Reactions,please! about putting down a cat

Hey,everyone! Just got an e-mail from my sis in Tennessee. She feels that she needs to have her 18 year-old Persian put down tomorrow. Rebekah doesn't seem to be able to use the water dish, and my sis is giving her water with an eye dropper. Other than that, the cat seems to be doing pretty good. We know that cats do an excellent job of acting better than they really feel and my sis is afraid that "the Beckster" will dehydrate & start feeling badly and she won't be able to know. I know that it's my sister's decision, and that the cat has lived a full, cherished life, but I wonder if my sis should get a second opinion. Do you know of any older cats that fluctuate in their ability to drink water? We know that we need to think of the cat first, and my sister has already adopted 2 kittens, that are now half-grown, to help her 4 year-old daughter and her cope with the loss; but is the cat ready??? I wish I could be back there and see for myself. If the cat was unalert, just moping around, or unusually lethargic, I'd be convinced; it just seems like maybe the cat just wants to hold on a little more. Does anyone have any special vibe or feeling? Thanks for listening! Susan

18 is definitely a senior cat, and if the kidneys are starting to back up, or break down, the refusal of water is pretty standard. But I would think she owes it to this cat to have the cat checked out by a vet before making a decision such as this. If a vet has told her prior to this that the cat would be experiencing problems that's one thing, but at least find out why so that you can validate your decision and make it easier to live with-

Are his bad days outnumbering his good days? If he has to be feed with an eye dropper to get water, that sounds really serious to me. At least to me, 18 years is a long and full life, a lot do not make it that far without problems. I am assuming he has been to a vet to find out what problems are causing such a condition? We just put down our 15 year old cat ourselves. It was extreamly hard, but he had a happy life until he got to sick to recover.

Does she feed her moist food at all?? I know that cats don't usually like to drink lots of water-did she do the skin pinch test for dehydration?? I think a visit to the vet may be in order.

I'd be off to the vets asap. To find out why the cat isn't drinking...if it's mouth sores or dental issues, those can be addressed with medication, if it's early kidney failure and the cat has the typical nausea that comes along with that, that can be dealt with, with an over the counter med!

Dehydration can be dealt with as well with sub q fluids given at home (if tricks such as drinking fountains, adding broth to cat food, increasing canned food intake does not make a difference - *after* the cause of the not drinking is found).

My guess...it's nausea or dental issues. I would not put a cat to sleep without knowing if what is wrong can be fixed!

off to feed Patrick, my to be 18 in late May, dearling

I'm more of the school that says 18 is plenty old, and best to let the cat go with dignity now than try to force a few more months out of her.

Never force, never for oneself...but a cat healthy and happy except for not drinking? Nope. not me...it's a quality of life issue, not the cat's age, that is my bench mark.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Never force, never for oneself...but a cat healthy and happy except for not drinking? Nope. not me...it's a quality of life issue, not the cat's age, that is my bench mark.

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Thats how I think too!
Please let us know how 'the Beckster' fairs. Only your sister really knows the position of the cat and as you say it is her decision but...........

I agree 100% with Pat & Alix. Aside from not using (or not being able to use) the water dish, in Susan's words "the cat seems to be doing pretty good". Basing whether or not to put a cat to sleep simply on age is wrong. Who's to say what age is "old enough"? As Pat & Alix pointed out, this may be something that can be treated. How do we know that this cat has only months or days left? Isn't it possible she could have another couple of good years? Susan's sister should at least give Rebekah a chance by taking her to the vet and finding out what's going on. Seems to me that putting Rebekah to sleep should be the LAST resort, rather than the first option to consider.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

I agree 100% with Pat & Alix. Aside from not using (or not being able to use) the water dish, in Susan's words "the cat seems to be doing pretty good". Basing whether or not to put a cat to sleep simply on age is wrong. Who's to say what age is "old enough"? As Pat & Alix said, this may turn out to be something that can be treated. How do we know that this cat has only months or days left? Isn't it possible she could have another couple of good years? Susan's sister should at least give Rebekah a chance by taking her to the vet and finding out what's going on. Seems to me that putting Rebekah to sleep should be the LAST resort, rather than the first option to consider.

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I too agree. If this were my cat I would get the vet's opinion on this issue, otherwise I'd have lingering doubts, possibly for years, about whether it was the right thing. The thing is, the vet will have to do the PTS, so if your sister is going to take the cat there anyway, she might as well just ask the vet what he or she thinks? I went through a few crises last year with my horse before he was eventually PTS, at every crisis I would ask the vet (most unfairly!) 'if he was your horse, what would you do?'. I really would ask the vet, for peace of mind at the very least.

Sue

I would say urge your sister to have the cat evaluated at the vet immediately . It is wrong in my opinion to put down a cat or any animal without finding out whether or not the problem is serious, or how serious it is, or even what it is. Maybe it could be solved with just a simple treatment or medication or, as one person suggested, a drinking fountain or different food. I cannot imagine making this decision without knowing all of the facts and doing all I could to let the cat have more life, if it could be a good quality of life.