When you wish your pets could talk.

[nidena]

I have a cat with IBS.  She's 13, next month, and has had symptoms for the past five years.  I've tried so many treatments and what-not and I just wish she could answer my questions of:

Can you handle this for more years?
Do you even want to?

The poor thing has BM issues.  The best way to describe it would be that quite disturbing scene from Bridesmaids where they get food poisoning except she also vomits on the regular.  

Just trying to decide when is a good time to let her go: next week, next month, next year, or longer.

[chiver78]

big hugs, Momma. there's no easy answers to this. does she look like she's in pain or absolutely miserable with something that can't be treated? 

[nidena]

Jul 24, 2023 16:02:12 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

big hugs, Momma. there's no easy answers to this. does she look like she's in pain or absolutely miserable with something that can't be treated? 

She doesn't appear to be in any pain.  She's just...messy.  She cleans herself as best she can but it's so chronic that it's hard for her to keep up.  I've tried bathing her but she is decidedly not a water cat.  lol.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

There is no easy answer.  Our vet said in general activity level and eating/drinking are the "easiest" ways to tell it's time.   No matter what you choose you will be forever second guessing yourself on it.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

And here I was…..wondering if the cat or the dog killed the mouse that made it into the house and left it on the entry mat! 

It’s hard to answer this question.  When I was dealing with Gomez losing weight, the vet told me he’d tell me when he was ready.  He did.  As NomoreDramaQ1015 vet said, eating and drinking were the biggest indicators.  Activity levels in cats, which are generally slugs by nature, I don’t think is too accurate.

[Deleted]

She will tell you in some way. She may just stop doing the little things like playing with a favorite toy or getting up to nap in a favorite location. She may just look at you one day with eyes that say it is time. I’m sorry but this is the price we pay for the love we give and get from our fur babies - hugs to you

[TheOtherMe]

When Lucy could no longer keep any food down, refused water and couldn't jump on my bed, I knew.  

They let you know when it's time.  

[movingforward]

My former cat had IBD and I remember asking the vet how will I know when it's time to let him go. She said to think about the 5 things that make him who he is (e.g sitting in the window, playing with a certain toy, etc). If he is still doing at least 3 out if the 5 things then his quality of life is still good. If he is doing 2 or less then it may be time to think about putting him to sleep. I finally put him down at age 16 when he was just losing too much weight and was getting too weak to do much of anything.

What type of food and medication is your cat on. My current cat started out with IBD, which has now turned to intestinal cancer. I have found with both cats that good food and prednisolone made a huge difference in quality of life. Also, B12 supplements help a lot. My current cat also took an oral chemo medication for a few months and is now in full remission. He is doing really well right now. Still on the prednisolone and special diet.

Anyway, I hope your cat is okay. My first cat had terrible BMs. It can be rough.

Yes, many times I wish they could talk to me.

[nidena]

Jul 24, 2023 21:12:27 GMT -5 movingforward said:

My former cat had IBD and I remember asking the vet how will I know when it's time to let him go. She said to think about the 5 things that make him who he is (e.g sitting in the window, playing with a certain toy, etc). If he is still doing at least 3 out if the 5 things then his quality of life is still good. If he is doing 2 or less then it may be time to think about putting him to sleep. I finally put him down at age 16 when he was just losing too much weight and was getting too weak to do much of anything.

What type of food and medication is your cat on. My current cat started out with IBD, which has now turned to intestinal cancer. I have found with both cats that good food and prednisolone made a huge difference in quality of life. Also, B12 supplements help a lot. My current cat also took an oral chemo medication for a few months and is now in full remission. He is doing really well right now. Still on tge prednisoloneand special diet.

Anyway, I hope your cat is okay. My first cat had terrible BMs. It can be rough.

Yes, many times I wish they could talk to me.

I've done the B12 shots in the past.  Didn't see any significant change but the environment was different...this was before I moved to my new state.  She's currently on a prescription food with probiotic powder.  It's been a couple months since the change in food and I go see the vet on Wed with her.

I don't think it's truly time for her and I'm really glad that I replaced the carpet on the enclosed porch with LVP as soon as I could three years ago.  I just get tired of constantly cleaning up messes.

[movingforward]

Jul 24, 2023 21:22:05 GMT -5 nidena said:

Jul 24, 2023 21:12:27 GMT -5 movingforward said:

My former cat had IBD and I remember asking the vet how will I know when it's time to let him go. She said to think about the 5 things that make him who he is (e.g sitting in the window, playing with a certain toy, etc). If he is still doing at least 3 out if the 5 things then his quality of life is still good. If he is doing 2 or less then it may be time to think about putting him to sleep. I finally put him down at age 16 when he was just losing too much weight and was getting too weak to do much of anything.

