My cat has cancer. How'd you know when it was time to let your pet go?

Germanshepherdlova · 12-29-2011, 01:46 AM

My six year old cat has a tumor on her forehead between her eyes and it is cancerous. The prognosis isn't good so we are not going to attempt having it removed-it is deep in the nasal cavity and would be difficult if possible at all to remove. Right now I am just keeping an eye on her, and when she shows signs of distress we will be having her put to sleep.

The children are upset, especially my son who she is very attached to. Her time left with us is short, and this is hard…I just hope that I am able to make the right decision for her-I don't want to have her put down too early nor do I want to wait until she is in a great deal of pain. She is still eating but less than normal and has several bouts of sneezing throughout the day. For those of you who have been through this-how did you know it was time to let your pet go?

Here is a picture of her-her name is Julie.

My cat has cancer. How'd you know when it was time to let your pet go?-photo-2011-05-21-13.14-6.jpg

blehmannwa · 12-29-2011, 02:43 AM

The wisest thing that I was told was "Better a day too early than a minute too long." When you are working on a hospice model, the pet's comfort is the only consideration. I am sorry to hear about Julie..such a young cat. I wonder if some pain meds would help her. Just remember that she trusts you to make the best decision for her.

Rahrah · 12-29-2011, 02:49 AM

I'm sorry

We put ours down 2 years ago due to to liver cancer- he was only 8 years old.
Basically he lost weight over a 2 month period and stated to lose interest in his food.
Every now and then he would vomit up froth.
We had no idea he was so sick when we took him (they do well to hide it) in to the vets. They of course ran tests immediately and the prognosis wasn't good.
He stayed there and got progressive worse, wouldn't eat or drink and he had to be at a certain health to take this medication they wanted to give him.
2 weeks later with no improvement from him, and him getting sicker each day we knew it was time.

Germanshepherdlova · 12-29-2011, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahrah

I'm sorry

We put ours down 2 years ago due to to liver cancer- he was only 8 years old.
Basically he lost weight over a 2 month period and stated to lose interest in his food.
Every now and then he would vomit up froth.
We had no idea he was so sick when we took him (they do well to hide it) in to the vets. They of course ran tests immediately and the prognosis wasn't good.
He stayed there and got progressive worse, wouldn't eat or drink and he had to be at a certain health to take this medication they wanted to give him.
2 weeks later with no improvement from him, and him getting sicker each day we knew it was time.

Thank you and I am sorry about your cat as well. Did you stay with your cat when he was being put to sleep and if so do you recommend that we stay with her while she goes? My mom doesn't think we should be there-that is will be too hard on us, and she has offered to take her in and stay with her but I don't know, in a way I feel i it would be wrong to not be with Julie-and on the other hand know it would be easier for us not to go.

Rahrah · 12-29-2011, 03:55 AM

Yes we were there, and he came home with us. It was one the hardest days of my life.

We believed it was the right thing to do by him. My OH held him as he went to sleep in his arms.

Good_Karma · 12-29-2011, 07:19 AM

I'm actually going through this now with one of my cats. He has kidney disease. We have managed him with diet changes but we are not willing to put him through daily injections to prolong his life, so he is slowly declining. His coat looks a bit shabby and he is very, very thin.

But he still races around with his toys, he still eats, he still drives us crazy in the middle of the night with his meowing, he still wants to be petted, he still finds and uses the litter box. He's not in pain.

For me, if the animal's quality of life gets low enough that he stops eating, wanting affection, then it is time. We had a very sick cat a few years ago, and she withdrew from us near the end. She found a small, sheltered place away from everything and just stayed there. That was a big red flag right there. We had been treating her, working with Cornell University (they never did figure out what was making her sick), but anyway we took her to the vet and they kept her. She died a day or two later when her heart rate slowed and her temperature dropped (the vet called us and said it was a sign that she was failing and we made the decision to let her go).

