Update on Cat Problem

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977118573

This must be so difficult for your family. I hope she is feeling better soon.

I'm so sorry -- it's as hard when a pet is ill as when it's a relative. I hope she can make a comfortable recovery.

Oh dear. I hope things improve for her!

Ten is a long time for a cat, and 11-12 is really pushing it, although I have seen some at 15 and 17. The Doc there is right, and they do start to give out at age. I was hoping for some infection based on Arthritus, as that would be a lot easier to deal with, and usually treatable.
For right now, just do all you can do to keep her comfortable. Maybe try a more soft diet, like some canned food mixed with water.

Poor cat, I hope she recovers.

Thanks, everyone who has commented thus far. We got her from the Humane Society and she is truly a bit more like a very mellow dog than a cat. Being deaf, she seems to have a lot of insecurity about being alone.

I may have spoiled her as I let her spend nearly all day with me except for a few hours here and there when I'd have to run errands, car pool or whatever. Then my mother got sick and I had to spend a LOT of time away from home so I was feeling like maybe I upset her emotionally. But I've been home nonstop for weeks now and she hasn't gotten better. In a way, it is a bit of a relief to know it is not all emotional on her part.

She sounds like a special cat, I hope she begins to recover.

It may just be old age. I have a friend who has a Maine Coon who was 18 before she had to put him down and every other day or so he would just vomit for no reason. Sometimes it was just clear, but he did it and no one knew why. Vet just said old age.

Lisa - She is very special to us. I'm really pretty unsentimental when it comes to animals but I have to admit she has gotten to me. She is unbelievably affectionate and sometime she sleeps with one paw stretched out and curled over my arm - or my son's arm - or purring as she sits on my husband's stomach. She can't get enough affection, just soaks it up and my son finds her absolutely charming. His friends call her "Buddha Cat" not because she is plump like some Buddha figures but because she is incredibly mellow. Being deaf, I think she just doesn't get spooked by much of anything,except being alone.

Or being outdoors. She will not go outside for anything. She seems to instinctively sense that her "safe place' is the house. Inside.

Hang in there kitty.

It's very hard to watch a pet being sick "for no reason". I hope she recovers quickly now that she is on meds.
I'm pulling for her AND you!

Im sorry to say but Dan R is wrong about 10 years being old for a cat. It is common for cats (especially indoor ones) to live into their 20's.
That said.

I started to cry as I began reading your article. I don't want to scare you but I think I should be honest with you.

A couple of months ago my cat Peanut suddenly went from just over 10 lbs to 5.
I took her too the vet who after seeing her weight loss, took blood and did several tests with it. The only thing that showed in the results was that her body was eating her liver, which is what happens when a cat stops eating. She was not throwing up.
At this point the vet instructed me to feed her anything she might eat, including near the end Ensure or Boost (which she hated).
The vet felt that it might be cancer but gave her some antibiotics when she seemed to develope a secondary infection. The vet said she also might just snap out of it if I could just get Peanut to eat. (IF it wasn't cancer)

Sigh, more than a month later (more than a week eating almost nothing but ice cubes, cats love those when they dont feel good)
I took Peanut into the vet knowing, she would likely not be coming home.
The vet took one look at her and knew it was time to put Peanut down.
She felt Peanut's stomach and for the first time felt the mass there. It WAS cancer.
And I watched helplessly as she gave this sweet, loving 10yr old cat a shot that put her to sleep, forever.

In the end, I feel I let Peanut live on about 2 weeks too long. I never wanted her to suffer, I just kept hoping that she would recover. My vet told me in the beginning, that while chemo doesn't make cats as sick as it does humans, it also doesn't work as well. And did not advise us trying it.

I suppose I have told you this story to perhaps prepare you for the worst. When cats quickly lose a lot of weight with no apparent reason, it is likely cancer. No matter what the animals age. In the end, Peanut stopped using the litter too. I think she was just too sick and forgot where she was supposed to go.

I haven't really talked about Peanut on gather. It was just too personal and painful.
There is no need to tell me you are sorry, I am sorry enough for all of us.

Sometimes all you can do is love, comfort and try to feed her.
I hope your kitty gets better.

I have my fingers crossed. Losing a pet you love is just like losing any one else you love.

I remember how horrible I felt when we had to put a cat down a couple of years ago. She liked to rest a paw on the humans too. Whenever she sat on a human she had to have a paw on the human's arm or hand.

I still get upset sometimes when I think of her.

Everyone has made me feel so much better. I know what will be will be - but I don't have to like it. I don't want our cat to suffer but I also don't want to have her die prematurely. Also, I think in some ways I am as concerned about my son who is so crazy about this animal. Sometime there is a special bond between an animal and a member of the family and the fact is that he "adopted" her shortly after we adopted HIM. They have been bonded ever since. He was barely 5 then, now he is 15. She was probably at least 5 years old when we got her. I will always be grateful that life threw her into our path.

Hang in there,Jane.Yes,cats live to a ripe old age of reported 30's.Terri B is right,when an animal loses weight suddenly...You are doing all you can ,and the vet too.It is hard to be the one to make that decision,especially after they have been in your life and heart for so long.You are wise enough to know when,she will tell you.Take care,prayers for you and yours.

Jane, this is off the subject, but thank you so much, for coming to the cafe and asking about Alena, no one had told me the news. I need to check on her. She was saying she was crying on the chat, but I never heard anyone ask why. Then I went and ask how her grandma was doing. I hope I did not upset her with my question. May have to delete it.

Jane, I am sorry to hear this. You just never know with cats - my first cats lived to be 19 years old, then my next set lived to be 10. I took in a stray that I thought was old and we had her ten more years. I took in another stray that I thought was a year or two old and she was with us only 5 years. So you never know. But I've seen some miracles too... I've got a 7 and a 10 year old cat right now that somehow survived very serious illnesses. It's always so tough to know what to do.

Our house has been full of animals since the day we got married, they are like our kids. My son, is an only child, but literally was raised in the crib with the cat. We always had at least three of them, and they were like his siblings...so I know what that's like. Now at age 35, a bachelor, he has two cats he's had for ten years, and our middle dog went to live with him two years ago, that are like his own children.

Hang in there... and my thoughts are with you!

I completely understand what you are going through. Do what you can and hope for the best.

I been in situations like this with a few of my cats. Sometimes the outcome surprised me for the best , and other times things got bad real fast.

i hope things will improve soon for her

I hope your kitty gets better soon Jane, but if not, I know you will feel the loss, I told you about our cat that passed away, and we miss him still. Thanks for the update, maybe it is some kind of virus that he will shake off. Hope so.

Well, she isn't out of the woods yet but the medication does seem to be helping. No more vomiting for now so perhaps there was a stomach bug or kidney infection. We have a new cat box so I'm hoping she will get back into the box, so to speak. Meanwhile, she is holding her own. I am being "very cautiously optimistic" but I'll take what I can get at this point.