Small intestinal mass

My poor baby has been diagnosed with a small intestinal mass! I am struggling with the best time to let her go. Can anyone please help me with my decision making? I just feel like I am playing God and I am so depressed. She is under my bed and will come out to eat or should I say drink the liquid off her food. She has not used the litter box in a whole day now but I do have it in the room. She will come out to eat her snacks too but when no one is around. When I catch her eating she runs back underneath the bed. I took her to the vet who said yes she is very sick and is dying. I am just not sure as to when it is a good time if at all to euthanize. This is so hard on me and my entire family. I cannot tell if she is suffering or in pain. What is the best thing to do? I feel so bad. She is an indoor cat and is 12 years old but by no means do I want her to suffer and feel pain. The vet gave her some injections for anti nausea, prednisone and some pepcid for her tummy upset. The prednisone is to stimulate her appetite. The vet is leaving it up to me because she says that I have to be okay with it...very hard to even think about it. Advice please!

Sorry for the two day delay in any replies to your thread. :shame: This is the hardest part, is it not???!!! When they become ill and sick with cancer, disease or other and we have to make that so very final decision. The last gift is the hardest one to give but it is given with the greatest amount of love. I am truly sorry your kitty is so sick. Whether or not you and your vet decide - treatment, keeping her comfortable in these last days or just letting her go with love and dignity, it is the right decision, no matter what. Please know that. We all have been in your shoes - it just comes with bringing them into our hearts/homes. As it should be, we usually outlive them, letting them go and saying goodbye is unfortunately the most painful experience of life, I think. But - to our animal friends and companions, death is something they do not fear like us. It is completely a natural process for them and they don't give it a thought, really. It is us who do more of the emotional suffering over it.

Hope these articles help some and that others chime in too. Remember, you love your cat, and have given your kitty a great, life and not matter what route you decide to take at this time - is the right one. :nod:

A list of quality of life statements to consider http://www.thecatsite.com/a/when-is-it-time-making-the-difficult-decision

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/when-its-time-to-say-goodbye

I am so sorry.  I know people say you will know when it is time.  I have always struggled with it.  I don't know if it's denial on my part or I am just not tuned in enough.

You didn't say how long she has been on the pred.  Sometimes the pred will shrink a growth a bit, it's temporary but it might give you a little more time.  The behavior she is exhibiting now is a pretty clear sign that her time is growing short and her quality time may be finished.  If she just started on the pred then you might give it a little time to see if she has some good time left.

I just had to make this difficult decision yesterday so I completely sympathize with you on it.  It's almost like a moment of clarity that will wash over you.  You'll know when it's time because your cat will tell you in her own way. For me, I knew that my kitty was suffering, and when faced with the decision in the vets office, while I was fighting through tears, my kitty looked up at me with such clarity and I knew instantly that it was her way of saying "it's ok, this is what I want."  So I know it sounds corny, and maybe a little weird, but I truly think your cat will tell you when it's time.  You know your cat better than anyone and I truly believe that you will know when it is time.  I know you were probably looking for a definitive time or symptoms to look for, because I did, but it's not like that, you just hit a point where you just know within your heart, that now is the time.

Is your cat's intestinal mass treatable?  Can they operate?  Do they know what kind of cancer it is?  You say it is a small mass, are you willing to look into the possibility of chemo treatments? 

As for knowing when it's time or your cat telling you when it's time, I've never believed that.  With Cynthia who had cancer (also an abdominal mass), surgery, chemo, and remission.  We still don't know if it was the cancer that took her because they couldn't find any sign of it, but she stopped eating and starting losing weight again.  We got pain medicine for her and allowed her to go peacefully in her home without vet intervention, when she was ready.  We were beside her when she went, talking to her.  I'm more at peace with that than I am with Darcy who had FIP and I did know I had to do it.  But it haunts me holding her little body for the last time.  It's hard to forgive myself for that.

It's not a decision anyone can help you make, in my opinion. You just have to follow your heart.  Love your baby, do everything you can for her to make her comfortable and happy for however much longer she has.  I'm so sorry you and she have to go through this.