| magicalfreddiemercury 25.08.2006 13:15 |
I know there have been a lot of too-personal personal threads here recently and I'm sorry if I'm just adding to that but I could use some input from those in-the-know. My cat - 9 years young - stopped eating last week. He had no energy at all, just hung when I lifted him but held on when I cuddled him. I took him to the vet who has done numerous blood tests. Well, little Adams is extremely anemic. They got him to eat, but his red blood cell count is way down. They did a test for 'baby' blood cells and hoped for a number near 50,000. It came back at 15,000, meaning his body is not producing new red blood cells. The doctor called it 'lymphoma'. I'm dying over here. Adams is too young to be so sick but I have a decision to make and it's so difficult. Do you let nature take it's course and hope by sheer luck this disease goes into remission? Or do you accept it as a death sentence and help make it as quick and painless (for him) as possible? I'm so upset I don't even know what questions to ask the vet, and internet research only makes the whole thing more confusing and frightening. They talk about Chemo as an option but say it only adds about 6 months to the cat's life. On the other hand, the diagnosis without treatment is usually followed by the cat's death within 4-6 weeks. I don't want him to suffer but if there's a chance of him surviving this... I guess I'm dreaming. Has anyone dealt with this particular disease? Does anyone have a success story to share? Is one even possible? |
| Lester Burnham 25.08.2006 13:20 |
So... chemo will only give him a further six months to live? I suppose that means that, no matter what, he has little to no chance of survival. As much as it sucks, I would say put him down instead of having him go through the misery of a treatment that won't really help anyway. My condolences. |
| deleted user 25.08.2006 13:27 |
Oh my! That is so upsetting. I think you should ask your vet what the chances of him surviving if you just leave him, he is quite young..most cats live a good 7 years more at least. I don't want to advise you to put him down but if he's going to suffer then..i think you should find out more about it, and ask your vet what he would do. I'm so sorry. |
| 7 seas of Rhye 25.08.2006 13:42 |
I am so sorry about your poor cat. I had a similar problem with my cat two years ago. I would ask the doctor what his chances are of surviving. If there is only like a 5 percent chance he'll survive, I would put him down. It's not worth the pain. However, if your doctor says their is like a 20 percent chance he'll live, I say go for it. When my cat was sick, we put him on an electric blanket and the heat from it kept him comfortable and out of pain until we made our decision. Good luck. |
| magicalfreddiemercury 25.08.2006 16:06 |
Well, our choice has been made clear. The vet called with today's blood results and the red blood count is even lower than yesterday. He said we can pick Adams up tomorrow and if he continues to eat then we can have him with us for maybe another two or three weeks. He said we'll know when it's time. Those aren't the words I wanted to hear, but they take away the guess work. This sucks big time. |
| Carol! the Musical 25.08.2006 16:36 |
I can't think of anything to say but give you my condolences. I'm so sorry. :-( |
| 7 seas of Rhye 25.08.2006 17:44 |
I am so sorry. You'll be in my prayers. |
| Freya is quietly judging you. 25.08.2006 17:56 |
Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that. My aunts cat got this illness. He stopped eating and just hung his head, he was so ill. In the end my aunt and uncle came to the conclusion that it would be kinder to have him put to sleep. It’s horrible loosing a pet, but don’t loose faith, you never know for sure, miracles do happen. |
| magicalfreddiemercury 25.08.2006 21:25 |
Thank you all. It helps to be able to 'talk' about it somewhere. I'm trying to be strong for my daughter. She is so torn up about this. Thanks for your well wishes. |
| Sergei. 25.08.2006 21:27 |
I'm so sorry to hear that. :( My cat had a tumor on his hip, unfortunately the horrible vet did not get rid of it in time and he passed when he was only six. Rip Moonpie |
| its_a_hard_life 26994 25.08.2006 21:29 |
Sorry to hear about that. =( |
| Mr.Jingles 25.08.2006 21:51 |
It truly hurts letting a pet go, but allowing them to go through all that pain just so we could extend their life to a longer period of suffering is not particularly the best for them. It actually hurts more witnessing how they go through all that pain until they reach the end of their lives. I know exactly how you must be feeling, but sometimes letting go is the best thing to do. I personally think that this is something that applies for humans as well, but I think our society still considers such a thing some kind of murder. |
| Haruko Aozora 26.08.2006 04:12 |
