I have a little muchkin cat that turned 19 years old today. I've had her since she was 3 months old. We have her food up on a table so the dog doesn't eat it. In the last couple years, we've had to put steps (boxes) by the table because she can't jump up there anymore. Well, she fell off the table so I had to take her to the emergency vet clinic at 1:30 this morning. The vet said she doesn't have any broken bones and it didn't appear that she was in any pain (other than maybe some bruising from the fall), but what he did say is that she has some neurological impairment and her one hind leg isn't working properly anymore. She may have had a stroke (which may be why she fell), or she may have diabetes. Its just so hard to see her health deteriorate. I have to take her to her regular vet and get some blood work and more testing. I really hope this is something that isn't causing her any pain and that she'll be around for a while longer. I know she's old and I've been preparing myself for the eventuality, but you just can't really be prepared. It just makes me really sad to think about her not being here. 
My Poor Little Kitty...
Tue, 08/05/2014 - 12:17
#1
My Poor Little Kitty...
Cat .... we were where you are with our 19 year old kitten a little of a year ago and we had to make the decision to let him go. The meds were affecting him more than the disease itself and we were treating for side effects and he was doing nothing but sleep all day unless he was in my arms and wanting to cuddle. But it was the right decision, it didn't matter how much we missed him when his life was not was a kitten's life should be and that was the deciding factor.
It is SO hard to watch a family member, even a furry one, be in pain.
((hugs)) Cat
I had a scare with one of my pooches the past couple days. She had to have surgery and the anesthesia kicked her butt to say the least. I was a TOTAL basket-case. We got her right after we had a lot of personal family losses that were very important to me and I didn't realize how VERY attached I had become to her until I thought she might NOT make it through that first night and she's only gonna be four in a couple weeks. I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel if I get 15 more years with her.
I will pray for you in your situation and that you are able to deal with any decisions that are coming your way.
{{{huuuugggs}}}
Feel hugged.
Poor sweet creature, I have no proper words to try to help on what you´re feeling. It´s so hard.
So, everything turned out ok for my little cat. She's not lethargic and she's being more social. I'm not sure what happened, but I suspect she had a stroke. She still has some neurological deficit that is causing her to be a little wobbly on her feet, but all her blood work and urine samples came back clean.
Unfortunately, the news isn't so good about my mother. She had another mild stroke the other day as well. She is doing well and recovering at home. She's 73, has COPD, plus a whole host of other health issues, so it makes it hard for her to do her exercises to get back some of her mobility, but she has been walking up and down the hallway in her apartment building. I wish she lived closer...
It's so hard, isn't it, when (as Amber said) you have to watch a family member be in pain, whether they are furry or human.
On the human side, my dad died on 29 July 2013, but really he had been "existing" on borrowed time since 2009 - when he was in hospital for 9 weeks. A few times during those 9 weeks the hospital rang us in the middle of the night to tell us to come up to see him because they didn't expect him to last until morning, but he managed to hold on. (By sheer stubborn-ness, I think.) I say he was existing, not living, because he was in such terrible pain for those additional four years, and could hardly move out of his chair in front of the TV.
Just before he finally went into hospital for the last time, in 2013, he had a major fall in the bathroom. It took me over 2 hours to get him back to bed - and the two rooms are right next to each other, actually only about 10 steps from where he fell to his bed. Mum has a "wheelie-walker", and I managed to lift him to sit on that, and then wheeled him to beside his bed. It was so exhausting for both of us to actually get him lying down in the bed, because he didn't have enough strength in his legs to even stand up by himself, so I had to do all the work. (And I have a bad back and a lot of pain in both Achilles tendons, so that made it worse.)
He stayed in bed the rest of the day, not even able to get out of bed to go to the toilet, and it was so hard to see such a proud, independent man feeling so ashamed and humiliated by having someone else clean him up... All I wanted to do was to help him, and I asked him if I could call the ambulance service, so the paramedics could check him over, but he refused point-blank. So I let it go until the next morning, but by then he was worse, if anything, so I called the ambulance then, and they said what Mum & I already knew - that he needed to be in hospital, and that I wasn't capable of nursing him as well as being Mum's full-time carer. (I was carer for both of them at that time.)
He eventually passed away about 6 weeks later, and was comatose for the last few days of his life.
Sorry, I didn't mean to go into this amount of detail, but I think I'll let it stand, until one of the moderators decides otherwise.
Anyway, on to the furries... I had to get my 17 year old cat put down a few years ago (all his organs were starting to shut down), and he fought so hard mentally that it took twice the amount of drugs that it usually does. He was really special, and used to sleep in my arms every night. Now, our 19 year old cat is getting weaker in the back legs, and is so skinny... We just have to make sure that her quality of life is as good as possible, for as long as possible, and then make that hard decision when the time comes. It's the most unselfish decision we can make for our animals, isn't it?
Robyn, I'm sorry for your loss. Its is indeed hard to deal with the declining health of our parents. My father passed away 12 years ago from cancer. He didn't tell anyone he was sick and then all of a sudden he was in the hospital. I barely had time to fly home to say goodbye. I believe he didn't want anyone to have to take care of him. He too was very independent. I also think he didn't want to linger in pain and just existing through chemo & drugs.
I spoke to my mother this morning and she seems to be feeling better and is walking the long hallway in her apartment building and she says she is getting stronger. I'm happy to report that my little cat seems to be almost her old self again. I caught her on the dining room table last night, so she's at least able to jump up onto the bar height chairs and then up onto the table which means she has some mobility back in her back legs.
Cat & Robyn: I feel for both of you soooo much!!! My heart goes out deeply. We lost both of my in-laws within 10 days of one another right at thanksgiving. As well, we lost a nine yr old nephew (the next Mar) and another family member, baby (that Sept prev) It was the worst 6 months of our lives in a long time and has been a tough 18 months since but we have made it through somehow with God by our side. I pray for peace and comfort for both of you with the trials of life that are hitting you both. I know it is not easy.
-- Much love and {{{huugggs}}} being sent your ways.
Thanks, Cat & Shawna - sharing things in a place like this makes me feel less alone. Like I have good friends here at DigitalScrapbook.com - that means a lot, especially as I can't get out to make friends in my current situation.
@Robyn, I know we've talked about your dad before but once again, I'm sorry for your loss too. Hope your little furries are doing well too!!
As for my Harlee, he is coming out of remission and I'm so devastated so believe me, I'm right there with you both. Hang in there and hugs.