Few animals stop eating or drinking till the very end, it's not a good measure of whether an animal is ok or not. A cat will expend energy it doesn't have to get a drink, just as dehydrated human would. Many reduce eating (which the ops cat has) but few stop all together, the 'he's still eating so he's ok' school of thought is naive and wrong. It's the same as 'oh the cats washing, he must not be stressed' actually the cat washing tells you nothing - it can be a normal grooming session, or a displacement behaviour.

Op- take the cat to the vets and have her pts, from your posts, it's the kindest thing to do. If you can't get her mess in her, she's going to suffer even more.

As I said, the OP and his/her vet are in the best position to make the decisions, not the bar-room experts here. It might be time for her to go, or she might have several years still in her.

Ignore these people, OP - it's just a form of bullying.

I always say the vets knows best samba. Plus I dont blooming drink.
Op only you can decided when the time is right for you cat. I was always told its best a day early than a day too late. Is there another vet at the practice that could give you a second opionion though

Nobody has bullied at all. There has been plenty of advice offered, but when the op says she can't get Meds into her, nor can she continue treatment, that the cat will likely need for life, the advice given is fair, pts is an very realistic option.

He's taken tablets with some prawns now. Thanks for the constructive advice, I didn't need the "you're just a wind-up" though, I am very upset and certainly not enjoying seeing my cat like this.
The problem with the vet is that they won't give us a diagnosis without ££, and we're not swimming in money so I am wondering: why does it cost 25 pounds to tell me his lungs are very bad, when I could have seen that myself and for free. I would expect at least a diagnosis and then obviously you pay what's needed for the treatment.

Of course you have to pay for a diagnosis, you have to pay for thier time, not just the Meds. You have to consider the welfare of your cat here, you either pay for a diagnosis and then the relevant treatment plan or you euthanise - lack of funds is not an excuse to blame the vets for not treating her. Why not contact PDSA or blue cross or similar and see if they can help with fees?

It's out of order to call Lem a WUM, especially when it's blindingly obvious from her posts here that she's desperately trying to get her head around what's wrong with her cat, can he be cured, HOW can we do that? etc etc. And she isn't the only one to go into a vet's (at least half) expecting some kind of diagnosis.

Rather than accusing someone of being mean to you because her cat's problems are upsetting you personally, why not offer her advice on how to get the cat to take the meds? I've got four cats and I know (in the main) how to get mine to take them but they're all different. Two will take tablets crushed into a bit of tuna, one will only take a liquid form mixed with tuna, and one won't eat at all if anything medicinal has gone anywhere near her food in the past week (exaggeration, but you get the idea) so god help me when that one needs meds in the future.

Lem, I am so sorry to hear about him being ill, and hope he turns for the better. If he doesn't, then do take note of what others have said here about his age, about it being a grand old age for him. x

I'm hoping this isn't aimed at me? I never mentioned wums or anyone being mean.

Thanks Milian .
Yes, I looked into that bazaar1 and since none of us is on benefits, they won't help I think.

No it wasn't you that called me a wind-up.

No one has bullied anybody, for goodness sake! The facts are the cat is very old, very poorly, possibly has organ failure, and the OP can't afford to get the cat treated. What else do you expect us 'bullies' to advise?

Great post, amen.

When my late cat was diagnosed with cancer I also got some rather nasty responses when I posted about her situation here. My cat was under the care of an excellent (and quite well known) vet and I was guided by his expert opinion so I went down the route of surgery and chemotherapy. My cat didn't make it but I wanted to give her every opportunity to live. In my job (ITU nurse) that's what we do and we only give up when there really is no hope left. My cat did suffer after undergoing surgery and chemo and that's what inspired the usual posts here about ''putting the cat out of its misery''. My cat didn't make it but others do, I have met owners who had better outcomes. I don't and won't give up until I'm told there is no realistic chance of a good outcome. There is intense grief following pet loss so the owner really must be mentally 'ready' and I strongly believe that the owner, mostly, does recognise when it is time to let go.

In the OP's case she has no funds to pay for even simple diagnostic testing. However, it is definitely worth giving the medication a go because the illness may well respond to it, it may not be as serious as the symptoms may suggest. I am pretty sure, from my long experience with different vets, that the OP's vet would not have let the OP leave the surgery without some very stern words about the need to act in the cat's best interests - the fact that the medically qualified person has prescribed medication, hopefully with a follow-up visit booked, leads me to believe that the cat is not unduly 'suffering' at the moment.

I do believe it is irresponsible not to have funds set aside, or insurance in place, to deal with unexpected eventualities, even if not cat related, particularly if not on benefits.

I am surprised by the assumption that vets or doctors can diagnose just by a physical assessment. They may be able to give a probable diagnosis or recognise when a cat has flu etc but all diagnoses need robust diagnostic clinical evidence. They may be able to feel broken bones and abnormal lumps but X rays are still required etc.

Don't have a pet unless you can afford to look after it when it's ill (exceptions for those whose financial circumstances changed after they took on their pets)

No, it was owllover, who I notice hasn't offered any more advice since then.

I hope you get a resolution for your cat - I am sure you will know deep down what's best for him and whether the medication is helping.

Once we had a dog who was going off his hind legs and we were undecided if it was time to let him go. So we drew up a list of pros and cons which made our final decision a lot easier.

Yes, circumstances were different when bf got Cleo.
I appreciate all the advice, thanks

If you ha e difficulty getting tablets down. You can get a treat that is in tube pack of five from Asda. It's lick o stick.

Cleo passed away this morning. He was put to sleep. My sister kindly offered to pay for x-rays (I couldn't let him go without even knowing what exactly was wrong with him; I'd have kept thinking it might have been something curable if we could afford the treatments) and he had a tumour in his lung.
When then vet confirmed he had something not curable, we had to decide to let him go . She said even with treatment, he wouldn't have survived for her at that stage and at his age.
I can't believe he's gone. I stroked him and kissed before and after the injection, crying all the time (I couldn't help it, but Cleo wasn't meowing). He was so poorly, it was devastating. Now hopefully he'll be as happy as he was before the tumour took him away, but we will miss him too much .
I won't ever call him "little Cleo" again.

I'm so sorry, Lem. It's so heart breaking. :'( It's not much consolation but you do know now there was nothing that could be done for him. He went peacefully, thankfully, and you didn't let him suffer, so I hope you can take comfort from that. Big hugs, honey. xxx

My thoughts are with you tonight too Lem. It is so hard to say goodbye to our wee ones. Take comfort in the fact that you gave Cleo a loving safe home for all these years.

I don't know your financial situation but if you are on benefits such as JSA, would it not be possible to take the cat to a local PDSA hospital if there is one in your area and ask one of the vets there to have a look at the cat and give you a second opinion? Might be worth giving it a try.

deleted

I'm very sorry for your loss, I know how you feel, most of us here have lost much loved pets. I understand how you wanted to make sure that nothing further could be done for Cleo (unusual name for a boy cat) - even if you had money. I'm pleased you got the X ray to confirm a diagnosis. It definitely makes saying good-bye easier.

He had a long life and owners who loved him and he lives on in your thoughts and memories.

Many thanks for the sympathy.
He was thought to be a femal at first, so that's why he was given the name Cleo.

Im so sorry for your loss...and for some of the hurtful comments people have made,
at least you had the xray and you know there was nothing you could have done...it doesnt help stop the hurt but it can put your mind at rest a bit.

my mother in law had a female cat called arthur so youre not the only one to get things a bit mixed up