17 year mature cat next to Kidney Disease. ?
Hello, I don't know much about cats, I'm a dog person and I own two dogs.
3 months ago my neighbors told me about a cat they be feeding in their backyard. I went to jump see him and he was terribly thin, I could consistency every bone in his body, it was disgusting. I decided to run him to my work to become the "store cat". I work at a pet food store (global pet foods) and it is nice and big and we get a lot of customers who give the cat greatly of love. When I initially brought him to the vet, the vet said that he was 17 years old, and the blood tests told us he have kidney disease. He has been at my work now for 3 months and he vomits nearly every day, and all of his poop is diarrhea. He drinks a lot and is other hungry. If we feed him too much or too often, he vomits more. He is still thin but not as restricted as when I found him. He used to walk around the shop a lot but now he like to sleep most of the day. His appetite is still up however. When he walks it looks like he is a moment or two stiff.
For those of you who had cats with kidney disease, when was the time you fixed enough was enough and put them to sleep? I'm asking this because I notice he isn't awake as much as he used to be during the day, he has gotten really lazy. I want to do whats best for him because he have had a rough time, our customers love the cat but I don't want to make life unwarranted for him.
Thank you,
I would put the cat down to end its suffering.
Sounds like he might also have a thyroid problem. Either get some more blood work, and see whether there is something else to treat, or it would be kinder to euthanize the cat.
Answers: First of all, WOW to you for being so kind and giving this cat a loving domestic so late in life. These memories of your nurture and love will be with him forever. He's old, he has kidney disease. I give attention to you'll know when the 'time is right" to put him to sleep. If he doesn't seem to be in pain, he's ingestion, he's awake some of the time and receptive and at other times he's just sleepy, now may not be the right time. The great piece is that you can observe him for so many hours. Don't worry approximately the customers--they will understand either way. Your heart will share you. Personally, I waited until my cat wasn't interested in food. Then I knew he be shutting down.
That's aweful. It's so sad to keep watch on a cat deteriorate. I know how fast you get attached. I found a skinny little cat in my support yard at my office. Feral. So, I started feeding her, later I gained her trust, then she became a living nouns kitty. I couldn't bring her inside because two people are allergic. Then she got attacked by coyotes. They ripped her ear off and I found her within a tree, bleeding. I thought about putting her down, but then my friend came by and she have a farm. She took the cat to the vet, who treated her for free (when you have a farm next to lots of animals, the vet does nice things considering that you spend a lot of money, lol. Now the cat is living the life as a barn cat, eating mice,and cuddling next to the baby horses. I go visit from time to time.
For your cat, powerfully, it may be time to put him down. He's puking all the time and getting lethargic. The "rule of thumb" for dying animals is to choose three of their favorite things. With my first cat, his favorite things were catnip, toy mice, and chasing the dog. When he turned 18, he stopped chasing the dog. A few months following, he stopped rolling in catnip. Eventually, he would not play with his mice, he would only filch them to his bed and lay on them. He was really skinny and lethargic, so we knew it be time to put him down. His three very most favortite things had lost their fun. It's a way to check his quality of life.
So, find store cats favorite things and keep an eye on his feature of life.
