Lost our kitty Scratchy on Friday afternoon to renal failure. He was only 7 years old.
It all happened too fast. We took him to the vet after noticing he had become lethargic over the past week. He had bad breath, was constantly smacking his lips, and just wasn't acting like his spunky self. He was still eating and drinking though. The vet immediately noted that he was dehydrated and had lost weight; they ran some blood tests. The results came a few days later: kidney failure. In the meantime, he became even more lethargic, barely eat or drank anything, and had a few accidents outside the litter box. I was devastated and scared, but the vet said with treatment he might be able to stabilize. They admitted him for 3 days of IV fluids to flush out the kidneys. We got updates several times a day, and he seemed to be tolerating things well. I was feeling more optimistic and was excited to bring him home, even though I know it would be a difficult road ahead with administering fluids, special food, medication, etc. Friday morning, they took another blood sample and called us with results. His kidney function had gotten worse not better. He had lost more weight, was not tolerating the syringe feedings, and was severely anemic. The vet said there was not much more we could do for him, but left it up to us to decide what to do next.
I'm still replaying everything in my mind and second guessing my decision, but we decided to put him to sleep.
We said our goodbyes and I held him in my lap as he took his last breath. After reading more online about renal failure, I am wondering if I should have taken him home and tried some alternative approaches. I also feel heartsick that he had to spend his last three days being poked and prodded at the vets, scared and stressed, and away from his family. I wish we had more time with him!
We have 5 other cats and a toddler to keep us busy and surrounded with love, but I am missing Scratchy terribly. Despite always being a skinny runt, he was our alpha cat and seriously spunky! He was one of those cats that follows you around everywhere; he was always by my side! He was very friendly around strangers and very affectionate. He slept on my chest every night.
Sorry for the long post! Thanks for letting me share my grief and pay tribute to our beloved Scratchy.
It all happened too fast. We took him to the vet after noticing he had become lethargic over the past week. He had bad breath, was constantly smacking his lips, and just wasn't acting like his spunky self. He was still eating and drinking though. The vet immediately noted that he was dehydrated and had lost weight; they ran some blood tests. The results came a few days later: kidney failure. In the meantime, he became even more lethargic, barely eat or drank anything, and had a few accidents outside the litter box. I was devastated and scared, but the vet said with treatment he might be able to stabilize. They admitted him for 3 days of IV fluids to flush out the kidneys. We got updates several times a day, and he seemed to be tolerating things well. I was feeling more optimistic and was excited to bring him home, even though I know it would be a difficult road ahead with administering fluids, special food, medication, etc. Friday morning, they took another blood sample and called us with results. His kidney function had gotten worse not better. He had lost more weight, was not tolerating the syringe feedings, and was severely anemic. The vet said there was not much more we could do for him, but left it up to us to decide what to do next.
I'm still replaying everything in my mind and second guessing my decision, but we decided to put him to sleep.
We said our goodbyes and I held him in my lap as he took his last breath. After reading more online about renal failure, I am wondering if I should have taken him home and tried some alternative approaches. I also feel heartsick that he had to spend his last three days being poked and prodded at the vets, scared and stressed, and away from his family. I wish we had more time with him!We have 5 other cats and a toddler to keep us busy and surrounded with love, but I am missing Scratchy terribly. Despite always being a skinny runt, he was our alpha cat and seriously spunky! He was one of those cats that follows you around everywhere; he was always by my side! He was very friendly around strangers and very affectionate. He slept on my chest every night.
Sorry for the long post! Thanks for letting me share my grief and pay tribute to our beloved Scratchy.
