Our cat...
The missus got back from the vet 2 hours ago and it might not be good news for our 15 year old cat.
He's had a cough/hack since the start of december. He got an xray a week before christmas and discovered that he's got a partially collapsed lung and an enlarged heart. He was given tablets to clear up his lungs. It should have cleared up but it hasn't. His breathing is a bit weird aswell. And he's got a bit of a heart murmur that wasn't there before christmas.
He's on other tablets for his heart which he'll be on for the rest of his life.
He's now on different lung tablets and we've to go back in two weeks and see if that's helped. If not then there's nothing we can really do except prepare for the worst. If it does clear up then he'll be with us for longer. It's going to be a long two weeks.
He's also lost some weight since the xray.
Comes as a shock as he's generally be healthy except for getting steroid shots every month or so to clear up his eczema.
You'd honestly think there's nothing wrong with him except for when he's coughing. He's been lazier than normal for a while but he's always tried to find the easiest ways to do things. Instead of just one big jump onto the kitchen bunker for his food he's been stepping onto a low shelf, then stepping onto the table then a medium jump over to the bunker. We always slagged him off for being a lazy wee ****e but it's probably because of his lungs and heart. So he might have been getting worse since the summer but that lazyness was the only symptom that we ever saw.
As I said on twitter it's stressing us out and we've started smoking again. I've only ever been a social smoker but due to health problems myself I haven't been out much since June so I kinda stopped altogether. Sioux only smokes when she's stressed about uni work so she started having the odd puff a day before christmas.
I suppose 15 years is good, especially as only a couple of months ago the vet says that he could pass for a cat half his age.
I know there's another thread on here about someone else's cat (sorry for not remembering who, and I don't want to hijack that thread) that I posted in saying something like we'll have him for a long time to come. Wish I hadn't said that now.
Bugger.
He's had a cough/hack since the start of december. He got an xray a week before christmas and discovered that he's got a partially collapsed lung and an enlarged heart. He was given tablets to clear up his lungs. It should have cleared up but it hasn't. His breathing is a bit weird aswell. And he's got a bit of a heart murmur that wasn't there before christmas.
He's on other tablets for his heart which he'll be on for the rest of his life.
He's now on different lung tablets and we've to go back in two weeks and see if that's helped. If not then there's nothing we can really do except prepare for the worst. If it does clear up then he'll be with us for longer. It's going to be a long two weeks.
He's also lost some weight since the xray.
Comes as a shock as he's generally be healthy except for getting steroid shots every month or so to clear up his eczema.
You'd honestly think there's nothing wrong with him except for when he's coughing. He's been lazier than normal for a while but he's always tried to find the easiest ways to do things. Instead of just one big jump onto the kitchen bunker for his food he's been stepping onto a low shelf, then stepping onto the table then a medium jump over to the bunker. We always slagged him off for being a lazy wee ****e but it's probably because of his lungs and heart. So he might have been getting worse since the summer but that lazyness was the only symptom that we ever saw.
As I said on twitter it's stressing us out and we've started smoking again. I've only ever been a social smoker but due to health problems myself I haven't been out much since June so I kinda stopped altogether. Sioux only smokes when she's stressed about uni work so she started having the odd puff a day before christmas.
I suppose 15 years is good, especially as only a couple of months ago the vet says that he could pass for a cat half his age.
I know there's another thread on here about someone else's cat (sorry for not remembering who, and I don't want to hijack that thread) that I posted in saying something like we'll have him for a long time to come. Wish I hadn't said that now.
Bugger.
Post edited by VincentAC on
Oh, no. Every time you turn up something monumental and terrible happens.
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
Comments
Hope things get better for the moggie
I think it was Macc who posted about his cat recently? Could be mistaken though...
Bloody big for a house cat!
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
not a bad innings though, especially a boy cat cos they have all these problems with their thyroids in later life etc
As I said in the other thread, we lost ours through illness last year, and it really is stressful and sad, as you're basically losing a member of your family...especially if they've been around for 15 years!
We got pills from the vet for Elvis (our cat) though, and he stuck around and got a lot healthier for another two years..so here's hoping the pills work! :)
my sisters cat, was like that .. was ill.. but comes to a point where you will spend a fortune and it's pointless, as harsh as that sounds. Think their bills were ?1,200 for the thing in total and it only lasted a few months after.
the vet will be straight with the options I'm sure.
sometimes if the animal is too ill, it just prelongs it's agony (had that with a goldfish)
mine always went ape for the cheeks and under their chin
He doesn't like that at all :lol:
Same here Wookiee. But we've to stay away from his chin as that brings on a bit o a coughing fit. Cheeks are still good though :)
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
Our cat, was hit by a car last year and it managed to drag itself to the front door, coughing blood. I had to give it mouth-to-mouth to keep it alive, as the one lung had completely collapsed. Spent 3 days in the vets hospital. But all is ok now again.
It gave me a real scare and sadness about the experience that makes me more anxious whenever he goes out for longer periods of time (such as more than a few hours)
So I know what you feel about the lung issue, and I know how you feel being distressed e.t.c as a cat really is a member of the family.
I hope your cat will get better, but it sounds like the issues he has is old age and dosen't sound too hopeful. Wish something more could be done, alas these things happen. You can just make his remaining time comfortable I guess.
Sorry too, if I sound a little harsh, just being honest but also sympathetic.
My mum's an OAP so she just gives 'em ten or twenty quid whenever she needs to take our remaining moggy in....
He was fine sunday. Back to his usual self again. Tuesday night he was a bit funny. Wouldn't eat at all yesterday so we made an appointment for today. Hadn't eat at all today either. Got him booked for an xray today. Got a phone call to say that he had tumours on both his lungs covering over 50%. The collapsed one had the majority of it.
There was nothing we could do at all. His enlarged heart had noticably increased probably due to the cancer.
We decided to let him go today as the vet thought he'd only last a few more days and we don't want him to suffer. We also decided not to wake him up from the sedative he got for the xray as he'd be disorientated and he'd probably struggle with the injection.
We got to see him for 30 mins before the injection. We stayed through the whole process right up to the last involuntary muscle spasms but he was gone before the whole solution was in.
He had a good life. Wanted for nothing, got pampered like no other cat on earth, got mollycoddled all his 16 years.
I don’t think I have the stomach for it.
--Raziel (Legend of Kain: Soul Reaver 2)
https://www.youtube.com/user/VincentTSFP
My cat's around 14 now and I'm dreading this time coming for him already. He's been my life for these past 14 years and I'm making the most of him while he's still here. A friend of mine has still got one of her cats that she's had for 20 years. He;s tiny and she keeps him in a blanket to keep him warm, but he's still bright and totally mobile, so there's still life left in him.
Just remember the good times you had with him and also remember that he's not suffering any pain etc. It's a cliche, but it really is a kindness to let them go when it's there time even if it is hard for us to take.
"sometimes if the animal is too ill, it just prelongs it's agony (had that with a goldfish)"
Funny, that's what our cat seemed to say when he "disposed" of it. Followed by "nice snack, where's me dinner?". Not that I'm Doctor Doolittle, like.
Tumours and cancer, gets old cats and old humans alike.