:( omg, I'm sorry... Seeing animals suffer is heartbreaking. I agree that if there is no other sollution, you should shorten the suffering of your cat... :( |
| magicalfreddiemercury 26.08.2006 09:50 |
Mr.Jingles wrote: It truly hurts letting a pet go, but allowing them to go through all that pain just so we could extend their life to a longer period of suffering is not particularly the best for them. It actually hurts more witnessing how they go through all that pain until they reach the end of their lives. I know exactly how you must be feeling, but sometimes letting go is the best thing to do. I personally think that this is something that applies for humans as well, but I think our society still considers such a thing some kind of murder.Everything you've said here makes sense and I agree. Eight years ago this week, I had to make this decision for my 16 year old Shih-tzu. She was my best friend for 11 years - I rescued her from the pound the day before she was to be put down. I agonized over the decision, but it was cruel to force her to stick around while she suffered. My vet said something to me at the time that has stuck with me since. He said, "Sixteen years may not be long enough for you, but it's long enough for her. She's lived her life. It's time to let her go." It was the most brutal decision I ever had to make but it was the right one for her. I will make the right decision for Adams, too, but sometimes the right decision feels so wrong. Thank you all for your support and understanding. |
| FreeSpirit328 26.08.2006 14:41 |
Well, it's not exactly the same thing, but I have a story to share. Back in June of this year, my cat, Frisky, who we've had since she was six weeks old, stopped eating and drinking. My Mom found her up in the rafters in the basement close to death. She managed to get her in the cat carrier and brought her to the vet. Frisky had to stay at the animal hospital over-night, and we were all very upset because there was a possibility that Frisky wouldn't be coming home the next day. My Mom told me that she would bring her home if she wasn't suffering. Anyway, Frisky did come home the next day. From the x-rays we found out that she has a very large tumor attached to her heart, liver or possibly both. Plus she has hyperthyroidism and she had an infection. The vet sent her home with anti-biotics, a pill for thyroidism and some chicken flavored Pepsid. Frisky is doing ok, but she still has her days. She doesn't take her pill anymore...she got too smart, lol. We've had her for fourteen years, and luckily she's not suffering,so we are blessed to have her a little longer. As soon as Frisky starts getting sick again though, we will have to have her put down. I'd say that if your cat doesn't seem to be suffering much, then maybe you could wait. It sounds like he's not doing well though. I'm sorry you have to make this decision. It is a very difficult decision to make. |
| AspiringPhilosophe 26.08.2006 16:04 |
I'm sorry to hear about your cat....I'm a cat lover myself, have had them as pets since I was 5 years old, and I know what it's like to loose a cat. My first pet cat, named Oliver, lived to be 18 years old. I got a call last year at university saying that he was very sick, and my parents were taking him to the vet. They found out his kidneys had stopped functioning and he was slowly poisoning himself to death because he couldn't clean his blood of toxins produced in his body. I couldn't get home, but me and my parents and sister had a long talk over the phone, and we decided to put him down. I couldn't be there when they did it, but my parents were there. As hard as it was, they told me later that they knew it was for the best, and actually thought that Oliver had thanked us in his own way for putting him down. As the vet was injecting the chemicals, Oliver was laying in my mom's arms. She told me that just as he passed, he looked right up at her, as if to thank her for putting an end to his misery; it was the first time he had moved voluntarily in days. As hard as it is to accept, if you care for your cat at all you should think about what you would want in that case. I know that I wouldn't want to be in massive amounts of pain, wasting away to nothing for weeks until death finally took me. You'll be doing a small mercy by putting your cat down....ending the suffering and pain. You have my sympathies. |
| Poo, again 26.08.2006 16:27 |
I'm surprised this thread hasn't been called "bullshit" yet. |
| deleted user 26.08.2006 16:50 |
That's terrible. I already had a sick cat, too, but it wasnt so bad. In your case I think you should stop with the pain. It would be better for your cat. He would thank you in Heaven. I'm sorry. |
| Rikke 26.08.2006 17:37 |
