Cats - how do you know if the end is imminent?

[Grianan]

We have 3 cats, all rescue. The youngest two were kittens when we got them 11 years ago. We also rehomed their mum, who we guessed was about 2 ... so possibly 13 now.
We live on a farm steading so the cats are out in the fields most of the time. Because Mishka was a street cat from Girvan, she went missing several times (about once a year) over her first 2-3 years with us. She would always return thin and hungry but recover well. Over the last two weeks she has become emaciated. She can no longer jump up to her bed on the units so we just lift her. She’s sleeping lots and isn’t eating her normal dry food. She is eating some of the wet pouches, more the gravy than the meat. She’s still drinking and loving a stroke and is managing to go outside.
It’s a 30 minute car journey to the vets ... hubby thinks it will be too distressing for her. Neither of us think there’s a fix as it seems old age and a rough start to life has caught up with her. I’m guessing the vet will recommend we think about euthanasia but you never know ...
She doesn’t have the ‘foul odour’ mentioned on most websites about dying cats .... does anyone have any experience? I know cats don’t show pain much, I just want to do what’s right for her.

 

[Wildbill]

Don't know much abut cats but it sound like lots of hugs and kisses for the wee sole hope its not suffering to much
i was going to tell a funny abut a friends cat but i don't think its the right time.
bill

 

[Melanie 64]

Sorry to hear that no experience of cats but have lost a dog she just went outside and didn’t move she was 16 yrs old we took her to vets as it is hard to know if they are in pain

 

[M-J]

Sorry to hear this, definitely no smell? What about breath?

 

[Camping Gaza]

Don't prolong it by guessing and reading forums, it's not fair on you or the cat, get it to the vets asap.

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[movan]

sad time for you. She doesn't sound to be in pain .. I think she would be constantly moving trying to alleviate the discomfort. She knows she is loved.

 

[Two on Tour]

You need to get Mishka to the vets as there could be any number of things giving her symptoms.
The foul smell could be down to a plaque build up on her teeth or that if she is off colour that her personal hygiene is not what it should be.
Keep her in a dark environment on the way to the vets to help keep her calm, if she is not happy with that then cuddle her on your lap to reassure her on the way.
Our little girl has just turned 21 years so please don't right her off at 13 years old.

 

[Enword]

Check her teeth & gum's, cats quickly go thin if they have bad teeth or gum infection because its hard for them to eat, one of our rescue's had to have all her teeth out & lived years with out teeth, 15 + when that sad day came

 

[KUSKUS]

Our cat has just reached nineteen and she is a bit fragile, still manages to get on chairs and the bed.
She tends to eat what she feels like, a bit fussy.
you can see she struggles with stairs and jumping down off thing but who wouldn't be she about 94 in human years.
Our cats drinks a lot , probably a sign that her kidneys are not too good but she keeps her coat nice and is mobile.
I think if she has lost weight and not eating properly I would be inclined to get her to the vets, it may be something as simple as a dental problem, hence not eating the dry food.
Hope it all turns out ok for her, I know how attached we get to them.

 

[Kevinthecat]

Sorry to hear about your kitty.
Our cat Doris went down hill very quickly , within a few days she just stayed in one place and didnt eat. When we took her to the vets she was diagnosed with kidney failure. The outcome was very poor , so we decided to let her go there and then. She was 14 .
Yours may take herself off and not return. I would continue as you are love, strokes and gravy dinners for her.

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[Grianan]

Sorry to hear this, definitely no smell? What about breath?

No she smells ok, breath too. No sign of dental issues ... gums healthy colour, teeth not wobbly.

 

[Bartyfixedit]

Check her teeth & gum's, cats quickly go thin if they have bad teeth or gum infection because its hard for them to eat, one of our rescue's had to have all her teeth out & lived years with out teeth, 15 + when that sad day came

That is a very good bet. We nearly lost a cat that same way. The poor diet in early life won't have helped her teeth.

 

[Guigsy]

Get her to the vets. It could be something like teeth meaning she isn't eating.

When we said goodbye to our rescue, she was still purring, wanting attention and doing tricks, but she'd been to the vets lots and the masses of drugs she was on were no longer helping. She had been in decline for a few months and it started to accelerate. When she started to slip on the stairs and was obviously getting uncomfortable, we knew it was time.

