Tawny's at the vets

[karlunity]

I had to take Tawny the cat to the vet.

 

She is getting on, 18 years old, and had not been eating, just drinking water for a week or so.

It is not uncommon for her not to eat for a day or so, but a week was a bit much.

 

Well, it seems that she has kidney problems and diabetes. The Vet is giving her an IV and when I went to see her today, she was pissed off at me, she does not like the being at the vet's but she was eating.

 

It going to cost about 600 bucks, about the price of a .45 but as John Wayne would say, a man has to do what a man has to do.

 

I have become a true Califoro..an IV for a cat....gad...

 

 

Unity and good shooting

Karl

 

If any of you know of any cures for this sort of thing,please pass the word.

Thanks

[BradD]

I'm going to try not to get blubbery here, but I feel your pain.

 

Last year I had to let go of my four year old boy Bengal. I'd have paid anything to save him. He was really my pal. We talked all the time (Begals are real chatterboxes).

 

It was, yes, kidney disease.

[karlunity]

BradD

 

Thanks for the reply.

I am sorry to read of the lose of Bengal.

 

Take care.

 

Unity and good shooting

Karl

[Jimro]

When a pet is that old, with that many problems, one is faced with two choices.

 

Spend the money on the ultimately futile vet trips,

 

Or, let the animal die with a little dignity by "putting it to sleep".

 

I've seen both happen, and the second choice is the right choice. Folks that take the first option regret it afterwards.

 

Don't mean to sound like a cold , but this is all the wisdom I have on aging and dieing.

 

Jimro

[BradD]

The vet always told us that we would know when it was time to say goodbye. For a four year old it was really hard, but our older cat was just as bad when the time came. Nobody knows the critter like his or her life long master, friend and care giver. Nobody will know better when it's time to say goodbye.

 

When we had to let go we always chose to be with them to the last breath. You never forget it and you never feel very good. But it's what a true friend does for a life long pal. You carry the pain, they'd have done it for you.

 

Sadly, Jim's right.

 

My best wishes Karl and Tawny.

 

Brad

[manureman]

Karl, hope things work out for you and Tawny.I'm not a cat person but my brother and sister-in-law are big into cat's and I've heard them mention more than once about making sure that the ash level of the cat feed was kept as low as possible to prevent kidney problems.If the situation is right you might talk it over with your vet,again good luck, Jim.

[Emul8]

karlunity --

 

I understand what it's like to be on the horns of such a dilemma.

 

Tawny may be saved, that's true, but, as Jimro said, for how long? And what of the quality of Tawny's life? I lost a very young (5 years) cat last year, almost to the day, from fatty liver disease, and in the cat's last days, his kidneys began to fail. I spent a great deal of time and effort trying to save the cat via tube feedings and injectable hydration because he wouldn't eat or drink.

 

Of course, it's not the same, but with kidney disease in cats, it's CRITICAL to keep the animal well hydrated, and often, when diabetes comes into the equation, that will often translate to hydration using a syringe and sometimes a catheter/port type device in the cat's back. This will often result in a very squishy cat because the water is injected subcutaneously, and will drain down under the skin sort of "pooling" in the cat until it's absorbed. If the situation with my cat hadn't been so dire, I would have found his squishiness kind of funny.

 

However, it is possible to sustain a cat in this fashion for a long time, provided that everyone has the commitment to performing the proper treatments in a timely fashion. It could be miserable for the cat though. My cat hated the feeding tube, and was forced to wear a cone of shame for the duration of his silent torment until his death.

 

Had my cat been significantly older, I probably would have had him put to sleep instead of hoping against hope that he might have survived, but I had no reason to believe that my cat wouldn't survive.

 

I've had to put down many aging/ill animals over the years, and every single time an animal that I love is put to sleep, I swear I will never have another because the whole loss and grieving thing just sucks, but ultimately, I keep saving pound animals and I "rescue" greyhounds because I think it's my way to help the animal, to have a cool fur child and to soothe my soul.

 

And as much as it kills me to take the animals to their final vet trip, I do it because it's the most honorable thing I can do for my fur children when the time comes. I also have found that the animals that I take to be put to sleep usually die very quickly, and while it is perhaps a rationalization for the upset I feel, sometimes I think that they are thankful that I ultimately did right by them.

 

I know that you are seriously considering where the pros and cons of attempting to save Tawny are, and who is most benefitted by your efforts. Tawny will thank you for making the right decision on her behalf.