Oh dear.. I'm so sorry. Well, I've had aneamia, and so has my dad. Do you know WHY he's in lack of blood? Does he get enough iron in his food? (When I switched and became a vegetarian about a year ago, my blood percent sunk a lot! And I was having a lot of nose-bleeding - several times a day - and I would end up fainting from getting out of my bed! (That actually happened, and I smashed into a door. Lovely B)) He could have some kind of disease. Perhaps a kind of polycythaemia? (My dad suffers from that disease - it's quite rare.) Sorry, but I'm not sure this is very helping :o( If he's suffering a lot, then put an end to it. It doesn't hurt to die... though, it hurts killing :o( Keeping my fingers crossed! |
| magicalfreddiemercury 26.08.2006 19:52 |
Rikke wrote: Do you know WHY he's in lack of blood?He has Lymphoma. Cancer. His little body cannot produce red blood cells. We received a call from the vet this morning. His count was lower today than yesterday and the vet suggested we put him down this morning. We went there in tears, ready to 'do the right thing' but when we saw him, we couldn't. He was so alert. He was wide-eyed and clingy, wrapping his little paws around my arm in a way that said he needed more time. It might only be another day, but he's not ready yet. He's home with us for now. He's resting, he's eating. If we didn't know the truth, we wouldn't think anything was wrong - except that he's weak. I know what I have to do, and you've all reminded me that it's the right thing. My vet said we'd know when it was time. Until then he'll get all the love and affection we have to give. |
| deleted user 28.08.2006 12:44 |
I'm no expert on cats but I'm so sorry to hear about little Adams. I understand that this is a difficult decision to make but in the end it's up to you honey. You know your cat better than we all do so (and pardon for the corniness) deep down you'll soon know whats best for him. If it were me I'd do what I have to do to end his suffering or at least find out what I can do to help him. Good luck to you darling. And I'm so sorry again :(((( |
| Janet 28.08.2006 12:49 |
I'm very sorry for what you are going through, its never an easy thing with a beloved pet. :-( |
| magicalfreddiemercury 04.09.2006 09:13 |
I have an amazing story to share. Adams is still here. He's not only still here, but the diagnosis has been changed - for the better. Much better. The other day, I couldn't stand it anymore. He looked like he was doing so much better yet all the blood tests showed his red blood cell count to be dangerously - near death - low. But he started grooming himself again. And he was hiding less and eating more. We took him back to the vet for one more blood test - I just had to be sure. Well, what happened next is nothing less than amazing. His red blood cell count went up. Up! His white blood cell count went up even more but that's okay because now we know what's really wrong with him. It's not end-stage lymphoma!! It's a sever infection somewhere in his body that's attacking his red blood cells. This bacteria, apparently, needs those cells to survive so the body's defensive response was to suppress red blood cell production as a way to starve and kill this bacteria. Adams is now on iron and antibiotics. He's lost a tremendous amount of weight and is still weak but not as weak as before. He is showing signs of improvement. If we'd gone through the invasive tests, we would have known this sooner, but we didn't want to put him through that. If ever you have the slightest doubt about a vet's (or human doc's) opinion/diagnosis, don't give in. Don't ignore that nagging thought. Act on it, it just might save your loved one's life. My vet's words last week were, "If he were mine, I'd put him down now." His words this week were, "I think he's going to pull through this." And so do I. Thank you all for your support. I shared the terrible news before and just had to share the good news now. |
| Sergei. 04.09.2006 09:35 |
Congratulations! I hope your kitty gets better because I know it hurts a lot to see your cat when he/she's really sick. I hope he recovers fully! I love Adams and I don't even know him. :) |
| magicalfreddiemercury 04.09.2006 11:19 |
<font color=&#FF0063><b>Cookies! wrote: I love Adams and I don't even know him. :)Thanks so much! He is a lovable little guy. link |
| Freya is quietly judging you. 04.09.2006 11:27 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:Aww, he's adorable!<font color=&#FF0063><b>Cookies! wrote: I love Adams and I don't even know him. :)Thanks so much! He is a lovable little guy. link Anyway, that's great news! I hope he makes a full recovery! |
| Sergei. 04.09.2006 11:54 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:<font color=&#FF0063><b>Cookies! wrote: I love Adams and I don't even know him. :)Thanks so much! He is a lovable little guy. |
| AspiringPhilosophe 06.09.2006 09:46 |
That's excellent news! Congratulations!! |
| eenaweena 06.09.2006 10:01 |
wow! it's a miracle! good for you! your cat's so cute and cuddly, i wanna pinch its cheeks so bad. but then it might scratch me. so i'd probably lay off. |
