Calamity1971
If Mr Peanut says It's okay, then it is.
My local Aldi are selling cat toys and cat treats (Dreamies style) off for 19p for a 200g bag. I got quite a few 
Your daily cat and kitten news
- Thread starter Mation
- Start date
Baronage-Phase
Well-Known Member
Mab
Kingston ON Canada
Look at those ears! Darling!Bella really does find leg sitting comforting:
xsunnysuex
Life is a horizontal fall.
Molly hogging my laptop again.
Mab
Kingston ON Canada
Love cats with ears like this especially when they are kittens too cute. Hamish
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May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
The face of a cat who has killed and eaten every single fuck he ever had to give
Baronage-Phase
Well-Known Member
The face of a cat who has killed and eaten every single fuck he ever had to give
Ha ha... it's the "I kill you" eyes that get me.
Saw the vet. They can't tell whether it's benign or malignant without surgical removal of the lumps. The treatment process is pretty aggressive, and not guaranteed to work. The mortality rates in cats her age, with aggressive treatment, are approx 3 years. Without treatment, she could live for up to another two. The vet said that needle biopsies (least invasive detection) almost always give inconclusive results due to filling with blood, that if we were going to give her a general anaesthetic for xrays (which MAY show a spread to the chest) we should get the op done - the op being a strip mastectomy, very painful and massively intrusive. It's also astronomically expensive. So, we have decided to let our little old blue lady live out her remaining time, whatever that may be, in peace and without inflicted pain. If it's benign, she could live another however many years. If it's malignant, which we think it probably is, up to two. She's 14. We're gonna look after her carefully, with all the cuddles she needs and a treat of tuna once a week, until it's time for the long sleep. That will be decided if/when her behaviour changes to indicate pain, or if the lumps ulcerate. A horrible upsetting decision to make, but we think it's the right one for her, so we must face it head on and not spend the rest of her time fretting. I didn't even know cats could get breast cancer.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
trabuquera
Modesty Bag
Very sorry about the news, sojourner - but it sounds as if you've been given good information and have a fair idea of the odds for each option. FWIW I would agree that if any surgical intervention is going to be major, and the life gain would be so little, and that it still might be benign, then non-invasive caring, extra cuddles and tuna will be the way to go. When my former time-share cat got cancer he was very rarely in visible pain and was still mobile, eating, drinking and pooing to the last - but did occasionally squeak very gently if you pushed a painful spot, and grew a bit more reclusive and less people-centred later on. It can be very difficult to gauge cats' overall condition though - feel free to talk over any warning signs here. Making the decision about when it's time for the long sleep is a tough one so have a think (when you can bear it) about what your red lines are. And get prepared with the vet. Poor auld cat.
Thanks both, very much appreciated. She's very close to me, blues tend to focus on (obsess about) one person, so I think (hope) I will notice if anything about her demeanour changes. If there's any ulceration, that will be a definite 'red line', with the other things like appetite, weight loss, coming in too.
Did your timeshare cat just pass away on his own then, or was there something that triggered a visit to the vet?
Did your timeshare cat just pass away on his own then, or was there something that triggered a visit to the vet?
trabuquera
Modesty Bag
sojourner - no, me & timeshare cat's other shareholder sort of hoped he'd slip away in his sleep before going really awry - he hung on pretty normally for about 9months after diagnosis, but in the end he was lethargic, had a large stomach bulge but was generally a bit underweight, clearly couldn't move at full stretch, and then had a (less than 8h) streak of vomiting/frantic water drinking / slightly manic behaviour - so it was time for the final call and the full "voluntary euthanasia" (? that's what they call it) package at the vets. Vet had a look, said he was v dehydrated and would not last much longer anyway. Can talk about what the process is if you like - it is not gory, but it is distressing - but I'll put it under spoiler code / or by PM as it's a bit morbid and may upset cat lovers.
Still wonder if we should have done it a bit sooner, but he was apparently enjoying life at least a bit during those months, so it felt wrong to jump straight to "this cat's broken, please put it down already". But then you worry if it was too late and he'd have suffered less if put down earlier. Hmm.
Still wonder if we should have done it a bit sooner, but he was apparently enjoying life at least a bit during those months, so it felt wrong to jump straight to "this cat's broken, please put it down already". But then you worry if it was too late and he'd have suffered less if put down earlier. Hmm.
Calamity1971
If Mr Peanut says It's okay, then it is.
