Considering Putting My Cat Down - Need Help Deciding!

Hello Everyone, 

My cat Puck is scheduled to be put to sleep this weekend. It is obviously something I do not want to do, and I'm hoping someone can convince me I'm wrong. 

Here is our situation: 

Puck is 12 years old, and for the past six months to a year, he's been losing weight. Only recently though have I noticed that his appetite is off the charts and he is drinking a lot of water. I do not have money to get a hyperthyroidism or diabetes test for Puck, but having a cat in the past who died of HPT, I know the symptoms very well, so I am assuming because of his age - the perfect age for this to develop - combined with his appetite, weight loss and thirst, I believe that he has hyperthyroidism. 

Now, he APPEARS healthy besides the weight loss. He's spunky, he runs around and plays still (but so did my other cat towards the end). The problem is his appetite. I have not slept for months because Puck wakes me up every hour on the hour to feed him during the night. When I go to the kitchen to feed him, he'll sniff the food and then walk away. He WON'T eat anything despite his massive hunger. This goes on all day long. He screams for food and when I give it to him, he walks away. 

Now, someone has mentioned to me that around Puck's age, a cat's sense of smell deteriorates and that if a cat can't smell his food, he generally will not eat it. I cannot decide if he truly has hypertyroidism, or if it's his sense of smell causing him to not eat, or if he just doesn't like the food I'm giving him (Fancy Feast - he always loved it before any of this happened, it was never an issue). 

My question is, if he really had HPT, wouldn't he eat ANYTHING put in front of him to satisfy his hunger?

How likely would it be his sense of smell causing him to walk away from the food? I even tried giving him different food - including canned tuna (he ate a little then stopped and walked away.) 

I really can't decide what to do. I'm considering putting him down only because he screams for food and it makes me think he's in pain from hunger and I'm thinking quality-of-life.

If anyone has any experience with a cat acting like this, please tell me what you think might be going on with Puck based on what I've told you. Again, I cannot afford vet tests at all so please do not suggest getting them. I wish I had the money but most of my budget is spent on food for Puck because of his appetite. 

Thank you! 

Liz 

I'm so sad you are going through this!

My brother's cat, Sassy, had hyperthyroidism for possibly a year or more before we knew what was going on. She was a fat cat when we got her, and she would gobble dry food so fast that she would throw it up. She loved food, and we just thought the howling in the middle of the night was something she had learned over time because she was on a diet and hungry. It wasn't. She would howl and howl to wake us up (sound familiar?), she would try to dig through the trash, we had to be careful not to leave any food out or she would get to it, destroy bread bags, lick our plates out of the sink, stick her head down the garbage disposal hole, etc. She would eat ANYTHING. However, we knew something was seriously wrong when she became very very picky with her wet food and was losing weight. Food that she had inhaled instead she turned her nose up at. My brother tried buying her different food, and some she would eat, he'd buy a bunch of that kind, then the next day she wouldn't touch it. Very confusing for us. Anyway, she started becoming lethargic, which was very different than the hyped-out cat we had been seeing, she lost a TON of weight, and literally was barely able to get up. We rushed her to the vet and they diagnosed her hyperthyroid and low potassium levels. She got medicine, and lived for about a year and a half after that and had to be put to sleep due to a combination of things including something with her liver.

If it is hyperthyroidism, your cat will die if he doesn't see a vet. Hyperthyroid cats can live with treatment, but there will be costs because the vet will need to check their thyroid levels every one to three months or so.

One thing you can do for the moment is offer him different kinds of canned foods. Honestly for right now because you just need him to eat, I would buy the cheapest, smelliest stuff you can find. Sassy ate so much to keep weight on that our vet told us to give her Friskies because it was cheap and we just needed to get some nutrients and calories in her. Definitely NOT the diet you want forever, but always worth a try! Also try heating up the food so that it smells more.

