Cat not walking much, not eating much, is it time?

My mom has a 17 year old cat that has had CRF for sometime now. Last week, he
stopped eating and started to become a bit lethargic. We hospitalized him for
three days where they did Sub-Q and began epogen because apparently he had
also become anemic. He was even more lethargic when we brought him home. He's
been home for 4 days now, but pretty much only gets up to go to the litter
box (and we're amazed that he does). We're doing sub-q and epogen at home now.
He is hardly drinking any water and eats at most 4 or 5 nibbles off a finger
per day. He doesn't seem like he's going to recover and our hope is that he
will go peacefully at home, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
How do we know it's is time to put him to sleep? We have no idea if he's
suffering or not.

"rombre" u45282@uwe wrote in message news:8839c80b46c9e@uwe...
My mom has a 17 year old cat that has had CRF for sometime now. Last week,
he
stopped eating and started to become a bit lethargic. We hospitalized him
for
three days where they did Sub-Q and began epogen because apparently he had
also become anemic. He was even more lethargic when we brought him home.
He's
been home for 4 days now, but pretty much only gets up to go to the litter
box (and we're amazed that he does). We're doing sub-q and epogen at home
now.
He is hardly drinking any water and eats at most 4 or 5 nibbles off a
finger
per day. He doesn't seem like he's going to recover and our hope is that
he
will go peacefully at home, but it doesn't look like that's going to
happen.
How do we know it's is time to put him to sleep? We have no idea if he's
suffering or not.


Speak to your vet about giving your cat Pepcid (regular strength) about 1/4
of a 10 mg tablet every other day.

Phil

Have you called your vet and asked his/her opinion? What was his
prognosis when he was at the vet's a few days ago?

It's never an easy decision to make, of course. Some pet owners say
their pets "tell" them when the time is right by a look of longing or
emptiness. Others know it's time because there's no quality of life
left, or the animal is in pain. Look at other aspects of his life he
used to enjoy--petting, sitting on a lap or next to a window, grooming
himself, being with another pet companion.

Don't be alarmed that he's not drinking. The sub-qs are helping there.
The eating is more alarming, because a few nibbles per day isn't
enough to sustain him.

I'm so sorry for you and your mom. Let us know what the vet says and
please keep us posted.

Rene

When we picked him up after the 3 days the vet said they we're "very
concerned", and that older cats "don't recover well".

While it's hard to see him lethargic, it's even harder to see him wash
himself, and get up to pee in the litter box. How can we euthanize him when
he still has such high grooming/cleanliness standards and is fighting to
maintain them?

"rombre" u45282@uwe wrote in message news:883adc240efaa@uwe...
When we picked him up after the 3 days the vet said they we're "very
concerned", and that older cats "don't recover well".

While it's hard to see him lethargic, it's even harder to see him wash
himself, and get up to pee in the litter box. How can we euthanize him
when
he still has such high grooming/cleanliness standards and is fighting to
maintain them?


That's habit. Speaking as someone who allowed a cat to linger too long so
that I know she did suffer, please understand that cats by nature are stoic
and do not show pain or discomfort easily. If your vet is not hopeful, and
all your cat is doing is grooming and eliminating, it may very well be time.
It is a big responsibility, but trust me--you will feel worse if you let him
suffer.

On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:43:39 GMT, "rombre" u45282@uwe wrote:

| When we picked him up after the 3 days the vet said they we're "very
| concerned", and that older cats "don't recover well".

Every case is different. It all depends on the cat. Please see

http://www.felinecrf.org

and, in particular, (also linked off the main page)

http://www.felinecrf.org/the_final_hours.htm


| While it's hard to see him lethargic, it's even harder to see him wash
| himself, and get up to pee in the litter box. How can we euthanize
| him when he still has such high grooming/cleanliness standards and is
| fighting to maintain them?

CRF is not a painful condition. The toxicity in the blood stream and
the dehydration feel like a massive hangover, probably with headaches
and heartburn to add to the misery. Cats are pretty stoic, too, but
they also have limits.

Your question is precisely the one I posed to myself when my cat was
in the end stage of CRF. For the last couple of weeks of his life,
every morning was decision time -- should I make an appointment? And
even so, the end came very quickly: I had decided against the dreaded
call in the morning; then by early afternoon I had made it for an
appointment at home in the evening; and then, by late afternoon, it
would have been cruel to wait, so I took him in at once.

It's possible, and even arguable, that I kept him alive too long. But
I have never really second guessed myself on that score, for the
reason embodied in your question. For me, it was a matter of the
spirit: as long as my cat was recognizably the cat I had known, doing
his favorite cat things -- in a word, still being himself -- he was
free to stay.

I wish you all the best at this trying time.

"rombre" u45282@uwe wrote in message news:883adc240efaa@uwe...
When we picked him up after the 3 days the vet said they we're "very
concerned", and that older cats "don't recover well".

Get rid of your mediocre (at best) vet and find one who actually cares about
animals. Maybe the older cats he treats don't recover well because he's a
lousy vet.



While it's hard to see him lethargic,


His anemia is probably making him feel lethargic. If your cat is receiving
Epo, your bozo vet should have prescribed an iron supplement and a
B-complex. Rapid stimulation of RBC production (erythropoiesis) puts a huge
demand on the body stores of iron- which are usually already low in cats
with CRF. Iron is needed for RBC production. The Epo isn't working nearly
as good as it would if the cat was getting an iron supplement.

Pepcid will help his appetite by neutralizing some of the gastric acid.
Bicarbonate normally neutralizes gastic acid. Cats with CRF lose a lot of
bicarbonate in their urine.


it's even harder to see him wash
himself, and get up to pee in the litter box. How can we euthanize him
when
he still has such high grooming/cleanliness standards and is fighting to
maintain them?

He's not ready to give up. Find a vet that will fight has hard as your cat
is.

Phil