I'm really sorry that you are losing your kitty. Six years old is very young, and it's not fair that cancer is taking her from you so soon. {{hugs}} Hope your kids handle the loss okay. I can't imagine how difficult that must be for you to see them so sad.

phgsd · 12-29-2011, 09:51 AM

I am very sorry about your cat

I also went through something similar over the summer. Our cat was a rescue - so we don't know how old he was - but he was OLD. We had him for 2 years, he was blind but a very happy cat. But he started to spend less time with us and would just hide all day and normally he'd always been underfoot. He lost weight and when we brought him into the vet, we found out his kidneys were failing. We left him there for IV fluids for almost 2 weeks, but his values didn't change. The vet didn't feel that he was a candidate for sub-q fluids at home...she said once he's off the IV he'll just go downhill regardless. So we made the decision to take him home so he could spend one last night at home, and then bring him back to be PTS. We took him home on Friday night - the vet through he might make it til Monday.

Unfortunately this happened when that hurricane was coming through and I had to make the decision to either put him to sleep the next day, before it rolled through, or to wait until after the storm. It was projected to be bad, so I decided to do it on Saturday, before the storm.

He had a very happy night at home with us...he slept in bed with us curled up against my chest, purring like crazy. He was feeling better after all the fluids, but still didn't want to move around on his own. The next day we had him PTS and it was very hard...but it was the best thing, because the storm WAS bad. There were trees down everywhere and we were basically stuck at home, all roads out were blocked. And with many places out of power for days, we would have had a hard time finding an open clinic even if we could get out.

Marnie · 12-29-2011, 10:00 AM

I'm so sorry for what you and your cat are going thru. I lost a very dear cat last January to liver cancer. My vet was very helpful and together we were satisfied he was not in serious pain. When he began to refuse all food, we knew it was time to let him go.

I agree with the poster who said better to do it a day sooner than a day later. Hard as it is, letting him linger isn't the best thing for him. Be strong.

1sttimeforgsd · 12-29-2011, 10:07 AM

So sorry about your beautiful baby, you will know when the time is right.

Smith3 · 12-29-2011, 10:24 AM

When Koch got Aspergillosis, this was our biggest issue. The week before we decided to put her down we wanted to do everything possible to keep her alive. But, as that week went on, I could just see she was miserable in every way and getting worse by the day.

She just would lay there, I had to carry her down the steps, it was just so sad. Having to carry a 2.5yo GSD, who just a few months before ran around like an insane dog, was heart breaking (not to mention back breaking). After that we made the decision to put her down the next week and did.

Animals put up a good front to act strong, when they are showing they are weak you know it is because they are.

They are terrible decisions to make, but ones we must.

12-29-2011, 01:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
Germanshepherdlova Knighted Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: USA Posts: 2,935	My cat has cancer. How'd you know when it was time to let your pet go? My six year old cat has a tumor on her forehead between her eyes and it is cancerous. The prognosis isn't good so we are not going to attempt having it removed-it is deep in the nasal cavity and would be difficult if possible at all to remove. Right now I am just keeping an eye on her, and when she shows signs of distress we will be having her put to sleep. The children are upset, especially my son who she is very attached to. Her time left with us is short, and this is hard…I just hope that I am able to make the right decision for her-I don't want to have her put down too early nor do I want to wait until she is in a great deal of pain. She is still eating but less than normal and has several bouts of sneezing throughout the day. For those of you who have been through this-how did you know it was time to let your pet go? Here is a picture of her-her name is Julie. __________________ You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Germa...96574693743892

12-29-2011, 02:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
Rahrah Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: It's bloody hot....Australia Posts: 150	I'm sorry We put ours down 2 years ago due to to liver cancer- he was only 8 years old. Basically he lost weight over a 2 month period and stated to lose interest in his food. Every now and then he would vomit up froth. We had no idea he was so sick when we took him (they do well to hide it) in to the vets. They of course ran tests immediately and the prognosis wasn't good. He stayed there and got progressive worse, wouldn't eat or drink and he had to be at a certain health to take this medication they wanted to give him. 2 weeks later with no improvement from him, and him getting sicker each day we knew it was time. __________________ Wolfonyx Extreme Grace 08/08/2011 "Fenrir"

12-29-2011, 03:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
Rahrah Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: It's bloody hot....Australia Posts: 150	Yes we were there, and he came home with us. It was one the hardest days of my life. We believed it was the right thing to do by him. My OH held him as he went to sleep in his arms. __________________ Wolfonyx Extreme Grace 08/08/2011 "Fenrir"