I hope that you can sort out the right thing to do. Take care.

 

 

[dave h]

Strewth ! This is a hard position to be in! I don't have much use or time for people in general ,but I'm real soft when it comes to animals ! (On saying this my Blue heeler is courting a bullet as she keeps comming & nudging my arm telling me it's time for bed ! I threatern to shoot her the cat & outr birds at least once a day ) Somebody asked me once if Animals go to heaven & it has been writtern by a famous auther that he was sure that if he got to the gates of heaven & his dog was left outside ,he would not enter himself ! Well I like to think that any animal that provides us with the unconditional love that our pets do ! The least we can do is not to let them suffer needlessly! As hard as it may seem ,let Tawny go ! Speak to the vet & ask what are the long term consiquenses of keeping Tawney alive ? will there be the same quality of life or will the poor cat suffer ?

 

Dave

[karlunity]

Thanks folks.

 

When it reaches the point that Tawny is better in the next life than this, then I will, with reget, zap her.

I agree that it would be wrong to keep her alive and in pain from misplaced care (weakness)

But for the time being, I owe it to her to give her what care I can.

 

Boy ..here today gone tomorrow !

 

Unity and good shooting

Karl

[karlunity]

Happy news.

 

The Hippy and I went to see Tawny at the Vet's.

Tawny is up, eating like a trojan and looks like her old self.

The Hippy brought her water from the health food store!!!

We hope to bring her home tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

Take care

 

Unity and good shooting

Karl

[roscoedoh]

Karl,

 

Congrats on Tawny's recovery! May Tawny continue on for a while longer!

 

There's nothing wrong with being attached to a cat.

 

Jason

[ShooterTom]

Karl, Im glad to hear Tawny is on the mend. Bob the cat, Sends her his well wishes

 

Tom

[karlunity]

Thanks folks.

 

Tom..please tell Bob the cat that Tawny said "Meow". : )

 

Unity and good shooting

Karl

[BradD]

Congrats, Karl, may you guys have 18 more years together, assuming you last that long.

 

Brad

 

PS: I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who blubbers over such things and I thought Emy's words were brilliant. Thanks, lady.

 

Now back to Mausers.

[Emul8]

Tawny ROCKS!

 

I am SOOOO glad to hear that the Tawnster is doing so well. Maybe she just secretly wanted a trip to the vet in order to be pampered? You know, a cat's way of asking for a spa treatment? LOL!

 

I just recently inherited a small dog named Tawny, she's a youngish pup, a dachshund/chihuahua mix. Clearly, she stole her name from Tawny the cat...but Tawny the pup also offers her greetings, as well as her wishes for Tawny the cat's speedy recovery.

 

BradD, thanks for the kind words, and I can assure you that I am one of the worst people to be with an animal being put to sleep. I have cried for DAYS after the loss of a fur child. In 1999, I had a beautiful white cat, she was polydactyl, and I nicknamed her "Fists of White", she managed to get through a window screen into the yard where I was taking care of a friend's dog. The dog killed my beloved little white cat by breaking her neck. That my cat was stolen from me when she was less than two years old, was almost unbearable. Even to this day, if I think about it too long, I STILL cry over the loss of that cat.

 

It seems never to get easier, does it? Yet, for some reason, we keep on adding fur children to our lives, and mourning them when they die or are put to sleep. However, I have always had animals in my life and my home and can't imagine my existence without them.

 

And personally, I have a total soft spot in my heart for a man who will cry over the loss of a beloved pet, frankly, it's quite a lovely quality, and I admire it.

 

 

[sphingta]

Best of luck with your cat. I shot mine up with insulin for 5 years before she bought the farm. I'm not much of a cat lover but when your wife is you'll pretty much dowhatever it takes to keep the cat going. The only condition I put on it was if the cat looked like it was in pain i was going to put her down. Amazingly and to the dismay of my wallet the cat did quite well and never really had more than any other cat problems than most cats have. She finally died of old age at 20 years old. Cried like a baby when it happened but i got over it pretty quickly. the wife didn't really get over it too well since it was her cat.Anyway if you get the insulin levels right the cat can do well for a long time. Also long term if the cats losing wieght not enough insulin gaining wieght or stable the insulins probably right. Also if you do inject insulin have maple syrup available as it seems to be the easiest way to get there sugar levels up without a fuss incase of insulin shock.

[Guest karl]

Sphingta.

 

Thanks for the tip, I have a jar or two and shall keep it handy.

 

 

Karl