My Poor Little Kitten!

[Belgarion42]

I have a cat, Smilo, whom I’ve had for almost 16 years (and she just turned 16 in February). My wife, Faye, and I have been concerned about her health recently, and have made an appointment with the vet for Saturday morning.

we’ve known about her arthritis for quite a while. Not surprisingly, it is still progressing, but she can usually handle it. The last time we took her to the vet, he also noticed a small growth on her neck. He said they could biopsy it, but because of her age and health, it would be very traumatic for her and she may not survive the biopsy. He also said if it was malignant, it would be very expensive (many thousands of dollars) to treat, and the treatment would be very hard on her. So he recommended doing nothing but watching it. Faye thinks it has grown recently, but I’m not sure.

I noticed this past Saturday, though, that her back legs were shaking when she stood up. She also had been eating less (though still eating) for the previous few days. Beginning Sunday, she has almost quit eating and drinking. She still does both some, but very tiny amounts. She’s been very listless and lethargic, too. So, we made an appointment for her for Saturday morning.

But then yesterday, we noticed it even more. She had very little interest in the remnants from Faye’s milk glass (which she’s usually eager to get) and almost no interest in my dinner last night. We also noticed her having trouble getting up on the bed, the sink, or into the bathtub (though she was able to get into the bathtub this morning OK). So, when Faye gets home from work today (about 1:00 pacific time), she’s going to call the vet’s office and see if they think we should still wait until Saturday to bring her in or if it should be sooner. We may be taking her in as soon as this afternoon, but it will be no later than Saturday.

This visit may very well result in some kind of treatment and she’ll be with us for more time to come. But it may not. And I’m fearing the worst right now, and it’s about all I can think about. So, please pray for her and us.

- Randy

[sean1966]

Fellow cat lover here. I hope your cat is OK. I'll send along some pixie dust

[Syndrome]

As a cat owner myself who went through the old age stuff with two of 'em several years back, I understand what you are going through. Hugs and prayers to y'all and your kitty.

[Whazzup]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. It doesn't sound good if your kitty is not interested in food or liquids. There's always that miracle recovery, though, so here's hoping and praying that your kitty will survive to have still another life to live.

[February]

Thinking of you and your kitty :( As another human who is owned by a little feline, my heart aches for you. i hope she'll be okay.

hugs
Bru

[Big Wallaby]

Thoughts and prayers from the Wallaby house. Please, keep us updated.

[felinefan]

My cat Tripod went through a bout of pancreatitis a couple years ago, and wouldn't eat hardly at all either. She only weighs 6 pounds, and as she's a small cat, she lost a pound and looked like a furry skeleton. My vet prescribed Flagyl and subQ fluids, and had me give her rice boiled in chicken broth, forcefed. With twice daily fluids and and the antibiotic, she came around in two weeks. She also has hyperthyroidism, which is being treated with oral medication. She's 17, and is in good shape. Somewhere on these boards there's a picture of her....

The only change is she can no longer lick my ice cream bowl. Human foods aren't really all that good for cats, especially the high fat stuff.

[Belgarion42]

Well, we took her to the vet about 3 hours ago. He's keeping her overnight and running some tests. I should get a call around 8:00 - 8:30 (PDT) tomorrow morning to find out what he's determined. He basically said tonight that there are a couple of things it could be. One can be recovered from. One cannot.

I cried in the car before I could even drive home. The diagnosis hasn't been made yet, but I just know if the vet says it's something we can't treat (at least not for the money we have and not without subjecting her to more pain), I don't know how I'm going to make the decision that I know has to be made. Even more, I don't know how I'm going to be strong for her, so she doesn't get afraid.

And I'm going to miss her a lot--whether it comes in a day, a year, or more.

[CBeilby]

*hugs* That's never an easy decision. Losing a beloved pet is always painful, as they are part of the family, and don't let anyone tell you differently. :(

[hobie16]

Cats, dogs, horses, anteaters. It doesn't matter what they are, they are part of the family.

We had a crisis yesterday with our miniature schnauzer. She stepped on a bee and got stung. Because of our son having a latex allergy, my wife is very sensitive to watching for anaphylaxis shock. Sure enough, an hour later her right eye was swollen shut. The local vet didn't answer their emergency line so it was off to the other side of the island.

By the time we got there the swelling had gone down but she still got a shot just in case.