12-29-2011, 07:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
Good_Karma Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 4,103	I'm actually going through this now with one of my cats. He has kidney disease. We have managed him with diet changes but we are not willing to put him through daily injections to prolong his life, so he is slowly declining. His coat looks a bit shabby and he is very, very thin. But he still races around with his toys, he still eats, he still drives us crazy in the middle of the night with his meowing, he still wants to be petted, he still finds and uses the litter box. He's not in pain. For me, if the animal's quality of life gets low enough that he stops eating, wanting affection, then it is time. We had a very sick cat a few years ago, and she withdrew from us near the end. She found a small, sheltered place away from everything and just stayed there. That was a big red flag right there. We had been treating her, working with Cornell University (they never did figure out what was making her sick), but anyway we took her to the vet and they kept her. She died a day or two later when her heart rate slowed and her temperature dropped (the vet called us and said it was a sign that she was failing and we made the decision to let her go). I'm really sorry that you are losing your kitty. Six years old is very young, and it's not fair that cancer is taking her from you so soon. {{hugs}} Hope your kids handle the loss okay. I can't imagine how difficult that must be for you to see them so sad. __________________ Leah: Newbie dog owner Niko: American Showline GSD 2 1/2 years old Rosa: American Muppet Dog (GSD/Border Collie mix) 3 years old

12-29-2011, 09:51 AM	#7 (permalink)
phgsd Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 1,321	I am very sorry about your cat I also went through something similar over the summer. Our cat was a rescue - so we don't know how old he was - but he was OLD. We had him for 2 years, he was blind but a very happy cat. But he started to spend less time with us and would just hide all day and normally he'd always been underfoot. He lost weight and when we brought him into the vet, we found out his kidneys were failing. We left him there for IV fluids for almost 2 weeks, but his values didn't change. The vet didn't feel that he was a candidate for sub-q fluids at home...she said once he's off the IV he'll just go downhill regardless. So we made the decision to take him home so he could spend one last night at home, and then bring him back to be PTS. We took him home on Friday night - the vet through he might make it til Monday. Unfortunately this happened when that hurricane was coming through and I had to make the decision to either put him to sleep the next day, before it rolled through, or to wait until after the storm. It was projected to be bad, so I decided to do it on Saturday, before the storm. He had a very happy night at home with us...he slept in bed with us curled up against my chest, purring like crazy. He was feeling better after all the fluids, but still didn't want to move around on his own. The next day we had him PTS and it was very hard...but it was the best thing, because the storm WAS bad. There were trees down everywhere and we were basically stuck at home, all roads out were blocked. And with many places out of power for days, we would have had a hard time finding an open clinic even if we could get out. __________________ Kira, Kessy, Djenga, Madina & The JRT's

12-29-2011, 02:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
blehmannwa Master Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 777	The wisest thing that I was told was "Better a day too early than a minute too long." When you are working on a hospice model, the pet's comfort is the only consideration. I am sorry to hear about Julie..such a young cat. I wonder if some pain meds would help her. Just remember that she trusts you to make the best decision for her.

12-29-2011, 10:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
Marnie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 233	I'm so sorry for what you and your cat are going thru. I lost a very dear cat last January to liver cancer. My vet was very helpful and together we were satisfied he was not in serious pain. When he began to refuse all food, we knew it was time to let him go. I agree with the poster who said better to do it a day sooner than a day later. Hard as it is, letting him linger isn't the best thing for him. Be strong.

12-29-2011, 10:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
1sttimeforgsd Crowned Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: West Virginia Posts: 4,891	So sorry about your beautiful baby, you will know when the time is right. __________________ karen, mom to: ace-gsd (bi-color) 6/14/2010 mandy-yellow lab 1/31/2009 baby-terrier mix 11/25/2000

12-29-2011, 10:24 AM	#10 (permalink)
Smith3 Elite Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Falls Church, Virginia Posts: 1,700	When Koch got Aspergillosis, this was our biggest issue. The week before we decided to put her down we wanted to do everything possible to keep her alive. But, as that week went on, I could just see she was miserable in every way and getting worse by the day. She just would lay there, I had to carry her down the steps, it was just so sad. Having to carry a 2.5yo GSD, who just a few months before ran around like an insane dog, was heart breaking (not to mention back breaking). After that we made the decision to put her down the next week and did. Animals put up a good front to act strong, when they are showing they are weak you know it is because they are. They are terrible decisions to make, but ones we must. __________________ Kessey "Koch" Von der Sauk - 10/26/2008 - 04/23/2011 - Pronounced "Coke"

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