I think my cat is dying

I found my 16yr old cat mawser lying near the foot of my bed earlier this evening, he seemed to be having some kind fit. I moved him downstairs and placed him in front of the fire, his back legs seem to have gone, and he cant support himself. He has gone into a sleep, he has stirred once or twice and made some strange crying noises, he has now crawled behind the settee. I just hope it may be some kind of reaction to a fress air spray which i used in my bedroom prior to him feeling ill?. I have used this spray before with it having no apparent effect on him, i rang the night vet, and she said from what the symtoms i described to her that he may have suffered a stroke. They asked me to bring him in, but my daughter suggested it might better if we kept him comfortable at home were he is in familiar surroundings, and see how he goes through the night? as he does not seem to be in any pain, Then in the morning i can take him to the vets. I dont want him to suffer but if i were to take him in overnight the vet wants £100 ($80) before they look at him, plus whatever treatment they can give him (if any) We dont have any insurence for him cos' after a certain age here in England they wont insure older cats. We have had him since he was a kitten and i know it will break my heart if we lose him, i dont think i can cope with seeing him being put to sleep.I know 16 is a good age for a cat but he has been my constant companion for all these years, always there to greet me when i come home from work, but i really feel his time is drawing near and the thought of losing him is bringing tears to my eyes. I know you probably think i must be a big softie, but i'm trying to be brave for my daughters sake.Please say a prayer for us all.

Your kitty may be in pain & suffering. You must get him to a vet ASAP. Please for his sake...do this. Start this thread again in "health section" so more people will see it. This is an emergency.

do you trust your vets opinion? if so ring them and ask what is best.

Does he get outside at all? If he does, he could also have been hit by a car- but if he is inside only, it certainly does sound like a stroke- poor kitty. You can ask the vet to draw blood and do a senior panel on him as well as a neurological exam-

My heart goes out to you. I have been through similar situations through my many years of being blessed with cat companions. We lost our Snuggles a few years ago. She was clearly terminaly and we had a wonderful vet who agree to come to the house when it was time to grant her a peaceful end to our lives together. She was able to enjoy her last day and last moments in the comfort of her home.

My prayers are with you.

I'm so sorry to hear about it. Can you let us know, please?

Please spend the money, and take Mawser in. And also, if the stroke isn't too bad, he may last for years yet. Penny, a sweet love of a girl, had a stroke at +/- 17. She made it to nearly 21 before she passed in her sleep.

Don't give up on him, and while the vet's might be scary, and your daughter is trying to do what's best for him, only the Vet will know what's best. Take him in. And if the worst is the worst, love him out with all the grace and care he's shown you...and realize that letting him go is the very essence of love.

I'm so sorry you're experiencing this.

My best to you-
Michele

Thank you for your kind words of comfort, i am taking him to the vets shortly i will let you no how things turn out.

Sending lots of }}}VIBES{{{ to you and Mawser that everything will be okay!

Please do let us know how things go at the vets!

Hi everyone, i took mawser to the vets this morning, when we got there the nurse took one look at him and put him straight on oxygen, she said he was in a lot of pain, and did not think he would last through the day. The vet said they would do some blood tests and x-rays, i had just arrived home when the phone rang, it was the vet who informed me that mawser had passed away a few mins earlier His poor heart just could not take anymore, i set off straight back to the vets, and spent half an hour with him in my arms just stroking him and cuddling him. I have had him since he was 6wks old, my best friend and companion...now all as i feel is guilty that i was not there to hold his paw as he slipped away, and guilty that i never took him in earlier. He lived to a good age, and i will miss him, i have asked to have his ashes returned to me so i can sprinkle some in his favourite place in our garden. I never thought i would take this so badly, but i know he is no longer suffering.

I am so sorry .
Rip Mawser

Juli

I'm so incredibly sorry you lost your precious Mawser . This must be absolutely agonizing for you and your family having him taken from you so quickly. Mawser has been your dearest companion for 16 years, the two of you must have shared the most special, loving relationship. He is in Heaven now, so happy and healthy as he awaits the wonderful day when you are reunited!

