My cat is not doing well... I can't decide what to do :(

[Samurai_Writer]

Hi all,

My 15 year old cat, Nightmare, has been hyperthyroid for over a year (on medication) and recently started taking pain meds for arthritis. When she became hyperthyroid, she went from 10 pounds to 5.5 pounds, then held steady at 6 pounds, which is what she weighed at her annual checkup one month ago. Today, she weighs 5.2 pounds.

I took her in because she stopped using the litterbox. She was just sticking around her food and water bowl and not leaving that area. She also threw up twice this week, has stopped grooming herself, and her son has stopped grooming her as well (which he used to do all the time). She was also much more vocal (meowing) at me, like trying to tell me something was wrong.

The vet says there is really nothing we can do except give her fluids if they help (she got fluids and antibiotics at the vets today), and to keep her comfortable. She suggested putting her in a different room where the food and litter box is more easily accessed (I have a dog also, so I had put the food up on a table to keep him away from it).

So now I have her and her son, Smoke, in my room and bathroom, and the dog using the rest of the house. I have to decide if I want to keep giving her fluids every day or every other day. And if I don't do that, if I want to put her to sleep. She seems happy enough and is not in any real pain I can tell. I just don't know what to do and never had to make a decision to put a pet to sleep before. So any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.



Peace,
Bella

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Just hold her, love her, take care of her as best you can now

During one of those times when you hold her, you'll look at each other and you'll get that it's time to take her. It's intuitive.

It's a HARD thing to do. I feel for you. :hug:

[ronnykmarshall]

13. I'm crying right now.

You said it all.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. I'm sorry...

The best advice I can offer is to do what you think is best for her, not you.

It's hard to make that decision and my heart goes out to you.

[candle_bright]

3. I'm so sorry

to hear about your cat. I hate to tell you this, but what you are describing is exactly what I went through with one of my cats a few years ago...kidney failure. I hope this is not the case. Has your vet mentioned this and/or tested her?

[flamingyouth]

4. I'm very sorry

I know you'll do the best thing for her. It's very hard. :hug:

[Maine-ah]

5. I'm so sorry..

I had to deal with a diabetic cat for over a year, and then she suddenly had some seizures one night, and I just couldn't do it too her anymore. I had to let her go. Think about it this way. How much prodding and poking at the vet to you want to put her through? She may not be in pain now, but the stress of dealing with the vet could be worse. Are you doing IV fluids at home? I know this is also very difficult for you and the cat if thats the case. Just before we let our Tia go, she had been very vocal. That was usually her cue that something was wrong. I can't advise you either way, it's your pet, who is part of your family, that I am sure you love very much. But I always frame the question as how much do you want to put the cat through? JMHO. Good Luck -

[Love Bug]

6. Honey, she's trying to tell you something

Once they stop grooming, that is a sign they are very sick. Does she try to hide? Is she eating anything at all?

I had to have one of my cats put down a few years ago because she had cancer. She had surgery, but the cancer came back. When she stopped grooming and started hiding I knew it was time to let her go.

It sounds like you're doing everything you can for her.

If that's her picture, she sure is pretty.

[Samurai_Writer]

9. She is eating and drinking...

actually, her appetite is good. Being hyperthyroid, she eats a lot. She is going to the bathroom regularly, just has not been using the litter box (perhaps because it was too difficult to get to from where the food was). I will watch her the next few days and see how she does. I can do IV fluids at home for her, but I don't know if I want to put her through that for long. The fluids did seem to help today, she is resting comfortably.

And yes, that is her in the picture, about 3 months ago. She is a very sweet cat. I've had her 14 years, when she showed up at my doorstep 7 months old and pregnant. I kept one kitten, who is now 14 (and also hyperthyroid, but much healthier).

[ashmanonar]

7. :(

i've never had an animal sick that i could actually take care of...so i'd say you should just look into your heart and see what would be best to do for her. when it starts to seem like she's in pain, it's kinder to euthanize her than see her in pain. but until then, i'd say she should have the fullest life possible.

[CornField]

8. No real advice... just some hugs

I went through several weeks of internal debate before ultimately putting our Dalmation down last spring. It's not an easy decision at all. I wouldn't wish that circumstance on anyone else.

:hug:

[crispini]

10. Why does the vet say there is nothing you can do?

When my kitty became hyperthyroid I took her to have the same thyroid treatment that they give humans. They burnt out her thyroid with radiation. She had to have replacement pills after that but the essential problem was gone and I just had to get the level of thyroid hormone right.

Since she lost all that weight was the underlying problem addressed or did the pills you gave her just suppress the condition?

I took my kitty to the vet school to have the treatment done because it was expensive. I had to drive three hours down to Texas A&M and leave her there two weeks because she was radioactive and then drive to pick her up again. But she was fine after that and lived 8 more years. Of course yours at 15 is already pretty old for a kitty.

