My kitty is dying..

and I'm just sitting here crying.  I just talked to my stepmom and she said that my kitty has FIV and the vet is giving him 2 weeks-2 months to live. 

I have a bunch of cats and out of all of them, Meko was my favorite.  I remember when we first got him, it was when my dad and stepmom got married.  We saw him in her backyard (he was a stray) and wanted to feed him.  We gave him some salmon from their wedding reception and he WOULD NOT GO AWAY after =P  Even after we moved and didn't take him with, he just sat on the back porch of the empty house.  The neighbors there called us and asked us to take him because he wouldn't take food from anyone else or leave the house.

We kept him and it's been about 10 years now..and I'm just really upset.  As of right now he has lost almost all the muscle in his back legs, and lost a lot of weight.  His spleen and liver and really inflammed and he's extremely anemic.  It's so hard to look at him and not cry.

The vet says he's not suffering or in pain, but would it be better to have him put to sleep, or should we just wait until he goes?  By the vets description, it doesn't sound like he would be pain free...but I don't know what to do.

i'm sorry about your cat. :(

my mom's boyfriend has two dogs and i'm like, in love with them and i know i'm gonna be upset when they die eventually.

it sounds like poor cat is probably in alot of pain. does he cry or meow alot? that's usually a sense that it's in pain or that something's wrong.

if it were me, i'd probably wait around 1-2 weeks to see if he looked or seemed happy with his life or not, and if not, i'd probably put him down.

sorry :(

I'm so sorry.  That really really sucks and I have no idea what I'd do in your place other than spend as much time with kitty as I reasonably could.

I work at a vet's office and I just thought of something one of the vets said the other day.  She said that a lot of times pet owners know when it's time to put their animal to sleep better than she does.  You know your cat - is he still doing all the normal cat things he used to do?  What's his quality of life?  When it comes down to it, you know what's best for him.

I'm sorry for your loss.  He sounds like a special kitty :).

I can totaly identify with your feelings right now. Just this past May, two weeks before my wedding-  the cat I've had since I was 5 (im now 26) suddenly took a turn for the worse.  It seems she had a mild stroke one night.

Like your kitty- mine was ferrel, and wandered into our home one day. I spent years taming that not-so-wild beast.

It brings me to tears thinking about never seeing her again, but we should be thankful that they've been with us as long as they have.  Our kitties chose us to spend their lives with- and our own lives are all the richer and better for it.

The longer you wait, the worse it will be for everyone involved - these things I know. We need not hang on to their physical presence for our own selfish reasons (and keeping them around for our own sake is just that).  Say goodbye, do your grieving and be thankful for the years you've had.

Four years ago (though it feels like yesterday), Teddy, an orange cat that I had adopted from the SPCA got sick. The vet told me that his kidneys were failing him. I had him put to sleep right away because I couldn't stand the thought of my much loved friend not having the best qaulity of life. I can't believe that I'm sitting here balling my eyes out as I write this. I had him cremated and placed his ashes in my flower bed. I had him for thirteen years and I truly believe that he had a very rich & full life in our home because he sure had a lot of human friends. Everyone who met him fell in love with him. My daughter knew I was devistated, as luck would have it, her best friend had a kitten but because of allergies in the house she brought him & gave him to me. His name is O.G.(short for original gangster). O.G. goes for morning walks with my neighbors dog (Leo). They even take turns leading, one day it's Leo's turn the next it's O.G.'s turn. This is a very sad time for you, but I'm sure everyone here at CC sends hugs, kleenex and shoulders to lean on. I'm sorry that you are going through a sad time. Feel free to chat me up any time. Diane

I'm so so so so sorry :( I know how much pain you're in right now. My cat is my best friend in the whole world- I dont know what I'm going to do without him. He recently had  surgery and I was so scared- I couldn't stop sobbing.

I wish I could say something to comfort you, and i know if i was in your position, nothing would be comforting to me, but I just want to say that I'm sure your cat loves you very much, and he has had a very happy life- coming to your backyard is the best thing that ever happened to him :)

Best wishes- I hope you, and your family, and your cat will all be ok :( *hugs*

one other thing- I agree you might know how your cat is feeling better than the vet, but don't always go with if he's meowing in pain or not. My old cat died of kidney cancer, and he didnt make any vocal signs of pain, although he was in severe, severe pain. He just hid away from us all while he was dying :(

You know deep down what the right choice is, I'm sure :( You don't want your cat to be in pain, but you dont want to lose him either. I apologize if i'm assuming things, though. I could be wrong.

If it was me, I wouldnt want my dear cat to be in pain. Geez, I'm crying just at the thought of it.