What type of food and medication is your cat on. My current cat started out with IBD, which has now turned to intestinal cancer. I have found with both cats that good food and prednisolone made a huge difference in quality of life. Also, B12 supplements help a lot. My current cat also took an oral chemo medication for a few months and is now in full remission. He is doing really well right now. Still on tge prednisoloneand special diet.

Anyway, I hope your cat is okay. My first cat had terrible BMs. It can be rough.

Yes, many times I wish they could talk to me.

I've done the B12 shots in the past.  Didn't see any significant change but the environment was different...this was before I moved to my new state.  She's currently on a prescription food with probiotic powder.  It's been a couple months since the change in food and I go see the vet on Wed with her.

I don't think it's truly time for her and I'm really glad that I replaced the carpet on the enclosed porch with LVP as soon as I could three years ago.  I just get tired of constantly cleaning up messes.

If she is not currently on a steroid, then I would ask the vet about it. The prednisolone really helps a lot.

[nidena]

We did try some sort of steroid, every few months for a year, with little improvement/change after the second dose.  They were reluctant to increase the frequency because it could cause diabetes.  I just remembered about the steroids when they were mentioned in the last comment.

But, I'll take in some poo (again) for them to check, see how her weight is and how it's trending, and discuss additional options.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

I’ve been wishing the same. One of our girls has pancreatitis, diagnosed about a year ago. Her prescription food was changed to one for gastrointestinal issues and she has a B12 shot every 3 weeks. That has stabilized her weight loss. She has occasionally dropped poo on the floor, but it isn’t entirely an issue of her squatting out of her box. More often than not it stuck to her as she hops out of her box.

 I asked my vet the same question, as far as how do we know. We got similar answers to others commenting here. Watching her daily routines, and her weight. 

While she likes DH well enough, she is definitely a mama’s girl. She has always been like a piece of velcro that you can’t get off. She is a shy, gentle, chocolate point, blue-eyed beauty. We adopted her from SPCA when she was about 6 months old and she will be 16 next month. I am going to be crushed when she has her last car ride to the vet.

Pets love without question and are way less complicated than people, which makes it harder I think at the end. I do think it is strange that we provide more compassionate end of life decisions for pets than we do for loved ones.

[Spellbound454]

My 2 year old dog is on prednisolone for IBD with B12 tablets and a hydrolysed protein diet....... Purina HA

She is ok at the moment but Vet says its likely to be a long term condition.

Don't know what the answer is for your kitty, could be a number of causes and the vet is best placed to know.

Animals tend to let you know when they have had enough.

best wishes,

[nittanycheme]

The vet recommendation could change with her age too.  Steroids may have had too much risk for side effects when she was 8, and could live another 10+ years, but now that she's 13, and has less time, the risk/benefit could be different.   Also, I know they have wipes you can use on your pet - that may be an alternate to the baths.  Good luck - hopefully the vet has some recommendations. 

[nidena]

Jul 25, 2023 0:35:39 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

I’ve been wishing the same. One of our girls has pancreatitis, diagnosed about a year ago. Her prescription food was changed to one for gastrointestinal issues and she has a B12 shot every 3 weeks. That has stabilized her weight loss. She has occasionally dropped poo on the floor, but it isn’t entirely an issue of her squatting out of her box. More often than not it stuck to her as she hops out of her box.

 I asked my vet the same question, as far as how do we know. We got similar answers to others commenting here. Watching her daily routines, and her weight. 

While she likes DH well enough, she is definitely a mama’s girl. She has always been like a piece of velcro that you can’t get off. She is a shy, gentle, chocolate point, blue-eyed beauty. We adopted her from SPCA when she was about 6 months old and she will be 16 next month. I am going to be crushed when she has her last car ride to the vet.

Pets love without question and are way less complicated than people, which makes it harder I think at the end. I do think it is strange that we provide more compassionate end of life decisions for pets than we do for loved ones.

My girl has no problem peeing in the box but she poops wherever.  On the rare occasion that I let her in the house from the enclosed porch "cat domain" and I see her starting to go, I've trained her to respond to "potty outside?!?" and she walks fast out the door but lets loose as soon as she's over the threshold.  Yesterday, I let her in and didn't see her posture until she'd already gone.

The carpet in my last house was ruined because I wasn't home as often 2018-2019 and didn't have a whole room that I could rush her out to when I saw her posturing.  I've been in my current house just over three years and the carpet is less stained because there is the "cat domain" that I can tell her to go to.

