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- Aug 24, 2014
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I made a poor selfish choice when faced with my 13 year old cats illness.
Black Cat is a well controlled diabetic twice a day insulin cat. Been healthy and comfortable in his older years. Big muscular cat but also overweight.
Over the summer a young kitty came into the household. A month ago, she started to sneeze. The baby kitty had a mild case of herpes, but a few days later Black Cat became very sick and would not eat. After two days brought him to the vet- put him on Clavamox. Two days later brought him back- now he was a very sick cat. Wheezing and not eating.
The vet sent us to an intermediate vet care center and Black Cat was hospitalized and got sicker. Now it was 5 days without food and his blood work was beginning to show signs of hepatic liposis. His upper respiratory infection was awful, wheezing and eyes closed shut. He became jaundiced, blood sugar and electrolyes off, bilirubin climbing, and even a urinary tract infection. He then showed signs of the dreaded diabetic ketoacidosis.
The vet then suggested an upper level vet care specialty hospital. Ultrasound, liver aspiration, tube placement on and on and on. Four days later Black was still alive and ready to go home to an uncertain future. Those four days were a horror- tubes, catheters everywhere and being poked by strangers, blood drawn from a jugular vein almost hourly- one miserable kitty, fur matted and greasy, shaved in multitude places, eyes swollen shut. He never responded to me- he was on sensory overload. Would I want to have been through this. NO!
Because I never stopped and thought clearly, because the doctors kept giving me hope, I never asked, "Hey what is best for Black Cat?" I kept hearing "your cat is in very serious condition, but we think we can help". It was just the agony of what Black Cat had to go through daily to "be helped" that I should have been thinking of. And what the future might hold for him.
It was only after we started talking about going home that I learned what Black Cat's long term prospects were....tough for a diabetic immune compromised cat in the best of circumstances. The hepatic lipidosis is one thing- the diabetes another. What scares me most is that if Black gets to the point that his tube can be pulled, what about the next case of herpes? It will happen and he'll stop eating.
It was wrong. The financial is one thing, but most importantly the horrible ordeal for Black Cat. He's tolerating the tube feedings ok, but does not want to be touched, he's remote and tuned out. He looks pathetic, not the regal beast he was 2 weeks ago. I never ever would do this if just thought it out. There was always just one more vet who told me "well if we just do this he could live a good life". Now it seems the promise is very tenuous. I was very stupid.
Write this only to say to be prepared. Hope isn't worth a thing when the risks are so high and the potential for great distress to your pet is on the line. Maybe I'll get Black back as his happy self, maybe not. It wasn't worth the pain to him.
Black Cat is a well controlled diabetic twice a day insulin cat. Been healthy and comfortable in his older years. Big muscular cat but also overweight.
Over the summer a young kitty came into the household. A month ago, she started to sneeze. The baby kitty had a mild case of herpes, but a few days later Black Cat became very sick and would not eat. After two days brought him to the vet- put him on Clavamox. Two days later brought him back- now he was a very sick cat. Wheezing and not eating.
The vet sent us to an intermediate vet care center and Black Cat was hospitalized and got sicker. Now it was 5 days without food and his blood work was beginning to show signs of hepatic liposis. His upper respiratory infection was awful, wheezing and eyes closed shut. He became jaundiced, blood sugar and electrolyes off, bilirubin climbing, and even a urinary tract infection. He then showed signs of the dreaded diabetic ketoacidosis.
The vet then suggested an upper level vet care specialty hospital. Ultrasound, liver aspiration, tube placement on and on and on. Four days later Black was still alive and ready to go home to an uncertain future. Those four days were a horror- tubes, catheters everywhere and being poked by strangers, blood drawn from a jugular vein almost hourly- one miserable kitty, fur matted and greasy, shaved in multitude places, eyes swollen shut. He never responded to me- he was on sensory overload. Would I want to have been through this. NO!
Because I never stopped and thought clearly, because the doctors kept giving me hope, I never asked, "Hey what is best for Black Cat?" I kept hearing "your cat is in very serious condition, but we think we can help". It was just the agony of what Black Cat had to go through daily to "be helped" that I should have been thinking of. And what the future might hold for him.
It was only after we started talking about going home that I learned what Black Cat's long term prospects were....tough for a diabetic immune compromised cat in the best of circumstances. The hepatic lipidosis is one thing- the diabetes another. What scares me most is that if Black gets to the point that his tube can be pulled, what about the next case of herpes? It will happen and he'll stop eating.
It was wrong. The financial is one thing, but most importantly the horrible ordeal for Black Cat. He's tolerating the tube feedings ok, but does not want to be touched, he's remote and tuned out. He looks pathetic, not the regal beast he was 2 weeks ago. I never ever would do this if just thought it out. There was always just one more vet who told me "well if we just do this he could live a good life". Now it seems the promise is very tenuous. I was very stupid.
Write this only to say to be prepared. Hope isn't worth a thing when the risks are so high and the potential for great distress to your pet is on the line. Maybe I'll get Black back as his happy self, maybe not. It wasn't worth the pain to him.
for him.
