My cat "won" the jackpot of illnesses

Hi,

I am new here and just looking for support.

2 weeks ago my 10 yr old cat Chloe started having trouble holding up her head and walking. I took her to vet next morning. First thought was stroke or a neurological issue. We ran blood work. Later that day we learned her potassium was 2.9 which normal is like 3.2 to 5.5. So we ruled out kidneys and diabetes and were left w one other option. An ultrasound. I had to take her to a specialist a few days later. It was discovered she had a very rare adrenal gjand tumor. Less then 3% of cats ever get this. I found a vet willing to do surgery for 2500 half of what the other vet was charging. We set up an appointment a week later. He wanted to do his own examination. It was then he discovered she had a heart murmur. This was not picked up by other vets which surprised him. Ge asked to do a cardio echogram on her bc w a murmur this could complicate surgery. The next day he called and said surgery is off indefinately bc Chloe has severe heart disease. He told me to pick her up and bring her home for Thanksgiving. He drained the fluid around her heart so she is feeling better from that but that also drains ur potassium. So we have a double edge sword sutuation. Potassium is severly low. I was giving her 1/4 of Tumilk supplement but l ran out and read l could give her human potassium so she ate a portion of tge pill today in a treat.
My heart is breaking. There is no hope but l cannot let go. We were going to take her last night to be put down but l held off. I suspected l would today but could not bring myself to do it. I know whats best but l am struggling w major anxiety of seeing her be put to sleep. And she is the sweetest, best, cat ever. I just keep picturung how lonely life will be withour my snuggle bug. I prayed for more years then 10. My last cat passed away from cancer at 9. I just am heartbroken and maybe l can get some words of encouragement to do the thing l dreadthe most.

I am so sorry.  It is so hard to let go.  You are releasing her from her failing body but I know all you are thinking of is loosing her.  It seems like it is the sweet loving kitties that have the shorter life.  This is the last act of kindness and love that you can do for her.

I am so sorry for you.  I have been in your spot too many times, and I may be there again now.  I took my Charlie to the Vet on Monday, and the blood work showed elevated liver levels.  He has an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday, but I am scared to death: Charlie means the world to me.

I lost one of my dears to kidney disease three years ago, and another one month before to cancer.  I had to have both cats euthanized, because they were suffering so much with no hope of recovery.  The cat Charlie replaced died in my arms from peritonitis 12 years ago: I still kick myself for not easing his pain.

The quality of their life must be a consideration.  Please don't let your kitty suffer: you will feel the guilt for years to come. Again I am so sorry for you.

Thank you. Right now she looks at me with such confusion. The low potassium makes her very weak with little muscle control. Its sad to watch the decline. I fear tomorrow will be the day l have to say goodbye.

I'm sorry. We lost two to heart disease in 2016. The second one was in October and he was only 3. We had no clue.

Yes, the said heart disease can take months to years to develop with little to know signs. Some cats just end up dying. If it wasnt for low potassium from the tumor who knows if we would have found out. But it sucks l had my hopes up for a life saving surgery to now being faced with the realization l have to let her go.

I just had to put my beautiful boy down last week. He had a lot going on, most likely cancer, but I chose not to pursue testing because, given Bandit's age, it made no sense.

Nothing, nothing, nothing nothing, will prepare you for this decision. All I can say is I know how you feel. My heart breaks for you because I know how utterly sad you are. My first vet, when I had my first kitty, said 'animals will let you know when it's time'. And that the quality of their life is what is important, not quantity.

We love them so much, letting them go seems impossible. I pray you can come to the decision when you feel it's right for Chloe. 

I would ask the vet question: Would removing the tumor help Chloe's quality of life? Given her heart murmur etc. Asking questions is always the best way to really know if the situation at hand will continue, or if there is chance of improvement. 

