My cat's dying...

[4_Legs_Good]

hyperthyroid and kidney failure. She's heading to the hospital for massive infusion of fluids (3 day treatment), but apparently her numbers are off the chart and they don't think she'll make it. She's lost a lot of weight the past few weeks.

11 years old in 2 days.

She was hugely overweight the past several years - 18 lbs+. The last year she's had tons of problems. She's also got really bad joints that click often when she walks, and she's in a horrible mood 90% of the time.

We were hoping she'd at least make it another year, but now it doesn't look hopeful.

Gawd, I hate sick animals, and I hate when their deaths are drawn out and I ***HATE*** more than anything the thought of having to make a decision as to whether or not to have her put to sleep.

And how to explain it to the 2.5 year old human. And what will Albert's sister do? They've been together for 11 years, and she doesn't like the little upstart 5 year old kitten much.

Damn, I hate death.

david

[Biased Liberal Media]

1. I'm sorry to hear this

No advice on how to explain it to the kiddo. :( Just a lot of sympathy from me.

:hug:

[4_Legs_Good]

6. Thanks...

I'm kinda in shock. I guess I've been expecting it for a while though.

bleh

david

[flamingyouth]

2. I'm very sorry

I lost two cats last year. One of them, Tiffany, was like a mother to Hepburn, who has never been the same since.

I'm sorry for what your family is going through. :hug:

[4_Legs_Good]

9. Thank you

for the sympathy. Bleh. We're having a baby within the month too.

Not a good time, and I feel horrible, but I kinda have to admit that if she's going to die that she does before the hell of the first 3 months of babyhood.

Gawd, I feel horrible admiting that. I do hope more than anything, though, that she can pull through!

david

[flamingyouth]

13. I didn't know you were having another baby

This is all a lot to deal with. What you said is not a horrible thing to admit, and I guess the best thing to say in this situation is that when animals become ill like this, they often leave us quickly.

Peace to you all. :hug:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. I'm so sorry

:-(

It's so hard losing a member of your family, and I have no advice on how to explain that to a child. Take care!! :hug:

[yvr girl]

4. I remember the day my pet died

in an 'out of body' way. I can still see the whole thing. I was a bit older though (10).

Death is never fun.

:hug:

[ewagner]

5. Sorry for what you're going through

Seems to be a lot of this happening to cat people today...I think this is the third one I've seen.

About the 2.5 year old...unless he/she is very, very precocious, I wouldn't get into the detail of the adults having to make "the decision". A simple "Cat died" or some variation is going to be hard enough to deal with at the moment...when they get older they'll understand....

so sorry for your loss

[4_Legs_Good]

11. Thanks

Yeah, he has no real experience with death yet, so this is the first one. We certainly won't get into the choice part, if we have to make it. I guess he knows she's been sick for a while, but I hope to God it doesn't mean that whenever anyone gets sick he'll be afraid they're going to die.

They're sooooo impressionalbe...

david

[SoCalDem]

30. He may actually surprise you

at his age it's more like.."here and 'not' here"..

When we lost pets whenh our boys were young, we just told them that animals do not live a long time like humans do (that's importnat or the next time YOU are sick, it might bother him), and even though they look young, they are not.. Then just tell him that kitty is with all the other kitties who got old and died.. That way he can imagine a place where kitties are all hanging out together..

When the boys were older, we had little "services" for them and we buried them in the back yard.:(

It's never easy...for any of us.. We have 3 older cats that are like energizer bunnies, but we know their time is coming, and it always makes us sad to think of life without them :(

:hug:s to you :(

[kodi]

7. my sympathies.

i am going thru a bad time too with my 12 year old dog, kodi.

a pet as more than property.

[salin]

8. So very sorry to hear this

very hard to watch a beloved pet decline. Will be in a simillar situation before too long. Already spend a lot of "soulful" time with my old pup (that is - intentional loving time, knowing there may not be much time left.)

Peace be with you, Albert's sister, your little one, and even the 'up start kitten' through this.

:hug:

[mike6640]

10. so sorry.

I have had a few pets 'go' on me in my life, and it is always hard to say goodbye. It seldom matters how much the poor thing was falling apart, they are family members.

condolences.

M

[grasswire]

12. maybe.......

...considering what used to be called your "delicate" condition (congratulations!) another family member could take over the task of making that decision and the arrangements for you. That would be a gracious gift to a very pregnant mother. And I'm sure there must be a children's book dealing with pet death.

I've lost three elder cats in the last 14 months. It's never easy. That's our price for taking in short-lived critters to love.

[4_Legs_Good]

17. That would be nice...

but kinda difficult. We'll just have to see how things go, I suppose.

Yeah on the short-lived part. Next time I'm getting a parrot or a freaking sea-turtle.

I had two adorable bunnies die a couple years ago and that just about killed me. 4 years simply is not enough time to get attached to somebody just to have them taken away.

All my pets that have died (3) have done so on their own. I've never had to put any to sleep. Well, we'll see.

Thanks again.

david

[ET Awful]

14. I'm sorry to hear it :(

Poor kitty. Be extra special nice to her and giver her lots of chin and belly rubs and catnip. Poor girl.

:cry: I feel so bad for sick kitties :(

[bigwillq]

15. So sorry to hear the bad news!

Hopefully, she'll go quickly so that she won't have to suffer anymore.
That's the best I can take out of this horrible situation.:hug:

[solinvictus]

16. I'm sorry for you...

I had to have my 12 year old buddy put to sleep last year for dementia. We hate to lose our little ones.

