Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

I agree with all the above. Sparky the cat is 14 now, about 18 months ago he was very very poorly indeed. The diagnosis was kidney trouble and with meds and a special diet he is fighting fit again. I know what it's like to have a beloved pet pts, I had to do this with both of my dogs. At that time it was absolutely the right thing to do for them
Casey is still happy in his own way and I don't think it's his time yet.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Its a terrible thing for the owner to go through but you have to do what you feel is right,Have you got a Blue Cross near you in Wigan, they dont charge for vets services, perhaps you could explain to them and get some advice Mollie. Poppy was about 12 when she became ill and the vet said she had Leukemia and it was time for her to go. Good luck Mollie.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Mollie, no wish to intrude but have you thought of getting in touch with your local PDSA? for a vet to have a look at Casey.

They will tell you if you qualify for the pet assistance and where the nearest veterinary practice to you is.

You can check it online here.

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pdsa-vet-care/eligibility

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Hugs to you Mollie. My dear old cat Emily lived to be 23. She had odd behaviour towards the end (turning in circles, unable to see a dish placed in front of her, calling for me and wanting to be held). My sister Nancy, who is a vet, ran tests and said she was going into kidney failure and cautioned me to be prepared. I coddled Em every day and she seemed content but she finally lost her appetite and slept almost all the time. Nancy then advised me it would be kinder to assist her in passing on.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Big hugs for you Mollie! This is never an easy time with our beloved pets, but like others have said, you will know when the time is right to assist in Casey's welfare.

Like Hammer, I was going to suggest getting in touch with the PDSA too.

Good luck Mollie!

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Many, many thanks to all of you. I've kept cats for over 50 years and normally can "diagnose" to a certain degree.

The last cat I had to have euthanised was little Sadie, and that was exactly one week after Gordon died. We'd discussed having this done because the darling had a serious tumour on her chin and, having no teeth, eating was a very hard chore for her and we did feel that her quality of life was non-existent as she kept bursting the skin around the tumour causing it to bleed.

The others since then just grew old and died, the last one being Coco who sadly had cat flu, which isn't treatable, but I looked after him. The year before, Pepsi was right as rain one minute, then she literally just laid down and died.

Also, I forgot to mention that he no longer has any teeth, but he can eat and sadly he's now deaf as well.

As to the question about incontinence the answer is he doesn't go inappropriately all the time - just occasionally. I do have a theory about that though and that could be if he's trying to get through the window and Billie is there to prevent him, that might be why.

He is eating an awful lot lately, but so is Billie, as the weather is now colder so that's normal, but he's getting tubby around the belly. This could just be due to over-eating, but could be a sign of FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), so fingers crossed that it isn't, but I'll continue to monitor that as that isn't treatable either.

Other than all that, he's purring, eating, his stools are normal () and he still gives me a high five every now and again.

Hammer, thank you for the link, and Annie, thanks for the idea of the Blue Cross. I'll look into it. I'm probably worrying over nothing at all except that he's just getting old and I don't want to lose him, but I certainly wouldn't let my darling suffer just for me to keep him. I couldn't do that to any animal.

Thanks again. I did wonder what others thought on this subject.

Oh, and thanks for the hugs as well.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Sorry to hear about Casey, Mollie. I would agree with what others have said. Does sound like he still has a good quality of life-eating and drinking and still wanting a cuddle and appears to be in no pain, which is good. I would contact the PDSA or Blue Cross as others have suggested-they may be able to help you should you feel Casey should see a Vet. Thoughts are with you both.....

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Thanks, Merz. You know something, and this is true. Not one of my cats, bar a couple, have ever had the need to visit a vet except for when they were neutred.

I took Sadie to the vet, as I have mentioned, but the only two before her was Ceilidh, who was 14 years old and had FIP, then Jynx who caught cat flu at 10 years old, and they are the only three that have been euthanised.

At any one time we had 13 cats/kittens and there was much laughter and much sadness and we loved every single one of them.

The two that started this great family off were Dusty and Shelley almost 20 years ago. Dusty had a sudden heart attack, and Shelley, like most of the others were just fine, then died very suddenly, so we believed that there was a faulty gene from Shelley, but none of them actually got sick.

I wish now I'd written everything down, but I guess when a death in the family occurs you're too traumatised to think about such things.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

My thoughts on it are no one knows your animals like you do, and it is in my opinion better a day to soon than a moment too late.

Maybe an idea would be to weigh him and check him out yourself then keep a little diary of his habits, eating sleeping crying justa rough guide so you can see for yourself in say a month or so what he did rather than what your memory is telling you because when we are worrying over someone/thing (which is normal) our memory plays tricks so seeing it in writing would be a good start to seeing if anything abnormal is occuring or a pattern trend is developing.

I do wonder though the little belly he is geting and eating more and his other "symptoms" if he has a kidney issue. Even humans when older and with a kidney infection get a little confused.......But what ever you do I am sure it will be the right thing. There is nothing uncaring about wanting to ensure he is not suffering.

I choose to have both my cats ethunasied when the time I thought was right for them.

Re: Euthanasia or Natural Death?

Oh dear Mollie darlin' - a difficult subject. I no longer have pets - not allowed them in here anyway but have had a number over the years.

Mollie darlin' it COULD be that Casey might be suffering renal failure - hence the inappropriate urine puddles. If that is the case, it could be due to cancer of the Kidneys or some other cancer which is affecting the kidneys.

I know you're very attached to Casey, but I think the time is coming (very soon) that poor Casey won't be with you and you need to come to terms with that. I am firmly of the belief that euthenasia (for humans too) is the best way and whilst Casey may not be displaying signs of pain, nonetheless he could be uncomfortable.

Vets I know are expensive, Mollie darlin' - but I think Casey does need to be checked over, not just for him but equally to put your mind at rest as to whether he has a major problem or not.