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eppur_se_muova

(36,259 posts)
Fri Feb 25, 2022, 09:30 PM Feb 2022

Little Zoey is no more. She hung on for longer than expected but it was ultimately her time.

Last edited Mon Feb 28, 2022, 09:37 AM - Edit history (1)

She had been eating poorly lately and getting very weak. Her health really collapsed in just a few days. I took her to the vet today and she could not even stand up when we got home. Her kidneys are failing fast and there is not much we can do. She has not eaten at all today, and can barely move now. If I had gotten her to the vet even a few hours sooner I might have decided to put her to sleep today, she has so little life left, but I had taken her home and the vet had closed for the day by the time I fully realized just how frail she is. She was still walking around under her own power yesterday, and jumping up on the counter a few days before that. Now she falls over when she tries to stand. I doubt very much if she'll survive the night.

Her human mama has not been able to able to hold her on her lap lately due to her own health problems and now Zoey is leaving this world without even her favorite human cuddling her. I wish I could do more for her but she is strictly a mama's cat.


ETA: Zoey, to our amazement, survived the night, but she will not eat or drink. I am starting to regret not leaving her at the vet's over the weekend. I just had to make a decision in too little time and didn't want to do anything drastic without talking to Mother. Now it may be too late. I'm just hoping she can survive one more day, so we can get her to the vet's on Monday.

There are emergency vets around here, but they charge $$$$ and Mother and I cannot afford it -- her SSI is our only income. I may contact one anyway and see if there's not *something* we can do tomorrow.

Thanks to all for continued good vibes and hope. There is no good time to deal with something like this, but it suddenly happened while Mother is getting medical treatment 3-4 times a week and I am just exhausted. And then the crisis came to a head on a Friday afternoon, which just made it worse. I know worse things have happened (and are happening) to others but I feel just awful seeing how helpless little Zoey is, and I can't seem to do anything to help. If she is still alive Monday we will have to decide whether to attempt treatment (Dr. is not encouraging on this) or put her to sleep.


ETA: I was torn between hoping she would survive until I could get her back to the vet and hoping she would die peacefully without more suffering. She hung on until late Sunday evening, raising our hopes that she would make it to Monday, but passed away in her sleep overnight. She slept in Mother's room, tucked under her bed so she wouldn't try to crawl away and hide again, as close to her favorite human as we could arrange. From midday Friday she hadn't eaten a thing, or drunk any water, or used her litter box. She wasn't even incontinent -- I think she just had nothing left. She scarcely moved a muscle Sat or Sun, and seemed to be almost catatonic. Here eyes were open but I never saw her blink. Only a few times did she ever move a paw or her head. She might well have been unconscious the whole time.

RIP, Zoey. She was loved by her humans, and she loved her human momma like no cat I've ever seen. She spent most of her waking hours over the last years of her life in Mother's lap, or resting on her shoulder. She wasn't even my own cat, but I miss her terribly already.

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Little Zoey is no more. She hung on for longer than expected but it was ultimately her time. (Original Post) eppur_se_muova Feb 2022 OP
So so sorry...that's tough! PortTack Feb 2022 #1
It's hard losing a fur baby. revmclaren Feb 2022 #2
I'm so sorry. You all are surrounded by love and she knows it. CurtEastPoint Feb 2022 #3
So sad for you Rebl2 Feb 2022 #4
Commercial cat foods r Not their friends. alittlelark Feb 2022 #8
So sorry to hear this SheltieLover Feb 2022 #5
Sending hugs and good vibes. KarenS Feb 2022 #6
It may be a few days - not ness hours. alittlelark Feb 2022 #7
I'm so sorry. brer cat Feb 2022 #9
My baby had bad kidneys for years BigmanPigman Feb 2022 #10
I feel that sometimes, too. It is comforting love. Losing my Ziggy was the worst day of my life. Ziggysmom Feb 2022 #13
About a week after she died BigmanPigman Feb 2022 #15
Sending you Chicagogrl1 Feb 2022 #11
I'm very sorry. It's always so hard. sinkingfeeling Feb 2022 #12
My Carny, born with defective kidneys, takes potassium and something for choline every day. He's Karadeniz Feb 2022 #14
Holding you all in love and light. niyad Feb 2022 #16
That is exactly what happened to my Zoey AwakeAtLast Feb 2022 #17
Thanks for the kind thoughts. I will post some pix of the late Zoey when I can go through my photos. eppur_se_muova Feb 2022 #18

