Hi all

My mam and dad have a cat. She used to be mine but I moved away to do voluntary work and ended up in 1st floor flat. Mam and dad thought Toots would be better off at theirs as she'd have access to a garden etc.

Anyway, I'm trying to say I'm very close to Toots after finding her as a kitten stray and coaxing my parents to having her.

Now she is coming up to around 18 years old and has recently had problems with her thyroid. She lost weight as she was throwing up a lot. I got my folks to take her to the vets again (they did take her but the vet said she was ok) and on this next visit discovered she had thyroid problems. She's taking meds for that and seems to be ok, but now she had blood in her urine. Apparently the prob with her thyroid has affected her kidneys. She's been on antibiotics for a couple of weeks, stops the tabs, then the blood starts again. Starts the antibiotics and the blood stops... etc

My parents think that as she's old her time maybe up, but as her kidney problem is due to her thyroid which is being treated, I'm wondering if it would be ok to carry on trying to treat her. So I'm wondering do other people think it's best to let her go and put her down or to try fix this problem and see how she is then? My parents aren't as animal loving as I am I'll add.

My advice is keep her, if she was really in a bad way you would not be writing this thread, the cat probably is not in the best of health, but there is nothing to say she is in pain, the little cat still seems to be enjoying life. Hope this helps.

I thought that too, but toots has been missing the litter tray when using it. My parents think it' due to her kidneys and being in pain but I'm sure it's being going on for a while and she is just old and lazy as I'm sure I've stood in her pee more than one lol. Its hard to tell as the tray is under the sink lol. Everyone thought it was just drips from the tap lol urgh.

My Jingle was hyperthyroid and later went on to suffer from kidney disease. She was treated with Felimazole IIRC for th thyroid for about a year, and then went onto Fortekor too for the kidneys once they started to play up.

Had a few scares after that - she became very listless, didn't want to eat - but an overnight stay at the vet on a drip sorted her out. Did that twice and then after the third time she didn't really pick up so i had to make the hardest decision i've ever made in my life (a year ago this week as it happens).

However, after she was diagnosed with dodgy kidneys, she lived for another 18 months happily despite the trips to the vet. Of course she had regular blood tests too which meant I became quite friendly with the veterinary team!

Jingle often suffered with cystitis (and blood in urine) with her kidney probs which meant antibiotics at times too, it's quite 'normal'. However, please get her down to the vet sharpish so that she's not suffering with it, and so that the infection doesn't become worse.

All this treatment didn't come cheap but it was worth every penny to be able to spend more time with her.

My advice: Don't give up, defnitely try and treat the kidney problem. If she deteriorates, you will know when the time is right.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the advice. Its good advice as it sounds quite close to what Toots is suffering from. She is seeing the vet regularly. I guess the vet will say when the treatment is not worth carrying on with, but, I know this sounds bad, my parents aren't as animal friendly as I am. I'll keep my parents on their toes and try get to the vets with them, I'll relay what you've put to them. Thanks again. x

Sorry to hear about Jingle. It must be upsetting for you. It's heartbreaking to lose a pet. x

Yeah, I still miss her lots but am thankful we had a happy few years together.

I had to make the painful decision to put my last 17 year old cat to sleep, but not before she stopped eating and started to show pain and suffering ... consider too taking her back to live with you in the first floor flat, I too had to move to a first floor flat and Jonsey (bless her) adopted very quickly to not getting out ... I lived alone too and worked most of the day at that time, she was very happy right until the end.

If these are her golden years or months I'd definitely consider taking her back, especially if she knows how to use a litter tray and as you say your parents aint that animal friendly.

Good luck to you and Toots.

It's so hard isn't it? You don't want your pet to suffer, but you don't want to give up on them too early. As she is seeing a vet regularly I would listen to what the vets said.

If I had given up on Muppet when other people said I should (including my parents) I would have missed out on so much more time with him.

I'm sure it is the same for others on here, but I instinctively knew when it was time to let him go. So I would say trust your instincts, and Katana1000 makes a good suggestion about having Toots come and live with you.

Edit: Thinking about your parent's reaction, it was a lot like my parents and aunt's. I wonder if it is because in the past veterinary science was not as advanced as it is now. There is so much more than can be done for our pets these days. I remember my childhood cat got kidney failure in the 1990s and the vet said she had to be put down, I don't think they were able to do all the blood tests and have the meds that we do now. My parents don't seem to realise the differnce in animal care that is available these days compared to just 10 or 20 years ago, maybe it is the same for yours.

