Losing another cat so soon
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:04 pm
Hello all
Well here I am again, feeling desperately sad because my darling little cat has cancer and all that is left for her is palliative care. This comes after I had my 17 year old boy PTS at the end of August. I've only had my little old lady for eight months (she is nearly 17) but, as they all do, she has stolen my heart and I can't believe I'm having to go through all this heartbreak again so soon. The diagnosis has come as such as shock - I found a lump on her leg on 17 June, she was taken in for investigations on 18 June and we had the diagnosis by 20 June.
All I want for her now is for her to be as comfortable and content as possible for as long as possible. Getting her to eat is difficult and I'm finding it hard to find anything to tempt her, even the AD food. She is still eating, but only very lightly. She's on Meloxidil for pain relief/anti-inflammatory and we're just taking it a day at a time. I don't know how long she's got - one minute I think she's looking okay and then a few hours later she'll be sat looking very sorry for herself. I've got that hideous dilemma of deciding when I should let her go - I won't keep her going for longer than I should - and knowing I have to make that decision again so soon after having my last cat PTS is torture. I feel like an emotional wreck.
We foster her with two other cats who are much younger, and I'm wondering what to do when she is PTS. I'm really keen to have this done at home to eliminate any stress on her - assuming there isn't an emergency which necessitates us rushing her to the vets - but I'm not sure how to manage the other cats after she's PTS. Should they see her body to have some understanding that she's dead (if they have an understanding), or is it better that we just take her away without them seeing her and then just let them look for her for a few days. I'm not sure whether if they saw her body they would actually understand she had died, or whether this would be a good or bad thing to do for them. They are all quite bonded as they lived together in a family unit for five or six years before they came to me. I'm not trying to put human emotions on them, but I don't know what is best. Are the remaining two going to freak out if they see her dead in the house? I know there will be lots of people who have faced this dilemma, so any input would be appreciated.
I was saying to my husband yesterday, he just doesn't understand how deeply I love my cats and just how acutely I feel their loss. He's very pragmatic, and although he's really fond of them all, he just says 'well she was old when you got her so it's only to be expected'. He's not unkind; he's sympathetic but he just can't empathise where the cats are concerned. I've been in tears on and off for days, and I'll be in tears on and off until she dies and for weeks after she dies. (I still desperately miss my old boy and cry for him too sometimes.)
If anyone has any input in terms of this euthanasia question or any unusual suggestions on the food front to try and tempt her, that would be appreciated. I know this isn't technically a bereavement, but I am already grieving because I know it's only a matter of time before I'm going to lose my dear little cat.
Thanks all. x
Well here I am again, feeling desperately sad because my darling little cat has cancer and all that is left for her is palliative care. This comes after I had my 17 year old boy PTS at the end of August. I've only had my little old lady for eight months (she is nearly 17) but, as they all do, she has stolen my heart and I can't believe I'm having to go through all this heartbreak again so soon. The diagnosis has come as such as shock - I found a lump on her leg on 17 June, she was taken in for investigations on 18 June and we had the diagnosis by 20 June.
All I want for her now is for her to be as comfortable and content as possible for as long as possible. Getting her to eat is difficult and I'm finding it hard to find anything to tempt her, even the AD food. She is still eating, but only very lightly. She's on Meloxidil for pain relief/anti-inflammatory and we're just taking it a day at a time. I don't know how long she's got - one minute I think she's looking okay and then a few hours later she'll be sat looking very sorry for herself. I've got that hideous dilemma of deciding when I should let her go - I won't keep her going for longer than I should - and knowing I have to make that decision again so soon after having my last cat PTS is torture. I feel like an emotional wreck.
We foster her with two other cats who are much younger, and I'm wondering what to do when she is PTS. I'm really keen to have this done at home to eliminate any stress on her - assuming there isn't an emergency which necessitates us rushing her to the vets - but I'm not sure how to manage the other cats after she's PTS. Should they see her body to have some understanding that she's dead (if they have an understanding), or is it better that we just take her away without them seeing her and then just let them look for her for a few days. I'm not sure whether if they saw her body they would actually understand she had died, or whether this would be a good or bad thing to do for them. They are all quite bonded as they lived together in a family unit for five or six years before they came to me. I'm not trying to put human emotions on them, but I don't know what is best. Are the remaining two going to freak out if they see her dead in the house? I know there will be lots of people who have faced this dilemma, so any input would be appreciated.
I was saying to my husband yesterday, he just doesn't understand how deeply I love my cats and just how acutely I feel their loss. He's very pragmatic, and although he's really fond of them all, he just says 'well she was old when you got her so it's only to be expected'. He's not unkind; he's sympathetic but he just can't empathise where the cats are concerned. I've been in tears on and off for days, and I'll be in tears on and off until she dies and for weeks after she dies. (I still desperately miss my old boy and cry for him too sometimes.)
If anyone has any input in terms of this euthanasia question or any unusual suggestions on the food front to try and tempt her, that would be appreciated. I know this isn't technically a bereavement, but I am already grieving because I know it's only a matter of time before I'm going to lose my dear little cat.
Thanks all. x