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I've got a 18ish year old cat who has been diagnosed with a fibrosarcoma. The lump is fairly fast growing. It isn't somewhere that can be amputated (top of front leg around the bone) and it isn't operable. I guess he will probably die from it, and he already has other health problems, like a consistently low body temperature that the vet has no idea about, and pancreas that isn't really working - digestive enzyme supplement has been helping him keep his food down and he is maintaining his weight. I guess my question is, how is this going to play out? When do I know the time is right? He's the oldest cat I've ever had and I don't want to miss the opportunity to make his passing as kind as possible. Right now he's still eating, walking, not in pain. He seems happy, he still humps his brother and demands pets and snuggles. He's still himself and he seems like he still wants to be alive. I've seen some seriously ill/actively dying cats before (lost my FIV+ first cat to liver failure, another to some sudden cardiac problem, and another to acute pancreatitis) so I know what a very unwell cat looks like, and I don't want him to get to that point, but I also don't want to leave it for too long.
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Sep 1, 2022 17:56
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| # ¿ May 8, 2024 16:28 |
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Thanks, I think you're right. I've gotten used to making the decision for my fish, but cats are a lot different. I definitely left it too long for my FIV+ cat, but I didn't know he had FIV until 2 weeks before he died, and didn't know his liver had failed until maybe a day or two before he died. I'd already decided it was time because he had gone downhill so fast but he went quicker than I had planned for, while I was at work. Finding him cold and stiff on the floor still haunts me, nearly 20 years later. Hopefully I am better at being able to tell if a cat is suffering now, they hide it so well.
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Sep 2, 2022 15:12
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That's really helpful, and I guess I was mentally going through some of these things already but seeing it in black and white helps me feel like I haven't missed anything. This has helped me confirm that his quality of life is still pretty good even though he has a tumor bigger than an egg at the top of his leg. Sometimes it felt like wishful thinking that he was still okay but he really does seem not bothered by it at this stage and his overall condition aside from the lump has been pretty stable for around 2 years. It will be useful to check back on this scale as things progress.
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Sep 2, 2022 15:46
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I've got an allergic/digestive issues cat myself, we had to go through the elimination process when I first got him since we didn't have too many vet foods available here back then. I was literally boiling chicken breast and mushing it with rice under vet advice but it's a lot easier now. Most cats become allergic to the same common food items, like dairy, beef, lamb, egg, fish. Mine gets green projectile diarrhea from food colouring, (I suspect this is why he was dumped, red colouring was common in cheap cat food back then) and can't digest any red meat. Actually at this point he doesn't really digest anything without extra enzymes added but at least I've found something that works. A hypoallergenic food has a novel protein which the cat shouldn't react to because they have had no chance to become sensitized to it (I've seen duck, venison, pea and soy proteins for example). So it gives a chance for everything to settle down and heal, and can be used as a sole food, or if you want to identify the allergen it lets you add one new thing at a time to find the trigger while nutrition is maintained. It's way more convenient to buy prepared food because then you know all the required nutrients are there and in correct balance, whereas making it yourself how do you know if you have enough fat and fat soluble vitamins? Was there enough taurine? and so on. Actually for some reason this reminded me that my other cat had foul smelling liquid stools and we went through a few different ideas - parasites/gut flora imbalance/food intolerance before getting a full blood panel done and finding his thyroid levels were off the charts. Getting his thyroid under control pretty much solved his bowel problems; and we really had no indication he was having thyroid problems apart from that he was always ravenously hungry. We thought he was pooping too much causing him to feel hungry but the thyroid was just aggravating everything. Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Sep 29, 2022 |
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Sep 29, 2022 17:29
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For my urinary blockage cat we focussed on keeping him drinking, which meant drinking fountains, buckets of water, low dishes, plastic cups, letting him drink from running water, whatever it took to get him interested. Also adding water to his food. It took a while for him to stabilise and he blocked up again before he came good, all you can do is be on high vigilance in case it happens again so you can get him to care as fast as possible. It takes time for the chemistry to change. My vet mentioned surgical intervention if it kept happening but it was not necessary once the food started working.