Edited to add: A hug for you. :hug:

[Mrs_Beastman]

11. so sorry

:grouphug:

[DoBotherMe]

12. Two years ago my 17 y.o. cat died at home.

Six months before I had put him in the hospital for emergency treatment. At that time I decided that if the symptoms recurred, I wouldn't intervene again. He died peacefully in his sleep. It was hard to watch him deteriorate so rapidly (over the course of one week)...he quit eating, took fewer drinks, quit grooming. When he couldn't stand...I wrapped him in a blanket and kept him with me until his final breath. It was a sad week for me but bearable. I know how hard it is to make these kinds of decisions. Dana ; )

[saracat]

14. If her thyroid under control now? If the vet says there is nothing you

do, what does he mean? Do they consider the cat critical? Have you had another opinion? I had to put my cat down several years ago as he had cancer, and it hadn't been diagnosed properly. The cat was skin and bones, and on prednisone to stimulate his appetite and he still wasn't eating. They wanted him to go to a special cancer treatment at (believe me ,its true) Mayo Clinic. He would have received the same Chemo myDad was taking at the time! Chemo curbs your appetite even more and causes nausea. I said , "I don't think so" The cat had been through enough.I didn't think he would survive. He had cost us $2000 so far and I gladly would have mortgaged the house to save him. Some people call me nuts. But I euthanized him rather than cause him more misery. I prayed that I was right. A year later I had to remove my Dad from a respirator and the feeling was similar. We must make whatever discision is best for the person /animal involved. But get all the information you can first.
Good luck and Nightmare is beautiful! I have a black cat as well. And he has gotten more and more vocal as he has gotten older. He is an attention hound! At the very least, Nightmare wants some attention.:hug:
PS Poster above is right about thyroid. I speak as a victim of hyper active thyroid myself, who had radiation. Plus my cat ate all my thyroid pills once, and they told me cats naturally are so hyper, it wouldn't hurt him!So radioactive iodine might help.When you are that hyper you aren't hungry and are tired.

[Samurai_Writer]

21. She is on hyperthyroid medication

And it has helped that condition. The vet really means without doing a lot of invasive, painful tests and procedures, there is nothing else to do. She is 15 years old, so I don't want to do tests or procedures on her unless absolutely necessary. I have spent probably $1000 on her in vet bills in the last year (she had to have emergency surgery about six months ago -- her collar had grown into her neck after she gained some weight). She has been doing well until the past week or so.

I suppose I will just watch her carefully over the next few days, give her fluids, and see how she does.

[saracat]

22. Has he noticed anything else like kidney failure? I would think he should

have noticed if she were.I think you are doing the best that can be done, but keep asking questions you never know! I once had a cat diagnosed as pregnant when she had cancer and a dod with kidney disease that was in good health. One never know.Just as with people, screw ups happen. You and Nightmare are in my prayers!

[Samurai_Writer]

25. She mentioned liver damage, but not kidney failure.

The meds for hyperthyroid can cause liver damage, and also hyperthyroidism itself can cause liver damage. She said there were other tests and procedure we could do, but at her age, it was a matter of how much discomfort I want to put her through for something that might not help.

[crispini]

23. I would get a second opinon.

See my post above about the radiation treatment for hyperthyroid. You don't say she's had that, and it helped my kitty immensely. You would know if she had had that as she would be radioactive for two weeks. It seems to me that if she lost all that weight and did not gain it back then her thyroid condition has not been controlled very well, unless she was heavy to start with.

Also please look into finding a Vet School near you. They will often treat your critters at much cheaper prices and they have just as high quality of vet care.

[Samurai_Writer]

24. No, she hasn't had the radiation treatment

I don't know if, at her age, I would want to put her through it. She was very heavy to start with, and has held her weight steadily at about 6 pounds for a year until this past month, when it dropped to 5.2.

What type of side effects did your kitty have from the radiation? I really don't want to put her through any procedure unless absolutely necessary.

[crispini]

26. Well, she was in the vet hospital for two weeks

while she was having the treatments. So I can't attest to any side effects she had during the treatments, but when I got her back she was as fit as a fiddle and very happy. And I called the vet hospital every day and they told me she was fine.

[saracat]

28. As a human who had it , I can say there aren't any side effects

except you need to take thyroid. They keep you isolated so you don't radiate anyone else for two weeks. You are seeping! But you feel normal! I wouldn't think a cat would react too differently!

[medeak]

15. asked my vet the same question

for dog that passed this xmas (sniff)

He told me as long as she could eat to keep her alive.

As it turns out we waited too long... she suffered a great deal and have remorse over it. by the time we got her to vet she was nearly gone anyway.

It's a tough call.

