NEED ADVICE ASAP

My wonderful kitty has given be 18 1/2 log years many as a diabetic cat. Last year she started having visible swallowing where it looked like she was trying to swallow hard, the vet told me it was over her bad teeth. Last week she stopped eating well and Saturday went into diabetic shock. She is stable now but still not eating the vet noticed a large lump on her face and neck and told me this was the cause and it could be salivary gland infection or cancer blood tests were negative for infection.. She has already been hospitalized 2 days and I was going to take her to the specialist today but something made me stop and just decide to enjoy the day with her and say goodbye later today. I know from prior experience what the specialist is going to say and I want to do what is right. She's not eating still and she not having a good time. Am I doing the right thing? I just have gone down this road of putting my cat through the long car ride to the specialist and stressing them more only to be told it's a tumor. I need advice.

I know this is a terribly hard decision to make, and you are more likely reaching out to get support and comfort from anywhere you can, but I have to agree with you, from experience it doesn't sound like it is good news at all. I also agree with you saying it is so stressful and traumatizing for them to be poked and prodded at the vets, it definitely is. You both have had 181/2 wonderful years together and it is so very hard to say goodbye even though you know it is the merciful and kind thing to do, and it is definitely done out of love. There does come a time when quality of life outweighs quantity, and a lot of times it is left up to us to decide that time, heartbreaking as it is. My heart goes out to you and what you are going through, I pray every night that when the time comes my sweet babies will go in their sleep, but I know from experience that very rarely happens in pet lives and in our own as well. Please know I support you in whatever you decide, because only you can do this. I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers, give your sweet baby a kiss for me. Take care......

Thank you I needed someone to say it's ok. I'm watching her now sitting in the sun one of her favorite things to do it will be hard at the end of the day to say goodbye but I know this is the right thing to do. She's sick and hasn't eaten anything force fed in 2 days I don't want that for her.

I'm so sorry your going through this. I went through something similar with my cat & there comes a time where you have to decide whether what you're doing is really improving her quality of life. For me, the answer was no, so I had to let her go. You know her best. Warm hugs. 

I KNOW I wouldn't want that too, I am so glad she is enjoying this time with you, please know in your heart you are giving her the ultimate act of love, freeing her from pain and future misery. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers, 

Thank you all for your kind words may need more later [emoji]128542[/emoji]

My heart breaks for you. I just lost my beautiful Cindy a month ago, and I feel I was fortunate to be able to have pain medicine that allowed her to go peacefully in her sleep on her favorite blanket on our bed. It's a hard decision to make, and sadly we can't ask them what they would want.  I know you will make the choice that you feel is best for your wonderful baby.

aww.. bless your heart..I'm so sorry...18 years! wow! Has to be so very emotional for you, but I do agree with you. Mine was only 10 and we made the decision based on what we would have had to make her go through to cure her...and even then it wasn't a "for sure" cure... just couldn't do that to her.

I wish I didn't have to take that last trip to the vet for that and have her go in her sleep at home. . .she left me purring yesterday.

Aww, she looks so sweet! You know in your heart what the right decision is. Hugs!!

do you have any services that come to the home? That's what we did...

My vet is 2 minutes away and she knew them all pretty well with all her check ups. The in home service probably would have been easier on me but harder on her she was a bit of a shy girl. I had one cat die peacefully in her sleep of old age and I guess I hope that for all my kitties when the time comes but it can't be that way, most of the time unfortunately. Thank you all for your kind words it has help a lot.