My cat is dying

[ShortLady]

My Rachel is 18 yrs old... and she has stopped eating. I can't afford to tak her to a vet.. I can barely afford to take care of my family. She grinds her teeth (what teeth she has left) whenever she does eat and then it's never more than a bite or two. Years ago I'd learned that you can give a newborn a mixture of egg yolk and milk when the mother won't nurse. I tried this for Rachel and, while she didn't take much of it, it was the most I've seen her eat/drink in a very long time so I think the problem is solid food. (she's refused to eat dry food for the last few years)

She's skin and bones... and I know at her age there isn't much that can be done... but does anyone have any suggestions on a suitable liquid diet for cats? I know she gonna die, I just don't want her to starve and I'm at my wits end.

[lunaguy]

>I can barely afford to take care of my family.

I'm sorry if this sounds flippant, but don't you consider a cat of 18 years to be a member of your family?

You need to beg, borrow, or steal to get this poor cat to a vet ASAP, or take her to a shelter where she will finally get some much-needed medical attention. That's really the only advice I have.

[Bente]

If you don't have the money to take care of your cat, you should hand her over to a non-kill shelter. It's probably going to be very hard for you, but it's the best thing for your cat.

[Ginger]

I'm sorry your cat isn't well, 18 is very old, she needs a vet to see her because by the sounds of it she will die if she doesn't.
Although 18 is very old what ever is wrong with her NOW might be fixable, she could possibly recover - what if she has a bad tooth with an abcess or something like that- you will never know if you leave it, its got to be worth finding out, even if you find out you can't afford the treatment if its something more complicated.

There must be some way you could get the money for it, sell something, borrow some money, I've just spent every penny of my Christmas savings to get my 14 year old cat back on his feet, 2-3 weeks ago I thought he was going to die he was very sick, the vet saved him and hes getting back to health now, Christmas will be hard now, my family will go without gifts but I don't care I would do it all again given the chance.

[Chezza]

I cant believe Im reading this, that cat is suffering badly... , If you cant take the cat to the vets WHY have an animal that you cant take care of, especially in there OLDER years, thats when they need it the most..

[Mary_NH]

ditto what everyone else said
I'd be working a 2nd job to pay off a vet bill rather than let my furred family member just perish away!!! And I've done it

[Chezza]

Iv none stopped thought about this post since you wrote it, and I am really upset by it..
I hope to God you have contacted a vet ASAP, Like Yesterday... You are responsible for this cats well being and NONE SUFFERING.... You let this cat suffer and you are Abusing an innocent animal, YES I'm being blunt, But I can not get over the life of me, that you can not get this cat to a shelter or a vet, BY ANY MEANS.. OR ANYWAY.. I dont normally stew over a post but I am stewing over this one..

[ShortLady]

to lunaguy

Of course she's a member of the family - I only phrased it that way to differentiate from my human family for which I can barely feed, house, and clothe

[ShortLady]

You people don't seem to understand me... I don't mean that I can't afford a vet cause I'd rather have that money for xmas shopping or a vacation or whatever.... I mean I can't afford a vet cause I'm already begging, borrowing, stealing to keep FOOD IN MY HOUSE!!! I skip meals so my son can eat....should I drop him at a shelter too???!!!! as much as I love my cat I don't have $80 bucks to spare for a vet to tell me what I already know - that she's old and dying.... I came here looking for some compassion, understanding and maybe some advice on how to make her last weeks and days more comfortable. I see that instead I've found a horde of self-righteous, judgemental, popmous %&*@@ that lack the ability to even understand a person in my position... X-mas Savings!!!! Kiss my %#*@@. Wish I could save from one payday to the next... BOO HOO, my family's been without a Christmas for years

If this is the calibur of people that frequent this site, I dont need it f@#@*you Auspet.com and f&@# all of you too!!!

[Chezza]

Well If that is the case Mrs shortlady, then why make her comfortable when she is clearly suffering, the most kindest thing to do is to have her euthanised.

