Should I Euthanise Old Cat With Kidney Failure?

[shriya.394]

This is my 17 year old Persian cat Coco and this picture was taken a year ago. He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (stage 3) about a month ago and was on IV drip for 2 days. The vet told us that since he was so old it was unlikely that medicines and fluids would do much to help him and recommended that we euthanise him but we wanted to give him another chance so we took him home. During the past month he has had about an equal number of good and and bad days but even during his bad days when he didn't eat he wanted to interact with the family. But since yesterday he has lost all interest in this and has only had a little Fancy Feast food and 2 bowls of catsmilk. We have an appointment with the vet on Friday, should we insist that she give him medicines and fluids or take her advice and put him to sleep? Please give advice asap! x

 

[foxxycat]

describe to me what the bad days are like-I have seen many cats live older than 17.

Older cats have issues with nausea which is a side effect of kidney issue. there's meds to help- Cerenia and Zofran or Pepcid AC. Some are available as injections instead of stress of pilling. Sub fluids given at home are also a staple treatment of kidney disease-takes about 5 to 10 minutes and often done every 24 to 48 hours depending on what the vet suggests.

If you are doing these treatments and still not improving then I would think about euth but I would want to exhause medication options.

My elderly girl lived to 17.5 with kidney issues=we didn't catch it in time and she came down with cancer but we treated her with injections of Cerenia and Pepcid=she was able to continue eating-oh and sub fluids as well. gave her an easier way to grow old gracefully. This could be a way to continue home treatment until it's time.

Feel free to ask questions.

 

[foxxycat]

also check out Tanya's site about CRF Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat
There's lots of tricks about appetite-the other thing to watch out for=constipation.

Make sure they are going at least every other day=constipation can cause appetite issues.

Plain canned pumpkin and plain yogurt can help this issue. The vet can also prescribe an over the counter additive to put into wet food but I have found pumpkin works well. 1 tsp a day or every other day helps keeping things moving. Olive oil. Coconut oil is also helpful. I add a tad of pumpkin to canned food. Some cats hate it-I usually use the spear technique=put some on finger-smear onto roof of mouth-they don't like it but normally a few fingerfuls of pumpkin a day helps keep things moving along. This was the biggest issue I had with my elderly cats. Because they don't get as much exercise it took longer for them to havea BM without daily exercise.

 

[zygote]

It makes me furious that so many vets don't even consider treating kidney disease just because a cat is "old".

My cat is in stage 4, but with daily cerenia for nausea and daily sub q fluids to keep her hydrated, she is happy and acting like her normal self. For me, I would want to at least try these simple steps (under advice of a good vet) to see if they help because they can give him a lot more quality time. The facebook group feline chronic kidney disease has a lot of support and info on other steps you can ask your vet about.

If you and/or your cat has trouble with administration of fluids or meds, or you can't afford it, or your cat doesn't improve, that's another thing. But I don't see the harm in trying if possible.

 

[2furbabies]

Have you tried any meds at all? My other Persian, Virginia, was just diagnosed with Stage 2 kidney disease. She is 16 years old. The vet immediately switched her food to the Science Diet Kidney Disease (K/D), and put her on Benazepril once a day. She also gets Pepcid A/C when I feel she needs it. Currently she is not on any fluids. She has good and bad days (by bad days I mean not eating much and mainly sleeping), but I do think the combination of the new food and meds is really helping.

 

[foxxycat]

I totally agree with you. Many of the vomiting issues I see people asking me about-is simply nausea=once they get treated=they improve most of the time. I wish more vets would stop pushing appetite stimulants WITHOUT Cerenia/Zofran. If you or I have an upset stomach and vomit-we won't want to eat even if we have a pill that makes us eat..it almost exalibrates that nauseous feeling in my eyes.

 

[shriya.394]

describe to me what the bad days are like-I have seen many cats live older than 17.

Older cats have issues with nausea which is a side effect of kidney issue. there's meds to help- Cerenia and Zofran or Pepcid AC. Some are available as injections instead of stress of pilling. Sub fluids given at home are also a staple treatment of kidney disease-takes about 5 to 10 minutes and often done every 24 to 48 hours depending on what the vet suggests.

If you are doing these treatments and still not improving then I would think about euth but I would want to exhause medication options.

My elderly girl lived to 17.5 with kidney issues=we didn't catch it in time and she came down with cancer but we treated her with injections of Cerenia and Pepcid=she was able to continue eating-oh and sub fluids as well. gave her an easier way to grow old gracefully. This could be a way to continue home treatment until it's time.

Feel free to ask questions.

On his bad days he only has some milk and spends most of his time curled up in the bathtub (I still don't know why he chose that particular spot). He does sit next to us on the bed/sofa next to us after he's had his milk.

 

[foxxycat]

is it cows milk or is it Goat milk? I have heard that cows milk gives them upset stomach. Or Is it that KMR-Kitten milk replacement?
Have you mixed some wet food in with the KMR? one of my cats loves it-found out by mistake-bought a can of KMR and she lapped it up-then opened a can of fancy feast kitten food and mixed it 50/50. she loved it.

Some cats sleep a lot in their older age. Is it hot where you are?That could be why they want to sleep in the tub. Or to get away from people..hard to say without seeing what the setup looks like.

You can try pet steps to a window seat or other out of the way spot he may want to rest on. I use cardboard boxes with books in them stacked up a particular way so my elder girl only has to climb 5" at a time-much easier than jumping.

 

[shriya.394]

Thank you to everyone who replied. Sadly, Coco passed away in his sleep a few hours ago. He had an infection and a high fever and the drugs didn't work well enough to save him. Despite everything, I'm glad that he died a natural and painless death. Once again, thank you for all your advice.
x

 

[foxden]

I'm so sorry for your loss. You cared so much for Coco, and losing him leaves a hole in your heart.
Please consider starting a thread in Crossing the Bridge about Coco. Members there are sympathetic and writing about Coco can help with your grief

 

[AbbysMom]

I'm so sorry to read this! Threads are closed after a loss as a sign of respect. Please consider starting a tribute thread in out Crossing The Bridge forum.

Rest in Peace Coco.