cat really poorly, not long left i fear

our lovely family cat tilly is almost 12 years old, we recently noticed her getting extra furballs, her purr was a little heavier and she had not been as active, she was feeding ok but suddenly over 3 to 4 days hardly ate a thing and barely moved

hoping it was just a mouth infection or something similar we took her to the vets on the the 23rd of this month, he said there was a little heart murmer, gave her a couple of booster jabs and some food, brought her home, she ate some food straightaway and we were thrilled but then nothing again apart from a spoonful of yoghurt and sips of water

took her back on the 26th for the vet to do some tests, all bloods clear, chest ok, the only thing they spotted was that the trachea is out of line which they think was to do with an enlarged heart due to a hole in the heart or a leaking valve

tilly still not eating, tried the syringe with watered down food, not even looking at fish, yoghurts etc just backing away, like she has given up, takes sips of water every now and then and usually only when we wet her mouth with the water first, wont lick anything off her paw

should we prepare for the worst, she is getting weak now but can cats pick up afetr a while, she is drinking some amounts of water but i fear not enough

vet not suggesting we can do anything else

our girls are distraught at the thought of their tilly going to heaven

 

I am really sorry for what you and your family are going through.
It does sound like it might be her time, Some animals eat right up till the day of passing, Some stop eating altogether.

I would get a second opinion just incase the next vet finds something the first one has missed.

Its a hard time when our animals are ill even though we do everything to try and get them well again.

Animals that do not eat and drink for a few days start to get weak and dehydrated very quickly.

upper respiratory infection can cause an animal to stop eating because if they can not smell they do not know its food even if its put under there nose.
Dental problems, Bowel problems and urinary infections can all cause an animal to stop eat and drinking..

Sorry i could not be of more help

Mike

 

Sorry to hear about Tilly

Hello,

So sorry to hear about Tilly. I have three cats and I know from experience that not eating is a bad sign. I just lost my favorite cat Sassy to a second stroke at the age of 8 years. My suggestions is trying the forced feeding again with some tuna water. My cat would eat that along with a small amount of Fancy Feast pate type food. If it is her time please provide love and care so that she may pass in comfort. I held Sassy all night when she lost her ablity to walk. I petted her face rubbed her fur and talked to her. She passed in arms that loved her. You will be glad you did it later. Allow your children to do so as well. Keep us informed on her please.

Kenimet

 

Hello. So sorry she is not well. The only advice I have is to maybe get a second opinion with another vet. Keep us posted. :cry:

 

thanks for taking the time to reply

i am not sure what to do really, two different vets are at the same practise have examined her, all the tests were clear apart from this trachea thing but i must admit i was a little surprised how they quickly brought in the euthanasia discussion

they did say however that she would not be in pain with this

she rests all day, she is still sipping water a good number of times during the day and she is passing water but can't tolerate anything else

she can walk a little and we were chuffed when she jumped, although only just, on to the sofa, when it's nice outside we pick her up and put her into the garden which she likes

at the moment i think i will just wait and see, if she is not in pain we are quite happy to look after a cat that rests all day but how long can she go without food and not be poorly with other things, are we being cruel by letting this carry on, it's about 7 days with hardly anything solid to eat

 

Similar problems with my cat

I'm glad you went to the Vet. My Vet never mentioned putting my cat to sleep, and he said I'd know if and when the time had came and I'm sure you will also. Only you really know your animals habits and behaviours.

My cat had a stroke and was recovering nicely when at around 10:30 one night she had a second and lost the ablity to walk. I knew then that it was time. I held her all night, rubbed her face, talked to her and let her know that she was loved. She passed about an hour before I would have done the right thing with a final Vet visit.

You will know also, just make sure you do it with love when it comes her time. You'll be so glad you did.

Kenimet

 

thanks for the post kenimet

i think you are right, it does not feel right at the moment but i must admit this morning when i saw her struggling to walk i had second thoughts

she is getting five lots of love at the moment from me and the girls but i am waivering now, i know the vet said the heart thing is not painful but i fear feeling this weak will be starting to hurt now

i think i will see over the next day or so but am now thinking of the next step

 

Hard , but the right thing

Sorry to hear she can't walk well now. The main thing is to not let her be in pain. Sassy was scared and distressed that she couldn't walk or move, it showed in her eyes. When she had the siezures she would stiffen up and seemed to be in pain. I had a beagle ( yep, I used to be a dog person ) that developed heart problems. She didn't seem to be in pain, but had siezure type activity which the Vet said was mild heart attacks.

Good luck and I'll be praying for Millie and you.

Kenimet

 

I am really sorry that things are not really improving.
I can't understand why people or any decent Vet would assume that heart problems do not hurt the animals yet imagen a human have a heart attack or angina attack this hurts and its the same for animals.

You will know when its time, I know what my heart would be telling me now but thats me.

Keep us update on any progress and my thoughts are with you, your family and Tilly

Mike

 

So sorry to hear that your fur baby is not doing well!! It is the hardest thing to watch your family member decline and you not know what to do for them. You are giving Tilly the best that you can give and all the love that she deserves!! I can only tell you that you will know when it is time.
My Patches passed in Aug and just by watching her I knew, the other animals knew (they all were right by her in the bedroom instead of out with us). She purred the whole time letting me know it was ok....

Hugs during this difficult time!! My thoughts are with you and your family and of course with Tilly!!

 

tilly had a really bad day on sunday, the decision was made then

the poor thing is exhausted now and we spoke to the vet today

i can't believe how making the decision on sunday has suddenly filled us with guilt and remorse knowing that we are deciding what is going to happen and when

my eldest girl, who is 13, was the reason we got tilly and has now suddenly realised the gravity of what has been happening, i think up til now she thought everything would just be ok

the sad thing is my partner finally told me why she chose tilly from the cattery all those years ago, she rang them and said to just bring the kitten nobody else wanted ! i never realised

tilly got an extra big cuddle and a few more tears

thank you for all your kind and very supportive words, before i first posted i read through a lot of posts and they/you are all inspirational

 

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm glad Tilly was loved so well during her life with you.

 

I'm so sorry.

 

I am soo sorry about Tilly!! You gave her the love and care she deserved!! Hang in there... She will always be with you...