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Oct 9, 2022 17:35
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If he has a wet food he likes, you can try adding a little more water to it and mixing it in, I’m currently doing that for my drooly elderly boy who lets himself get dehydrated too easily. I’ve seen a recipe for home made churu pops which was pretty much just boiled chicken breast and water, blended to a purée. I’ve been serving that as ice blocks for my cats as it is nearly summer here, could probably work as a fairly safe way to get more moisture into your guy?
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Nov 14, 2022 18:38
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If he’s just missing the edge of the box, put newspaper or something down to catch it, he’s doing his best. For my cats getting oversized litter trays helped contain things too, with stiff joints they just don’t seem to bother to manoeuvre their butts to aim properly. If he’s consistently pooping quite far from the box the only thing that has worked for me is to add more litter trays in the areas where the poop most frequently appears. Could just be he isn’t able to tell he needs to poop soon enough and then in old man style can’t get to the current tray fast enough (or doesn’t care to hurry). If he’s started blasting diarrhoea again, make sure he’s definitely getting his pills and not spitting them out 5 mins later where you can’t see?
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Nov 22, 2022 08:21
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Oh no, what you described sounds like it could lead to a litter tray aversion forming. I've had it happen with urination with one of my guys who had multiple painful urinary blockages until we got him on a food that worked, basically they associate the litter tray with pain and become wary or scared of going there. I've managed to get my averse guy peeing either in a bucket, the shower, the bathtub or a tray with no litter, and if I am not quick he will get in the kitchen sink and pee there too. He's been creative with finding new "clean" places to go because he is very very fussy about being clean, but he prefers to pee while I'm watching because it helps him feel safe. He usually tells me via insistent begging meows if he wants me to watch him pee. Anyway with your guy, it sounds like it hurt too much for him to finish the thought of getting to the tray so hopefully its that and aversion hasn't formed yet (and getting his medication and food sorted should help). In the longer term if he becomes averse it might be necessary to move or disguise or change the tray so his fear isn't triggered. Now that you know what the howl means, you might have to grab him and help him to the tray, and provide reassurance if you can, too. Not practical for all hours of the day but hopefully he has some kind of normal timing on when he goes. Not sure if a pill pocket that is probably designed to be tasty is necessarily suitable for an IBD diagnosed cat, especially if you're noticing it having a stinky effect - this site has some alternative ideas to try for getting pills into an IBD cat https://www.ibdkitties.net/tips-tricks/
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Nov 22, 2022 17:47
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Not a vet but my cat had multiple struvite crystal blockages without ever being fed fish. Thought it was more about ensuring liquid intake, and urine acidity, we used C/D and raw kangaroo meat at first and now C/D and royal canin food. I have adopted a new cat! I’ve had him about a day and I’ve noticed what looks a lot like an abscess on his back heel. Swollen bald looking spot with a scab in the middle. Can’t get him to the vets until Monday, my gut says to pull the scab off and let the wound drain / flush it with saline, but would it be better to leave it and wait for access to antibiotics? This looks like a days old wound that was not spotted by the previous owner and has been festering quietly. Edit: managed to get the edge of the scab up, no squirt of pus so the abscess is probably already encapsulated or whatever happens. Foot (or lower leg I guess, toes are not involved) itself looks horrible, discoloured and swollen, worse than last night; cat has trouble weight bearing which is also worse than yesterday but also seems to have decent appetite and enjoys attention so I am guessing isn’t feeling too awful yet. I found a sticky spot on the belly and on his bed so the wound has weeped a bit by itself, definitely needs vet attention and I hate having to wait… actually just managed to get booked in for an emergency appointment 15 mins from now, thank gently caress! More edit: Surgery for I/D is booked for Monday, Dusty the new cat has had a shot of antibiotics. I am so glad I didn't leave it, by the time I got to the vets the foot looked even more black and swollen and now he has something in his system to fight it and make him more comfortable. Advice to myself: trust your gut and don't put things off. I hate to think how bad it would have gotten by Monday, untreated. It's scary how fast that went downhill. Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Nov 26, 2022 |
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Nov 26, 2022 05:03
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I'm feeling pretty horrible today. We ran out of digestive enzymes which have been helping my elderly cat keep his food down. The usual chemist/pharmacy also seems to have none in stock. The other pharmacy in town doesn't have any in stock either (and doesn't open until Monday anyway). The supermarket doesn't have any in stock, only available online. I bought some online but after they took my money, I find shipping won't get here UNTIL MARCH. I feel like I've let my little buddy down, he is going to starve to death and coat my house in puke while he does it. But also it probably wasn't unreasonable for me to expect to be able to easily get my hands on more of the stuff. I'm considering mixing pineapple juice in with his food, or meat tenderiser (too much salt probably). I really don't know what else to do. He's already eating royal canin recovery which I'm assuming is about as easy to digest as possible for prepared food, is there anything else that is easily digestible (like egg?) that I could try to supplement with? He hasn't been specifically diagnosed with anything on the digestive front, just some bloodwork picked up that his pancreas probably isn't working very well, the enzymes really helped, and the vet (quite rightly in my opinion) hasn't really been interested in further invasive investigation since he has a big inoperable fibrosarcoma and is 19 years old so what is the point of putting him through anything further. I just want him to be as comfortable as possible until the end, which until now has included being able to eat without vomiting.