I don't know if you should euthanize your cat or not. We didn't have much money, but luckily we were able to figure it out to get Sassy some help. There are some resources that people post on here. Perhaps one of them will comment?

Sassy was 11 when she was diagnosed, Puck is a little older. Sassy's vet told us that we needed to decide when the right time was based on quality of life, money we had, age of the cat, and our own personal feelings.

I wish you peace and luck in your decision with Puck. It's never easy.

Thank you for responding!

Everything you mentioned sounds so much like Puck's behavior. The howling, the loving certain flavors and then suddenly not touching them. I just read an article about HPT and although it's nothing guaranteed I'm going to try to palpate Puck's throat and see if maybe I feel a bulge there. If I do, I'd at least feel a little better about putting him down.

Puck's good friend Catfish, I had to have put down because of his HPT. Back when I could afford it, he was on transdermal methimazole, but it never seemed to help him - he was still always hungry. Then I lost my job and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep him on the medication and that HPT is a death-sentence anyway - there's no cure. I had no choice but to put him down because he would have gotten much worse and I didn't want his quality of life to be awful just to make me feel better to have him around. After reading your story about Sassy, I am thinking Puck must have HPt because it came on suddenly with the weight loss - I brushed it off as just aging - and then months later with the food issues, thats what made me think he has HPT.

His coat is still beautiful but I can feel his bones through his skin these days. And even though he's pretty spry, I know that HPT makes cats act kittenish again but it's not a sign of healthiness. 

I will try some different brands this week, but he is so picky, I hate to waste what's left of my cat food budget on food he won't touch - I have two others to feed as well, and I can't figure out if Puck's sense of smell is having something to do with him not eating. It's an awful decision to have to make. 

Thanks again! 

A cat doesn't lose his sense of smell at 12 yrs old. That's not what's going on with him.

I want so badly to help somehow, to offer support and encouragement.

But honestly it's very sad to me, I could never be capable of putting a cat down without knowing what's even going on with him. 

You must love him or you would not have come here for advice. 

It would surprise you how many of us here have money issues, never ever be ashamed or embarrassed about that!

But unless I were dirt poor, literally, and had no family, no friends, lived on a deserted island with no boat,and absolutely no way in hell of getting him to a vet, there is always a way, somehow. Even a gofundme account is an option.

It's not THAT much to raise, vet visit and a blood panel. 

I promise in no way would I ever judge others situations, but in my honest heart felt opinion I wish you were able to find help and get at least a diagnosis before ending his life.

12 is def. not old.

Thank you very much for the resource information! 

I have a little update - I took another poster's advice and began microwaving Puck's food first to bring out the food's smell, and he started eating! I still believe he most likely does have HPT but I am holding off on putting him down. I am thinking maybe his aversion to his food might be my fault, I generally would take his food out of the fridge a few hours before feeding him and kept it out to soften up. I learned today if you keep it out more than 2 hours, a lot of cats will turn their noses up at it. So I am going to monitor Puck's food intake and how much he's eating and how many times a day and log it in a notebook for the next month and see where we are then. Hopefully, by then I will be able to raise money for the HPT tests. I really do not want to put him down not knowing for sure that he really does have it. 

Thanks again! 

The only advice I would like to give is that if a cat is still enjoying life, why put him down?  It's been my experience that you can tell when they stop enjoying life.  I just can't bring myself to make an appointment several days in advance to have my cat put down.  I hope Puck is doing okay.  I wonder if there is somewhere you could find help paying for the tests.  I know my vet sometimes has contacts and offered us to try to find some help when our  Cindy first had troubles.

Kidney disease will cause similar symptoms. As soon as you have the money, get him tested. Microwaving food is not good as it destroys some vitamins, but in this case just getting food into him is more important.

I'm glad my story could help you! I was hoping that another user would post the financial assistance that's available. Definitely check into it while you save some money! I'm so happy to hear Puck's interested in food again!

