Diagnosed with bone cancer, starting in his jaw and spreading. Very rare form and unusual to start in his jaw bone. He is on pain meds and responding well, but, unfortunately, it is not a cure. Eats soft food which is fine but the vet advised us not to give him kibble as the cancer makes his bones brittle. He seems comfortable, still likes to cuddle and sleeps a lot. The vet gives him few months if he keeps responding well to the pain med. He is 10 years old, we had him since he was a kitten. It is really a palliative care from here.
Sorry to hear. I had to put down my Cleo last year, she was 16 and I had her from a kitten. I cried for days. They are truly members of the family and it hurts when they are at the end of their lives.
i am so sorry. enjoy every day.
Pet cancer sucks. They don’t give you any signs until it has progressed.
You’ll do what is best. Just like they would for you. As long as they are enjoying life you are good.
And love on him as long as you have him.
Never easy, and always sad. Give him lots of cuddles.
The only words are “That sucks.” Lost a few kitties to feline leukemia and a beloved dog to subcutaneous cancer 3 years ago. And, well, it truly sucks.
There are no good words here, but I am truly sorry that your boy isnhaving to endure this.
I have no doubt you will make his final days as great as the rest of his days with you. I wish this didn’t have to happen, not just to you and him but to any pet or pet owner.
Sorry for you and your cat. We had a cat die of cancer and it was not good. It was our daughters first pet too.
I’m sorry to hear that. I spent much of last winter doing kitty hospice - my little buddy withered away over the course of about a year despite all our efforts. I’m just grateful that my vet makes house calls so we were able to make his final days and hours as comfortable as possible. I sure miss that little guy and his antics.
Losing pets is always tremendously difficult. The best you can do is try to let them pass with dignity and love.
so we were able to make his final days and hours as comfortable as possible. I sure miss that little guy and his antics.
Losing pets is always tremendously difficult. The best you can do is try to let them pass with dignity and love.
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Thank you all for the good thoughts, much appreciated.
As for the house call for the vet, I have a question here. My SiL is a veterinarian, lives out of town. She will be visiting in few days and offered to bring the euthanasia kit. Her thinking is that she can put kitty to sleep in the comfort of our home and also save us the vet fees. The other side of it, how would the kids feel that it was the aunty who put their bellowed cat down? On the sofa in a room where they play and laugh every day. What do you think?
I’m not sure where to start. I’ve had a few pets euthanized, and getting the timing right is difficult (and painful). I’ve always felt that I wanted to share every hour possible, as long as my pet wasn’t suffering. Those last hours are precious. With the cat I mentioned, I nursed him intensively for the last few weeks. When I finally called the vet, kitty hadn’t eaten a single thing for 36 hours and was down to half his normal adult weight - it was clear his time was very short.
I don’t know how old your kids are, and whether they’re old enough to handle the concept of euthanasia. If they’re young, you could explain that their aunt helped your kitty go to sleep and escape the pain of cancer. If they’re older you might try explaining with more nuance.
In any case I strongly recommend at-home euthanasia, especially with cats, if only because it spares your pet a final traumatic trip to the vet. Is there a possibility that you can talk to SIL and arrange a visit once the end is near and quality of life has declined?
I will second the at home vet visit when the time is at hand. So much less stressful for your friend.
Not sure I would do it on the couch, both for memory’s sake and because they can lose control of bodily functions. The team that has helped us brings a basket to do it in, and did it in a more neutral spot.
No advice on the kid stuff.
Very sorry to hear this.
Sorry to hear about your cat. I hope that you are able to keep him comfortable and enjoy a few more months with him.
Aww that’s very sad. I’m sorry. I’ve had a few kitties that also developed cancer. It always amazes me how much they can hide these things, until its too late. One lesson I have learned, with my cancer ridden cats, is don’t wait too long to consider euthanasia. I could not stand the thought of losing mine, so every time I believe I waited longer than I should (my analysis after the fact). You never really know when is the exact right time. Its nice when you have a good vet to help guide you.
Thank you, some good thoughts. Kids are 16 and 9, so I think they will understand. SiL is coming in few days, so will talk and see.
I also strongly recommend doing it at home. It will be so much better for him - no stress of going to the vet. Pick a spot in your house that he likes.
We did this 3 years ago with our cat, Patton, who was failing at 18 years. Basically with us our entire marriage. Living room floor on the rug he always curled up on. It still sucked for us, but Patton was relaxed & comfortable the whole time. Vets who do this are amazing & compassionate people.
Until then, spend as much time as you reasonably can with your lovable furball. From what I read on this thread, I know he has had a great life in a wonderful home with a loving family. Kind of hard to beat that.
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My oldest dog (9 years) is still healthy, but when his time comes I will pay whatever it costs to get someone to come to our house. He gets incredibly upset when we pull into the vet’s parking lot - he starts shaking and whining. There is no way that I’m going to let his last moments be in sheer terror after the years of love he’s given us.
I lost my 7 year old cat Louie the same way. A month or 2 of soft-food care and love and then we put him down in our living room with all around for his last few moments.
I would recommend sooner than later. Don’t wait for the very end in this “because of your feelings”. Do it for your cat’s feelings and welfare.
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