Moe is slipping away
 

Moe is a black shorthair, a rescue kitty of indeterminate age. He is
an adult, but not elderly. He has been sick for almost a year: runny
nose, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, etc. We've spent a
fortune on vet bills and medications with no solid diagnosis. I spoke
to the vet yesterday and she said the only remaining option is a $400
sonogram, but she is reasonably sure that will only show intestinal
cancer, for which she has no treatment. We have reluctantly decided to
just keep him comfortable until the end.

His eyes are still bright, he still purrs when you scritch his chin.
He can still make it to the litter box, though admittedly not all the
time. As long as he does not seem to be in pain, we will continue to
care for him.

His brother, Rascal, died suddenly in June. While we were focused on
Moe, Rascal seemed to be in perfect health. Then, one morning, he
started staggering and we rushed him to the vet. He was in total organ
failure and was gone in hours.

I can only hope that Rascal is waiting for Moe at the Bridge.

Moe is slipping away
 

I am sorry to read this. I think your approach is reasonable. Spoil
him rotten and enjoy every moment you have with him. As the saying
goes "time spent with cats is never wasted." He will tell you when
it's time to go.

Rene

Moe is slipping away
 

On Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:20:47 -0500, wrote:

Moe is a black shorthair, a rescue kitty of indeterminate age. He is
an adult, but not elderly. He has been sick for almost a year: runny
nose, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, etc. We've spent a
fortune on vet bills and medications with no solid diagnosis. I spoke
to the vet yesterday and she said the only remaining option is a $400
sonogram, but she is reasonably sure that will only show intestinal
cancer, for which she has no treatment. We have reluctantly decided to
just keep him comfortable until the end.

His eyes are still bright, he still purrs when you scritch his chin.
He can still make it to the litter box, though admittedly not all the
time. As long as he does not seem to be in pain, we will continue to
care for him.

His brother, Rascal, died suddenly in June. While we were focused on
Moe, Rascal seemed to be in perfect health. Then, one morning, he
started staggering and we rushed him to the vet. He was in total organ
failure and was gone in hours.

I can only hope that Rascal is waiting for Moe at the Bridge.

Ok, here comes my standard speech on the subject of "when to do it".
Understand that you cannot win. Either you're going to worry that you
sent him to the bridge before his time, or you're going to worry that
you made him suffer by selfishly keeping him alive too long. They
can't talk to us and they hide their pain so well that we just have to
do what we think is best.

I know it isn't time yet, but it will come and I just figure that I
can give the speech now and you can use it when you need it. I tend to
error on keeping them alive too long I think. But it's so hard to
tell. However I refuse to dwell on whether I did it right because I
know I can't win that argument.

Purrs for you and Moe.

Moe is slipping away
 

dgk wrote:
On Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:20:47 -0500, wrote:

Moe is a black shorthair, a rescue kitty of indeterminate age. He is
an adult, but not elderly. He has been sick for almost a year: runny
nose, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, etc. We've spent a
fortune on vet bills and medications with no solid diagnosis. I spoke
to the vet yesterday and she said the only remaining option is a $400
sonogram, but she is reasonably sure that will only show intestinal
cancer, for which she has no treatment. We have reluctantly decided
to just keep him comfortable until the end.

His eyes are still bright, he still purrs when you scritch his chin.
He can still make it to the litter box, though admittedly not all the
time. As long as he does not seem to be in pain, we will continue to
care for him.

His brother, Rascal, died suddenly in June. While we were focused on
Moe, Rascal seemed to be in perfect health. Then, one morning, he
started staggering and we rushed him to the vet. He was in total
organ failure and was gone in hours.

I can only hope that Rascal is waiting for Moe at the Bridge.

Ok, here comes my standard speech on the subject of "when to do it".
Understand that you cannot win. Either you're going to worry that you
sent him to the bridge before his time, or you're going to worry that
you made him suffer by selfishly keeping him alive too long. They
can't talk to us and they hide their pain so well that we just have to
do what we think is best.

I know it isn't time yet, but it will come and I just figure that I
can give the speech now and you can use it when you need it. I tend to
error on keeping them alive too long I think. But it's so hard to
tell. However I refuse to dwell on whether I did it right because I
know I can't win that argument.

Purrs for you and Moe.

