old kitty in pain

Hi,  I have an old kitty, will be 19 later this month.  Her name is Snowball and she is still mobile.  She eats and sleeps mostly, but that's ok.  Snowball's mate is Spooky (15 years old) and they spend most of their time snoozing on their big, soft pillow.  I usually hold Snowball on my lap and pet her in the morning, that's our time together.  The other day, Snowball came out in the livingroom to scold me for not bringing dinner on time and my husband pointed out that she is in really bad shape.  She was circling and does look pretty bad.  She still grooms, but not well.  This morning I noticed she seems to be in pain when I picked her up and every time I shifted, she hissed and tried to bite me, so I know she is hurting.  I don't want anything done to her, no shots, pills, fluids, etc., nothing that will prolong her life or make her miserable.  She is old and too good of a cat for that at this point in her life.  However, I am wondering what signs I should look for that she might be in pain all the time?  Will she cry out if she is in pain while laying on her pillow?  Is there any kind of pain killer that could be put in her food or something like that?  Any info or ideas I can get would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Hi Briget!

Wow! Nineteen is a wonderful age and it sounds like she's managing all that maturity pretty well.

First, I have a question....last October, it seemed that you were hedging on taking her to the Vet.........did she ever go - and, if so, what was the Vet's assessment of her overall condition? I'm asking that because, for me, age numbers themselves would not be a factor in my decision making.

My very first cat managed all of her 19-20 years really well until an oral cancer took her away....so that is one piece of my own experience that I'll draw on when I tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes today.

The other piece I'll draw on is my experience dealing with a very young cat diagnosed with a terminal condition just a few years back - when raw emotion made clear-thinking decision making very difficult.

Some facts first, though, because you asked about signs of pain:

http://What are signs of pain in the cat?

A cat’s behavior and interactions can be unique to the type of pain it is experiencing. A cat’s reaction to pain is dependent upon its personality and the degree of pain it is experiencing. The characteristics listed below do not include everything that you may see, but the list gives you a general idea of what to look for if you think a cat is in pain. Some of these characteristics (marked with an asterisk *) are also things you will see when a cat is anxious or nervous or in poor health. Items that are in bold print are the subtle and early signs of pain or poor health you may see in a cat. Cats are extremely good at hiding their pain until it becomes almost totally unbearable. Remember that there is no substitute for being familiar with an individual cat in order to recognize how it shows pain.

Posture

• Hunched back with head lowered
• Guarding (protecting) the painful area
• Sitting or laying abnormally
• Attempting to rest in an abnormal position (sternal or curled up)

Movement

• Stiff
• Bearing no or partial weight on affected limb or any degree of limp
• Thrashing
• Restless *
• Trembling or shaking *
• Limited or no movement when awake *
• Slow to rise *

Vocalization

• Screaming, yowling, or crying (with acute pain)
• Hissing or growling, especially if you touch a painful area *
• Lack of vocalization (no noise of greeting or wanting to be fed) *

Behavior

• Hyperventilation (rapid shallow breathing)
• Agitated *
• Poor or no grooming *
• Decreased or absent appetite  (associated with weight loss when chronic) *
• Dull, sleeping excessively, or noticeably less active *
• Inappropriate urination or defecation, or not moving away from it *
• Acts out of character (aggressive or playful cats may become docile or quiet) *
• Licking wound or surgical site *
• Sitting in back of cage or hiding under blanket *
• Retreating to quiet areas of house for long periods of time *
• Vigorous attempts for escape, often with marked aggression

Adapted from:

Mathews KA. Pain Assessment and General Approach to Management. In: Vet. Clin. Of N. Amer. Sm. Anim. Pract. Ed: Mathews KA. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, July 2000. 

Dobromylskyj P et al. Pain assessment. In: Pain Management in Animals. Eds: Flecknell P and Waterman-Pearson A, WB Saunders, London, 2000.

http://web.archive.org/web/20081207033006/http://www.ivapm.org/site/view/121681_Cats.pml

Click to expand...

Here is what I would say to you - it's based on what I know and what I myself would do:

• Any fast-acting pain reliever must come from your Vet. There's absolutely nothing "off the shelf" that you can safely use to give her immediate pain relief
• I would have her examined by a competent feline Vet - my goals would be 1) to determine IF she's in pain 2) the likely cause of that pain 3) her overall health condition 4) whether/not there are any existing medical conditions (old age is NOT one) and if so, what appropriate treatment might be

None of us, including Vets, have crystal balls for future vision....yes, she's 19, and I wouldn't simply 'let her be' if there were "reasonable" interventions I could provide to assist her live out her remaining time without pain. Neither would I ignore a current treatable condition which would otherwise shorten her remaining time. Neither would I consider the possible/probable stress of a Vet visit to get in the way of my helping her enjoy her remaining time.......for me, that would be unthinkable for many reasons.

Back to dealing with pain. If she's in pain from degenerative joint condition (e.g. arthritis) there are several natural interventions that can be used to relieve it, but most will take a period of time after commencement to become effective - there are also safe prescription-only pain meds which could be used until the natural treatments become effective. ("Metacam" is NOT one of the safe meds - it should NEVER be given to old cats...UNLESS a cat is terminally ill - more info on that if you need it).

Again, back to her age, we know she's 19.......what we don't know is what her genetics are programmed and prepared to offer her.

Finally....please remember, this my own personal responses to such a situation.

Thank you.  Snowball does seem to have many of these criteria.  The last vet visit showed that she had probably had several small strokes, which explains the circling and she is almost blind.  Other than those, she didn't have anything wrong with her.  She is just old.  And in remarkably good shape for her age.  Up until a couple of months ago, she was still jumping up on the couch.  As previously stated, she walks enough to come out and let me know about dinner being late!  She always eats all of her canned food.  She gets to the litterbox (she "misses" a lot, but that's not a big deal, as I can clean it up).  And up until today, she seemed to enjoy being held and petted and brushed as long as it is lightly.  I guess it is time for another vet visit.  There is a limit of what procedures we will accept though; must weigh the stress on Snowball against how much pleasant time it will give her I figure.  I totally agree with not putting too much weight on the numerical age and I would never choose euthanasia just because of her age.  But I do take it into consideration also in deciding what procedures are "worth it," not for me but for Snowball.  It is so hard to make these decisions for someone else isn't it?  My mother had Alzheimers before she passed away and I remember I hated making her health decisions for her, trying to figure out how bad she felt and what she would want.  Thank you for your comments and advice.