Rebl2

(13,492 posts)
4. So sad for you
Fri Feb 25, 2022, 09:50 PM
Feb 2022

I have had three cats die from kidney failure and a couple of friends have experienced this with their cats as well. Why are cats so vulnerable to kidney failure? I wish I knew the answer.😢

alittlelark

(18,890 posts)
7. It may be a few days - not ness hours.
Fri Feb 25, 2022, 10:09 PM
Feb 2022

She is TIRED. It is time for her to move on, but her Body tries to keep her going.

My housemates cat, Sal went the same way. It took two days of tiredness and trying to move from place to place sometimes. At the end she went outside - very slowly -for a few hours, We just played periphery. She munched some grass, we thought she had died.... but then she got up and crawled under his bed. She died a couple of hours later.

We played solfeggio tones for cats for the last day or so.

I have lost Many Fur babies, but this was actually beautiful and I felt honored to be there. She had lived a long happy life.

If u have anything thaat smells like her 'Mama' put it next to her.

Remember - this as natural a process as birth.

brer cat

(24,559 posts)
9. I'm so sorry.
Fri Feb 25, 2022, 10:32 PM
Feb 2022

It is terribly painful to see our beloved pets go totally down. I agree with the suggestion upthread that you put something that has her Mama's scent near her to give her some comfort.

I hope she passes peacefully.

BigmanPigman

(51,584 posts)
10. My baby had bad kidneys for years
Fri Feb 25, 2022, 11:06 PM
Feb 2022

But at the end of her life they finally failed her and within a few days she stopped drinking water and couldn't even stand up. The animal care person came to my home to help in sending her on her way to the next level where she is waiting for me to join her. I have been heart broken since. Sometimes she still visits me, usually when I am in between sleep and awake. That seems to be the same thing a lot of animal parents have experienced. Seeing her, hearing her, etc. It is comforting and not spooky.

Ziggysmom

(3,406 posts)
13. I feel that sometimes, too. It is comforting love. Losing my Ziggy was the worst day of my life.
Sat Feb 26, 2022, 12:37 AM
Feb 2022

Sometimes in that very early morning sleep/wake time I feel and hear him.
I will ask him to meet little Zoey when her time comes. Hugs and love to all the fur babies and us people who really love them.

BigmanPigman

(51,584 posts)
15. About a week after she died
Sat Feb 26, 2022, 02:06 AM
Feb 2022

I was trying to nap (emotionally exhausted) and I had the clearest "dream" of my life. It was as real as it gets. I looked down by my feet and my little girl was there. I was thrilled and bent down to scoop her up and as I straightened up I saw my dad. He had died suddenly 1 1/2 years earlier. I said, "Look Dad, Spike's back!" but as soon as I said it I realized she couldn't be back since my dad was there and they both immediately disappeared. I take that as a sign that my dad is taking care of her until I join them. I can't wait.

Karadeniz

(22,506 posts)
14. My Carny, born with defective kidneys, takes potassium and something for choline every day. He's
Sat Feb 26, 2022, 01:21 AM
Feb 2022

about 7 now. He's also fed canned Sci Di.for kidneys. I wonder if there's still time to support Zoey's renal failure. Do you have an emergency vet nearby? Believe me, I know how you're feeling.

AwakeAtLast

(14,124 posts)
17. That is exactly what happened to my Zoey
Sat Feb 26, 2022, 12:26 PM
Feb 2022

She was 14. I couldn't hold her when she passed because she wouldn't go! As long as I was holding her she was happy, but I knew she was suffering. I had to say goodbye and put her in the garage ( in her blanket).

I'm so sorry, it's hard to lose those special fur babies.

eppur_se_muova

(36,259 posts)
18. Thanks for the kind thoughts. I will post some pix of the late Zoey when I can go through my photos.
Mon Feb 28, 2022, 09:48 AM
Feb 2022

Sadly, they are mostly older pix, and I'm not even sure I have one of Zoey by herself. I used to used a 35mm SLR but I have not adapted to digital photography well. I need to work out a way to organize my photos and keep them safely backed up and archived (I have dupes of most of my photos, but poorly organized, and not methodical about backups).

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