pain or misery. He's eating and laying around and sunbathing. When that time comes when I suspect his suffering outweighs his "happiness" then I'll try to love him selflessly enough to hold his little paw (I'm crying now just thinking of it)....and see him painlessly out of this world at the vet's office. :sad: So....I guess that's my only advice, try to be objective about whether her discomfort outweighs her joy and make an objective decision -- for her sake, think with your head and not your heart for what's best for her, then you'll KNOW and rest easy that no matter how hard it was to do, it was with HER best interest in mind and you won't be able to have any regrets as you loved her selflessly. Good luck. (P.S. I'd give her a several month trial of Science Diet for elderly cats to see if this helps also).

[StephanieZ]

Take her to the vet & get her worked up. They can sedate for the workup if she is stressed. You'll never feel OK about letting her go if you don't know what is wrong. There are many treatable illnesses. BTW, many cats make it into their 20s. ((hugs))

[Teachin'Mine]

I would take her to the vet and explain your concerns. It may be that there's a simple fix, such as a change in diet, for her current situation. You don't have to go to extreme measures, but I think it's good to find out if she can be helped. Just my thoughts.

[Nakia]

No advice, just :grouphug: We just lost one of our beloved cats, and we are so broken-hearted. We also have an old boy who may not last much longer. I know it must be really hard!

[littlebug42]

I recently faced similar issues with my 14 year old kitty. I was broken hearted that he was getting sicker and I knew what was coming. He still seemed to be the same though, just old. He still cuddled etc until one day he didn't. All of a sudden, he just was different. He wouldn't cuddle much. He was still loving with me and the night before I took him to the vet, I laid in the floor with him for an hour and just petted him. I knew it was time to let him go. I took him to the vet the next day and she said immediately that it was his liver. Apparently although I hadn't noticed, the skin inside his ears had turned yellow which she said indicated liver disease that she said he would not survive treatment for. I had to have him put to sleep. It broke my heart but as I explained to my girls, Sam had been a good friend to me for 14 years so I had to be that good of a friend for him. :grouphug:

[Jenny Piaaree]

Take her to the vet & get her worked up. They can sedate for the workup if she is stressed. You'll never feel OK about letting her go if you don't know what is wrong. There are many treatable illnesses. BTW, many cats make it into their 20s. ((hugs))

:iagree: I'm sorry you're having to go through this with your kitty. It's so hard. I just had to put my dog to sleep last week, so I know how difficult these decisions can be.

 

However, I also have a cat who has a rare form of cancer and needs a squirt of liquid prednisone every day. He doesn't like to have it, but it takes all of five seconds and then it's over, and he goes on his way and doesn't think about it for another moment. Animals are like that. If your kitty has to get some blood drawn for a test, she won't like it, but she won't dwell on it once it's over. I take it she hates taking pills? Has she ever had liquid meds? For my cat it is much easier to administer.

 

For me, I would find it totally worth it to put my pet through a few minutes of anxiety and pain (and, really, we have all had blood drawn - is it that bad?) rather than keep her home and watch her continue to decline. Especially when it could be that her problem is easily treated. And if it could not easily be treated, then I could at least say I tried everything and made an informed decision. But in the end, you know your pet best, and I'm sure you will make the decision that is best for her.

 

Best wishes to you and your sweet kitty! :grouphug:

[ktgrok]

If she is having bloody diarrhea and you are not considering treatment then i would think seriously about putting her down sometime in the near future. She must have some GI pain. One thing I would try first though is a steroid injection. If it IS inflammatory bowel, or cancer, then steroid may help for quite a while. And steroids are cheap, and an injection can last for months. We have a saying in veterinary medicine, "never let anything die without steroids.' In other words, it's always worth trying. You could go in and get that done without any bloodwork or invasive tests. Just an exam (and they may be able to palpate a tumor or enlarged thyroid just on exam). Of course if she is eating well it very well might be a thyroid issue. You would need bloodwork to diagnose that. They do have transdermal medications, that can be rubbed on the ear, instead of a pill. Just a thought. Or it can be made into a flavored liquid or chewable.

 

Just don't let her starve to death at home, as I have seen happen before. It is hard to put them down, but better we suffer than they do.

[lisabelle]

I'd take the kitty to the vet and I'd talk about inexpensive, non-invasive kinds of things that can be done to help make your kitty more comfortable. My first thought was that it might be helpful to add a probiotic to your kitty's canned food. I have a 3 year old cat with chronic diarrhea problems (which I wasn't informed of when I adopted him last year) and probiotics have helped *immensely*. And he's gained a nice amount of weight. You can get probiotics at a good natural pet supply store, but in my experience the kind I get at the vet are much more effective--FortiFlora and it's made by Purina. It's part of their Veterinary Diets line, so I think you have to get it through a vet.

[RhondaM.]

:iagree: I'm sorry you're having to go through this with your kitty. It's so hard. I just had to put my dog to sleep last week, so I know how difficult these decisions can be.

 

However, I also have a cat who has a rare form of cancer and needs a squirt of liquid prednisone every day. He doesn't like to have it, but it takes all of five seconds and then it's over, and he goes on his way and doesn't think about it for another moment. Animals are like that. If your kitty has to get some blood drawn for a test, she won't like it, but she won't dwell on it once it's over. I take it she hates taking pills? Has she ever had liquid meds? For my cat it is much easier to administer.

