Chicks On Lit discussion

Hey everyone....

my 18 year old cat was just diagnosed with the early stages of kidney failure. Aside from that terminal issue she's a healthy little girl and has been like a child to me for the 18 years that I've had her. This news yesterday was devastating although I had my suspicions for awhile now and I'm anxious to find someone who has been through this with one of their cats. I'm hoping that in a group this size someone out there may know what I'm going through?

If you can be of help to lend an ear to me and maybe some guidance as well please message me here on Goodreads and I'll give you my email address so we can correspond.

Thank you so very much for any help you can give me... it would be much appreciated.

Holli

I'm sorry Holli. I've not been thru it, but I have 2 cats, and I feel for you.

((((((((Holli))))))))

Thanks Laura.... It's been really hard to come to terms with it and find strength to get through it. I'm not there yet...

I'm sure it would be very hard. Animals are very much like family. I can imagine how you are feeling. This may sound strange, but a friend of mine recently lost a cat to cancer. She very strongly believes in animal communicators and was able to connect with her cat through one to get an idea of how she felt about the whole thing. This greatly eased her mind. Might be something to think about? Not sure how you feel about that, but this woman had saved this cat's life many years before by alerting my friend to a serious mold allergy she had that was making her very ill.

No one knew what was wrong with her but the communicator, through Elsa, did know. Elsa knew it was the rug that made her sick, and the rug had been cleaned and was put down very slightly damp, which was the source of the mold.

Hi Holli,

I went through that with my cat as well. He lived to be twenty and we decided to let him go without any kind of medical interventions. I know what you are starting to see and experience. As the vet probably told you, this is to be expected and is quite common in cats. My other cat only eight had issues with this as well which of course I couldn't believe since she was so much younger. The vet said it comes from the breeding and since there is so much interbreeding, it happens more frequently.

That being said, we did have our eldest cat with us for another two years (all told 20 years) and he had a happy life and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

Our third cat, a Persian, we lost at age six. We spent thousands of dollars trying to save him. Regretfully, he only lasted a month.

We love our animals so and I do think that in return we are well blessed by their presence in our lives. I hope your cat has many more years of being happy and making you so.
Marialyce

Laura, I firmly believe in all things of that sort and that's a great suggestion... thank you very much!

Marialyce... would it be ok if I contacted you on here? I would very much like to talk to you about your experiences with this....

I'm happy to hear that I will most likely have a couple of more years with her and I thank God for that.

I feel for you and your losses that you have gone through.... you sound as if you went through alot with your pets and I'm so very sorry.

I've been through the same thing with our cat as well Holli - she was 18 yo. I had her for 8 years before I married, then she watched my kids being born and growing up. She was very healthy until the last six months or so. She was having diminished kidney function, then stopped eating and drinking properly. We got her through some of the first stages with a carefully managed diet from the vet, including baby food. She perked up for a couple weeks, but eventually there wasn't much we could do. It was obvious she was suffering. It is heart breaking to watch. She got very sick on a Saturday and we had to call the vet at home, who helped us through putting her to sleep later that day. My husband, who was not a cat person, and had whined about getting a "package deal" when we got married, had become very attached to her. She was not the typical aloof feline. She was very affectonate. He was the one who stood in the parking lot and sobbed.

We have since had a darling wire haired terrier who also became very sick at 8 yo. A sudden onset of almost like a dog lukemia where the body starts attcking its own blood platlets and eventually the red blood cells. Hundreds of dollars later and only 10 days, we had to put him to sleep as well. Another case of heartbroken kids and husband.

Pets are a much beloved part of our family. It is hard sometimes to acknowledge that the best gift we can give them is to not be selfish enough to let them suffer. If you have not seen the books Cat Heaven and its companion Dog Heaven both by Cynthia Rylant they are well worth a look. There are some similar books out as well. They may be kids' books but I give them as gifts when close friends have lost a "family" member.

BTW - being military and moving alot, we couldn't bury our dear babies in base housing. So we had both pets cremated. They are here at home until perhaps they will go with one us someday! Sounds goofy but I'm very glad we did it.