*more hugs*

I would have him put down, personally.  Even if he isn't in pain, which I don't believe, the only thing he could understand about what's happening is that something's wrong and he's vunerable.  That's extrememly stressful for a prey animal. 

Cats generally don't make noise when they're very sick or in pain.  Most often they'll try to find someplace safe to hide, which tends to mean that when they're outside they disapear.  You might hear him purr, but in that's actually a sound they use to tell others that 'I'm not a threat and please don't hurt me'.

I'm very sorry to hear about your cat, it's always difficult when you lose somebody close, but at least animals have the option not to suffer to the end.

*hugs*

I'm so sorry. =(  I adopted two kitties (cousins) last year from a local animal rescue group and they've made my life so much better.  I don't know what I would do if I were in your situation.

Cats are usually very good at hiding their pain so you can't always go by that.  I know it's tough to lose a pet but keeping him/her in pain would be awful as well.  Some people just know when it's time to put their pet to sleep.

Whatever you decide, just make sure to enjoy the remaining time you have with him.

I would prefer to have him put down I think, now I just have to convince my parents.  They didn't want to.  This has been so tough on me..I've been crying since I posted.  I don't want to lose him, but I know either way I will.  I don't want him to suffer and I know he's in pain...no matter what the vet says.  Whenever we try and pet him he arches his back away from our hands and runs away.  He doesn't want to be touched, and I don't want him to go the rest of his life in pain and not being pet and loved.

Thanks for all the support guys, it really helps

I love hugs =) *hugs everyone back* haha

Cats often don't show that they're in pain.  It's a survival thing from when they were wild.  Show weakness and you become a target.  So your cat is probably suffering a great deal.

Have the vet gently put him to sleep.  You can hold him and talk to him as he passes into another life, free of pain.

So Sorry for your pain. Our animal friends sometimes mean more to us than humans.  They don't judge, they don't tell us we look fat, they stay with us when we cry and they never require more then we can give.  But that being said, that is why we need to be strong,  If the right thing was easy, then the world woud be a better place.  Sending your Kitty to heaven will be hard for you, but so much better for him.  I wsh you well.

I am so sorry.. And I agree with those who said put him down as soon as you feel you have said goodbye. The disease is fatal and it is not like he can possibly recover. You have an opportunity to spare him some pain.

Oh man, that stinks.  I hope you and your parents can come to an agreement soon.  (((((HUGS))))))

This is to Denise, not DeFlep. 

FIV can go into "remission" so to speak.  I worked at a shelter and a few of the cats had it but were totally healthy in every other way.  We just had to keep their area extra clean and be sure to wash our hands before petting them.  Also, if we had a cold we weren't allowed there.  Many cats can live very long healthy happy lives after being dianosed with FIV if treatment starts early.

So sorry, I know how hard that is. I just lost my dog who was 11 years old and my cat who was 19 died last winter. Take comfort in knowing that while the kitty lived he was loved and taken care of. So many of them are not. So you gave him a good life. God Bless.

Sorry to hear about your kitty {{hugs}} the vet will advise you as to the best thing to do.

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

Oh man, that stinks.  I hope you and your parents can come to an agreement soon.  (((((HUGS))))))

This is to Denise, not DeFlep. 

FIV can go into "remission" so to speak.  I worked at a shelter and a few of the cats had it but were totally healthy in every other way.  We just had to keep their area extra clean and be sure to wash our hands before petting them.  Also, if we had a cold we weren't allowed there.  Many cats can live very long healthy happy lives after being dianosed with FIV if treatment starts early.

 Thanks jewelsmcblah. In this case the vet gave the cat no more than 2 months to live, so I was thinking of that and not FIV in general.

UGHH well I talked to my dad and stepmom today...they said if I think he should be put to sleep then I have to take him there myself because they just can't do it.  Do they think it'd be any easier for me!?

I know I should but I am having a really hard time.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell that it will be easy. I will tell you that you loved your cat very much and he loved you back unconditionaly. As much as this time hurts your heart to hve to go through this I believe that you don't want your cat to suffer, that you want him to have the best life possible and HE DID BECAUSE YOU LOVED HIM. You have friends and family as well as everyone here at CC who will listen to you and to try to help you as much as we can. If you ever want to bend my ear... just message me. Diane

I can't believe you parents would say something like that!  That's just so irresponsible.  Sorry, I just have a real pet peeve about people who won't take care of their animals because they can't handle something.  Ii understand the mentality, but sometimes you just have to get over yourself and do what needs to be done.

At least he has you.

It will be hard to do, and it'll take some time to come to terms with, but you'll at least have the piece of mind that you did the best you could for him. 

Be strong.