Need advise on.... the final moment

Hi, here is the situation. My cat 16yrs old have diabatic, FIV and kidney starting to act up on the last blood test which is 1yr ago. He went from 12lb to 10lb dur to diarrhea coz by vet believe FIV. After that it was all good and cat gain 0.5lb back and condition improving.
A year later diarrhea strike(not as intense as last year) again and he is now a bit over 9lb.
The reason he havn't done any test the last year is that he hate vet visit and everytime we bring him in for test it took him a couple weeks to come back to normal. For his age and condition we believe it is too much for him to go through tests 2-3 times a year.
Another thing is the vet is losing patience dur to the age i guess.
Now I have a feeling the days maybe numbered and I want to know how others deal with it.
-Do you hang on as long as he is relatively comfy?
-Wait till the next bad thing happen and let it end at ER?
-Visit the vet, do some test, wait for the bad result and let the vet tell you to give the shot?

I love him to death and just want to do whatever the best for him, and he is doing ok as we speak. The biggest question for the last year or so is the weight.

A side question, if I using the human glucose reader what should be the reading for cat? I read alot around the web and I got figure all over the place.

I consider the quality of life the kitty is living. If it's not the way you know your kitty would want to live and it puts your kitty in pain or makes it suffer, then that's when the time is to let the kitty go. I think you should do all you can medically, but realistically, you have to make the decision on what you're willing to do and how much you're willing to put your cat through before either stopping medical treatment and let the kitty live out its days in peace or deciding to humanely euthanize.

I am leaning toward letting him live it out, the only med is the diabetic shot everyday anyway. I know I already a lucked out as the vet said he will only live till 12-13yrs and now we're in yr 16. I also lucky that I have 2 cats live pass 15yrs(the other one passed away earlier this year)

For a cat who experiences so much stress at the vet, in my opinion, letting him live his life out in peace at home now, with no more testing, is what I would do, and have done so.

Continue to treat his diabetes of course, if it is not bothering him too much. But Quality of Life is the most important thing.

Talk to your beloved boy about this frequently and tell him you will watch and listen to him carefully and he is to let you know when he's had enough. And he will let you know.

Arrange now to have your vet come to your home for the final kindness, when it's time, so prevent that last day being stressful for him.

I was concerned about your comment that your vet is "impatient". If that is so your cat is probably picking up on that and that may be the main reason he hates going to the vet.


In the mean time just shower him with love and care and bonding.

I agree with the above - it's a painful decision but we all have to be strong enough to think of our cat's happiness and quality of life. I also agree that it would be a good thing to contact the vet and ask about a home visit for helping your kitty to the Rainbow Bridge when the time comes - and if this vet doesn't do that (that remark about impatience struck me as well), see if you can find another vet who will come to the home and help you with arrangements. Many vets do this -but it can't hurt to talk to the vet first before you need to make the call.

So sorry you and your kitty are going through this. You will be in my prayers.

I don't like that your vet is impatient... I would be looking for another one... In fact I did this when my vet's assistant made a comment out of line about my cats - She said I have the most weird cats she had ever seen (problematic) - that was the last time I set foot in that vet's office. Your cat deserves to be treated you love and care, by you and your vet... Just my opinion for what's worth...

thanks for all, he is fine at the moment, eating and jump ok. I just have that feeling about the time is almost up. He is so strong that I call him "never give up" but I guess you can't avoid aging.

Having just recently also having to make this decision for one of our babies all I can see is you will just know when it is time. You know what makes your cat happy and the little things they enjoy in their daily life. You will see it when your cat's condition gets to the point where they can not enjoy life anymore.
I know we all wish our babies could live forever but unfortunately that will not happen. It is a difficult decison to make but deep down you will know at what point it becomes necessary so your baby is not in pain or suffering.

I agree with what other people have said - it is all about the quality of life! Our cats are very good at letting us know when it is "time", if we watch them. I also agree that you really have to find a vet that is understanding and cares about elderly animals. It is completely unacceptable and unprofessional to be impatient with your poor baby!
Good luck. Sending good, healthy vibes to you and your kitty!

I have a 14 year old (Eightball) that has been steadily losing weight over the last few years. He was diagnosed with cancer early this year but is still comfortable with his life. He was a robust 14 pound cat that got as low as 8 pounds. He lost 2 pounds between November and February but has since stabilized and actually regained a pound since I stopped stressing him out with all the vet visits and medication they put him on. In his case the medications were actually making him sick.

They always tell you when it is their time to go and sometimes you have to look hard for it. While weight loss is a concern, as long as they are still eating, snuggling, and generally enjoying their lives, it is not their time. I was told that Eightball would continue to lose weight until he is all bones (he's already 5 pounds underweight) and don't let the weight loss alone cloud my decision for him. I give him his favorite foods and feed him in a place of honor away from the other cats. I give him extra attention and love and he is thriving on it. He may be thin, but he never misses a meal or a chance to snuggle with me.

He never missed a meal this year unlike last year he missed a few and he is still roaming around the yard everyday, hope I am over conern.

But seeing a 16yrs buddy(with me since 2mth old) aging still make me sick the the heart and want to cry, and I am not emotional people.

Originally Posted by Goo

But seeing a 16yrs buddy(with me since 2mth old) aging still make me sick the the heart and want to cry, and I am not emotional people.

Click to expand...

And cats bring out the human in all of us. Watching our babies age will always hurt your heart. Just love him with all your heart.

ok.. cat is a diabetic. Your home testing what numbers are you getting, how many shots of insulin a day are you giving, what type of insulin are you useing, and what are you feeding? Did your vet tell you to home test?

A normal cats Bg level is between 60 and 100 If I remember right. The higher the carb content of your food and when you feed him and give insulin vs when you test him all effect numbers. High BG or low BG can also affect weight and eating habbits.

If he is acting fine and doing good Just keep the quality of Life in mind. You will know when it is time to say good bye. I would also look for a new vet.

As everyone has said, it's all about the quality of life. I had to make the decision for my girl when she was almost 20 and so very frail that she was like a 95 year-old-human tottering from bed to food dish to litter box, and it was clear that the effort was overwhelming.

I resisted until I realized that I was keeping her alive for me, not for her. One day, we were both lying on my bed, and the look in her eyes was clear to me, "Let this be over."

Fortunately, I have the most wonderful vet. He had given me many tips for making her final months comfortable, and he absolutely agreed with me that we'd do no more procedures, etc. because going to the vet was such stress for her.

At the end he came to the house, and it was a very peaceful end for her. You would do well if you can find a vet who will do this, as it spares both you and the cat much stress.

However, I don't want to underestimate your grief--it will be overwhelming as was mine.