Sorry to hear this about your cat. Mine developed thyroid problems (but kidneys fine) last year and has been prescribed vidalta tablets which I give him every morning and has a blood test at the vets every 5-6 months to check he's on the correct dosage and his heart is still fine. He's back to his normal self but has to take the tablets for the rest of his life.

My advice is to speak with your vet about this and about possible treatment for her kidneys but only you can decide whether she has a good quality life and is happy. Good luck.
Last edited by QuirkyGirl : 30-10-2011 at 12:39

One of my ex-girlfriend's cats, Mishi, developed a tumour in her jaw, and we asked a vet whether it would be wise to have her put to sleep as it was inoperable. The vet said that as long as she was grooming and eating then she was happy, but to keep an eye out for when she stopped grooming and eating as that was a sign she was getting distressed. I believe that a lot of vets believe that as long as a cat is grooming and taking pride in herself, then it shows she's not in too much distress and still has a reasonable quality of life.

Unfortunately, Mishi only survived another two months and went off her food and stopped grooming around Christmas 2007 and we had to make the difficult decision to have her put to sleep on new years eve.

My oldest cat is 20, and he's on tablets for hyperthyroidism. He also has a heart murmur, but apart from that (and being completely deaf!), he's doing fine. He potters around the garden and sits on the doorstep watching the world go by, and he still loves his food. It's like he's accommodated to being old, and he's still enjoying life in his own way. So long as the cat's quality of life is OK, and the owner can cope with the care requirements, I'd not put a cat down just because they're old.

We have 2 young cats, and have adopted an elderly, blind, high-blood pressure, kidneys- probably- packing-up cat. She's been with us over a year now (aged about 15). She has 2 lots of meds for her blood pressure.

She drinks a lot and wees a lot. Sometimes we swear she's getting forgetful, or maybe she's just sprinkles when she tinkles, and of course she can smell where she's been (both jobs ), which means she's likely to 'go' there again. From having one cat tray, I've now got three - 2 in the kitchen, and one in the family room where she sleeps (probably to get some peace from the boy cat). I've added that one because she'd started using a corner as her toilet area.

That aside, she doesn't appear to be in pain or discomfort. She seems a very happy cat; loves being fussed and having a brush. If I thought differently, I'd be taking her to the vets but until then, we'll put up with the old lady having a few 'mishaps' as we've grown rather fond of her!

But just one thought - could your parents make her cat tray maybe a bit more accessible to her, or maybe have an extra one around?

Your cat sounds very special too, and very loved. That's nice!

I would say that if she is not in pain ( and the vet would tell you if she was as would she ) then keep going, and if this did come to a sore point between you and your parents and they wanted to end it and you dont then why not take her home with you ? as you say she is getting on, and at her age I am sure she would be ok becoming an indoor cat to see out her time.

Bonnie Cat came to live with us when she was a wonderful old lady. She started being forgetful and a bit not her normal self. She would find her litter tray but not hit the target i.e. her litter tray.

We spent a lot of money with her care under the vet including quite a few of overnight or longer stays when she was on a drip in her last year. Finally the day came when the vet explained that all we could do now was make her comfortable. It was awful when THAT DAY came but I couldn't have my wee Dutchess go through any more pain or distress. I'm not a cat person but I loved Bonnie Cat. She was so special.

OP - I know this sounds an awful thing to say but are you helping out with vet fees? Perhaps your parents are finding it hard to pay for them if you aren't helping out. I know how much I paid over the couple of years Bonnie Cat was with me and it was quite an amount. More than 3k in total.

I agree with her moving back with you.

She might be having trouble getting in and out of the litter tray, or she might need a bigger one. I'd find the biggest one I can and see how she gets on. Cats can also get confused as they get older, just like some of us do.

There is plenty of excellent advice on the FAB website:
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/elderly/index.php

Sadly her last day will come, and all too often for us a cat's last day ends at the vets. I have an elderly cat who is terminally ill and have found a local pet crem for him, rather than letting the vets send him away. Since I can be prepared, being prepared seems the sensible thing to be.