Community Chat

[Madisson]

I took my two 16 year old cats in for rabies vaccines and checkups the other day. The bloodwork showed fairly advanced kidney disease in one of them. I love my furbabies so much. The vet recommended I start fluid therapy for her (where you inject fluid under their skin around the scruff). I was a nurse, so I don't have a problem with this. However, she also has extremely bad osteoarthritis and limps when she walks. She is in pain all the time. She just lies around and loves to cuddle. If she didn't have the arthritis, I would do fluid therapy in a minute. DH said he would support whatever decision I make.

I am thinking about not doing the fluid therapy and just letting her pass naturally, or taking her into the vet when she becomes too sick from the kidney disease. The vet said she might have 6-10 months without treatment.

What the vet said is putting a guilt trip on me. Do you think I am making the right decision? Thanks for your input.

[Fressa]

My thoughts are with you and your sweet pet. It's so difficult to decide what is the right decision at this time. We recently went thru this in December when our Greta was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and given 3-4 weeks. Our priority was quality of life and not to feel pain. Unfortunately, none of our beloved pets can live as long as we would like. Each pet and each situation is different. Make the decision that is right for you and your pet. Our decision was based on the fact that Greta was not going to get better...only worse and die. If the end result does not mean they will get better or be free of pain then there are few options. It's a very personal decision and even after you decide you may still feel agony or guilt that you should have done this or that. I believe that is normal because these gentle creatures are more than just pets--they are part of our family. It is one of the most difficult decisions that we have to make.

[Sammycat1]

I have had many cats and of course had to put them to sleep eventually -- most had kidney disease, some had arthritis. I learned a lot from caring for them. They were all geriatric cats like yours when diagnosed It's a very difficult decision and I don't respond to your caring post about your beloved cat lightly.

That being said, letting your cat "pass naturally" from kidney disease is the cruel option. It's like depriving a person with kidney failure of dialysis. It will be a protracted and painful passing as the toxins in her bloodstream slowly build over the months and poison her. Cats are famous for hiding their pain, so you won't necessarily see its effects until its final stages, but it will happen all the same and she'll feel miserable the whole way. You sound like you love your cat and would not want this for her.

If you're willing to do the fluids, there are additional treatment options for your cat, from a change in diet to supplementing what she has with potassium (cats with kidney failure often have low potassium....but you have to get it via the vet...it comes in tablets or a paste). You can have years with your cat yet to go with these options + fluids. Over a longer period of time, these things won't work anymore, but it's very much worth a try for your cat's quality of life. My cats were diagnosed when old and had several good years after diagnosis with fluids + treatment.

The biggest mystery is why your veterinarian is not treating her for her arthritis pain beyond her taking cosequin or glucosamine...that's what stumps me in your post. It's difficult to treat cats for pain because the meds don't react the same way they do in cats as in dogs, but there are meds and supplements. Also, a heated pad for her bed or where she likes to sleep also will work wonders -- not a human heating pad, the heat is too high on that, but one designed for pets.

Why not treat her with the fluids and see how she responds? It may also improve her arthritis by having her body properly hydrated. This gives you more time to do research and consult your vet on the arthritis, etc. In the meantime, she'll feel much better.

I hope this helps you -- it is never an easy decision. There's an excellent website that talks about kidney disease and failure, www.felinecrf.com. You may find some helpful tips there.

Don't despair! It's obvious you want what is the very best for you cat.

[QsZoo]

I have been where you are. It is a very hard decision to make. My Ethan got fluids for 2 1/2 years at least twice a week at the vet. They did the fluids with a tech so I only paid for the supplies. Ethan's vet has been with my family for over 30 years and agrees about the quality of life piece. Many times I would ask what he would do if ****** was his personal pet and he would always answer exactly what he was recommending. Ethan's vitals were monitored every visit and charted. When it was really time we all knew.

Sammycat is so right in what she posted. Letting things progress naturally would be very hard for your sweetie and she would hide the pain well. I ask myself what I would want if this happened to me as a person. Would I want medical help or no intervention at all? She gave many wonderful suggestions that I used when I was going through this with my Love Ethan. I was never sorry and was very grateful.

There are no easy answers or one size fits all. My heart is with you at this time. My tears are flowing again. It has been 5 months since I had to let my sweet boy go but I have no regrets and am at Peace with everything we tried.

May you find the support and guidance that you need to help you make decisions right for you and your beloved kitty. (((Hugs)))

[Madisson]

On 5/31/2014 DeePa said:

My thoughts are with you and your sweet pet. It's so difficult to decide what is the right decision at this time. We recently went thru this in December when our Greta was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and given 3-4 weeks. Our priority was quality of life and not to feel pain. Unfortunately, none of our beloved pets can live as long as we would like. Each pet and each situation is different. Make the decision that is right for you and your pet. Our decision was based on the fact that Greta was not going to get better...only worse and die. If the end result does not mean they will get better or be free of pain then there are few options. It's a very personal decision and even after you decide you may still feel agony or guilt that you should have done this or that. I believe that is normal because these gentle creatures are more than just pets--they are part of our family. It is one of the most difficult decisions that we have to make.

DeePa, I am so sorry that you lost your Greta recently. My cat is already in severe pain from the arthritis, which is why I am leaning toward not treating the kidney disease. You are correct, it is a very difficult and personal decision. Every case is different. Our cats certainly are members of our family.