Can l ask those whode cat had heart disease what were signs of distress or that they were declining? See we have 2 issues going on not just 1. So my vet said lack of appetite or none. Chloe is still eating. He said look for heavy breathing or gasping. Since they drained the fluid w a diuretic she has been good. The only thing she displays is musvle weakness and this is from the low potassium. Yesterday l bought reg potassium otc and chopped up a pill and gave to her. She ate it. And this mlrning she actually seems slightly better. This is why its do hard to decide.
I dont want her to suffer. I have no idea if she is in pain. But my mom keeps telling me l am in denial and only torturing us both. Of course l know she wont get better but why give up. I know parents would try everything gor their kids until they have exhausted all options.

darkhorse321 said:

I would ask the vet question: Would removing the tumor help Chloe's quality of life? Given her heart murmur etc. Asking questions is always the best way to really know if the situation at hand will continue, or if there is chance of improvement. 

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Problem is putting her through surgery and anestesia on a severe heart issue could kill her. Also, the money spent on it. I was willing to shell out the 2500 for a good outcome but he said she would prob die on table if we did it. Plus the cardio specialist said even on heart meds chloe has less then a year.

With Peter we knew of the heart disease when we adopted him. We knew we had limited time but he had a quality 3 years with us. We just found him decreased on the living room floor one evening. Heart attack or stroke?

With Will we noticed a slight cough. That was all. We took him to ER because i wanted to make sure it was respiratory illness and not something worse. Well it was something worse. We had him PTS within a week.

Chloe is doing much better from last night just on those potassium pills l crushed up. She is holding her head up good. Were not giving up just yet!

So happy to hear Chole is doing better!!!

Don't give up on her yet! My baby Matthew (6 yrs) was diagnosed with CHF in January 2016. The Vet said he would live 6-8 months, 1 year if he's lucky. Two weeks ago he had a checkup and he's doing just fine! He's on 4 different meds plus 20 mg of aspirin every other day, and his appetite is still healthy. He plays with his siblings everyday, the only difference is that he gets tired easily.

Back in September he threw a blood clot and survived. So, we decided it was time to let him go. We called a Vet who does hospice and at-home euthanasia. We mentally prepared to let him go for an entire weekend- even gave him his last mean! She came over and checked him out. She immediately expressed her discomfort with putting him down given his bright and alert, seemingly healthy state. She talked me out of euthanizing him. I'll tell you what she told me, that completely changed my perspective- any cat could pass away due to heart disease, at any given moment because heart disease is a silent killer. Thankfully you have a diagnosis and know what be on the lookout for; weakness in the legs, lack of mobility, panting, difficulty breathing, hiding, unusual behavior (sleeping in secluded spots), lack of appetite.

Love Chloe while you can. She will let you know when it is time.

Best of luck to you and your princess. Keep us posted!

Izzy

This is a stupid, crazy, unfair thing to deal with. Helping her at her final hours is the kindest most beautiful thing you can do for your baby. But I urge yu, dont go through with it prematurely. No one can know yur cat like yu do and just like everyone says yu will know when its time. All yu have to do is look in her face, in her eyes and you'll know. Until then love her like everyday is forever and deal with tomorrow when it comes.

I might have been confusing before. What I mean is that if there's really nothing you can do to fix the problems just do what you can for her until its time. Dont feel guilty or beat yourself up because she's looking at yu but she's not thinking that its your fault and why aren't you doing anything. She just wants comfort and to feel the love from you she's always felt. So just understand that you are doing everything right and the best possible way you can for her.

KingMatthewsMom said:

Don't give up on her yet! My baby Matthew (6 yrs) was diagnosed with CHF in January 2016. The Vet said he would live 6-8 months, 1 year if he's lucky. Two weeks ago he had a checkup and he's doing just fine! He's on 4 different meds plus 20 mg of aspirin every other day, and his appetite is still healthy. He plays with his siblings everyday, the only difference is that he gets tired easily.

