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- Feb 14, 2014
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I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll post it here, but if a Mod knows a better place, please feel free to move it. Thank you.
My cat Wildfire is 20 1/2. We knew her teeth weren't great, but at her age, there's not much we can do about it, other than she is on pulsing antibiotics (Clindamyacin for 10 days every two months). She just came off her last round (her 2nd one) about 2 weeks ago. Within the last few days she's been caterwauling a lot more than usual, can't seem to settle down peacefully. I've had a nagging feeling that her time is coming to a close. Then, this morning, I had the realization that her teeth are bothering her. I watched her eat (she has her own room where the other cats won't bother her when she eats, so I don't typically see her eat. When she's hungry, I put her food down and shut the door, then pick the food back up and open the door when she's done), and sure enough she had a hard time eating- did the 'grinding' thing with her teeth, pawed at her mouth. This is the first I've seen her do this. I have a vet appointment tomorrow morning at 8:30 (the soonest I could get in). I gave her some watered-down wet food, and she did eat some of that. Within that room she has a very large tote with a 'doorway' cut into it that has padding and blankets inside and over the top, so that she feels warm and safe, and that's where she spends most of her time, and where she went after she ate a little.
She is still using the litter box, still wants to eat, is still social, can still move around the house fairly freely, meaning she is walking okay for her age. If she was a human, she wouldn't need a walker, but it might take her ten minutes to get from A to B, so, not too bad. Her hearing is pretty much gone, but her eyesight is still very sharp.
Within a day of each other in 2012 I had a cat go naturally from cancer (Mau Mau), and the next day one euthanized (Romeo) for a myriad of reasons. I felt like I waited too long with Pallet, and euthanized Romeo too soon. So my thoughts here are: what if the vet recommends euthanasia tomorrow morning? The booger of the timing is it's a holiday weekend, so they are closing at noon, and won't be open again until Monday. Do I go ahead because it's their schedule, or get her pain meds and wait until Monday when they open again, and spend the weekend with her? Neither option sounds fair at all. Sure, we can put her on pain meds, but she sleeps most of the time anyway. Am I delaying for me? And taking the rest of her into consideration, it feels premature. She has a heart murmur, and her kidneys have all but shut down, and there's no way they could put her under anesthesia.
I know nobody else can make the decision for me, and I know a lot depends on what the vet says tomorrow. I guess I'm asking for advice/guidance based on other peoples' experiences. We had to euthanize our cat Leo the end of July, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt the time was right. I just can't say that here, but I know cats hide their pain, her quality of life isn't fantastic, she's clearly feeling unrest because she's hungry, and I feel like I should free her from her body, but am scared it might be too soon. Sigh.
My cat Wildfire is 20 1/2. We knew her teeth weren't great, but at her age, there's not much we can do about it, other than she is on pulsing antibiotics (Clindamyacin for 10 days every two months). She just came off her last round (her 2nd one) about 2 weeks ago. Within the last few days she's been caterwauling a lot more than usual, can't seem to settle down peacefully. I've had a nagging feeling that her time is coming to a close. Then, this morning, I had the realization that her teeth are bothering her. I watched her eat (she has her own room where the other cats won't bother her when she eats, so I don't typically see her eat. When she's hungry, I put her food down and shut the door, then pick the food back up and open the door when she's done), and sure enough she had a hard time eating- did the 'grinding' thing with her teeth, pawed at her mouth. This is the first I've seen her do this. I have a vet appointment tomorrow morning at 8:30 (the soonest I could get in). I gave her some watered-down wet food, and she did eat some of that. Within that room she has a very large tote with a 'doorway' cut into it that has padding and blankets inside and over the top, so that she feels warm and safe, and that's where she spends most of her time, and where she went after she ate a little.
She is still using the litter box, still wants to eat, is still social, can still move around the house fairly freely, meaning she is walking okay for her age. If she was a human, she wouldn't need a walker, but it might take her ten minutes to get from A to B, so, not too bad. Her hearing is pretty much gone, but her eyesight is still very sharp.
Within a day of each other in 2012 I had a cat go naturally from cancer (Mau Mau), and the next day one euthanized (Romeo) for a myriad of reasons. I felt like I waited too long with Pallet, and euthanized Romeo too soon. So my thoughts here are: what if the vet recommends euthanasia tomorrow morning? The booger of the timing is it's a holiday weekend, so they are closing at noon, and won't be open again until Monday. Do I go ahead because it's their schedule, or get her pain meds and wait until Monday when they open again, and spend the weekend with her? Neither option sounds fair at all. Sure, we can put her on pain meds, but she sleeps most of the time anyway. Am I delaying for me? And taking the rest of her into consideration, it feels premature. She has a heart murmur, and her kidneys have all but shut down, and there's no way they could put her under anesthesia.
I know nobody else can make the decision for me, and I know a lot depends on what the vet says tomorrow. I guess I'm asking for advice/guidance based on other peoples' experiences. We had to euthanize our cat Leo the end of July, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt the time was right. I just can't say that here, but I know cats hide their pain, her quality of life isn't fantastic, she's clearly feeling unrest because she's hungry, and I feel like I should free her from her body, but am scared it might be too soon. Sigh.
And sounds like you had some great bonding time with you baby.
