I think my cat is dying.

[Not Heidi]

Last edited Sat Jun 1, 2024, 07:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Charley Girl is 21 years old. In January this year, she went blind. She seemed insane for a day or two, but once she learned to navigate her way around the room (she's always lived in our bedroom), she improved. Until a couple of weeks ago, she'd made our bed her own, until she took to her old enclosed bed* in the closet. We don't see her very much anymore. Except when we feed her, she stays in the closet.

Shortly after she went blind, she began to lose weight. She now looks like an abandoned stray who can't find any food or any friend or any home. She is so thin. To pet her is to feel her ribs. The space behind her ribs is all sunken in. We can feel the bumps of her spine. She does eat, not quite as much as I'd want, but she drinks enough water.

My wife and I have been discussing whether it's time to take that trip to the vet. We don't want Charley Girl to suffer anymore.

Have you had a similar experience with your cat? Can you offer any advice from experience? None of my friends or Kathy's have had similar experience - at least not in the last several years.

We are desperate to know what to do.

* It has a bed, four walls, a roof, and a small hole to get in by.

[montanacowboy]

1. Yes it seems she is going

our 23 yr old was the same - I put out a heating pad for him to lay on and he left us. It was better than having to take him to the vet. Your kitty is leaving this world. Make her as comfortable as possible. So sorry.

[femmedem]

2. Hiding or withdrawing is often a sign of pain.

I am so sorry, but if she were my cat, I think I would call the vet and make that appointment--or at least bring her in and see if the vet can find anything that might be relieved by pain meds for a while, with the understanding that if not, you will decide together what is best for her.

My heart breaks for you. Whatever happens, I hope that knowing you gave her a long life filled with love makes it a little easier for you, if not now, in time.

Edited to add: the advice above mine about giving her a heating pad and making her as comfortable as possible might be best. It's so hard to know. I would at least talk to the vet and ask if the stress of travel outweighs the easing of her suffering.

[Phoenix61]

3. I'm so sorry. I waited longer than I should have to help

my 20+ year old buddy across the Rainbow bridge. He hadn’t been doing well then really crashed over the weekend. Two incredible long days trying to keep him comfortable until I could get him to the vet.

[womanofthehills]

14. Same here - I waited too long

On a cat a few yrs ago - he stopped eating and I read he would die within four days and it didn’t happen. I think I took him in a week too late.

So last yr, when my 21 yr old beloved cat Lucky was not doing well - I had him put down before he suffered too much. You can stay with your kitty - talking & petting him/her while it’s happening.

[Liberty Belle]

4. Yes, make the appointment. We waited too long and our cat became paralyzed and terrified.

He had cancer, lost a lot of weight, and was old. HIs appetite was lessening and we knew his time was drawing mirror. Then suddenly one day he became paralyzed, dragging his hindquarters. We rushed to an emergency all-night clinic, but it would have been more humane to have euthanized him sooner, we now know.

[Karadeniz]

5. Sad to say it, but it is time. Thanks for giving her a good home all these years.

[Fla Dem]

6. Yes, sadly the time has come. We all hope they pass peacefully in our arms, but

that doesn't always happen. There are enough signs that her life is near the end, but I'm not a vet. Just a pet lover who has gone through this with my own pals.

Take her to the vet and find out, for her sake. Unfortunately as this is late Saturday afternoon, you'll probably not be able to do anything until Monday. I hope she is not suffering.

I am so sorry for you, your wife and your beloved pet.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Yes, it is time. I'm sorry. We had two cats die at home because we couldn't get them to the vet ...

over a holiday. Once they couldn't eat or drink properly they went very fast and were probably in pain. We made an afternoon appt. for the second cat the morning after the three-day weekend was over and she passed away silently hours before the appt. It is so tempting to hold out for a few more days of their company but it is a mistake. Better to put her to sleep before things get too bad, than to wait too late. It's very hard to get it right if you try to delay "just enough".

[Blue Owl]

8. Such a hard, awful decision to make

But you don’t want her to suffer, so a loving euthanization is a humane and good thing…..

[zeusdogmom]

9. My heart is aching for you.

Sounds like it is time to let your sweet Charlie Girl take her final journey over Rainbow Bridge. So hard. So hard but is an act of love.

I had to make this decision a couple of weeks ago for my beloved 13 year old black lab, Zeus Dog. Cancer was taking its toll - he told me it was time when he dropped his morning bite of bacon on the floor and left it there as he returned to his bed. There were other signs that he was no longer comfortable. But not wanting bacon…. The. Hardest.Thing. I. Have. Ever. Done. was making the call to the vet and following thru. The hardest. The staff was wonderful and Zeus peacefully slipped away as I sat by him, stoking his beautiful black coat, telling him he was such a good boy and I loved him. He is no longer in pain. My heart is broken - as yours will be. We love our pets so much and they unconditionally love us back.