Back in September he threw a blood clot and survived. So, we decided it was time to let him go. We called a Vet who does hospice and at-home euthanasia. We mentally prepared to let him go for an entire weekend- even gave him his last mean! She came over and checked him out. She immediately expressed her discomfort with putting him down given his bright and alert, seemingly healthy state. She talked me out of euthanizing him. I'll tell you what she told me, that completely changed my perspective- any cat could pass away due to heart disease, at any given moment because heart disease is a silent killer. Thankfully you have a diagnosis and know what be on the lookout for; weakness in the legs, lack of mobility, panting, difficulty breathing, hiding, unusual behavior (sleeping in secluded spots), lack of appetite.
Love Chloe while you can. She will let you know when it is time.

Best of luck to you and your princess. Keep us posted!

Izzy

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I am giving her potassium pills only but l have considered the heart meds too.The only bad thing is that the meds are often diuretics which in return drains fluid which then drains her potassium which her body does not produce bc of the adrenal gland tumor.
Everyday l hug her and tell her she is my hero for pulling through. My heart told me to hang on and so glad l listened. Yesterday l bought her new toys and she spent a good 20 min playing w them. She is amazing.

I am debating on the heart meds but she seems ok for now so l feel as though let her be for now. Heck she could of had heart disease for a year or more and l never knew

The specialist told me she only had weeks with the tumor diagnosis. But the other vet said the heart would get to her first.

iwilltakethem said:

This is a stupid, crazy, unfair thing to deal with. Helping her at her final hours is the kindest most beautiful thing you can do for your baby. But I urge yu, dont go through with it prematurely. No one can know yur cat like yu do and just like everyone says yu will know when its time. All yu have to do is look in her face, in her eyes and you'll know. Until then love her like everyday is forever and deal with tomorrow when it comes.

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Thank you. I am just going to listen to my heart and hope Chloe lets me know she has had enough. Secretly, l hope she goes painlessly in her sleep when she feels its time. I dont believe she us in pain based on how she is acting. But l guess issues w breathing is our biggest worry.

The heart meds are extremely important to give- from personal experience, I would recommend that you give them to her. With CHF, Chloe's heart doesn't function properly, and makes it difficult for blood to flow properly through the heart. This leads to fluids accumulating in her in her lungs- which could ultimately kill her. This is why the Vets prescribe diuretics (Lasix). I lowered my Baby's Lasix dose without the Vet's consent because I didn't want it to affect his kidneys, and within three weeks I noticed his respiratory rate increased from 20 to 26, which could be a symptom of fluid in the lungs. Thats another thing that will help- monitor her respiratory rate twice a day will help.

So sorry to hear you have been given bad news I totally agree with the other posters that say you will know when it is time. One of mine passed earlier this year and i was in the same boat, i didn't want to let her go but she had all sorts of incurable problems.  I decided to keep her going and i truly have no regrets in doing so. The day i had her put to sleep she was asking me to do so in as many words as a cat can. She still managed to give me a snuggle and a good purr before she went but she was definitely ready and it was obvious. I say hold on to your baby and cherish the time you have. She will let you know when it's  time. I hope you are both doing ok. and all the best for the future.

KingMatthewsMom said:

The heart meds are extremely important to give- from personal experience, I would recommend that you give them to her. With CHF, Chloe's heart doesn't function properly, and makes it difficult for blood to flow properly through the heart. This leads to fluids accumulating in her in her lungs- which could ultimately kill her. This is why the Vets prescribe diuretics (Lasix). I lowered my Baby's Lasix dose without the Vet's consent because I didn't want it to affect his kidneys, and within three weeks I noticed his respiratory rate increased from 20 to 26, which could be a symptom of fluid in the lungs. Thats another thing that will help- monitor her respiratory rate twice a day will help.

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I know its important but then it will deplete her potassium. But l can ask the vet maybe for a low dosage of lasix. I wonder though if the cardiologist has to prescribe it.

Hope l dont sound dumb but how do l monitor her respitory just take count to how much she breathes per minute or something?

I am also wondering how fast fluid builds back up once drained. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since they gave her a lasix (furosemide) injection.