When is it time for that last trip to the vet?

[spinbaby]

We have a cat who's been declining--she's hyperthyroid and taking medication, but mainly she's just very, very old. I just made another appointment with the vet for another round of bloodwork and pill adjustment. Then I took a really good look at Matilda. She's still eating and getting around but she's also totally emaciated--we can't keep weight on her no matter what we do with her thyroid medication--and she's feeling badly enough that she's stopped grooming herself. Frankly, she looks like hell and probably feels like hell. I'm beginning to think that it's time to think about putting her down. How do you make that decision? How do you know when it's time? Every other time we've made this decision it's been an obvious case of cancer and we had a very sick cat on our hands.

[MissHoneychurch]

1. I would say

if you have the feeling that your cat doesn't hs a living worth live anymore. If you feel she is more in pain then anything else or she isn't herself anymore. I would say a cat not grooming herself anymore is a strong sign.
I know it is a very hard decision. But if you love your cat - and I am sure you do - you will make the right decision.

:hug:

[Rowdyboy]

2. Wish there was something I could say to help....

Go with your gut, thats all you can do. Its such a nightmarish decision to make.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Agreed.

[kedrys]

4. We went through the same thing last year

Marble lost so much weight all of a sudden, and kept hiding from the other cats, I knew that the last time I took her to the vet, she wouldn't come home. As much as it broke my heart (and I'm not over it by a long shot - it's been just over a year and I'm crying as I write this), it was the best thing to do for her. She was almost 15 and had a very good life (and quality of life) before her sudden decline; it was time to let her rest.

I'm very sorry you're having to consider doing the same with Matilda :hug:. I don't know what else to say.

[kwassa]

5. When she no longer purrs

I don't mean to be flip, but it is the external sign of contentment, and the sign that shows me that the cat can still be happy at all. It sounds like your cat is close to the end; the grooming thing is one of the last to go. The emaciation is often from kidney failure, common in old cats.

I have decided to put two cats down over the years. The first died in his sleep overnight before I could go to the vets. The second died on the table at the vets before the shot could be administered, so she died naturally, too. I also went to the vet with a friend to put her cat down, and watched the process, which simply looks like the cat falling asleep right after the shot.

[spinbaby]

8. She still purrs

And often seems quite happy. I don't think she's in pain. She's just very, very skinny and tired. My husband says he's afraid to pick her up for fear of breaking her.

[bertha katzenengel]

6. It's hard to say in this impersonal forum... but from what I read above,

it may be time. Think of the kitty, spinbaby. Do you believe she is suffering? It is not inhumane to put a hurting animal down. And you know the vet will let you hold her while she goes on her way, right?

Bless you. :hug:

[AirmensMom]

7. This sounds really strange, but ours "told" us.

I woke up one morning and Sesame just looked at me as if to say, "I don't want to do this any longer." When I called my husband, he said he saw the same thing, but didn't tell me b/c he wanted to see if I saw it too. It's very hard to explain. I think the answer is that you'll know when you get that look.

:hug:

[kwassa]

9. Mine did the same thing

The one that died on the table on the vets.

I had to wait until after work to take her in, but she literally gave me the look in the morning, and waited all day in the same spot for me to come back to her. I knew what she was trying to tell me. When I took her in, it was scary to hold her, as she was so wasted away, almost like bones covered with fur.

[WolverineDG]

10. is she sleeping under the bed

or out of the way places? has she stopped eating or drinking water, even when you bring it to her? i had to put one of my babies to sleep this past summer, and she "told" me by crawling under the bed & not coming out. a couple of days before that, she was still going around the house some, looking for me, wanting to sleep on the bed with me or sit with me while i was on the computer. once she stopped doing that, plus not eating or drinking water, i knew her body was shutting down. it didn't make it any easier, though.

if you are getting the feeling from her that she's tired & in pain, it might be time to let her go.
:hug:

dg