I imagine I have at least another year of this. 

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Jul 25, 2023 10:52:53 GMT -5 nidena said:

Jul 25, 2023 0:35:39 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

I’ve been wishing the same. One of our girls has pancreatitis, diagnosed about a year ago. Her prescription food was changed to one for gastrointestinal issues and she has a B12 shot every 3 weeks. That has stabilized her weight loss. She has occasionally dropped poo on the floor, but it isn’t entirely an issue of her squatting out of her box. More often than not it stuck to her as she hops out of her box.

 I asked my vet the same question, as far as how do we know. We got similar answers to others commenting here. Watching her daily routines, and her weight. 

While she likes DH well enough, she is definitely a mama’s girl. She has always been like a piece of velcro that you can’t get off. She is a shy, gentle, chocolate point, blue-eyed beauty. We adopted her from SPCA when she was about 6 months old and she will be 16 next month. I am going to be crushed when she has her last car ride to the vet.

Pets love without question and are way less complicated than people, which makes it harder I think at the end. I do think it is strange that we provide more compassionate end of life decisions for pets than we do for loved ones.

My girl has no problem peeing in the box but she poops wherever.  On the rare occasion that I let her in the house from the enclosed porch "cat domain" and I see her starting to go, I've trained her to respond to "potty outside?!?" and she walks fast out the door but lets loose as soon as she's over the threshold.  Yesterday, I let her in and didn't see her posture until she'd already gone.

The carpet in my last house was ruined because I wasn't home as often 2018-2019 and didn't have a whole room that I could rush her out to when I saw her posturing.  I've been in my current house just over three years and the carpet is less stained because there is the "cat domain" that I can tell her to go to.

I imagine I have at least another year of this. 

Mine stands up to pee. I guess what they call a vertical pee-er. She does use the box, but I have to keep puppy training pads in front of the opening to the box. Those do a good job of keeping it off the floor.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jul 25, 2023 10:52:53 GMT -5 nidena said:

Jul 25, 2023 0:35:39 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

I’ve been wishing the same. One of our girls has pancreatitis, diagnosed about a year ago. Her prescription food was changed to one for gastrointestinal issues and she has a B12 shot every 3 weeks. That has stabilized her weight loss. She has occasionally dropped poo on the floor, but it isn’t entirely an issue of her squatting out of her box. More often than not it stuck to her as she hops out of her box.

 I asked my vet the same question, as far as how do we know. We got similar answers to others commenting here. Watching her daily routines, and her weight. 

While she likes DH well enough, she is definitely a mama’s girl. She has always been like a piece of velcro that you can’t get off. She is a shy, gentle, chocolate point, blue-eyed beauty. We adopted her from SPCA when she was about 6 months old and she will be 16 next month. I am going to be crushed when she has her last car ride to the vet.

Pets love without question and are way less complicated than people, which makes it harder I think at the end. I do think it is strange that we provide more compassionate end of life decisions for pets than we do for loved ones.

My girl has no problem peeing in the box but she poops wherever.  On the rare occasion that I let her in the house from the enclosed porch "cat domain" and I see her starting to go, I've trained her to respond to "potty outside?!?" and she walks fast out the door but lets loose as soon as she's over the threshold.  Yesterday, I let her in and didn't see her posture until she'd already gone.

The carpet in my last house was ruined because I wasn't home as often 2018-2019 and didn't have a whole room that I could rush her out to when I saw her posturing.  I've been in my current house just over three years and the carpet is less stained because there is the "cat domain" that I can tell her to go to.

I imagine I have at least another year of this. 

Put puppy pads down where she is known to go.  That can help contain it.  

They also make some pretty good cleaning products nowadays for cleaning up pet mess.   PetSmart has a really wide selection.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 24, 2023 21:46:34 GMT -5 nidena said:

We did try some sort of steroid, every few months for a year, with little improvement/change after the second dose.  They were reluctant to increase the frequency because it could cause diabetes.  I just remembered about the steroids when they were mentioned in the last comment.

But, I'll take in some poo (again) for them to check, see how her weight is and how it's trending, and discuss additional options.

This makes no sense.  Diabetes might happen if you take the steroids long enough and a higher dose…but you are asking when it’s time now.  They’d probably be the thing to alleviate the IBS, provided they are given long enough to work in a proper dose.  I’d worry about diabetes later.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 25, 2023 11:10:46 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Jul 25, 2023 10:52:53 GMT -5 nidena said:

My girl has no problem peeing in the box but she poops wherever.  On the rare occasion that I let her in the house from the enclosed porch "cat domain" and I see her starting to go, I've trained her to respond to "potty outside?!?" and she walks fast out the door but lets loose as soon as she's over the threshold.  Yesterday, I let her in and didn't see her posture until she'd already gone.

