Small cat to be put to sleep

Noffles · 06-08-2009 8:08am #1

My wife has 5 cats and one of them a particularly small Calico has been very unwell lately. So we took her to the vet on Tuesday and the vet has stated she is in kidney failure... and that she will not survive, he has given her an injection that may improve her but if not she will be put to sleep on Saturday.

My wife appears to be heartbroken and even though I do see the sady part of this and it does hurt to see the upset, I think that as we take in strays and rear them are we not setting ourselves up for things like this, as strays are often ill and have hereditary diseases..

I suppose there's no question in this actual post more comments really about taking in strays and rearing them... oh and how do I help my wife deal with this as we are to bury the little cat in the garden and I know this will be awful for her?

star-pants · 06-08-2009 8:28am

That's quite sad the poor little mite. Ye do a good thing taking care of stray kittens and cats. My friend always had a few cats, and if one's found in her area someone usually contacts her to see if she'll take it in. She's had some right good characters over the years and its hard not to bond with them especially when they're unwell and alone. Just be there for your wife, she will get past it, its just always hard to lose a little soul like that. Remind her of the good she does+how she helped this one

joyce2009 · 06-08-2009 9:37am

Ahh the poor mite,,you and your wife in taking in these strays are at the end of the day doing a great thing by giving them a second chance ,sometimes though you pay a lot in emotions because it does hurt when they are too ill but you will get passed it and you have to remember if you hadn't taken them in who would,,fair dues to the two of you, the world would be a better place if it had more people like you and your wife.:)

tk123 · 06-08-2009 12:47pm

The time you have with them outweights the hearbreak - but your little baby is so small it's hard to put the bad memories aside and focus on the good ones. My 6 year old cat was pts last month after his kidneys failed - by the time we spotted it it was too late and he had too much damage. The last 3 days with him were horrible for me - he was so miserable just sitting by himself and not interacting with us that I knew my happy cat wasn't going to come back and there was only one thing I could do for him before he really started to suffer. I couldn't face having him buried/asking my dad/brother to bury him so we had him cremated and got the ashes back - they came back in a wooden box shaped like a sleeping cat. We have it on the end of the stairs now to rememeber him.

Poppy78 · 06-08-2009 2:48pm

It's a bit like being a social worker/foster parent you have to be kind but tough at the same time. You will lose some battles at times but overall it's worth it. The next one will be easier, I promise.

Noffles · 06-08-2009 6:48pm

well here she is.

joyce2009 · 06-08-2009 7:13pm

ahh now your really breaking my heart she's a beaut,, poor thing,,Hope she makes it ,, if not you both can rest easy that you did what you could,, you cant save hem all as they say

Noffles · 07-08-2009 7:04pm

The little blighter has had a reprieve, the missus took her to another vet who although giving a similar diagnosis said that it was too early to look at PTS... so happy days around the house for now...!!!

Noffles · 03-09-2009 2:05pm

Happy days obviously don't last that long...

The little cat was taken to the vet today as she was getting ill again, the vet gave her a steroid and a antibiotic and said this is fairly strong and if she doesn't respond to this in a few days then she'll not get better an will need to be PTS...

roughly an hour after we got back she had what can only be described as a serious fit, I picked her up trying to calm her down but this did no good... she stopped after about 2 minutes but since then has been jerking and spasming with really wide eyes and rapid breathing... She's totally unable to walk and is looking around as if blind, even though she's not... It's awful to see her like this so we've rung the vet to return and have her PTS....

Sadly there seems to be no way back after this, she's in an awful state and I think it's something we've brought upon her... this is a harsh and upsetting lesson.

PurplePrincess · 03-09-2009 3:33pm

Hey Noffles,

My heart goes out to you and your wife. But you have to tell yourselves that although kitty didn't have a long life she had a good life being well looked after with lots of love.

03-09-2009 5:57pm

Aww, the poor little thing. Sounds like an awful orderal at the end.

Sometimes you just have to take a step back and give yourself a pat on the back for treating an animal as well as you could for as long as possible. It sounds like he had a good life and there was no lack of medical care towards the end, or at any stage it seems.

Your wife will be upset and that's natural so let her get on with it and she'll come around in a few days.

Noffles · 03-09-2009 7:22pm

I wasn't going to post this but since there are comments then I will... the vet rang us back and basically said that if we bring the cat, Dolly is her name, to him to get put down he'll not do it until at least 24 hours have past after the injections... and would keep her in the surgery himself until he's certain she'll not get better.

He stated that we HAVE to give her the chance since we've gone to the effort to have her medicated again....

Since then, Dolly has settled down and is sleeping soundly on the couch, although struggling greatly to walk etc (when she does try to move) she is relaxed and her breathing has slowed and is looking nice and strong.