Good luck to you and Puck and I sincerely hope that you are able to help him! <3

I hope it doesn't sound like I was taking this lightly, it's been the most agonizing thing I've had to deal with. I've had this little guy for 12 years now and I adore him. But seeing him cry for food and then not be able to eat what I gave him made me put myself in his place and think, if I were that hungry, I wouldn't be enjoying life, either. But I'm very happy I found this site because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have thought to microwave Puck's food and get him eating again. So far, it's working - he's eaten four little bowls of food today without arguing so that method I hope will at least tide him over until I can afford the tests!

scoochmom said:

 
Thank you very much for the resource information! 

I have a little update - I took another poster's advice and began microwaving Puck's food first to bring out the food's smell, and he started eating! I still believe he most likely does have HPT but I am holding off on putting him down. I am thinking maybe his aversion to his food might be my fault, I generally would take his food out of the fridge a few hours before feeding him and kept it out to soften up. I learned today if you keep it out more than 2 hours, a lot of cats will turn their noses up at it. So I am going to monitor Puck's food intake and how much he's eating and how many times a day and log it in a notebook for the next month and see where we are then. Hopefully, by then I will be able to raise money for the HPT tests. I really do not want to put him down not knowing for sure that he really does have it. 

Thanks again! 

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SO glad to hear it!

Do spend some time calling each of the places on this list, chances are with it not being kitten season there may very well be financial help for you!

Something else to try is adding warm water to the wet food -- you need to make sure he stays hydrated plus it will help bring out the smell and taste of the food.  Shouldn't a simple blood test be able to determine if he has elevated levels of thyroid hormone?

Everyone's situation is different, but keep in mind that killing him means he is gone FOREVER, and you have to live with that for the rest of your life, even though he might well have another 3 or 5 or 10 years ahead of him.

I completely understand. Sometimes you just feel like you've exhausted all opportunities and can't see any other alternative. When I put my rabbit down because he had complications with his glaucoma, I really agonized over it too. He was in pain all the time but once in a while had a "good" day. Of course he was having a "good" day when I took him to be euthanized. It's so hard to know what decision to make sometimes!

I have had cats that lived to 20, so don't think 12 is so old, it is not.

My 13 year old, Burt, was thought to have hyperthyroidism too, he had all those symptoms. I agree the blood tests were expensive, 150.00, but really worth quite a lot because we found he DIDN'T have that, or diabetes, or liver/kidney problems. Then he was x-rayed for 50.00 and found to have an enlarged heart. The only other symptom he had was a dry cough. Now he is on Lasix and doing fine so far. I have also found that many cats don't like any kind of food after it has been refrigerated, I give that to my outside cats, they are not as picky. I did find out too that most cats LOVE Gerber meat baby food, Burt eats the whole jar which is the most I have seen him eat in a long time, I'm determined to put some weight back on him. I would not even think about putting a cat down until I see they are suffering or not enjoying life at all any more. Most of the time you can both work to a good solution. All the luck, and keep us posted!

I am sorry you are facing this.

If it is a thyroid problem, then that is very treatable in cats.    

My cat has had hyperthyroidism for years.  He had exactly the same symptoms.  I took him to the vet and a simple bloodtest confirmed it.  It didn't cost much money to get a diagnosis.  

He has been on a drug called vidalta every day which stops the illness from developing any further.  As soon as he got used to taking it (he had an upset tummy for a while and was sick more regularly than usual) he was absolutely fine.  He has had 3 extra years of life as a result, and has been full of life and pain free in that time.  

I realise that this all costs money, but your cat could potentially live healthily and happily if you can do these treatments.  Please consider at least finding out how much they cost and trying to see if you can find a way of affording it.  There may be charitable vets or organisations in your neighbourhood who will help at a reduced cost.  

Just to add - if you suspect hyperthyroidism, as you do, I wouldn't wait to see a vet.  It doesn't go away, and the longer you leave it, the more strain you will be putting on your dear little kitty's organs.  Just because a cat is eating a bit more doesn't mean they are entirely well.