[Mary_NH]

you are on a cat board....where everyone is here for the same purpose cause we adore our cats and would do whatever we have to do to ensure their health, and also make sure they aren't in pain and suffering.
If you're cat is dying why not take him/her to a shelter where they will release it from it's pain and suffering? I'm sure they would even do it for free. I know my local shelter will rather than see the cat suffer.
You do have options....and they are all better than what you are doing at this moment.
I'm sure we've all had points in our lives where money was tight and we weren't sure where out next meal was coming from - I lived on english muffins when my oldest son was a baby. Worked 2 jobs and support him - he got fed and I bought 10 packages of english muffins for $1.99 (back in the 70s). I also had a kitten who was spayed and stayed current on her shots and vet care.
When you come in and say you can't afford to see the right thing is done for your cat and everyone that posts here would do what they had to do - yes people get a bit pissy. But we didn't swear at you...no need for that under any circumstances unless you can't think of more intelligent words to use and I don't think that's the case.
You've had the cat 18 years which in itself is a testimony to how you cared for it. I think we find it hard that you can sit and let it die w/out some intervention be it vet care or having it put to sleep.
Lack of money is always an excuse from what I've seen...you can give something up for a few weeks (coffee in the morning on the way to work, cut back on traveling to converse gas, if you smoke give it up for awhile - and I'm a smoker saying that, give up the beer if that's the case or soda or trips to fast food restaurants). ANYTHING to put money aside to help the cat.
Anyway that's my take on it - when you take on a pet (and children) you're responsible for their care. I'm by no means rich and my husband works 7 days a week and I work full-time and we don't take vacations. I send my vet money when I can so I have some there when I need it.
heck we don't have health insurance and I don't go to the doctor - but my pets go

[faeriedust1127]

I am very sorry to hear of this difficult situation you find yourself in. Your cat may not be eating because her mouth hurts. You mentioned that she refuses dry food and hasn't much teeth left. Did they fall out on their own? She may have very infected gums. In that case she would need treatment. You can try making her chicken broth and mixing in a bit of Nutrical gel and feed it to her. Perhaps some tuna juice? Obviously that won't solve the problem but to perhaps make you feel better that she has something in her tummy.

Here is a website that you may find helpful: http://www.imom.org/

If anything, you can try googling some rescues/shelters in your area and call them up and see if they have any better suggestions for you. I imagine, heartbreaking as it is, that at least one of them would be willing to euthanize for free if that's what it comes to. You will simply have to surrender your cat to them and they will do it automatically. I used to work for a county shelter and sad cases like that would come in every once in awhile where someone couldn't pay for their sick/injured pet and that's what they would do.

Best of luck to you and your kitty.

[lunaguy]

You're assuming that Rachel is dying of "old age," but being that you obviously have no veterinary training, can you really trust your own diagnosis? Elderly cats (like humans) are prone to all sorts of conditions that could affect appetite (someone mentioned a dental abscess), and it sounds like she hasn't seen a vet in years, if ever. The only compassionate way to treat this little family member of yours is to get her the help she needs one way or another. If you can't do it, then at least give her a chance by bringing her to someone that can.

>I skip meals so my son can eat....should I drop him at a shelter too???!!!!

If it gets to the point that you can't provide your son with the basic medical attention and care that he badly needs, and Social Services gets involved, then yes, it could lead to your losing him. A kid has a right to not suffer needlessly, and so should a cat. Where do you get the money when your son gets a bad ear infection that won't go away on its own without a doctor visit and antibiotics? You find it somewhere, whether you have to borrow, beg, or steal it, right? Well, do that now for your cat, if she really is indeed a member of the family, as you say.

Have you tried standing on a busy street corner and holding up a sign that says "please help, my cat is dying and she needs to see a vet"? If you haven't, then you really haven't done everything you could to help her. Wouldn't you do that if it were your son, or your grandfather, that we were talking about? Maybe you think of Rachel as "just a cat" and therefore not worthy of going to extremes to make sure that she isn't suffering, but she is.

You wrote:
>does anyone have any suggestions on a suitable liquid diet for cats?

I know that some people give their cats Pedialyte, but is that a "suitable liquid diet" for Rachel's particular condition? I have no idea. It's formulated with people in mind, not cats. Try [url=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pedialyte+cat&btnG=Google+Searchhere[/url].