[Madisson]

On 5/31/2014 Sammycat1 said:

I have had many cats and of course had to put them to sleep eventually -- most had kidney disease, some had arthritis. I learned a lot from caring for them. They were all geriatric cats like yours when diagnosed It's a very difficult decision and I don't respond to your caring post about your beloved cat lightly.

That being said, letting your cat "pass naturally" from kidney disease is the cruel option. It's like depriving a person with kidney failure of dialysis. It will be a protracted and painful passing as the toxins in her bloodstream slowly build over the months and poison her. Cats are famous for hiding their pain, so you won't necessarily see its effects until its final stages, but it will happen all the same and she'll feel miserable the whole way. You sound like you love your cat and would not want this for her.

If you're willing to do the fluids, there are additional treatment options for your cat, from a change in diet to supplementing what she has with potassium (cats with kidney failure often have low potassium....but you have to get it via the vet...it comes in tablets or a paste). You can have years with your cat yet to go with these options + fluids. Over a longer period of time, these things won't work anymore, but it's very much worth a try for your cat's quality of life. My cats were diagnosed when old and had several good years after diagnosis with fluids + treatment.

The biggest mystery is why your veterinarian is not treating her for her arthritis pain beyond her taking cosequin or glucosamine...that's what stumps me in your post. It's difficult to treat cats for pain because the meds don't react the same way they do in cats as in dogs, but there are meds and supplements. Also, a heated pad for her bed or where she likes to sleep also will work wonders -- not a human heating pad, the heat is too high on that, but one designed for pets.

Why not treat her with the fluids and see how she responds? It may also improve her arthritis by having her body properly hydrated. This gives you more time to do research and consult your vet on the arthritis, etc. In the meantime, she'll feel much better.

I hope this helps you -- it is never an easy decision. There's an excellent website that talks about kidney disease and failure, www.felinecrf.com. You may find some helpful tips there.

Don't despair! It's obvious you want what is the very best for you cat.

Sammycat1, thank you for a very informative post. I will talk to the vet about the potassium, and I will checkout that website.

I would never let my cat get real sick with kidney disease before putting her down. My plan was to put her down at the first sign of her feeling poorly--usually not eating according to the vet.

Again, thanks for your helpful post.

[Madisson]

On 5/31/2014 QsZoo said:

I have been where you are. It is a very hard decision to make. My Ethan got fluids for 2 1/2 years at least twice a week at the vet. They did the fluids with a tech so I only paid for the supplies. Ethan's vet has been with my family for over 30 years and agrees about the quality of life piece. Many times I would ask what he would do if ****** was his personal pet and he would always answer exactly what he was recommending. Ethan's vitals were monitored every visit and charted. When it was really time we all knew.

Sammycat is so right in what she posted. Letting things progress naturally would be very hard for your sweetie and she would hide the pain well. I ask myself what I would want if this happened to me as a person. Would I want medical help or no intervention at all? She gave many wonderful suggestions that I used when I was going through this with my Love Ethan. I was never sorry and was very grateful.

There are no easy answers or one size fits all. My heart is with you at this time. My tears are flowing again. It has been 5 months since I had to let my sweet boy go but I have no regrets and am at Peace with everything we tried.

May you find the support and guidance that you need to help you make decisions right for you and your beloved kitty. (((Hugs)))

QsZoo, I am so sorry for your loss of Ethan. You are correct--there are no easy answers. I certainly never want my cat to get to the point where she is suffering. Thank you so much for your understanding post.

[Sammycat1]

Madisson, you're welcome. The first sign of them feeling poorly -- not eating -- can actually be reversed with fluids, potassium, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean the end is at hand.

Example: My vet was of the school that you don't give up at the sign of not eating and/or spitting up foam . . . that's usually just nausea due to stomach acid building up from the disease. Solution: 1/4 tab of original strength pepcid. I was amazed at all my cats' turnarounds with this little tip and I was thankful for his conservative, no-nonsense, optimistic approach.

Best wishes for you and your cat. She has a caring and fantastic Cat Mom in you!

[goodstuff]

You sound like a thoughtful, caring pet mom, which assures me that you will do what is best and most caring for your pet. We had an elderly cat who developed kidney disease in addition to other age-related health issues some years ago, and we opted to put her down. It was (as it always is) a painful decision, but we knew she had only limited time left at her advanced age; she was clearly in pain and in decline, and her health would not get better for long, if at all. It did not seem right or reasonable to spend large amounts of money to extend her life when she wouldn't be well. Our vet concurred that euthanasia was a reasonable choice for her, and she died peacefully at his office. We remember her fondly; she was a good kitty. We now have two more kitties and love them both. You mourn them, and then life goes on. Bless you as you make this difficult decision.

[grandkidsrgreat]

You have been given excellent advice by some very knowledgeable and compassionate ladies. I hope you give the subq fluids a chance. They make such a difference in kitties with kidney problems. I've had two kitties who each lived approximately 3 years after the devastating diagnosis of kidney failure with the help of prescription food, careful monitoring and subq fluids. My Abu was a beautiful black Persian boy. He had kidney failure and arthritis. He had several acupuncture treatments for both conditions. Pain meds are tricky with the added kidney issues but can be given with medical supervision. You know your kitty best and are the one who will have to decide when the quality of life is bad enough to consider putting her down. Hopefully her conditions can be kept under control and you will have more quality time with her. Good luck!