 

Although I've not had sick pets often I've had experience pilling cats as I've had many over the years. And I can pill this cat. But...it is not easy. She is an abyssinian and she is very, very quick. She will let me (gently but firmly) pull her head back but then right before I drop the pill in her mouth she shakes her head HARD. It usually slings the pill away and I have to find it and try again. She is the only cat I've ever had problems pilling. I tried liquid meds on her ONCE years ago. Noway I'd do it again. She will NOT let me.

 

She is a very nervous cat. I mean this cat can be sleeping with me right next to her and I can reach out to stroke her and it will scare her so bad she goes ballistic. Jumps ten feet high, runs and hides under the bed.

She does not get over things and she WOULD hold a grudge, believe me.

 

With my other three cats, I agree with you. They'd get over it if they had to get a pill every day. But not her.

 

For me, I would find it totally worth it to put my pet through a few minutes of anxiety and pain (and, really, we have all had blood drawn - is it that bad?) rather than keep her home and watch her continue to decline. Especially when it could be that her problem is easily treated. And if it could not easily be treated, then I could at least say I tried everything and made an informed decision. But in the end, you know your pet best, and I'm sure you will make the decision that is best for her.

 

Best wishes to you and your sweet kitty! :grouphug:

 

I do agree with you somewhat. If there is some non-invasive way to help her so that she could stay with me, gain her weight back and not have constant diarrhea then I'd do it. God, I wonder how much a blood panel would cost.

[RhondaM.]

If she is having bloody diarrhea and you are not considering treatment then i would think seriously about putting her down sometime in the near future. She must have some GI pain. [/Quote]

 

She has had the bloody diarrhea off and on for at least five, maybe 7 years without any weight loss. When I took her to the vet about it when this started he just said it was most probably IB but unless we did an ultrasound (I think it was an ultrasound) there was no way to know. And there was noway to afford that. So he suggested a food that she would not touch. So we used fiber, which worked. He never said anything about her being in pain. I've known other people who have had cats with this (which is how I found out about the fiber) and they never mentioned pain...and these people have the money and go to vets OFTEN. I've READ about IB and I've never READ anything about pain associated with this either.

 

 

One thing I would try first though is a steroid injection. If it IS inflammatory bowel, or cancer, then steroid may help for quite a while. And steroids are cheap, and an injection can last for months. We have a saying in veterinary medicine, "never let anything die without steroids.' In other words, it's always worth trying. [/Quote]

 

Ok, maybe this. I can remember discussions about steroids (I was on a high vol. cat e-mail list) and side effects or long term problems associated with them...seems that the use of steroids were sometimes controversial. So at the time it was not nothing I would consider. But maybe now that she is older it would be an option. Especially if she would not need a shot every week.

 

 

You could go in and get that done without any bloodwork or invasive tests. Just an exam (and they may be able to palpate a tumor or enlarged thyroid just on exam). [/Quote]

 

I don't know if they would administer a steroid w/out bloodwork.

 

 

Of course if she is eating well it very well might be a thyroid issue. You would need bloodwork to diagnose that. They do have transdermal medications, that can be rubbed on the ear, instead of a pill. Just a thought. Or it can be made into a flavored liquid or chewable. [/Quote]

 

I never heard about transdermal medications! I thought the only way to treat her for a thyroid issue was a pill. And please belive me ..I don't mind giving a daily pill. It is my cat that would hate it. More than any of my other cats would hate it.

 

Just don't let her starve to death at home, as I have seen happen before. It is hard to put them down, but better we suffer than they do.

 

See this is what is scaring me. That maybe she is starving to death. Everyone (not on this board) has been telling me that no, she is eating, she is just getting old. So she could actually be starving to death??????

 

Thanks for your help.

[ktgrok]

If she is eating that is a really good sign that she is still comfortable. And if the bowel issues have been going on a long time they may not be uncomfortable for her. Only you would know that. As for steroid side effects, they are mostly long term side effects. And not to be mean, but at this point that really isn't an issue anymore. What matters now is short term symptom control. Most vets will do it if you are clear that you are not able to pursue other avenues. If it's her thyroid it won't help, but it will help pretty much everything else.It's the only silver bullet in medicine :)

[RhondaM.]

As for steroid side effects, they are mostly long term side effects. And not to be mean, but at this point that really isn't an issue anymore. What matters now is short term symptom control.

 

That is not mean, that is just real and I agree. In the past it was not something I would consider, but now that she is much older it might be the solution to the problem.

 

Thanks.

[TravelingChris]

My Siamese developed a problem and was losing weight. He was 16 then. We did do a few tests and the vet determined it wasn't something easily fixed. It wasn't his heart (which did have a slight problem), diabetes, thyroid, or kidney or liver. So the vet thought, as I did, that he had some type of cancer. We let him live his life as long as he wasn't having pain. He kept losing weight but seemed to be content anyway. We did put him down when he lost the ability to drink water. Then I knew it was time because kidney failure death is painful. He was 17.