My cat is sick and I don't know when to let him go.?

Question

About a year and a half ago I had a beautiful all black 9 month old cat get really sick and eventually die from FIP. It was devastating. Two months later I was ready to get another pet and found this all black cat at the shelter that had the same eyes as the cat that died. He was 1 1/2 years old. A couple weeks ago he became lethargic and then within the last week stopped getting up to eat. We took him to the vet and they took out 170ml of fluid from around his lungs and found that his tonsils were swallon. Some lab results revealed that it may once again be FIP. He's gotten skinny, I keep trying to offer him a variety of foods and sometimes he laps some of it up, sometimes he doesn't. He's on 5mg of prednisolone 2x/day. He meows like he wants the food (liquid) when we bring it to him but then doesn't eat. I don't know if I should put him to sleep yet or not, part of me doesn't feel he's really sick enough, and part of me doesn't want him to get worse. I hate to see him uncomfortable.

With the holiday we wouldn't be able to put him to sleep until the 5th. Do you guys know of anything I can do to ease his suffering in the meantime?

Answer 1

Oh you poor thing, how awful for you. For it to happen twice. Try a different shelter. It could be that all of their cats have been exposed, and spread it to the new cats who come in.
I was recently faced with this decision, and this my reasoning. Pets don't understand about chronic illness, how some days are good and some days are bad, they just know they feel terrible, they have always felt terrible, and they will always feel terrible.
I decided that I wanted my kitty's last memory of me to be without pain and sickness, so when I was given the horrible news I didn't let her get any sicker and said good bye while she was still relatively "well".
I hope this helps you and again, I'm so sorry.

Answer 2

Most vets do have an emergency number or if you live in a large city, an emergency clinic. As horrible as it is for you, your cat has contracted FIP from your former cat(the virus remains in the area for a very long time), and the kindest thing you can do is have him put to sleep. Do NOT get another cat until you have either completely disinfected your entire home(furniture/carpets/everything) with Clorox at a 30/1 dilution, or you will just have to wait a year to make sure the FIP virus has died and can't infect another cat. I have had several litters of FIP exposed/infected kittens that I was fostering, and once the virus that causes FIP mutates to the active form, there is nothing you can do. All cats carry the coronavirus that causes FIP, but nobody knows what causes one cat to mutate to the active form, so there are very few options once one is active FIP. Also, make sure before you bring another cat in the house that all litter boxes, food/water bowls are also cloroxed to kill the virus, no matter which way you choose to go as far as getting another cat. My deepest sympathies--I know where you have been and it is awful!

Answer 3

I had the same thing happen to one of my cats and the vet had to keep draining his lungs. I finally had him euthanized. I'm sorry to say that I don't think he will get better. I've had several cats with FIP,FLV that lived for years with various sick episodes. But if your cat has stopped eating, it's probably best to let him go. I know it's heart breaking. I've had many cats over the years and been through it many times. How did he contract the FIP? He must be an indoor-outdoor cat like mine are.
Bless your heart.

Answer 4

Ever had a new child run out in the front of your automobile? thinking the shape of children and adults who're killed by utilizing autos each day, per chance we could consistently all stay interior. existence is all about calculated probability. In some elements and international places the position that is considered a probability-free ecosystem for cats, they are allowed outside and under no circumstances all of them get hit by utilizing autos. a number of those free roaming cats would nicely be feral or strays and that is not any longer their fault in the adventure that they don't have any homestead to flow to.

Answer 5

Buy some rescue remedy and put a few drops of that on the back of his neck

My cat had nose cancer (a growth outside his nose) i made him live 2 years longer by giving him homopathic remedies. Go to this website and call the doctor, she is fantastic, you may even be able to save your kitty. I know what its like to watch a cat suffer, my cat was dying over 2 months and the herbal remedies helped him a little in the end, although their may be hope if its not too late.
The vets name is dianna, email or call they will get back to you asap, she will work with anyone worldwide
http://www.wholisticanimal.com/

Good luck and God Bless your little kitty!

Answer 6

I'm sorry to tell you(allthough i think you allready know this) it only gets worse.Your cat will suffer and even though it is a very hard decision to make,I think it's best if you put him to sleep.This way you spare both of you of a lot of pain.I'm sorry this happened to you twice,FIP is a very sneaky disease,and unfortunately there's still no treatment or prevention for it.Hopefully one day there will be.

Answer 7

What is the cat's quality of life?

Will it's quality of life improve?

Is it in pain, or uncomfortable?

Are you keeping it alive because you aren't ready to let it go?

These are good questions to consider. We had a hard time getting the whole family to agree on getting a pet put down. It came down to these four questions.

Answer 8

I am truly sorry to see you AND your kitty go through all of this heartache. The best advice I can give you, is to talk with your vet. Really talk WITH him/her. Get as much info as you can, so you can make a really informed decision.

Answer 9

Once on medicine, it takes awhile to get better. Ask your vet for advice. He can tell you what will be best for your cat.

Answer 10

If you can't stand to see your kitty suffer anymore, then maybe it is time. You have to go with your gut, not ours.