is my cat in pain

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spirit

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Hi - I have a 12 yr old very sweet kitty named Tripper... About 2 months ago he started getting a tumor under his eyelid... We took him in for surgery and had it removed... Now 3 weeks later it is triple the size and beginning to ooze...

The vet had told us this may happen... We did not get it tested to see if its cancerous as that is a moot point...

My question is really - at what point do I know its time for euthanasia? I have been watching for signs but the thing is... The tumor looks awful but he is eating and drinking - going potty, and purring and even going outside off and on...

He lets me touch around the area and doesn't SEEM in pain (although the tumor looks painful to me) What I do notice is that he is sleeping alot - definitely lower energy and is not grooming himself as normal...

I know we have to make the call but I don't want to make it sooner than necessary - although his comfort is definitely my first priority... Our appt. was originally at 4:50 today and I can't bring myself to take him in considering how he SEEMS...

I have contacted a vet who does home euthanasia but again, just looking for advice, insight, etc.

Thanks so much!
~Spirit
 
StefanZ

StefanZ

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It is a terrible situation and a horrible decision to make.

I myself tend to advise, not to wait too long. Let the cat or dog go when he has still his dignity.

I had also followed at close quarters two different dear friends, breeders, who hoped into the last moment, and waited way too long. It was pityfying to follow. Horrible for the owners, us friends, and probably also for the cats. Although the cats perhaps didnt suffered too much: their cat pals gave them company and comfort into the last moment.



Thinking on you!
 
cheylink

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I don't understand why you wouldn't have it tested. What if it is a benign growth? There is no doubt that such a large tumor in this sensitive of an area is causing discomfort. There should have been further testing, if this tumor is not localized, then there may be much more discomfort and pain involved. This is a very difficult situation for you, I am so sorry..........
 
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spirit

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Thank you Stefanzi - We know its going to be tomorrow... i cancelled todays appt upon finding a vet who does home euthanasia... Unless my vet says he doesn't think he's in pain, we will go through with it tomorrow.. ugh!

Cheylink - it was a tough call (the tumor is actually still sitting on the shelf at the vet)... We made the decision NOT to get it tested because of this>>> Our vet told us he didn't like what he saw... first we wanted to see if it was going to grow back quickly... If it grew back quickly - which it did and very aggressively - we didn't want to keep putting him through surgeries... It is a painful surgery and because there isn't much area to remove whether cancerous or not would cause so much discomfort and at his age- 12 - it just seemed more torturous...

At first we thought removing the whole eye would be a viable option, but its connected to the eyelid - not just the conjuctiva or eye ball and so removing the eyeball wouldn't work either...

Its so unfortunate because the rest of his body seems so healthy.. all blood work looks great.. but benign or not, there is only so much we can do...


Hope that made sense... I am still trying to work it out within myself as I type this...

The vet who does home visits is generally available within 24 hrs. Her recommendation (just got off the phone) was that if he is still eating, drinking, purring that he may have a couple more days and that we WILL know when the time has come...

What Stefanzi said about making the choice while he still has his dignity is also weighing on me... argh!

Sorry to be venting and working this out in a forum...
 
cheylink

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Originally Posted by Spirit

Thank you Stefanzi - We know its going to be tomorrow... i cancelled todays appt upon finding a vet who does home euthanasia... Unless my vet says he doesn't think he's in pain, we will go through with it tomorrow.. ugh!

Cheylink - it was a tough call (the tumor is actually still sitting on the shelf at the vet)... We made the decision NOT to get it tested because of this>>> Our vet told us he didn't like what he saw... first we wanted to see if it was going to grow back quickly... If it grew back quickly - which it did and very aggressively - we didn't want to keep putting him through surgeries... It is a painful surgery and because there isn't much area to remove whether cancerous or not would cause so much discomfort and at his age- 12 - it just seemed more torturous...

At first we thought removing the whole eye would be a viable option, but its connected to the eyelid - not just the conjuctiva or eye ball and so removing the eyeball wouldn't work either...

Its so unfortunate because the rest of his body seems so healthy.. all blood work looks great.. but benign or not, there is only so much we can do...


Hope that made sense... I am still trying to work it out within myself as I type this...

The vet who does home visits is generally available within 24 hrs. Her recommendation (just got off the phone) was that if he is still eating, drinking, purring that he may have a couple more days and that we WILL know when the time has come...

What Stefanzi said about making the choice while he still has his dignity is also weighing on me... argh!

Sorry to be venting and working this out in a forum...
Click to expand...
One thing you should know is never be sorry for venting and/or needing advice and support here! I am so sorry for your and your kitty's situation.
 
snake_lady

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It is indeed a very tough call to make.... I had to make the same call with my dog. If it helps, this is what I went through with my dog:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=200209

Short version: she had an inoperable tumor on her nose, that grew tremendously (not as fast as your kitty) between diagnoses in March 2008 when it was smaller than half a pingpong ball to the day we had to put her to sleep July 11, 2009 when it was a tennis ball with some smaller parts on top of it.

It was a hard decision because she still acted like herself... didn't act in pain, etc.

I was able to give her the gift of ending her life before she had to suffer horribly.
As a pet owner, that is the biggest gift I could give to her. She went out of this world with her dignity, her happiness, and with much love.

My thoughts are with you during this time
 
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