Thanks for all your kind words of comfort, i will miss him terribly, their will be an empty place near my pillow to-night for the first time in 16yrs. It will take me some time to get over this loss. It is of some comfort that there are people out their who share the same love and feelings for our furry friends, until you have had, and loved, and recieved so much love from a cat its hard to explain to those who dont know what you go through...Thanks everyone.

As a male, I would just like to let you know, that from my perspective it is normal for any animal lover to grieve over the loss of his/her pet, any man who shows no emotion, to me, isn't a man.

Some of us get very attached to their animals, and I am one of them.

Although I am 19 and don't yet have an animal besides my ducks and fish and hamsters etc. die, (dogs, cats, which i view as much closer to me)
I have a 14 year old obese cat and I know his time is comming.

However, grieving is part of loving. You spent 16 great years with your buddy. You made his life happy and he returned the favor. Although cats may not be as friendly as dogs (arguementitively), they posses a deeper form of love, I believe that they show in different ways. I view them as more intelligent. I know your cat felt the same love you felt for him, with you. What more could he have asked for in life... 16 years of free food, water, cleaning, affection and love. If not for you, he may not have lived such a happy life... or a life at all. You provided him with the best life a cat could have, and Mawser passed on happy. I believe that he knew you wanted to be there... At that age he knew he was at the vet because of your concern, concern is a sign of love. You spent 16 years with him, the last seconds were spent engulfed in his memories with you, his life passed before his eyes and then his heart came to a final rest. He did not die alone, you were in his heart.

One day you and your cat will be reuinited, until then, pray for him and let him know that his soul is always welcome in your heart. People may call me a softie as well, but I love my animals.

Although he is gone physically, he will always be in your heart. Perhaps eventually you can bless another feline with your love and "free stuff" for a lifetime and have a different yet similar bond, all over again.

RIP Mawser

Hang in there buddy

Man... your last post brought little tears to my eyes..

P.S. Your pillow doesn't have a missing spot, he is always with you.

I am so sorry about Mawser. The "Crossing The Bridge" forum is a caring place where you can share your sorrow about your loss. I encourage you to start a Mawser thread there. We understand and are here for you.
Lei

I've had Lucas for less than two months and I can't even imagine losing him now... In 2001 I lost my childhood dog to cancer (she was 13), she was on chemo, but was too weak and died shortly after she was diagnosed, it still brings tears to my eyes every time I think of her, and I still have her picture up at home, but I know she didn't suffer, she was just weak, but not yet in pain. I know she's up there looking down at me, though she's probably a bit upset now since I adopted a cat (she hated them!).

I also wasn't there to see her, she had just moved back with my parents in Brazil (I stayed here at the time because of college), and when she was diagnosed she had to stay at the vet's for treatments, so the vet ended up getting attached to her and kept her in her house. My parents went to see her after a weekend trip and the vet warned she hadn't gotten up or eaten all day (now if you knew her, you'd know she was always hungry, even when she was sick she didn't lose her appetite), so my parents knew it was coming. They went to see her, she got up with some effort, wagged her tail, lied back down and her breathing got weaker and weaker until it finally stopped. She had been dying all day but had waited for them to come to say goodbye I felt guilty for not being there, but my parents reminded me that I don't have to keep the memory of her dying with me, I only remember her being healthy.

Be happy that you had 16 years with your cat, so many people live their whole lives without knowing what it's like to have such friend.

I'm so sorry. Thinking of you and Mawser.

I am sorry but I am glad that you tried to get him help, so at least his last moments weren't agonizing. I will light a candle for him in our forum Crossing the Bridge- we used to move the entire posts to CTB after a cat has passed, but it was decided to keep the threads where they are and start a new one in CTB. The posts remain here for a teaching tool so that hopefully someone down the road can read this and understand their cat might be in danger of passing away-

Hugs to you and Ending Pain was set up to help people through the grief- which is very real and tangible and sometimes harder to bear than anything else in your world.

I am very sorry to hear that Mawser has passed. I know the pain you are feeling, I hope you can find comfort in the knowledge that he suffers no more.