When is it "Time"?

[elder cat mom]

Hello, this is my first post. I have two senior rescued cats. The female, Akira, my beautiful green eyed girl is approximately 17 years old. I rescued her when she was approximately 3 years old.

Her original owner abused/ kicked her & broke her pelvis, which fused back together naturally. She has had anxiety & is what the vets have described as beilimia since she came to live with me. She was very skiddish & did not trust until I adopted another kitty & she saw I could be trusted. It took years, but finally she became warm & even curious & affectionate to visitors.

She has been having trouble sitting when I give my cats thier treats. She is stiff & I cannot tell how much pain she is in.

The vet says she is thin, but in perfect health. That perhaps she has dementia & is not eating enough. She goes into rooms, faces the wall & meows very loudly repeatedly until I bring her back to reality. She snaps back & prances toward me... Usually. In the last two weeks she has spent most of her time under the bed.

Her mate, Frank, Siamese mix also has pelvic injuries from being run over before he was brought into the family. He is probably 3 years younger. He does not seem to be having a problem right now.

I am at a crossroads. I'm not sure if it is time to relieve her of her pain. I'm not interested in prolonging her life artificially, but I do not want to cut her life short if she could have a few good years left. She rebounds & spends time chasing her mate every couple of days, sits at the window, plays with a toy, seeks me out & sits with me.

How do you know when it's best for them? It won't be a good time at any time for me, we've been through so much of life together, but I don't want to be selfish & have her suffer.

Would it be right just to wait for her to pass naturally?

 

[Columbine]

I truly believe cats tell you when they're ready to go. So long as Akira is acting like herself and seeming to enjoy life there is no need to intervene. You know her better than anyone. Trust your instincts.

For me, a guide is whether they are able to eat, drink and use the box by themselves. Slowing down is natural as they age, but there's a difference between happy but slowed down or miserable and slowed down. Only you can make that call.

Whilst I, like you, am not keen on extraordinary measures, there is no harm at all in looking into pain relief and giving it a go. It might be that she'd be perfectly happy for some time with a little medication.

I do believe that sometimes we have to call time. Very few deaths are dignified and painless, and the final gift we can give our animals is a peaceful death. From what you say, though, I don't think you're quite there yet. You'll see it in her eyes when it's time.