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Feb 18, 2023 11:37
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Nourex brand digestive enzymes OR NutraLyfe brand seems exactly equivalent. I've been using those because they cover protease, lipase, amylase, and have extra plant based enzymes as well which are probably less useful for a cat. I'm in regional Australia so there isn't much variety or choice.
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Feb 18, 2023 18:20
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I’ve got two thyroid boys now, both around 16 years old. They are on carbimazole which metabolises into methimazole, which means it’s a lot less nasty to handle. One is on 5mg carbimazole x2 and the other only gets 5mg a day split into 2, we tried him on 1.5 tablets but a blood test showed that was too much. We give them a lick of cheese spread, then give the tablet with a pill applicator and then another lick of cheese spread once the pill is swallowed. This method has resulted in both cats lining up and begging for their pills each morning although the evening pill they are slightly less excited. We weren’t given the option for radiation therapy but I believe this is because there is no local facility and the associated cost, not because it is a bad option. The vet used the gel for his own cat that didn’t tolerate taking tablets but he didn’t seem to be a big fan of that and recommended it only as a last resort. Both cats have regained weight, one has become more confident and friendly, the other one had diarrhea which has cleared up as soon as his thyroid levels were corrected. The process involved getting a blood test after being on the initial dosage, then adjusting dosage as necessary and another blood test to confirm correct results, these blood tests weren’t cheap but the tablets themselves are very inexpensive for a pack of 100.
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Mar 12, 2023 04:26
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I should post an update on my digestive enzyme cat too - i tried pineapple juice in his food and that seemed to work to help him keep it down, and my partner knew of another chemist in town and found some digestive enzymes there so in the end it wasn’t so bad and there were only a couple of spews to clean up. And now I have a decent supply of enzymes and shouldn’t run out again.
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Mar 12, 2023 04:31
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samcarsten posted:I'm currently dogsitting for my sister. She has a 16 year old Husky. The dog can barely stand, can't walk on a hardwood floor because its back legs go out, has to go out every two hours or she poops herself, can't eat after 5pm because she'll poop herself in her sleep and is senile. How do I tell my sister it's probably time to put down her dog she loves so much? You can't go wrong with this kind of reality check quality of life list https://www.lapoflove.com/how-will-i-know-it-is-time/lap-of-love-quality-of-life-scale.pdf - it's been really valuable for me with my end-of-life weeks not months remaining cat. His tumor is huge but it doesn't hurt him and he is friendly and more functional than he appears at first glance. I don't have to rely on my gut feeling or lie to myself about where we are. It's going to be a tough conversation if she is not ready but maybe it will come across better from a third party than directly from you?
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May 8, 2023 20:15
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Thwomp posted:Am I facing the most difficult decision already? After going through the “is it time yet” experience with my 19 year old cat with inoperable cancer I will always recommend this https://www.lapoflove.com/how-will-i-know-it-is-time/lap-of-love-quality-of-life-scale.pdf to help you assess how things are going. It made a big difference for me and when it was time we really knew it was time. We had something like 9 more months with my buddy before things changed and we knew his quality of life had shifted. I don’t know about the specifics of your dogs situation but my mums arthritis flares up and settles down and she has pain relief to help her keep mobile during the bad times. I hope the checklist helps you work out what to do next.