I don't have cats. When we had dachshunds, one of our dachshunds started having back problems at 6 years old. We took him to the vet and he had surgery which was successful but he had to learn to walk again. We took him to "pet" therapy and he learned to walk again but he never regained control of his bladder. In the end, we adopted him out to a lady who takes care of dachshunds with back problems. He lived another 4 years.

Our other dachshund started having back problems at 6 years old and my parents didn't want to go through the emotional turnoil again. So he was put to sleep.
Now we have a healthy and energetic, 5 year old Soft coated Wheatin and a 1 year old hyper and energetic yorkiepoo.

Love those terriers Jayme. We have another wire haired fox name Bentley. He is 9 yo, but still terribly hyper and healthy. But then that is the nature of that breed isn't it!

Our Wheatin has such long legs. He has developed a thunder phobia. Now it has turned into rainstorms too. He runs up and down the hall and scratches on my mom's bedroom door wanting to snuggle in the bed.

I'm so sorry Holli, that's terrible! I've never been through anything like that, since I haven't really had a pet since I was a tiny girl, but I'll be thinking about you :o( After 18 years, that's gotta be so rough. I'll send my happy thoughts and positive energy your way.

Holli wrote: "Marialyce... would it be ok if I contacted you on here? I would very much like to talk to you about your experiences with this....

I'm happy to hear that I will most likely have a couple of mo..."


Absolutely, Holli!

I've just lost several cats recently. One of them I'd had for ten years. I miss her.

I completely understand what you're going through, and I'm sending positive vibes in your direction.

I went through the same thing with our family cat almost 3 years ago. I was with her for most of my life. I was born in July 1988, and my sister adopted her in November 1988, when she was just a little kitten. We had her for 19 years, she was a cute, affectionate, but sassy little cat. Shortly before she turned 19, we noticed that she had lost her appetite, so my sister took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with throat cancer. We kept her alive for another few months, and there were times when she had all of her energy back. But in the end, she was just suffering too much; before she had been diagnosed, she was a very robust 12 pound cat-- and towards the end, she was barely eating anything that she only weighed 8 pounds. We had to do what thought was right, and get her put down.

Losing her was really hard, especially since my sister and I were very attached to her. It is a lot like losing one of the family. As Nancy said, sometimes the best thing you can do, is to end their suffering as quickly as possible. And remember, there are so many animals in shelters that need good people to love and take care of them.

A few months after Mika had passed away, we adopted another cat. She's very playful, very social, and equally as pudgy as Mika. She's a calico, with gorgeous yellow eyes. Even though Mika will always be missed, the opportunity to adopt and fall in love with another animal is just so rewarding.

hugs and prayers for you Holli. I wish I had more to offer.

I'm so glad you still have some time with your cat! You are in my thoughts. My little animals have all been like family. They're companions and they cheer me up when I'm down. I'm so sorry you received such difficult news, hang in there. We're all here for you!

I'm so sorry Holli, I know how devastating this is. I went through this with my kitty, 17 year old Mr, back a couple of years ago (which you helped me though) and shortly after his diagnosis of diabetes (very odd for a cat his age per the vet and meant something else was going on), he went into kidney failure and cancer was found. It was the first time I had to make the decision to put a pet down and one of the most devastating things I've ever been through (along with his illness and decline). Hugs and love, we're here for you.

Holli, as a cat-mommy of 10 I know how precious each and every kitty is. I lost my Mathilda to heart disease 2 years ago (she was only 5) and even though I knew it was the right thing to do to end her suffering, it was devastating to say good-bye to her. With 10 cats ranging in age from 1 yr to 17 yrs the odds are pretty good that another one of them will receive a terminal diagnosis one day, and I'm dreading it. For now I give them all the loving care I can and enjoy each day with them (even when they are being bad kitties).

{{{{hugs}}}} to you and your kitty.

I have two cats and a dog. My oldest is showing some aging signs and I will have to take to the vet soon. I can't even imagine Holly, I am so sorry. I know how much you love your cat and all the wonderful pictures you have of her. Big hugs and if there is anything I can do or say.

Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to leave me a message and tell me your stories of the animals who you have loved as much as I love mine. I very much appreciate it.... you have no idea what that means to me! I feel alone right now with my concern for my cat and so I'm grateful to know you are all out there and have gone through what I'm going through...

Nancy, I have a specific question for you right now regarding the Rx diet... I haven't gone to get it yet... did it work well for your kitty? I'm afraid mine won't eat it....

Oh Holli! Loving thoughts and prayers sent your way.

My coworker's cat was just diagnosed with kidney failure. One of his kidneys is gone, the other is functioning at 30%. She and her husband have to give him liquid medicine every day as well as fluids under his skin every day. From her report, he has perked right back up and is back to himself. I think she has to give him special diet, too, but I'm not sure. I hope you are able to find something that works for you and your kitty and try to enjoy the time you have left. Our kitties really are so special!

Thanks Jennifer! I really appreciate you and your nice words... thank you so much! So far I don't have to give my cat the Sub Q IV treatments as she is still eating and drinking.... well, she eats really well for awhile and then she'll have her 3-4 day stretch where she just drinks the gravy out.. but that's still ok. She's maintaining her weight so far.

She had symptoms of a bladder infection last week and that's why I finally took her in. I had suspicions that it was due to kidney failure.... she's had some of the symptoms for about a year now... but I didn't want to face it. Once she got the bladder infection I couldn't ignore it any longer. She got an injectable antibiotic and she's doing much better on that front but I think it's made her lose her appetite.

Holli - this website has some great information. You have to scroll way down towards the bottom to get to the section on diets for dogs and cats with kidney failure. They discuss some interesting stuff about the pros and cons for low protein and low phosphorus diets. Also give some recommendations for both store bought and home made diets. I hope this gives you some information that is helpful. We got to the baby food point because she just didn't want to chew anything. I was literally spoon feeding her. She really perked up for a while, but eveutally you will probably know when your dear kitty has reached a limit. Blessings on your baby!

http://www.2ndchance.info/homemadedie...

(Sorry I was so slow - had to play three services today and have been at "work.")

http://www.felinecrf.com/ Also a VERY good site but not written by vets. Still has lots and lots of information as well as good emotional support.

Oh Holli, I'm so sorry for your situation with your cat! :( If I come across any info I will be sure to post. I have 3, all rescue kitties, all between 4-5 years.

Thank you so much for those sites Nancy! I really appreciate those.... for the last 6 months she goes through stages of really eating well and then she'll go 4 days or so just licking the gravy out of her food and eating her little treats. She also will always eat crackers or Cheese-Its if i need her to do that.

I'm going to email you some questions if you don't mind... I just want to see what's "normal"....

and thank you too Annie Laurie! I really appreciate that!

The cat love in this group is awesome!!

No problem Holli - Hope you are getting some information if not a little peace of mind. Our kitty was very inconsistent with her eating behavior just as you describe.

Holli, I've nursed several elderly cats through their last years, and the best advice I can give is to let them go when it's their time. If a vet suggests treatment for a cat you think is near the end, ask how long that treatment could buy her. Some vets seem to think that spending a lot of money to keep a pet around for another month is what people want, but sometimes a peaceful end before the animal is barely functioning is the kindest thing. If you feel the treatment is going to upset the cat, I wouldn't do it. After loving her for 18 years, I think you'll know when her quality of life is diminished enough to let her go.

Marsha, that is wonderful advice and I most certainly agree with you on that regard. I want Kitty to be happy while she's here and still able to eat and drink and run and play... so while she's able to do those things I'll help her along with food that's good for her and maybe a little fluids now and then if she's dehydrated... but once she gets to a point where none of that is helping her and she's just wasting away... I won't make her suffer like that. She'll tell me when it's time.... I have faith in her.....

I fed my old cat Dandelion on cream of chicken soup when she lost interest in cat food!

Mine would probably love that! Good idea :)

Much love to your kitty, Holli!

Thanks Emily!!