Ozzie -19, health declining, will only eat tuna juice, what to do?

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wingscat

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Hi everyone,

The past couple of days have been very hard for my family. Our 19 year old male cat is declining in health rapidly. He’s had hyperthyroidism for the past 3-4 years and has been taking medication prescribed by the vet to treat it. This past January we noticed that Ozzies weight continued to decrease, we brought him to the vet and they said he just wasn’t getting enough of the thyroid medication in him. We tried special cat treats with the medication in it and that only worked for a while as he’s such a picky eater.

Fast forward to this past week and Ozzie’s weight is probably only 3-4 pounds. He is still moving around, very slowly now, and the only thing he will eat for the past 2 days is tuna juice and barely touches his water. We have stopped giving Ozzie the thyroid medication as it seems to only upset his stomach and we are just trying to make him as comfortable as we can. He is a very ritualistic cat and even now is still displaying his “Ozzie traits” such as looking at my mom in the kitchen while she watches dishes, trying to follow my dad around, being interested in what everyone is eating, etc.

At this point is there anything we can do to help him? I have a contact ready to call for in home euthanasian (Lap of Love) but I just want to be sure we are doing everything first. He doesn’t appear to be in any pain (still moving around slightly, laying down on floor, sleeping, eating tuna juice) but he just has this overall exhausted look about him. I really want to avoid taking him to the vet and putting him through more tests. When we took him to the vet In January the vet had a difficult time drawing blood as his veins are so thin and overall he hated being there.

Thank you for any advice!
 
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wingscat

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Also, with him not appearing to be in any pain we are are hoping that he may just pass naturally. Earlier today I thought he was ready to go, I was petting him and his head just kept dipping, his eyes closing more and more, his breathing getting heavier, I told him it was ok to go and that I loved him. I thought that was it but a few minutes later he wanted to eat more tuna juice, haha.
 

talkingpeanut

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Welcome, and so sorry to hear what you're going through.

I think it is possible that your kitty is in pain. Cats are so good at hiding discomfort. His organs are likely shutting down, both because it's time and because of the lack of nutrition. It might be time to have Lap of Love come; it's great that they can come to you.

So sorry for all of you, and Ozzie.
 

stephenq

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Also, with him not appearing to be in any pain we are are hoping that he may just pass naturally. Earlier today I thought he was ready to go, I was petting him and his head just kept dipping, his eyes closing more and more, his breathing getting heavier, I told him it was ok to go and that I loved him. I thought that was it but a few minutes later he wanted to eat more tuna juice, haha.
I don't think there is any value to your cat in dying naturally, in other words he doesn't care and as others of said, he may be in pain, but even if he isn't, a cat who won't eat or is barely eating in his condition probably feels too badly to eat. It's not like he is just tired, as one can be tired and hungry at the same time, but when a cat looses their appetite with an end of life condition then they are probably not feeling well, and you can give him the final gift with a vet's help and ease everything for him.
 
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wingscat

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Thank you talkingpeanut  and StephenQ  for the advice and information. After a lot of thought my family and I called Lap of Love this past Tuesday for Ozzie. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life as Ozzie was like a brother to me (I'm an only child and had him since I was 10). The vet from Lap of Love was amazing and Ozzie peacefully passed away in his sleep, on his favorite chair, with his family around him. I ended up making Ozzie a little casket and my family and I buried him in the backyard. I would recommend Lap of Love to anyone for their pet when the time comes, it really is a gift to allow them to pass away peacefully in their own home.

I knew I would feel bad afterwards but didn't think it could hurt this bad emotionally. I keep wondering if there was something I could have done but I have to remember he was 19 which is a very good and long life for a cat. I'm thinking he must of had something else wrong with him those final few days that had gotten worse. I didn't want to take him to the vet again though due to his old age and the difficulty the vet had drawing blood the last time I took him to the vet 6 months ago. In the end I'm glad we didn't take him to the vet in those final days where he would of been stressed, scared and not with his family.

Rest in peace Ozzie.

 

talkingpeanut

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I'm so sorry for your loss. I think you absolutely did the right thing.
 

foxxycat

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I am so sorry for your loss and now Ozzie can run free at the Bridge where our loved pets will meet him and guide him.

He thanks you for giving him a long life and love. 19 years is a wonderful gift for both of you. I again am sorry for your loss. May his memories keep you over the next few weeks and beyond.
 

mservant

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The TCS team would like you to know that we are so very sorry for your loss.   These decisions are always hard, and when it involves a cat family member who has been with you for such a large part of your life it can be even more so.   You say Ozzie has been like a brother to you and it can be hard for others to understand what loosing a cat you have such a close bond with is like.  You are surrounded by others who can relate to your loss at TCS and we hope that you find some support  here.

Threads are locked after someone has suffered such a loss, as a sign of respect.   We invite you to place a tribute at  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge  as an enduring testimony to Ozzie.  
 
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