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Sep 15, 2023 05:14
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If frontline isn’t killing fleas try revolution, I had neighbours with chickens which ended up with my cats getting big chicken fleas which frontline couldn’t touch. I do think the different brands use different chemicals which helps for resistant fleas. Are you actually still seeing fleas though? I use a fine toothed metal flea comb to survey my cats for fleas, so if you have anything like that it can help to check if the flea treatment worked. Also dark flea poop is more of a giveaway than bumps as a sign of fleas. That spot above the tail can get pretty greasy and be a bit acne prone so it isn’t necessarily anything to do with fleas, it could be stud tail. Putting salt and baking powder paste on a cat just sounds like a bad idea to me and could make things worse. The pills from last year could have been antibiotics to help against cat acne. I think it’s worth a trip to the vet to make sure.
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Oct 19, 2023 06:52
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My male neutered cat Ziggy who is nearly 3 has just pooped out 4 standard looking turds but also a dollop of darkish red blood. He’s had diarrhoea on and off ever since we swapped him from kitten/youth food to adult food and he currently eats a mix of wet Hills i/d and stolen hills c/d or k/d food and some royal canin renal biscuits, with some stinky fish meal topper. I had a good look for any foreign objects in the turds because he is a chewer and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ate something dumb. Didn’t find anything. The poops themselves were well formed but fairly soft - compared to some of the poo he’s done it was a lot more normal looking. It looked like the blood was the last thing that came out after the fecal matter, the very end of the poop caboose was more soft and wet with blood. He had blood on his butthole too but that wiped off leaving no external sign of injury. Doesn’t look like his anal glands have any issues. His appetite is fine and his attitude is fine, after leaving the blood poop in the tray he immediately ran off and started playing with one of the other cats and I had to chase him down to make sure he didn’t dab blood donuts all over the floor. I’m thinking it could still be some kind of food intolerance that hasn’t settled down yet, although this is the first time I’ve seen blood in his poop. I have some royal canin digest sensitive left over from my now departed elderly cat which I could also try him on. In a multi cat house hold it can be a bit difficult managing food separation, but he isn’t super food motivated so I think it could be possible to control what he eats. Lastly he is an indoor/cat run only cat, but lizards and bugs still end up in the cat run and have recently ended up in Ziggy’s stomach. He has recently had a dose of Revolution plus. Just spitballing for ideas, is there any other reason for blood in poop that would warrant a vet visit or should I just tighten his dietary choices to only the sensitive type food and just watch how his next poop turns out? He doesn’t seem at all unwell or out of sorts. I took a picture of the poop if that helps.
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Oct 22, 2023 23:03
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Seems unlikely considering dosage is usually by weight and you probably weigh a lot more than your cat.
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Jan 11, 2024 16:08
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I’m reminded that I posted here about my cats foul bowel so here is an update, I switched him to Royal Canin Digestive wet food since I had a couple of boxes left from my elderly cat who passed last year, and that pretty much immediately improved the smell and texture of his stool. Took it a bit further with some z/d hypoallergenic dry food and that got him to the point of producing normal stools. Once he got through that bag I’ve tried him on only Royal Canin digestive wet and dry since that is more readily available but that has resulted in going back to 75/25 solid/loose stools although I have not seen blood or mucus since removing fish from his diet and the smell has stayed more normal smelling (for a cat turd at least). At some point in this process I came across some patches of pinpoint scabs on his skin while grooming so that also points to food sensitivity to me. I’ve got another bag of z/d coming and hopefully that will get his guts settled down again. Not sure if there is anything different I can do in the long term but he seems perfectly happy with the new food.
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Jan 12, 2024 01:55
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| # ¿ May 8, 2024 16:28 |
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Not a vet, but I have a 17 year old food averse kidney failure cat who is on a vet prescribed renal diet and his appetite improved a lot once he was put on “fortekor flavour” (I am not sure what that drug actually does). My vets theory was that it would take pressure off his kidneys, help him feel less nausea which would get him to start eating again. As well as that, the additive that they use to make the pill palatable seems to be extremely attractive to my fussy cat so I use it as an appetiser before his main meal. He now hoes into his food with a lot more enthusiasm. I don’t know if you will be able to get anything like that prescribed without blood work being done. Also I think if your cat is gaining weight you’re doing a good job with getting her to eat and it is not beneficial to anyone if you become traumatised around weighing and feeding food. It’s hard but I think you’re already doing your best!
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Apr 2, 2024 09:47
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