[flvegan]

18. Sorry, man. This sucks.

But, she's counting on you to make the proper, albeit possibly very tough decision. You'll do the best thing for her, I'm sure.

[MissMarple]

19. It's hard, but it sounds like it's time.

:hug: I'm so sorry. I always hate when this happens.

[WI_DEM]

20. I'm very sorry

My cat is 18 and is a member of my family and when her time comes it will be very hard. Lots of people are thinking of you and your kitty.

[Calliope]

21. I am so sorry

I've lost several animals over the years. The first time I waited too long and she suffered more than she had to. Don't make that mistake. For your child check out a book by Judith Viorst that is called Ten Good Things About Barney, (or something similar)

[4_Legs_Good]

22. Thanks everyone, and a quick update...

My sincere thanks to everyone. Your kind thoughts are very much appreciated.

Just a quick update... we got her to the hospital and the doc said it was pretty bad but not hopeless and has a good sounding program for her and fluids for the next 3 days, other tests, etc. $1,300ish is the estimate (Santa Barbara, you know). We'll see how she responds to this. If it doesn't seem to help a lot, we're really gonna have to think about what's next.

At least she's had a good life, and who knows, maybe we'll get lucky. I've been kinda trying to steel myself for this with her for almost a year, so I'm not quite as emotional about it as I might have expected.

Still, bleh all around and timing, as ever, is horrible.

Thanks again to everyone!

david

[Madrone]

27. My eldest cat was recently diagnosed w/ kidney failure as well.

Utterly heart wrenching. At 12, I figure he should have another 10 years minimum left in him as an indoor cat. It seems terribly unfair his kidneys will take him before that.

So far, I'm lucky in that the only indication there's something wrong is extreme weight loss. None of the other tell-tale symptoms seem to have manifested yet. I'm okay unless I think about it in depth - what it *means* - and what life will be like without Othello. It finally hit me a week ago - and I don't remember when I've sobbed like that before.

It's horrible, and you have my deepest sympathies and empathy.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

29. I'm sorry

It's so hard to watch our furry friends suffering, and it's hard to make the "final" decision. I hope everything works out with minimal pain for kitty (and for you).

[non sociopath skin]

35. Sorry to hear about your troubles, David.

Our old Ginger fella Buster had the same problems. We went for thyroid removal and treatment and he got six months more quality time. Do what you think's right. She'll let you know when it's time to go.

Best Wishes. Be strong.
The Skin

[serryjw]

38. After losing Einstein yesterday, I know how you feel

Try to remember to do the right thing for the animal. Part of life is dying, that's just the way it is.It hurts very badly, I'll miss Einstein terribly. I know he had a wonderful 16 years and that's what you live with and go on.
Let your 2 1/2 year old write a tetter or draw a pic to say good bye to her pet. Learning early in life to celebrate life is an important lesson. Don't shelter her from the passing, let her cry. It's healthy. It means she loved and will love again.

[Zuni]

23. I am deeply sorry

I lost a cat I had for 16 years a few years ago and it was terrible. God Bless you and your family, and your beloved kitty.
If you need to talk, PM me.

:hug:

[Not_Giving_Up]

24. I am sorry for you

I had to have a 14 year old Siamese put down two years ago due to intestinal cancer. I know it's rough.

:hug:

[tammywammy]

25. I'm so sorry

I remember the first (and only so far) time we had to put a cat down.

It was heart breaking, so I really feel for you at this time. :cry:

I've heard that with cats that are close, you need to let the living one see the animal that's passed on. Otherwise, they think they're just missing, and don't understand that they've passed on.

My dearest sympathies again.

:hug:

[regnaD kciN]

26. I try to remind myself...

...that it's a good thing that cats have a shorter lifespan than humans, because it makes it less likely that they might find themselves without anyone to care for them if their owner were to die.

It's awful hard to think about things like that, though, when a four-footed family member is about to take their leave from you. I've gone through it far too often (Sonya 1985, Matagot 1986, Katong 1994, Panda 1996, Bartholomew 1997, Tari 2004), and it's always devastating.

:hug:

[thinkingwoman]

28. so sorry about your kitty

I know how hard that is.

[Vektor]

31. I'm sorry...

This is truly sad. My heart goes out to you.

[Peter Frank]

32. Joanna & I had to make this call...

...last summer. I was going to be the strong one, but when the time came -- I bawled like baby.

Do what you have to do & live with the results as they come. I hate it for you, but you will grow from this experience.

[Piperay]

33. I'm so sorry ...

it's so hard to lose pets, they are truly beloved members of the family. :hug:

[displacedtexan]

34. Sad news.

Losing a pet is so hard.

Please know that we are all thinking of you during this sad time.

[RebelOne]

36. My deepest sympathy

I know how heartbreaking it is to lose a beloved pet. It's like losing a child. But at least you know that you gave her a loving home during her time here.

[Rhiannon12866]

37. I am so very sorry. I have been through this, myself.

And I was just at the vet's, today, with my dog. I only have one suggestion, alternative medicine. My vet offers both, but I have friend in California who took his cat to an alternative practitioner because he sounded as desperate as you do. But still have your regular vet on board with this. My traditional vet sent me there, with my beloved cat. And I really do know what you're going through. My little dog broke my heart because he missed his sister so much, when we lost her. They really do have relationships. He loved her so much. Let us know how you're doing, and about your lovely kitty. I know that this is just the worst.;(