In our case, the FIV she had when we rescued her meant the wounds she picked up on the streets would never heal. After keeping her on a roughly even keel (with increasing amounts of medicine), the cuts started to get worse and one got infected. We knew it wasn't going to get better, so we said goodbye then rather than in a week's time. It's hard.

 

[Bartyfixedit]

Take her to the vet. Expect the worst but hope for the best. A quick X ray should show any abcesses etc.

 

[GPW]

She’s still drinking and loving a stroke and is managing to go outside.

Sorry to hear this. Most cats have a kidney function lifespan that gradually counts down and there's no cure if that is the problem here. For the other cats review any/all medication for them as some have side effects that affect the kidneys which in my view shorten their lives. IIRC even metacam notes this in the data.
Sadly we've learned this from experience.

If terminal I would let the cat do what she can, however poorly she is she'll shuffle off to a quiet place when she's ready. Don't try to pick her up or 'revive her', recognise that they choose the place and the time and it will be somewhere not too far away that's quiet and sheltered and maybe slightly out of the usual. If you interfere next time she'll go a lot further and you may never know where she went.

When they do drift away they gradually slow down and lose heat as hypothermia carries them gently off at night, it's very sad but in my experience far less traumatic than the vet intervening. None of our cats ever smelled bad as they passed away.

Good to hear you have other cats, that helps coping quite a bit.

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[Chris]

When our elderly cat died a few years back she just became very thin , slept more than usual and was a bit less appreciative of any attention. She just sort of distanced herself from us until she died.

I am not convinced there is a right or wrong way to deal with this. The trip to the vets will be traumatic for the cat and the vet might just suggest you put her down but on the other hand it won’t necessarily be cruel to let nature take its course and let the cat avoid the trauma of the journey/ examination.

Our cat cost us a fortune in her final weeks ( £900 +) because we thought we were giving her a chance. What we actually achieved was a totally miserable final week or so of her life to the extent I think she hated us at the end

 

[Grianan]

When our elderly cat died a few years back she just became very thin , slept more than usual and was a bit less appreciative of any attention. She just sort of distanced herself from us until she died.

I am not convinced there is a right or wrong way to deal with this. The trip to the vets will be traumatic for the cat and the vet might just suggest you put her down but on the other hand it won’t necessarily be cruel to let nature take its course and let the cat avoid the trauma of the journey/ examination.

Our cat cost us a fortune in her final weeks ( £900 +) because we thought we were giving her a chance. What we actually achieved was a totally miserable final week or so of her life to the extent I think she hated us at the end

I’m sorry to read this Chris.

We did the same for a horse once and I wished he hadn’t been down the vet school / operation route. I swore that if we ever had the misfortune to have a horse with the same illness we would have them euthanised at home. Against the odds our next pony fell ill with the same disease last year. We did take him to the vet school and with their intensive help and months of nursing at home he is now a fit healthy boy. His chances were 5%.

It’s so hard to know and I just want to do right by her, not satisfy my own desire to keep her forever ?.

 

[movan]

I’m sorry to read this Chris.

We did the same for a horse once and I wished he hadn’t been down the vet school / operation route. I swore that if we ever had the misfortune to have a horse with the same illness we would have them euthanised at home. Against the odds our next pony fell ill with the same disease last year. We did take him to the vet school and with their intensive help and months of nursing at home he is now a fit healthy boy. His chances were 5%.

It’s so hard to know and I just want to do right by her, not satisfy my own desire to keep her forever ?.

Oh dear. Really hurting for you all here.

We have so much love to give but the price we pay is pain when we have to say goodbye.

Grianan you will suddenly decide what is best for the little un .. have courage to act accordingly. Xx

 

[Two on Tour]

Personally I don't think you can make the right decision until you know what's causing Mishka condition, and for me I could not live with the "what if" as it could be something simple and treatable.
I you are worrying about what the potential vets cost may be, then take her to a cat rescue centre hand her over and walk away, then at least she may have a chance and any decisions are taken out of your hands.

 

[pappajohn]

Yours may take herself off and not return

Ours did just that.
We found her a few days later at the bottom of the field behind us and brought her home, hungry but unharmed. .
A few days later she went again, this time we let her go...... She was about 19.
She so obviously wanted to go off and die alone.

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