I'll post further in the morning, hoping that she sleeps soundly... It would be great to see her come out of this and return to her old self, not really the most energetic of cats but one that did at least enjoy her life.

joyce2009 · 03-09-2009 7:24pm

ahh i'm so sorry for the two of you,,just remember that without ye the poor thing would not have lasted this long you both gave her a fighting chance and thats more than she had ,,,well done and again i'm so sorry for you two:(

Noffles · 14-09-2009 12:13pm

Just to finally update this and finish it off.. the poor thing wasn't that lucky and we've to take her in to get PTS this evening. She seems to of regressed so much and is such a sorry sight now as she's unable to walk for some reason and is also having trouble breathing.. it's best for her and and our family to go to sleep... just so bloody sad.

lubie76 · 14-09-2009 4:04pm

Hi Noffles. This is such a sad story but she is so lucky to have a family that cared for her so much and were there right til the end for her. R.I.P Dolly

Noffles · 15-09-2009 7:23pm

I feel a little stupid updating this... but.... the vet last night refused yet again to put the cat down... to our surprise..! He said that she has improved and it would be a shame to put her down as she seems to be trying to get well... so he said he'll no longer take money from us, then gave her an injection and ten days worth of tablets to help her fight off the cold that she's developed and told us to call him then...

This may appear to you that we're simply taking the cat every other week to get put down but I can assure you we're not and would love her to get well and live a lot longer... anyway, I'm sure I'll update next week when we're heading back to the vet.

star-pants · 15-09-2009 9:01pm

Wow that's very nice of the vet, obviously they can see an improvement and want your little cat to live which is great, I do hope she gets better soon, I don't think the vet would push for her to live if she was in pain/just to take your money (esp as he won't take your money).

don't feel silly for updating, people like to hear good news

The Sweeper · 16-09-2009 12:29am

This is really interesting in a way - so the vet obviously feels your cat's renal function has improved, but this cold is simply a setback (it's not uncommon for cats to come down with colds, sneezes, coughs etc. when they've been through a stressful time - their immune systems can become very compromised through stress), so the vet is insisting you allow the cat to recover from the cold and then resume treating the kidneys separately...

That's cool - good luck!

Demonique · 21-09-2009 10:04pm

How is the little cat doing?

Noffles · 22-09-2009 7:40pm

She's not good but thank you for asking... we both had to go to work today and leave her alone all day, this has turned out to be a disaster for Dolly.... when we got in she was tangled in her blanket and was unable to free her legs as her claws were stuck... Anyway once we freed her we found that she had wet herself and for some reason seems totally unable to do ANYTHING... she's as if she's paralyzed from the neck down and just lays there but with really alert eyes.... So we're going to bring her to sleep in our room tonight and if there's no improvement it'll be the vet without any debate for PTS... I seem to be less sad now as she has no fight in her and we'd be saving her any more misery.

Seems a shame for her to end like this though as she's struggled on so much but as myself and my wife have said we did everything for her and there's no more anyone could of done...

Anyway, I've a little grave dug in the garden now, will post tomorrow and let this thread know how she is...

22-09-2009 8:25pm

Poor Dolly

I think you and your wife have done a great job of keeping her going as long as humanely possible, OP. Part of being a great pet owner is knowing when things are best ended and it seems like you've sadly come to that stage.

Hope things are quick for her, and you, tomorrow.

Noffles · 27-10-2009 8:31am

Just wanted to close this off..

Dolly Dot was PTS just over 2 weeks ago, the vet could do no more for her as her muscles seemed to have deteriorated to a point were she could not hold herself up...

So finally after all the work she went to sleep and we have buried her in a little grave in the garden... and yes it still makes us sad.

Noffles.

doctor evil · 27-10-2009 12:47pm

I don't like the sound of that second vet, just because there is life does not always mean there is hope. Were you charged for each visit?, with that second vet (who I wouldn't go to) it could be a money/vanity thing.

It is always kinder a week early than a day too late.

Noffles · 27-10-2009 5:06pm

doctor evil wrote: »

I don't like the sound of that second vet, just because there is life does not always mean there is hope. Were you charged for each visit?, with that second vet (who I wouldn't go to) it could be a money/vanity thing.

It is always kinder a week early than a day too late.

No we weren't charged, the vet made it very clear that he didn't want any more money from us, to be honest we spend there a lot anyway as we have a few cats... It may of been a little late but it made us happier for a while and sad in the end.

Noffles · 27-10-2009 5:10pm

This is probably the last picture we took.

Noffles · 01-11-2009 7:59pm

Noffles wrote: »

This is probably the last picture we took.

This thread makes both me and my wife so sad... it just reminds us of Dolly so much... =(

lubie76 · 02-11-2009 12:03am

Hi Noffles. i know how heartbreaking it is to lose a cat and all can I say is she was so lucky to have you both and know she was loved right up to the end. I have a 2 yr old tortie that looks just like Dolly and who was really sick as a kitten. She is so adorable and I would have been devestated if I had lost her. Animals just have a way of bringing out the best in people.

Dee_animallover · 02-11-2009 10:58am

Awww thats such a sad story but at least you took care of her which is more than she would have gotten straying. I know how your wife (and you) feel - I have 3 cats I took in as strays and they are the most loving and good tempered cats (and healthy - so far, so good!). One of them went missing for 16 days and I was beside myself with worry, it would have been easier if I had found him dead as at least I would know but I had all sorts of scenarios going through my head (being close to halloween and everything

)
He came home last thursday - we had been minding a dog for an uncle and as soon as we dropped the dog home buster arrived back so he obviously didnt like this dog and saw him as a threat (even though we have 2 dogs ourselves!) and must have been keeping an eye out!
Anyway sorry for rambling but just wanted to say well done and keep up the good work and dont be disheartened.
And RIP Dolly.

Small cat to be put to sleep

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