Posted on 03/08/2016 12:17:54 PM PST by EinNYC
My little cat Kefira has been very sick for the past few days. She is losing muscle mass, developed a pot belly, and barely eats anything for the past couple of days. She spends her days just laying Sphynx like on the floor, upright like the Sphynx. She is drinking lots of water. Blood tests show normal except for an extremely elevated white count. This points to a likely lymphoma. Vet had extra blood tests done to identify any cells in blood.
I am taking her back to the vet to discuss results of cell blood test.
Chemotherapy is not very effective in cats. It usually only buys a few months.
If the vet tells me it's lymphoma, would you just have her put the cat down and not put her through anything else?
Prayers for your cat.
I am very sorry to hear this.
My all time best cat buddy, his legs stopped working. He wasn’t even really very old.
I took a box and cut 4 holes in it, so he could be upright enough to eat. Instead of eating, he gave this long, mournful cry. It was ‘let me go Home’.
That was decades ago. It’s still hard now to think of it.
Ugh, that’s the death cry. I’ve heard that too many times from my ill cats. Once you’ve heard it, you never forget it. Awful cry. :-(
[pets the screen]
I lost a much-loved kitty to what in retrospect was cancer 3 years ago -- she was 15, beautiful tortoise-shell, and an indoor/outdoor cat as we live in a rural area and she and her brother were originally feral. She went from apparent good health to very sickly in just a week or so, same sort of symptoms you describe, and when I realized what was happening, I made a vet appointment for the next day. But in the early evening she left the house for a walk, turned to say goodbye, and went to her regular hunting area in the woods. That was the last time I saw her.
Her brother often hunted that same area; I never found her body but I know he found it after her passing. He was depressed for a few days, but eventually recovered his spirits and is now 18.
She graciously spared me the difficulty of having to put her down, and instead proudly took herself back to her roots. I think of her every day.
I pray that God grants you strength and peace of mind as you go through this most difficult of times, and that He grants your cat fortitude and dignity as she faces whatever is ahead, with your kind and loving help.
Make sure you get the right diagnosis. I had a cat who could have had either cancer or Inflamatory Bowel Disease, which is treated with prednisone. Get a second opinion. Thank God it wasn’t cancer. Also, I can’t recommend kitty chiropractic highly enough.
I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. I can’t really say when the time is right to say good bye; however, I can tell you from experience that the option of putting her to sleep is far better than having her suffer. A wise freeper told me this.. “Think of the last visit to the vet as a final gift to your pet. You are eliminating her pain and suffering. To wait until they are in agony is selfish on our part because WE aren’t ready to part from them. It is our final act of love”. I won’t say the freeper’s name but she knows who she is (she helped me through saying good bye to 3 dogs in 3 months). God Bless her and God Bless you during this difficult time. (((Hugs))) Mom
That is one beautiful kitteh. I am glad she is eating. I hope things come out OK, but Kefira is lucky to have you as staff.
Thank you so much. This morning she did not eat as much as she did last night, possibly because she ate so much last night. There was word from the cellular testing lab early this morning, but I don't know what it was. The results were supposed to be ready this coming Monday or so. I hope their message to my vet wasn't something like, "We lost the sample" or that it wasn't a good blood sample or something like that which would delay the results. One little thing, which warmed my heart, was seeing Kefira knead my quilt to make herself a nice little napping spot. Gave me a glimpse of old times. Also, my friend who accompanied me to the vet later went to her prayer group at the synagogue, and the ladies there actually said some prayers for Kefira. That gave me a little lift too, knowing they cared.
I am so sorry. I’ve been through this several times. You, as God’s representative for your kitty, have to make the compassionate choice. Prayers up.
I'm sorry, I just can't let this pass----first how does anyone hate cats, but taking you at your word, why then would you bother to come on a thread filled with people who have nothing but love for them? Many of these people are reliving extremely sad times in their lives, and it's far from uplifting to read the opening three words of your reply.
I’m so sorry for you and your little kitty, and have been through this myself with two kitties who had cancer. I’ve read some of the posts and seen good advice offered. In case no one else mentions. a high white cell count also indicates infection, and sometimes we do need a second opinion from another vet clinic or hospital, just as for ourselves.
I would never put a kitty through chemo, but that’s me. It would poison her little body so badly. My older cat, who had a squamas (?) cell sarcoma, did well until she was nearly 20, while also battling kidney disease and hypertention. We were so in tune, I relied on her to let me know when she didn’t want to go on, and she did, unmistakeably. But my younger kitty, my last baby, had a brain tumor - long time to diagnose, as she was 18 and I wouldn’t put her through anesthesia for diagnostic, surgery, or anything else. She went blind before she was 19 but lived another year, also to almost 20. Close as we were, she wouldn’t tell me she wanted to go (and by the way, there is nothing really safe for pain for cats, except morphine - strange! - which vets won’t prescribe as a rule.) My baby clung to me and just refused to give up. But then one day she had a terrible seizure, and I took her to be put to sleep that very day. I waited too long, and her quality of life had deteriorated badly, but because she wouldn’t give up, neither would I. I know now that was a mistake and I had needed to give up for her - so don’t let that happen, but be guided by your concern for her above all, if you can. It’s very hard. God bless you both.
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