She has been in the family her whole 16 years and has been diagnosed, by the vet, with kidney disease. The vet told us to put her on a special diet of food. The food was really expensive and we can't afford that. What should we do?
2006-09-10 07:26:53 · 16 answers · asked by Jim Bo 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
First you imply she is an important part of your family and then you say you can't afford it? Are you kidding? You really mean you don't want to sacrifice for the cat... How cruel.
2006-09-10 20:01:32 · answer #1 · answered by speakthetruth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, even tho it will be very hard for you to do, it will be best for you and the cat to be put down. Cats are usually very clean and do not like to pee all over so it must be in misery. 16 years is a long life. My Mom had the same problem. Her cat was 14 and on special food and expensive medication. She almost went into a depression thinking of having the cat put to sleep, but after it was over she felt relief as the cat was stressing her out. She still thinks about her cat, but does not pine for him.
2006-09-10 07:32:33 · answer #2 · answered by Lean_on_Me 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You must not feel guilty about not buying the special food for your cat. It is entirely unnecessary and would not have any effect on her kidney disease at all.
My 22 yr old cat has very poor kidney function and has eaten a raw meat diet since I got her at age 15. Reducing protein for cats with CRF is based on research done in 1928 on rats! There has been no research since to show that reducing protein prevents or even slows down the progress of this disease.
I know that my Cameo will not go on much longer and she is still very mobile, eating well, and enjoying her senior years. When she becomes ill and does not have a good quality of life I will be there to send her to a peaceful transition to the spirit world.
It does sound like your cat is not having a great quality of life and maybe it would be a blessing to give her the "peaceful death", euthanasia.
2006-09-10 09:35:06 · answer #3 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It so sad, but unless you commit to a regime of special food and maybe even infusion therapy, the kidney disease will probably just get worse, along with the problems. Is kitty happy? Is she sick? Only you know... putting our pets down is the kindest thing we can do, especially if they are in pain. So sorry for you... been there!
2006-09-10 07:32:30 · answer #4 · answered by juju 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kidney disease is not curable. With a restricted diet, and ocassional fluid treatments and visits to the vet, it can sometimes be managed or slowed, but there is no way to reverse the damage that is already done. If she is not happy, and you aren't going to give her the treatments she needs, euthanize her so she doesn't have to suffer anymore.
2006-09-10 07:30:07 · answer #5 · answered by Lauren M 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Poor baby!
16 years is a very long run for a cat. It's ultimately your choice about whether you wish to fight the disease or put your kitty down easy.
2006-09-10 07:32:20 · answer #6 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's such a difficult decision to make! About 6 years ago, my dog got sick. She had just turned 18 yrs. old. We had to put her down because she could no longer make it outside to use the bathroom. She couldn't run or play and was miserable. The last week of her life was the worst. My mom wanted to wait for my sister to come home from a trip before putting the dog down. Throughout that week, I know my dog suffered alot. And it ticked me off that my mom and sister were being so selfish about waiting for my sister to come home.
In that one week, my dog went from a slight limp to a more noticeable limp, to dragging her legs behind her as she tried to walk, her head was tilted at an angle because she could no longer hold her head up. The vet checked and there was nothing wrong with her ears. I kept telling my mom that we had to put her down ASAP. I even thought about sneaking her to the vet's myself. In the end, she just laid on a doggy training pad, wouldn't eat, and barely drank anything. She would take a lick or 2 out of the palm of someone's hand.
Finally, my sister came home and we took our dog to the vet to be put down. Our dog HATED riding in her cars and didn't even bother to whine, hide, shake and etc. like she used to in the car. On the way to the vet's my sister and I sat in the back seat with the dog. I took some photos of the dog and my sister. When we actually went in the back to put her down, the vet gave us time to be with her one last time. The vet put an IV in the dog's hind leg and then put a syringeful of something in the line to stop her heart. She was gone in a matter of seconds. However, in the car and at the vet's, the dog seemed to understand what was going on and I think she had been ready to go for a while. We had her cremated and had her ashes sealed in some decorative ceramic containers.
It was really sad and I felt horrible putting her down, but I really do think our dog knew and understood what was going on and I swear she looked grateful and/or gave off that vibe. It was a bittersweet thing to do...It freed her of any pain and agony she was in yet it hurt to actually do it. In the end, we found out she had had some kind of cancer.
It does sound as if your cat is suffering and I think it would be selfish to keep her alive just because you/your family don't want to let her go. However, you know your cat best....
2006-09-10 08:04:02 · answer #7 · answered by cafegrrrl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Look at the ingredients in the expensive food and see if you can duplicate it. Ask the vet about medication for your cat to ease her symptoms and suffering. This is a toughy question because my heart goes out to all kinds of animals (I'm almost in tears thinking about your situation) because they cannot communicate in verbal words, they communicate in their own way and we, as humans, have to pick up or go into another sense to be able to learn about which they are talking. Personally, I would try to make her as comfortable as possible and let her die on her own turf... not by a needle in a foreign place.
2006-09-10 07:39:48 · answer #8 · answered by Oenophile... (Lynn) 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hi Jim Bo, The best thing to do is to put the cat down. I am saying this because I just when thought this with my friend dog, he was in kidney failure, then he went into seizures. It was awful. My thought and prayer are with you. :)
2006-09-10 07:52:35 · answer #9 · answered by kimb19612001 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is so hard to make that choice but she lived a very full life. It sounds like she is having a very hard time with arthritis and not be able to get to the litter box fast enough. I would have to say yes put her down. I am so sorry for you my condolences to you and your family.
2006-09-10 07:33:29 · answer #10 · answered by Barry G 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