[IdaBriggs]

16. Mist and Sky both let me know when it was time.

I think they both stuck around long enough for me to be okay with letting them go. For Sky (18+ at the time), I was able to get an "at home" visiting vet to come help us with the final goodbye. It was a little more money, but worth every penny not to have to do the long, miserable drive there (with her hating every second), then crying at the vet's office with the smell of antiseptic filling our nostrils, and then another long drive home with her body. Instead we took care of it in the frontroom, with a last nibble of chicken and cheeze-its before hand. (She wouldn't eat more than a nibble by then, and we buried the remains with her.) When he left, there was privacy for our grief.

As I said, in both cases they told me when it was time to say goodbye. For Mist, it was when she started losing control of her bowels; earlier that morning she had been curled on my chest purring, so I know she was okay with what was going on. For Sky, it was when I couldn't get the meds into her anymore, and she began losing control of her legs due to weakness. (I used to crush her pills into her favorite canned cat food; when she quit eating, it became a blood battle to get the pills into her, and she left me a small scar or two in remembrance of her pride!)

Storm is now 18+, and I'm not looking forward to the end of days with him; he's nearly blind now, but still feisty enough that he bosses our 90 pound dogs around -- and he loves to get in the way of my computer! He also keeps the house rodent free, and periodically brings us "presents" when suicidal mice invade the garage. He looks a lot like your baby....

From our house to yours, sympathy and support. :hug:

[Bertha Venation]

17. Bella...

I know what I'd do, and I think you know what to do, too. I am so sorry. :hug:

Hold her close and do all the things that she is used to -- the things by which you tell her you love her.

[EC]

18. If she's not in any pain, don't have her

put down in a strange place, instead of letting her go naturally in her own home? Make her comfortable and happy for her last days..

[Sugar Smack]

27. I agree with EC-

Play your cat some nice classical music, and just be there for her. I'm so sorry. Just a lot of touching and nice stroking is so essential. Please accept my good wishes for you and your darling. :hug:

[enigmatic]

19. Oh man, I'm so sorry...

Deciding to put a companion to sleep is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life; my wife and I literally cried for days after putting my 17 year old kitty to sleep. I held her in my arms as she slipped away; I told her how much love she brought into my life and how i would never forget her, ever.

I'll be sending you and the kitty all the good vibes i can muster; please, if you decide to let her pass on, know that you're doing the right thing, and that the kitty knows this and loves you as much as you love her:)

Good luck.

[Corgigal]

20. When my Oscar was sick

I had her in diapers and her back legs weren't mobile so she would drag them all over the house. I allowed her to die at home because I had to put one pet to sleep and I thought I have to toughen up some and allow them to die in their own surroundings. She stopped eating 48 hours before she passed. I had her in a nice box with some blankets next to our bed and the TV. She passed around 4 am.

As long as no pain do what you can. I know you think the diaper thing is nuts but I bought the infant baby diapers and I would wash her bottom daily. Sure she hated it but she left this planet on her terms. If I'm this brave for all my pets then I've done good. Again, as long as not in pain and you can help her with it.

[Samurai_Writer]

29. Update on Nightmare...

She seems to be doing OK, she had a restful night... her owner, however, kept waking up to check on her. I had placed the cats' litterbox in my bathroom (which is open to my bedroom) and their food and water dish as well. Litterbox is in the shower (no door, just a shower curtain, and only a 3" lip for her to climb over) and the food and water near the far end of the sink. She seems to like the arrangement. My asthma, however, does not, especially since I had to keep the bedroom door closed to keep the dog out of the cat's food. So I moved into the guest bedroom and bathroom for the duration, I guess.

I am going to take her back to the vet tomorrow to see if she needs more fluids, and have the vet teach me how to give her the IV fluids. Didn't look too difficult.

I think she is too sick to do any radiation or surgery, but I am going to ask about it for my other cat, who is hyperthyroid but is overall very healthy. They are both on hyperthyroid meds right now.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and prayers (even if I am an atheist, hey I'll take what I can get for my pets and kids!). I'll let you know how it goes.

Peace,
Bella

Here's Smoke...

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Did the hyperthyroidism cause her heart to become enlarged?

My cat's (age 12) was and her vet suspected she might be hyperthyroid. He uses both traditional and alternative treatments. He tested her, but, in the meantime, had me add a few drops of liquid hawthorne to her water. Her tests came back negative, which was worst case, as far as he was concerned. But he had me continue with the liquid hawthorne and, at her next test, her heart was completely normal. For whatever reason, it worked.:-)

[demnan]

31. Hi Bella

A hug for you, Nightmare and Smoke. :hug: Whatever happens you have given her a wonderful life, and there is always hope when she is eating and drinking.

Try brushing her a little, this might encourage her to groom. Love and care are the best you can give and I know you have plenty of that. As far as the vet goes, others who know more will give you better advice, I'll just pass on empathy.