What should I do for the best?

[42isthemeaning]

My dcat is 18. I've had her for 16 of those years. She's developed arthritis and CKD, for which she receives daily medications. The problem (apart from those!) is that that's she has lost a lot of weight. The vet gives her a monthly anabolic steroid jag and check up. Last time he said she'd lost weight again, but as long as she's eating something, drinking and looking for her patch in the sun, then she was happy. He was realistic, yet optimistic about her quality of life. Two days later I had to take her back after she started pawing at her jaw. Turns out she'd lost one of her fangs. (Possibly due to catching a rabbit in our garden - something I'd never seen her do) She had since been given two antibiotic jags. After the second one on Thursday the (different) vet asked me how much she was eating and told me that she can't go on like that and to bring her back today if she hadn't consumed a 'reasonable' amount. She ate a whole tin of tuna after the vet visit, but has only drunk water and picked at food since then. It's not wholly unlike her to be picky anyway and I don't know what a 'reasonable amount' is for her when she doesn't really expend much energy. Her back legs are quite wobbly when she's up and about, yet she has still been out in the sun and enjoying gentle grooming. I just don't know what to do. I don't want her to suffer, but I don't want to have her pts if it's not the right decision at this time. My dd adores her (we all do) and I still feel enormous guilt after losing our other cat two years ago. I'm wondering if I should see what she eats over the weekend, then I'm going to have to take her to the vet, aren't I?

[Hassled]

Yes I'm sorry, but I think you are. It's such an awful, awful decision to have to make - I went through it with my 17 year old boy a few years ago. Take the advice of the vet after the weekend - but keep in mind it's much better to do it a week too soon than a week too late.

[42isthemeaning]

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about your dcat. It is awful. My other dcat did suffer and it has been etched on my mind forever. I don't want this poor puss to suffer and I know that there's rarely, if ever, a 'just curl up and go to sleep forever' natural death. My dh is hoping for that, but I've told him it wouldn't happen that way and we'd wish we'd taken her to the vet. Knowing her though, she'll probably eat up her food today and tomorrow just to confuse me even further about what to do.

[Hassled]

If it helps at all (and I know it won't really), my experience of the PTS was much much closer to a "just curl up and go to sleep forever" experience than I'd imagined. OldBoy was on my lap having a stroke and a cuddle when the injection was given and then he just went. It was all very gentle and peaceful.