The carpet in my last house was ruined because I wasn't home as often 2018-2019 and didn't have a whole room that I could rush her out to when I saw her posturing.  I've been in my current house just over three years and the carpet is less stained because there is the "cat domain" that I can tell her to go to.

I imagine I have at least another year of this. 

Put puppy pads down where she is known to go.  That can help contain it.  

They also make some pretty good cleaning products nowadays for cleaning up pet mess.   PetSmart has a really wide selection.

What I used to do is put down old towels for Harpo.  He was corralled in the bathroom at night, and the next morning I’d do a load of towels.  

[nidena]

She sleeps out in the cat domain (enclosed patio/three season room).  Out there, she can poop wherever she wants.  Inside, she doesn't go in any specific place.  It's just wherever she happens to be at the time.  I keep the door to the spare bedroom and my bedroom closed so that she doesn't go in them.  

ETA: One half of the cat domain.

[nidena]

We've started monthly steroid shots and will see how things go.

[finnime]

Hope the shots make all the difference, nidena.

[Bonny]

This thread is timely.

I'm essentially doing kitty hospice this weekend for my 18 1/2 year kitty. We brought her to the vet about two weeks ago in response to a weird coughing, raspy voice situation and not really eating much for the last several days. The vet (not her normal one) did an x-ray which was clear but thought it might be a respiratory infection. She got antibiotics and we thought it she was getting a little better for a couple days but no, she's rapidily declining over the last week. Her regular vet saw her Friday and was very concerned about her condition. She's lost about a 1/3 of her body weight over the last month. Vet sent me home with another round of anti-biotics and a steriod. They aren't helping. Now she'll only eat butter from my finger. No type of food is working and she won't even eat butter from a plate. Only my finger.

I don't think she's ready to go quite yet. She will still follow me into the kitchen where I'll give her as much butter as she wants. I think she might find it soothing. She's gone outside a couple times and still wants affection. But I think we're very close.

Yes, I wish she could talk so I can be sure to help her. 

[finnime]

You are giving your kitty a real gift, Bonny.

[TheOtherMe]

Bonny  I am so sorry but it is a gift to let them go.

I've never had a cat make it past 16.  The youngest was euthanized at age 1 because she got FeLv.  This was long before there was a vaccine.

[Bonny]

Jul 30, 2023 13:40:34 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Bonny   I am so sorry but it is a gift to let them go.

I've never had a cat make it past 16.  The youngest was euthanized at age 1 because she got FeLv.  This was long before there was a vaccine.

My personal best was a female Siamese cat named "Kitten" who we put down at 21 1/2. She was a character who when practically toothless would eat bits of graham crackers. Always thought the others would live longer but have had one at sixteen and a male Siamese at 17.

Two and half years ago we had to put down a two year old male Burmese a week after my Dad died. That was a heart breaker.

[TheOtherMe]

That's too much loss too close together.  A two year old cat is too young, like with my one year old cat.  

[azucena]

Bonny - how did you possibly figure out that your cats like butter and Graham crackers?!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 30, 2023 11:56:04 GMT -5 Bonny said:

This thread is timely.

I'm essentially doing kitty hospice this weekend for my 18 1/2 year kitty. We brought her to the vet about two weeks ago in response to a weird coughing, raspy voice situation and not really eating much for the last several days. The vet (not her normal one) did an x-ray which was clear but thought it might be a respiratory infection. She got antibiotics and we thought it she was getting a little better for a couple days but no, she's rapidily declining over the last week. Her regular vet saw her Friday and was very concerned about her condition. She's lost about a 1/3 of her body weight over the last month. Vet sent me home with another round of anti-biotics and a steriod. They aren't helping. Now she'll only eat butter from my finger. No type of food is working and she won't even eat butter from a plate. Only my finger.

I don't think she's ready to go quite yet. She will still follow me into the kitchen where I'll give her as much butter as she wants. I think she might find it soothing. She's gone outside a couple times and still wants affection. But I think we're very close.

Yes, I wish she could talk so I can be sure to help her. 

I’m sorry Bonny.  Have you tried meat baby foods?  

[TheOtherMe]

I fed my cat who lived to be 16 baby food meat when he had major surgery.  He wouldn't leave the cone alone and was after the sutures.  The vet made a special cone but he figured out a way to get around even that.  So we kept him on tranquilizers for about 10 days.  

I fed him by him licking food off my fingers, brought him water and he licked that off my finger and carried him to his box.