Please help

Hi
My cat is 18 & I have had her all her life. Yesterday morning she didn't want anything to eat or drink (she was eating quite normally up to this point). She has lost an awful lot of weight over the last 12 months but in every other way she has been fine. All she has done since yesterday is lay in the chair with a vacant stare and not making any noises at all, her legs are twitching a little. I have tried to carry her to her litter tray, but she just flops in it, she is unable to walk anymore. So to disturb her a little as possible, I have laid her on a towel on a cushion in the armchair and she has wet herself a couple of times. She won't eat or drink (I am wetting her lips by wiping them with damp cotton wool. She is obviousy dying and I need to know whether I should take her to the vets in the car (it is 10 miles away and going on a car journey is traumatic for her at best of times) or make her as comfortable as I can and let her die at home. Please note she has not eaten since yesterday morning & her last drink was about 5 am this morning, I am obviously not a vet, but I wouldn't have thaught that she would be dying of starvation. I would imagine that most of you would say take her straight to the vets, but as I said, she hates care journeys, usually wets herself & cries all the way, so you can understand me not wanting to put her through that. Thanks.

I am so sorry - in my area, most vets will make a house call in this situation. It would cost a bit more. I can understand why you don't want to take her in the car.

Is there an update on this cat. I am so sorry what is happening. Please keep us posted how your cat is and how you are doing. Hugs.

It sounds like your cat is coming to the end of her life. It has been a good long one, and you deserve praise for taking such good care of her, so that she lived so long.

It is very difficult. Considering how your cat reacts to car rides, I understand your not wanting to take her to the vet. I've been in the same situation. I didn't want my dying cat to be stressed in her last moments in this life. But, they shouldn't have to suffer. I hope you can find a vet that will come to the house.

Best wishes. I know what a difficult time this is, and I'm sorry.

Robin

Thanks for your replies & caring words.

On the Friday night me & my husband agreed however ill she was we would take her to the vets (couldn't find one to come to us) in the morning. We just couldn't leave her like that anymore, I was convinced she was going to die Friday night and we hadn't left her alone for a minute since Thursday, took turns to sleep next to her through the night.

Anyway, yesterday morning she seemed to be getting a little better, she was alert, her ears were pricking up when she heard a sound & she even drank quite a bit of water & had a lick at her food. As agreed we rang emergency vets at 9.30 and was there within 40mins. When we got there the vet said that there was no treatment they could give her, she was just too old & we could either take her home to die or they could put her to sleep. Obviously, as hard as it was (hardest thing i'v ever had to do) the best thing for her was to be put to sleep. I said my goodbyes, took the fur that they had shaved off her forearm where they were to inject her and went. I just couldn't be there at the end but my husband was & he loves her as much as me, so she was in good hands & the vet & nurse were so sweet & gentle. I feel guilty I wasn't there & quite selfish really. It was heartbreaking walking back into our house because her bed was there where she had been laying just a couple of hours earlier, her water & food dish were still there. Thankfully, I have another cat to go home to, Mackie, she is 5 and we have had her since birth. I would have hated fror us to come home to an empty house. Mackie is my husbands and always hanging around him (Meggie was mine) but she just hasn't left me alone since i got home yesterday, she must know i'm upset.

Thanks for listening. It's lovely that there is a place like this to be able to talk about cats with other cat lovers.

OH I"m so sorry about your loss, I've been there, my Baddy had leukemia and had to be puit to sleep, he was just 3 years old. The same thing happen to Princess, she was 4.

I'm so glad your kitty was able to live a long happy life and you did the best thing you could do for her, you didn't let her suffer and now she is in peace. I know it won't be easy, I'm still feeling my loss, but you did the right thing. HUgs to you and your family.

I am so sorry for your loss. You did very well by your cat as shown by her very old age and I am sure she loved you very, very much!

I'm so sorry, it sounds like her kidneys may have failed. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's very painful. My Tigger died last year at 20 from kidney failure.

Aww, thankyou for your further replies.

The vet felt round her lower half & did mention possible liver failure, that is the only examination she did. I think she just knew by looking at her & her age that she wasn't long for this world.

Another reason why I didn't take her straight to the vets is because I had another cat, a tom cat called Jasper, he was ginger & white (Meggie is/was a tabby). Well, he was 19 when he died, we had him since he was about 4. He had lost a lot of weight, he was eating & drinking fine. Had his supper at night and when it came to the morning didn't get up to have his breakfast, just laid there on the bed and died by 12 noon.

What I mean by telling you this is because Jasper died so quick I thaught it might be the same for Meggie. But Meggie was so stubborn that she held on & held on, in the end I couldn't just leave her to die. x