Can anyone help re; cat problem?

[Farma]

I know this is about dogs but its worth a go!

My cat has had numerous health issues and after at least 8 vet visits to 3 different vets we are at a loss what to do with her.

She has sneezing fits continually, sometimes blood comes out, she has lost so much weight that you can feel every single bone and no muscle or fat hardly at all. She has started to get a little 'dirty' around the house which never used to be a problem. She has had a few small fits which the vet says are panic attacks. I am not sure.

They initially thought cat flu which we have treated for 3 times, they then said it was a cat form of chrones disease, so we changed the diet, she has been blood tested to no avail. There has been no improvement or weight gain at all.

She is roughly 17 years old but we cant be 100% sure as she was a rescue.

Any advice on what I should do next, I am tempted to pts but she does have a nice quality of life, still eats and goes in the garden etc but I have no idea if she is in any discomfort! We have spent a small fortune trying to get to the bottom of this as well.

 

[AmyMay]

I wouldn't hesitate to pts.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mmmm, if she's happy in herself and not in obvious pain, I wouldn't rush to PTS, BUT if she's losing weight and/or her condition deteriorates markedly, especially now coming into winter when she may suffer with the cold, you might have to make a decision soon'ish TBH.

Um, obvious point - but if she's losing condition........ and I know this is slap-bang obvious - but how are her teeth? Personally I'd hesitate to give anything that age a general anaesthetic tho' or put her through the pain and discomfort of having her teeth pulled - and if the teeth ARE the problem, and she needs a general, you might feel its kinder to go the PTS option anyway.

She's 17, has obviously had a good life. Yes, you'll miss her dreadfully, but you've given her years back that she wouldn't otherwise have had.

 

[Booboos]

With a younger cat there are things I would try like having a look up her nose with a scope to check for foreign objects, tumours, etc. but given her age it may not be fair to put her through that. If she's happy I'd give her a few more good weeks of pampering and decide when it was time to let her go.

 

[Farma]

With a younger cat there are things I would try like having a look up her nose with a scope to check for foreign objects, tumours, etc. but given her age it may not be fair to put her through that. If she's happy I'd give her a few more good weeks of pampering and decide when it was time to let her go.

They did this first, they kept her in and had a look and said nothing was there! I know we need to let her go its just hard when you aren't sure when is the right time

 

[missmatch]

Chronic heart disease causes all these symptoms. 3 of my cats suffer from it. They all have varying doses of ronaxan, an oral antibiotic. One cat needs one tablet a week, one needs 2 and one needs 4!! Ronaxan is expensive, roughly £1.50 per tablet. Has your cats liver/kidney & heart function been checked recently? Its one blood test so relatively easy to do. Rhinitis can cause the horrible snotty nose etc..but not the weight loss. Have Thyroid issues been ruled out completely? Maybe changing to YD feed will help. As for soiling this could be down to distress or senility .... Its sad but it depends what you and kitty can live with x

 

[Farma]

Chronic heart disease causes all these symptoms. 3 of my cats suffer from it. They all have varying doses of ronaxan, an oral antibiotic. One cat needs one tablet a week, one needs 2 and one needs 4!! Ronaxan is expensive, roughly £1.50 per tablet. Has your cats liver/kidney & heart function been checked recently? Its one blood test so relatively easy to do. Rhinitis can cause the horrible snotty nose etc..but not the weight loss. Have Thyroid issues been ruled out completely? Maybe changing to YD feed will help. As for soiling this could be down to distress or senility .... Its sad but it depends what you and kitty can live with x

Interesting, she has had 3 courses of antibiotics nothing has made a difference. Thyroid has been ruled out. I don't know what YD feed stands for but we changed her diet on the vets advice to a raw meat type of diet which hasn't helped.

 

[_GG_]

I'd be inclined to give her a few pampered weeks and pts before it gets really cold and miserable.

She is your cat and only you really know her, but at 17 it is possible that all of these symptoms are simply caused by the organs slowly shutting down as happens towards the end of natural life. The different ways in which this can manifest itself are huge. She just sounds to me like an old cat that is slowly slipping away and I would pts.

I am sorry if that upsets you, I would think something completely different if she were younger but being 17 it is just possible that she is on her way and being home with you for a few quiet weeks will be nicer for her than trips to the vets when in all reality, any treatment will only give brief relief.

(((hugs))) I really feel for you

 

[Farma]

I'd be inclined to give her a few pampered weeks and pts before it gets really cold and miserable.

She is your cat and only you really know her, but at 17 it is possible that all of these symptoms are simply caused by the organs slowly shutting down as happens towards the end of natural life. The different ways in which this can manifest itself are huge. She just sounds to me like an old cat that is slowly slipping away and I would pts.

I am sorry if that upsets you, I would think something completely different if she were younger but being 17 it is just possible that she is on her way and being home with you for a few quiet weeks will be nicer for her than trips to the vets when in all reality, any treatment will only give brief relief.

(((hugs))) I really feel for you

Thanks a lot for that, I lost my horse of 20 years this time last year so I have definitely hardened up a lot to putting an animal to sleep since that, after that heart break nothing will come close, I just struggle with whether its time or not. I have considered also that its just a multitude of different problems but after the extensive different vet consultations I am becoming more inclinded to pts now.

 

[_GG_]

Thanks a lot for that, I lost my horse of 20 years this time last year so I have definitely hardened up a lot to putting an animal to sleep since that, after that heart break nothing will come close, I just struggle with whether its time or not. I have considered also that its just a multitude of different problems but after the extensive different vet consultations I am becoming more inclinded to pts now.

I have long had an issue with vets because I have had too many experiences of different vets advising trying out treatments and new medicines and so on when actually, when an animal is old, I wonder how fair it is to keep putting them through it. The vets want to because they are running a business, but my animals welfare take priority for me over a vets income.

We actually had a vet try to convince my sister and I to move our old pony to his practice because he thought he could give him a few more months. He had acute COPD with just 5% capacity of left lung and 55% right lung. Our vet was happy to keep treating but the other vet actually wanted to try new things and put him through a number of treatments when the truth was, he was on his last legs and the kindest thing we could do was to end his suffering as he was losing weight so fast we were watching him go before our eyes.

It is heartbreaking and I understand being a little hardened to it after losing your horse. Truth is, you will know when it is time. You will wake up one morning and something about the way she is that day will let you know that it is time and you will call the vet and do what is best for your girl.

Have faith in yourself...but more (((hugs))) xx