Congestive Heart Failure / Cardiomyopathy

Hello cat lovers! I am new to this site and looking forward to meating new cat lover friends! [emoji]128049[/emoji][emoji]128156[/emoji]
A few months ago, my cat Penny, was diagnosed with CHF. I've been giving Penny her prescribed meds religiously and seeing her vet specialist too.
She has basically stopped eating.
Now, one thing that has recently happened is we've moved to a new home just this past Monday. Maybe she isnt eating because of that?
My husband has been very generous with her going to the doctor & getting her meds, but not anymore. We've spent almost $2,000 on her since the first diagnosis. He never grew up around cats so he is not overy attached to her. This of course breaks my heart. Basically, Princess is his dog and he's happy with that.
Is there something I could get Penny to eat or drink for nutrition?
She is urinating because I can see that in her litter box. But she hasn't been eating but for a few licks of food once or twice a day. Every day she is eating less and less.
Needless to say, I'm very worried and already very teary. Penny is almost 14 years old.
Thank you for reading and any advice you can give.
~Lori [emoji]127801[/emoji]

LoriGirl said:

~Lori [emoji]127801[/emoji]

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Hi and welcome to TCS during this difficult time.  I'm sure lots of people will make contributions to your questions. 

I had a cat with CHF and HCM and as I expect you know, there is no cure and given enough time, it will take your cat's life.  For a cat battling CHF probably the most important medication to take is a diuretic like Lasix (orally or sub q injection) to get fluid out of your cats lungs and keep it out.  Fluid in the lungs is CHF's biggest symptom.  Lasix is not expensive and if i was going to reduce medications, it wouldn't be that one.  Fast breathing or labored breathing would indicate she is in trouble.  A cat at complete rest is unlikely to breathe more than 20 breaths per minute. Over 40 and you need a vet right now.  Counting her breaths over 15 seconds and multiplying by 4 will give you the breaths per min. One inhale and one exhale counts as 1 breath.

Getting your cat to eat is possibly a complex problem and may need diagnostic work.  It isn't at this point just a question of finding tasty food, but addressing the underlying cause thats preventing her from eating.  Almost certainly she feels very poorly.  She likely feels very ill, and may be suffering.  She needs a vet appointment to see what is going on, and to see if there is a treatment that can pull her out of this, or if not, you may have to let her go. But it is time to start that discussion with a vet.

Your beautiful Penny may be at the end stage of her disease, and if that is the case letting her go with dignity and without any more suffering is the biggest gift you can give her, a gift she is 100% dependent on you to give.  If she can rally and regain her appetite, it is going to be with a Vet's help.  Her problem right now is MUCH bigger than finding a tasty food.  Yes, many cat's can't resist foods like Fancy Feast Flaked seafood flavors, but a cat with CHF who is refusing food, is VERY ILL and she needs a vets help right now.  Many vets have Sat hours, i would bring her in as an emergency appointment at this point.

I"m so sorry you're going thru this.  I've had a few cats with chronic illnesses, and it never gets any easier .  As Stephen said, when they feel awful, it doesn't matter how tempting the food is, they simply won't  eat.  And once they go too long without eating, THEN an entirely new set of problems can occur, the dreaded Hepatic Lipidosis.  So it's imperative that you get to the bottom of this issue and find out what the current problem is so you can take some sort of action. 

If your husband isn't really supporting you, we're here, either way