Last Thursday my fiance and I took our 12 y/o cat, Catticus, to the vet after we noticed some breathing difficulty. His mouth was open and he'd been coughing periodically for about a month prior (we thought it was a hairball). She noticed he has arrhythmia but his blood work came back normal, so we all thought it was asthma until the x-ray showed his body cavity was filled with fluid. She diagnosed him with congestive heart failure, but said it could very possibly be caused by lymphoma due to a small mass in his abdomen but without an ultrasound (that we can't afford) it's impossible to tell. We put him on Lasix and his breathing seems to have stabilized. He was withdrawn over the weekend and it thought it might be the end, but as of Monday, he seems to be his old self. We noticed he's going to his food bowl like normal but he's not eating much at all. Aside from that he's acting happy and affectionate. We're also getting married in less than 2 weeks out of state and we're totally at a loss of what to do. We're extremely close with him and we're still in shock about it. We were planning on bringing him with us before all this happened. The vet offered hospice care while we're away, but she recommended that we put him to sleep before we leave. It just feels too soon to do that when he doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain or change in attitude. We're worried that if we leave him with the vet or try to travel with him it may be too traumatic for him.
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Congestive Heart Failure But Acting Normal
- Thread starter lisaah
- Start Date
First off, I'm so sorry you are dealing with this when you should be getting ready for your wedding. 
How long will you be away for?
Did your vet give any kind of prognosis? I don't know your cat's condition, but putting him to sleep does seem a bit drastic based on what you have said. . Mentioning "hospice care" makes me think the prognosis isn't good. Is it possible to get a second opinion?
My mother's cat went into congestive heart failure. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after an ultrasound. She lived for a year and half after. She had good days and bad days and would go through periods where she wouldn't eat much and would have to go to the vet.
Is it possible to leave your cat here and to have someone look in on him or even stay at your place? Obviously the person would have to be vigilant for any changes in your cat's behavior.
How long will you be away for?
Did your vet give any kind of prognosis? I don't know your cat's condition, but putting him to sleep does seem a bit drastic based on what you have said. . Mentioning "hospice care" makes me think the prognosis isn't good. Is it possible to get a second opinion?
My mother's cat went into congestive heart failure. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after an ultrasound. She lived for a year and half after. She had good days and bad days and would go through periods where she wouldn't eat much and would have to go to the vet.
Is it possible to leave your cat here and to have someone look in on him or even stay at your place? Obviously the person would have to be vigilant for any changes in your cat's behavior.
I'm sorry your Catticus (great name) is not well.
It's a tough decision. We had this dilemma a number of years ago when we had planned a trip overseas and then the cat developed early stage congestive heart failure. We managed to find some dear friends (broke mature university students who were cat people) who stayed at our house while we were gone. We paid them for doing lots of outside work on the house and garden, and covered all their expenses while living at our house. Unfortunately, our cat did not last until our return. I still regret this 15 years later. But our friends sat with him, and comforted him during his final days. He was at home (which was very important to him), and with friends of ours (and his).
How long are you going to be away? If it's just for a few days, the vet hospice might work.
It's a tough decision. We had this dilemma a number of years ago when we had planned a trip overseas and then the cat developed early stage congestive heart failure. We managed to find some dear friends (broke mature university students who were cat people) who stayed at our house while we were gone. We paid them for doing lots of outside work on the house and garden, and covered all their expenses while living at our house. Unfortunately, our cat did not last until our return. I still regret this 15 years later. But our friends sat with him, and comforted him during his final days. He was at home (which was very important to him), and with friends of ours (and his).
How long are you going to be away? If it's just for a few days, the vet hospice might work.
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The vet gave him days to weeks. So not a lot of time. We have a pretty limited budget so as much as it pains us, a second opinion isn't really an option. He also hates having to go to the vet so we decided early on to spare him of any invasion treatments or tests.
We'll be gone 6 days and anyone who would watch him will be with us. It's also about a 2.5 hour car ride away.
We'll be gone 6 days and anyone who would watch him will be with us. It's also about a 2.5 hour car ride away.
I'm so sorry Catticus was diagnosed with CHF. Is there a vet hospital close to you, or on the way to the wedding, that provides kitty boarding? Some places will offer quiet private condos with an outside view, toys, etc. My vet offers this and charges an additional small fee to administer medication. They have a separate building for kitty boarding, with live video recording. It's different from their overnight facilities for sick kitties.
What a terrible time for all of this to happen.
What a terrible time for all of this to happen.
You said you have less than 2 weeks, is it close to 2 weeks? I think maybe give this a week or so and see how he is doing before making a decision. I don't want to sound harsh but he may make the decision for you. I am so sorry you are going through this, it's so hard when one of our kitties are very sick.
