wrote:
We have a singe family pet, a female Manx cat, who is 13 years old.
We have had her since a couple of months after birth, having adopted
her from a friend.

She has always been an indoors-only cat, and has been well cared for.
She has lost some weight recently.
The vet took x-rays and blood work, examined the x-rays and test
results, and had them also reviewed by a radiologist.

Before we got the test results back, the vet had suggested we try
feeding baby food to help get her weight up, and we have been doing
that with success.

When the results came back, the vet and radiologist both agreed that
there is lung cancer (spots on the x-rays), and that the blood work
indicates there is not pneumonia.

The vet says our cat could die at any time, and is, or may be, in
some discomfort.
We are not sure whether the cat is in pain, although she has probably
been more sedentary than usual recently.

Our vet is a long-time personal friend, whom we trust very much, and
we have no reason to doubt the diagnosis.
Our family has a strong emotional attachment to this cat.

We are struggling with what to do, including whether to have her put
to sleep, and if so, when.

As far as trying to save or prolong her life, the checkup and tests
ran a few hundred dollars, which we can afford, but costs over $1,000
would be difficult or unrealistic for us.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

I have had four cats die on me in the last two years. Two were poisoned. One
by Roundup weed killer, and the other by anti-freeze (ethylene Glycoil) The
other two died natral deaths from old age. My advice is to put the cat down
as soon as it shows signs of pain or continuopus discomfort, like not eating
or crying a lot. There is no sense in prolonging their suffering. We all die
eventually, and the niuce thing about being a cat is that you don't know
about death, and so you don;t fear it. As soon as you know that the cat will
not survive whatever illness he has, there is no reason to not put him down
and let him die in peace. You will feel better about it in the long run,
knowing that you did the best you could for him.