The above is kind of the reason why I side with those who put their kitties
(and other pets) down sooner rather than later. My feelings stem from the
realization that the Uniuverse is billions of years old, and we animals and
people only occupy it for the briefest bit of time. If your cat has lived a
good life, and is comfortable with you, then what does it really matter (to
him) if he dies in your arms from a vets shot? It really only matters to
you. As far as he's concerned, he was happy one minute, and dead the next.
So, most people who keep their pets alive for as long as possible, are just
risking their needless suffering for the gratification of their owners. At
75, I am looking forward to spending weeks or months suffering in some
nursing home bed dying by inches. What a blessing it would be for me to just
pass away in my sleep without ever knowing what hit me? Your cat has that
opportunity. Why would you deny him that because of your own selfishness?

Moe is slipping away
 

On Thu, 2 Dec 2010 18:49:38 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

The above is kind of the reason why I side with those who put their kitties
(and other pets) down sooner rather than later. My feelings stem from the
realization that the Uniuverse is billions of years old, and we animals and
people only occupy it for the briefest bit of time. If your cat has lived a
good life, and is comfortable with you, then what does it really matter (to
him) if he dies in your arms from a vets shot? It really only matters to
you. As far as he's concerned, he was happy one minute, and dead the next.
So, most people who keep their pets alive for as long as possible, are just
risking their needless suffering for the gratification of their owners. At
75, I am looking forward to spending weeks or months suffering in some
nursing home bed dying by inches. What a blessing it would be for me to just
pass away in my sleep without ever knowing what hit me?

From what you've revealed of yourself in this note, I can only say the
sooner the better.

Your cat has that opportunity. Why would you deny him that because of your own selfishness?

Moe is slipping away
 

Moe is slipping away
 

On Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:42:17 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 2 Dec 2010 18:49:38 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

The above is kind of the reason why I side with those who put their kitties
(and other pets) down sooner rather than later. My feelings stem from the
realization that the Uniuverse is billions of years old, and we animals and
people only occupy it for the briefest bit of time. If your cat has lived a
good life, and is comfortable with you, then what does it really matter (to
him) if he dies in your arms from a vets shot? It really only matters to
you. As far as he's concerned, he was happy one minute, and dead the next.
So, most people who keep their pets alive for as long as possible, are just
risking their needless suffering for the gratification of their owners. At
75, I am looking forward to spending weeks or months suffering in some
nursing home bed dying by inches. What a blessing it would be for me to just
pass away in my sleep without ever knowing what hit me?

From what you've revealed of yourself in this note, I can only say the
sooner the better.


What part of it was wrong? Cats are very good at hiding pain, we all
know that. When Nico had cancer the vets said that he could have a
good quality of life if I gave him these chemo pills and did all sorts
of other stuff. And he did live for six more months. But he never
climbed that cat tree while all this was going on. That meant that he
wasn't feeling well - maybe he was nauseous the whole time?

That's no way to live.

Moe is slipping away
 

wrote in message
...
cancer, for which she has no treatment. We have reluctantly decided to
just keep him comfortable until the end.

His eyes are still bright, he still purrs when you scritch his chin.
He can still make it to the litter box, though admittedly not all the
time. As long as he does not seem to be in pain, we will continue to
care for him.

This must be so difficult for you. Cats are so little but they are such
wonderful beings.
And when they are part of our homes, and we get to know them, they become
even more important to us. It is not easy to see a pet going through the
last stages of an illness. I hope that you will find comfort in the other
poster's words to "spoil him rotten" and that he will let you know when it's
time to go. Watch for hiding and lack of interest in anything normally
approved and appreciated by Moe.

Ignore the deranged troll posters trying to engage you in email-combat by
posting hurtful things you just don't need to hear at a time like this. I
just blocked their posts for myself so that I don't have to know they are
around. Then go back to your life, and know that you are doing the very
best you can as the custodian of your pet. Good luck and God bless you.

Moe is slipping away
 

On Mon, 6 Dec 2010 08:27:57 -0600, "SJ"
wrote:

This must be so difficult for you. Cats are so little but they are such
wonderful beings.
And when they are part of our homes, and we get to know them, they become
even more important to us. It is not easy to see a pet going through the
last stages of an illness. I hope that you will find comfort in the other
poster's words to "spoil him rotten" and that he will let you know when it's
time to go.

Thank you. Saturday night I thought for a minute he was gone. He was
sleeping in front of the fire and, one by one, the other three cats
and the two dogs came by and sniffed at him. I thought they were
saying goodbye. Later, Moe's head fell and I thought he was gone, but
found him still breathing.

He can still jump from floor to counter, walk, and respond to
affection, so we carry on.

Moe is slipping away
 

On Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:10:18 -0500, dgk wrote:

From what you've revealed of yourself in this note, I can only say the
sooner the better.


What part of it was wrong?

People can hold whatever views they like. They can even post their
views here. But when they publically make unfounded and insensitive
charges about a specific individual they have never met, that's wrong.