Peace to you and your wife.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Yes, Right Now

Our Greta is 20, and is having a tough time getting around.
She seems content & is still acting reasonably normal toward us, but we know as soon as she can't get around without pain it's time.
Could be a week. Could be a month.
Something all pet owners, unfortunately, have to confront.
Plus, our Betty had to be put down just about 6 weeks ago.
So, we feel you!
Fortunately, our dog Vincent is only 2½, so we won't be worried about that for a while.

[The Blue Flower]

11. I've always believed we owe them the best death possible

For all the love they give us. It's something that's within our power. But I agree you should take her to the vet to assess where she is in her journey.

[Evergreen Emerald]

12. Our cat was going blind...high blood pressure

She is now on blood pressure medicine. It has worked and brought back most of her sight.

[LudwigPastorius]

13. When death is a day or so away, they will stop eating or drinking, or begin crying.

You can spare her that, and let her go while she is still not in too much pain.

It's so hard, but it's the right thing to do.

[Niagara]

15. I'm sorry to hear about Charley Girl, Not Heidi

In October of 2022, our then 18 year old cat was going blind, running into things and she didn't know that I was near her and it scared her. I took her to the vet and she was placed on additional meds for high blood pressure. High blood pressure effects their eye sight and once she took the meds, she regained much of her eyesight back.


Fast Forward to July of 2023, our cat was then 19 years old. She was on prescription food and meds for chronic kidney failure way before the high blood pressure diagnosis. She stopped eating, had a cough and she would drink water but wouldn't eat. The vet have me additional meds for her ears (appetite stimulant) and a antibiotic shot.


We had to take her 2 days later on a Sunday to an emergency vet because she still wasn't eating. I warned them that she didn't like to be touched and she's already not feeling well and I suggested the use some sort of hand protection. I told them that normally I had to give her Gabapentin before taking her to a vet but because she's not eating she wouldn't take it. They thought I was making stuff up and she nailed a vet. They ended up giving her a shot of arthritic meds and another shot for appetite stimulant.


We took her back to our regular vet on July 29, 2023 because there was no improvement. The vet made the suggestion and so we said goodbye. I retrieved her box of ashes a few days later and she sits on an opposite end table in living room hanging with our other deceased feline.

My thoughts are with you. It's difficult to say goodbye.

[Bayard]

16. One of the most heartbreaking decisions a pet parent has to make

But it sounds like its time for Charlie Girl if her quality of life is that low. Probably time to let her go.

We're getting to that stage with our Mini Dachshund. He's 17+ years old now--deaf, pretty much blind, teeth bad, and losing control of bodily functions. He's still eating about half his food, and will still trot around. Doesn't look like he feels bad, still velcro'd to Mr. Bayard. He wears a diaper at night, but that doesn't catch poop--not good to keep waking up with that in our bed.

He was a one yr old rescue from the ASPCA when I lived in Calif.

I hope your decision, either way, will bring you, and your kitty, some peace.

[Marthe48]

17. My 20 year old cat passed away Fri.

She got sick at Christmas, but we pulled through it. She lost all of her extra weight, and didn't get it back. She had been very fragile since. i fed her very carefully, avoising too much or too rich, although I let her decide what would taste good to her. She did pretty good till Monday, and died a few days later. I made her some mac and cheese Thursday morning and licking the cause off the elbows was the last thing she ate. She died just after midnight that night. I hope I never have another cat that lives that long. I keep in mind a post from December when I thought my kitty was dying. The DUer said they made a deal with their cat, as long as it could eat, it was okay. That's how I felt about my kitty. She was always a foodie and she only gave up on food a few hours before she died.

I've seen many very old cats. My daughter had a boy cat who lived to be 21. My friend had 2 that lived to be 17 or 18. Even if the kitties are healthy, like old people, they shrink. All of the kitties I knew who lived into extreme old age looked like wraiths the last few weeks or months of their lives. Five of my last 6 kitties died naturally and peacefully at home. I had one old boy euthanized because he had cancer.

I wish you and your kitty well.

[Beastly Boy]

18. Make her as comfortable as possible and free of pain.

When her body stops absorbing the nutrients she eats, there is nothing more you can do, sadly.

[drmeow]

19. We just had to put down our 19 year old cat

My vet said that, although she wasn't letting on, she was almost certainly in pain.

We found a local at home euthanasia vet (Lap of Love is a franchise one, we used a local one). They were able to come the same day and were absolutely lovely about the whole thing. The vet who came said that she would have probably taken 2 more weeks to die and it would have been uncomfortable (basically dying of starvation and dehydration). He talked us through the process, let us decide if we wanted to stay with her or not, made her comfortable, gave her a sedative first, then gave her the euthanasia drug. She died very peacefully.

As hard as it was, the vet helped me know that it was the right thing to do and not having to drag her to the vet's office was the one thing that made it tolerable.

I'm so sorry you are going through this - it is so f**king hard!

[Fla Dem]

20. Any update on Charley Girl? Did she make it thru the weekend?