So sorry to hear this sojourner. I think you have made the right decision. I put my most loved dog through an operation a few years ago and she was like a puppy again only to deteriorate within a week, I'm still wracked with guilt about putting her through that. A prescription of tuna and cuddles sounds lovely. xx
trabuquera - that sounds about what I would have done/plan to do, so thank you for that. I know how the long sleep works. I was there for my first cat after she got run over (in front of me and my daughter) and we'd waited 3 weeks with her in a cage to see if her bladder nerves grew back. They didn't, so we took her in. It's really quick and peaceful for them, and I wish humans could have the dignity of that option here in the UK.
Calamity1971 - thank you too. That does help. Yeh, and she does love cuddles, more than any cat I've ever known.
Calamity1971 - thank you too. That does help. Yeh, and she does love cuddles, more than any cat I've ever known.
Manter
Lunch Mob
We are still in fleamageddon. Neurotic barrel-cat keeps re-getting them and we can’t work out where from. We’ve sprayed the house, with that vile nuclear stuff..... and the one flea we have found since then was very dead, but when I groomed her last night she had three live ones in her fur. They obviously hadn’t fed, but I cannot figure out where she got them from. Idiot cat is completely clear.
And it’s only when you are looking for the source of 1mm insects that you realise how much stuff and how many surfaces you have in your house ....
And it’s only when you are looking for the source of 1mm insects that you realise how much stuff and how many surfaces you have in your house ....
Baronage-Phase
Well-Known Member
Sorry to read your news sojourner 
My little dog Daisy had that operation done twice...she was tough as nails though...But still lasted only a year after the second operation. She seemed to recover but suddenly went downhill over a weekend with organ failure and had to be put to sleep.
17.5 years. It was a good innings for a Jack Russell.
I think what you're doing is so right. And I sometimes wish I had just let her live out her last 2 years without surgery. It's never an easy decision..
(((((sojourner)))))
My little dog Daisy had that operation done twice...she was tough as nails though...But still lasted only a year after the second operation. She seemed to recover but suddenly went downhill over a weekend with organ failure and had to be put to sleep.
17.5 years. It was a good innings for a Jack Russell.
I think what you're doing is so right. And I sometimes wish I had just let her live out her last 2 years without surgery. It's never an easy decision..
(((((sojourner)))))
Manter
Lunch Mob
Aargh, idiot cat has an eye infection too
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Manter
Lunch Mob
That is an absolutely stunning cat.Bella really does find leg sitting comforting:
donkyboy
Crazy Cat/Fox man
A Russian Blue cat.
Epona
Sonic: 1 Nov 2006 - 8 Jan 2022
sojourner - sorry to hear your news. It's never easy to decide what to do but IMO I think given age and the invasive nature of the surgery you are taking what sounds to me to be a pragmatic and kind approach. I hope that your cat has a good run of remaining in good health and happiness ahead of them still.
Mab
Kingston ON Canada
It’s horrible and really devastating to have to make these decisions for them. Animals and people alike with terminal illness I believe are put through unnecessary invasive many times painful treatments. My brother works in pediatric oncology where the “treatments” recipes as he calls it may extend a life perhaps by three months however, those months were horrible for them. This is the same with animals if the owner wants it and has the finances. With my cats I’ve lost over the years, the ones with a blood cancer the most important thing is like you said is peace without inflicted pain. We had my Dad die at home with morphine ,years later my mum. When I knew they were near the end I had vet come to the house. Pain free and lots of snuggles. They feel safe secure and know you love them.
Epona
Sonic: 1 Nov 2006 - 8 Jan 2022
How old is your daughter? It's going to hurt no matter her age, especially if the cat gave some form of emotional support during a hard time - I'm going to assume since the cat is 14 and you got her when your daughter was at school that your daughter is probably grown up - in which case just be honest with her as soon as you possibly can, she'll be more hurt if you try to protect her by not telling her. I know it's not easy but sometimes bad news needs to be said, I am sure she will want to know.
(Also I hope this doesn't sound terrible but if it comes to it and it is possible, and again assuming she is an adult, give her the option of being there at the end if she wants to, and support one another through that - it's natural to want to shield your child from hurt, but hurt can also come from not saying goodbye properly).
donkyboy
Crazy Cat/Fox man
Anyone else had issues with their cat not eating much and just spending most of the day sat/sleeping in bed? Rogue is usally the most active of the three but has spent most of yesterday sat or sleeping in her bed. Clearly something is wrong. I thought it might be tummy issue that will pass overnight, but she is at it again this morning. Will call the vet tomorrow. Not sure what is wrong
