To have taken my sisters cat to the vet and hope she will pay

Our sweet girl was 18 and had all the symptoms you describe. We had her PTS 3weeks ago after having her for 15 wonderful years. It's the hardest thing we've ever had to do and as someone unable to have children it has left me utterly bereft and completely heartbroken but it was the kindest thing to do for our beloved Lu. Your sister's cat will not get better no matter how many pills or special diet products it consumes. I'm so sorry you find yourself in this horrible situation. Sending hugs.

At 19 and suffering it's kinder to pts. Vet just wants money.

This is terribly sad. YANBU to take the cat to the vet. But if the care is not going to be kept up, then it would be kinder for the cat to be PTS.

I am surprised the vet did not suggest this as an option given the cost of ongoing care and age of the cat.

Well no, they want to be paid for ongoing care for the next few months...

Thank you for taking the poor thing to the vet OP. You did what you believe was right. The cat may respond well, nobody knows. It’s a shame you can’t take the cat as your mum isn’t going to keep up with treatment by the sounds of it.

I hope your DM doesn’t get another cat (along with most of mn).

I’m astounded by the number of vets on this post- wow. Dishing out veterinary advice! Should’ve come here first OP🙄 Thing is your DM didn’t make the decision to pts- she’s letting the cat suffer. She won’t want to pay for euthanisia either.

@BeachRide ODFOD for shame yourself. Clearly no animal lover!

It’s not the Op’s cat so she can’t push to euthanise.

I’m considering keeping cat but my partner is not keen because there is an impact on our existing two cats. They’re scared of older cat and have retreated upstairs and have been vomiting so I think they are stressed by her.

I would think a lot harder about this. I had to rehome one of my two cats because the stress of each other's presence was making them both ill. I had to make the decision in the best interests of both cats and ignoring my own personal feelings (I was heartbroken), because I had responsibility for their wellbeing.

If you take this very ill and very elderly cat on, you will have vet's bills and meds costs plus all the extra food, plus you will be stressing out your existing cats. I really wouldn't recommend that as being in ALL the pets' best interests.

If you return the elderly cat to your mum's care when she gets back, do you think she or your sister are going to pay you back for the costs you've incurred? Do you believe she will start to engage with costs and care of the cat, when previously she must have been aware the cat was ailing and yet did nothing? I reckon both your mum and sister are OK with just leaving nature to take its course and the cat die in her own time.

In these circumstances I would push for euthanising the cat, because the owners don't want to bother with her. I wouldn't take her on myself because of the existing pets. It's hard, but ultimately we have responsibility to pet animals which means making tough decisions.

A chronic condition that can easily be treated with medication in the majority of cases.

Those that are upset, saying that the cat needs to be treated and sharing their own stories need to remember that the difference is that YOUR cat has a loving owner. This cat does not, and it sounds like OP trying to keep it would cause problems with her other cats (which are already hiding and vomiting because they don’t like this cat in their house) as well as with her husband. It also sounds like she doesn’t have the finances to commit to longterm treatment for this, which is expensive. That is why it is kindest to have her euthanized.

It is also not great that the cat has had her hyperthyroidism untreated for so long. My mother has a cat in the exact same situation. He’s somewhere between 18 and 22 years old and suffered with hyperthyroidism for a long time before I saw him while visiting and insisted that he see a vet. They have never been able to get his hyperthyroidism under control.

It costs her about £600-700 every 3 months. He is suffering, emaciated, eats constantly, and also going into renal failure. He is miserable, uncomfortable, and has no quality of life but because “he still wanders around and eats” she lets him carry on suffering. It’s inhumane, but I have run out of things to say trying to appeal to her sense of decency. I suspect that she wants him to pass without having to intervene and feeling like the “bad guy,” regardless of how much pain he endures in the meantime. It sounds like OP’s mother and sister might do the same. It would be much better for the cat to not go through this.

Aww bless you OP, it must be hard for you to see the cat in the state it was in.
For everyone saying to PTS, that obviously was not your decision to make.
Your sister/mum needs to make that call.
You did the right thing by taking the poor love to the vet and as you informed your sister of the treatments and got her permission to go ahead, I believe she should be responsible for the bills.
You sound very kind, caring for this lovely old cat.
I hope you decide to keep her and she gets to leave out her last days in a loving and caring home.
You will know when it’s time to say goodbye, and the decision will be made easier if she doesn’t improve rapidly with the medication.

That's NOT true.

We took our 14 yo ddog to emergency vet last year when he suddenly became very poorly.

It was the vet who said they could do tests but at his advanced age it would be kinder to PTS. We did there and then.

re BatshitCrazyWoman and DogInATent

I forget what thyroid problem he had but it, whatever it was, fixed him.

As someone else has said - he went onto a special diet too.

It was like a miracle cure.

@InWithPeaceOutWithStress my experience last October when my elderly cat (17) became ill at the cattery. Cattery owner contacted me and she agreed to take cat to my vet. My vet called me and we talked about treatment. I paid over the phone. Another visit to vet later in week and more treatment. I paid over the phone. Thankfully, cat been fine since. I am under no illusions though, he is old, has lost weight but stable at the moment. If that changes, putting down is probably the best option. I will not prolong his suffering (but will miss him terribly). Your sister should have arranged to pay bills with vet, not you. Hope you get the money off her.

ill

Don’t touch the pills with your bare hands. I ignored the instructions and got I’ll.

It’s very kind of you to take this on, your mother has been quite cruel and negligent.

My 16 yo cat is currently undergoing this treatment. We took her in early in the process so she’s not in bad shape and is responding well to medicine. She just has a liquid added to her feed twice a day, no struggles with pills. It’s absolutely not a pts scenario here, just an old age illness to be managed and monitored.

My cat was 18 with hyperthyroidism and renal degeneration the pills will work fine. You need to buy the renal food as well. This is very costly. My boy was still bouncing around at 23 and had to be put to sleep for a completely unrelated illness which to be fair was probably old age, the vet said he should be they don’t just keep animals hanging on for money. Some weight will go back on once the pills slow down his metabolism. His drinking will slow down also. His kidneys will never regenerate so he’ll need the food for the rest of his life.
Your family will not pay for any of this the people that put animals to sleep as soon as they encounter an issue never do. Sorry OP it’s going to come down to you.

Forgot to say that if you google hyperthyroidism in cats, the prognosis is generally good.

Sorry but I agree vets take advantage of situations like this sorry

I disagree with some posters who say pts. I have had over active thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and felt absolutely awful. Fast heart rate and losing weight despite constantly eating, but with medication (carbimazole) I started feeling much better very quickly. If it was my cat I would give it a go. Not to be confused with underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) which is treated with thyroxine.

Your sister clearly doesn't care about the poor cat (shown by the fact she replaced it with a younger model) - agree that PTS is the kindest option here. Well done for caring OP.

Would a cat with hyperthyroidism be given thyroxin? I have hyperthyroidism and that would kill me! I took carbimazole, an anti-thyroid drug.

I'm 60, so elderly according to some of MN, and hyperthyroid. Perhaps I should just die?? OP I would treat that cat and see how she responds.

You're a very kind person OP.

My older cat passed age 21, and it was definitely their time to go.

At this point I wouldn't treat anything. I'd personally offer a platter or salmon, tuna and cheese and let the old cat have a nice few dinners.