Maybe try calling a vet and asking for some free advice over the phone. Explain your sad story and they may have some helpful info or advice for you. Get out the phonebook and call all the vets in your area and see if maybe one of them offers discounts to people with hardships. Call a shelter and ask if they can recommend a low-cost vet in your area. Start making some calls and you might be surprised at the results you get. Get resourceful, don't just resign yourself to the fact that Rachel is gonna die and there's nothing you can do to get some help for her. Relying on veterinary advice from people on messageboards isn't really going to do a whole lot of good for a cat that none of us is able to examine and who isn't able to speak for herself and tell us "where it hurts."

Good luck, Rachel the cat. You're in all of our thoughts tonight, not that it does you any good.

[lunaguy]

The link I was trying to post was this: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pedialyte+cat&btnG=Google+Searchhere It's just a Google search for cats and Pedialyte.

BTW, faeriedust1127 posted her excellent reply while I was composing mine (yes, I'm slow).

[Chezza]

If you took her to a vet, I bet thats there is NO WAY they would say take her back home until she dies, they would say the best thing for her is to have her put to sleep, so she goes peacefully and that she is not suffering anymore, or any need to continue suffering...
When my mums dog stopped eating "ALL TOGETHER" she let her go 1 full day and night and saw how she was in the morning, the dog just laid under the table not interested in Food, so the decision was made to take her to the vet, she was an old dog, the vet said it was "OLD AGE" pure and simple and she's going to slip away, well we didnt want her to suffer and just DIE, we had her put to sleep, and said our goodbyes to her with hugs and kisses, and held her in our arms.. She went peacefully and quickly..
Please re-think about just leaving her to die.

[vene]

Quality of Life:

http://www.petplace.com/cats/quality-of-life-issues/page1.aspx

Diseases in elderly cats:

http://cats.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/

Time to let go:

http://www.messybeast.com/euth.htm

Euthanasia- Gentle Death, Painful Decision:

http://www.messybeast.com/euth2.htm

I understand that this is a difficult time for you both emotionally and financially. You know your Rachel better than anyone here. Having a talk with a vet either in person or over the phone will give you a peace of mind. Maybe it's Rachel's time to go or maybe it's something else treatable like gum infection, URi, or UTI. You won't really know until she's been checked by a vet. Are you force feeding her liquids/baby foods/etc.? Her system will shut down if nothing is done. You and Rachel are in our thoughts.

[Cassie]

Please believe me when I say that no one here is trying to attack you personally. We are just very passionate and compassionate when it comes to kitty health and care. And please know that many posters here have also worked as/with/for vets and shelters and are knowledgable in such matters.

No one is saying that you're being evil or that you should kill your kitty if you can't afford to care for her. That's the farthest from the fact.

What people have pointed out to you is that you DO have options.

1) Most vets will work out a payment plan with you. They want you to give your pet proper care and will work with you.

2) Your kitty may just have a physical condition that can be treated and cured (giving her a longer and more comfortable life)

3) If, as you suspect, it's just old age and she's dying of natural causes...she is still intitled to proper care, meds and euthenasia(sp?) if necessary.

And of course no... no one would expect you to put your son in a shelter if he became ill and you couldn't afford treatment but on the other side of that coin, keep in mind that denying proper medical care to a pet is a criminal offense in many places.

People were just trying to urge you to 'do the right thing'.

[lucy locket]

do you have the option to take out pet insurance.

[ShortLady]

I found a vet that only charged $11 for an exam... and he told me just what I expected "she's old, she's gonna die, nothing you can do would be worth the cost and trouble"

Rachel died Thanksgiving night, 10:20, in my arms. To those of you that extend condolences and sympathy.. my deepest thanks, but don't bother with messages and such... I've disabled all notifications and I won't be back to this site.

To those of you that would pass judgement on me and look down your noses... F#ck off!!

[Bente]

Even though you say you won't be back: I am so sorry for your loss. It's always hard to loose a beloved pet, especially when she had been with you for such a long time. I'm also sorry that you feel you have to swear at us. All the people here are animal lovers who, when you ask for advice, will give their honest opinion on what is best for the animal. Yes, some of us do get upset if we believe that a sick pet is not getting the medical attention it needs, but I am sure that no one here answered your post just to put you down, but to try to help you and give you some much needed advice.