My Old Sick Kitty...Reebok
My cat companion of 17+ years is, sadly, towards the end of her life. Last night, Reebok had quite a challenge breathing. Breathing was so forced that it woke me up a few times. She also was dry heaving. After so long with the same pet, I know her time is coming. Although sad, I'm okay with this realistic life fact.
This morning I took her to the vet. The doctor says one side of her heart is working harder than the other. X-rays showed a myriad of "things" of concern. It was hard to make out where her heart was because of a growth or fluid or some mass next to it. Her abdomen has too many spaces of air causing her to work harder. She has a pre-existing hyper-thyroid that can be causing heart disease. Then there's the simple fact that in human years she's in her 90's.
Making decisions about whether or not to put a pet to "sleep" is complicated. First there's the consideration of how much money am I willing/have to spend on an elderly pet, how much pain might she be in, keeping her alive will prolong my comfort, but what about her pain? My decision today was to keep her on her thyroid medicines consistently, give her antibiotics to combat any possible infection, and a decongestant to help clear her breathing passages. Hopefully this works to where she is breathing without stress and seemingly comfortable. Unfortunately, if she goes down hill, I will most likely put her down. No point in letting an old cat live her final days/months in pain or with a lower quality of life. Pets are the greatest gift. They not only teach us to love and care, they teach us how to let go, and how to welcome new loves (new pets).
posted by Tamara @ 1:56 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I went through what you're going through. I went through years of fluids and other work to keep my old cat alive, but at 17 her body quit. About six months later my 6 year old cat stopped eating. We went through tests for months, and me feeding him through a syringe, before they finally decided he had cancer. The decision to let both of them go was surprisingly easy. They had no hope for meaningful life and it was their time. I hope that when the time comes it'll be as easy for you.
17 X 7= 119. Wow! Isn't one cat year equal to 7 human years?
Good luck w/Reebok, Tam.
Tamara, I am so sorry you went thru the day alone. I wish I had known. I just happened to not be breathing very well (like the CAT!), it is 3am and looked at your blog, and saw this about Reebok. I remember when I drove you to that "smelly cat" house to adopt Reebok, and how she never let me pet her for years. You have always been a great pet Mommie, to the many ones we've had. I am so sad for Reebok. Reebok has been with us longer than I was married. It was so hard for us when Max got bad, and was easier when he decided to crawl under the bed and go to sleep on his own. I wish you would have called me, however you were probably running your tush off. I will call you tonight, or call me 24/7.
Love your Mother
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