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

I think at 19 and with a distressing illness that will require constant medication I would be thinking of all the unconditional love that the cat has given over the years and paying it back by saying enough is enough, her quality of life is below acceptable and it is time to say goodbye.

You don't give thyroxine for hyperthyroidism.

(and yes, I got my hypo- and hyper- confused in my earlier post)

You could test out the meds and follow up bloods but if limited result adopt a very low threshold to have him euthanised. That way you'll feel you've given him a chance while adopting the kindest most sensible option if no benefit found to cat.

My vet categorically does not suggest putting animals to sleep until the owner raises it, I suspect many vets follow the same rule.

The thyroxin was given via a needless syringe squirted into his mouth once a day.

If it turns out to be hyperthyroidism then the medicine should work wonders. One of ours (17) was just as your sisters was ill, listless, dying, ate like a horse but was a bag of bones.

Thyroxin whilst expensive isn't as much as some have said and is cheaper than printer ink!

He lived happily for another couple of years. Not as a kitten but as a senior cat. He was active, put on weight and was his normal self.

Tell your sister how much the bill is so far, and ask how much more she is willing to cough up. Then she knows you’re not paying.

They never do

This has just happened to me. Local vet recommended to me, but I was a cash cow. I’m now angry at how inhumane the vet was and 100% saw £££. I was on my way with my cat to have 24hr bp monitoring and she was so unhappy. Hated the fluids I was giving her In her neck(!) hated the food and kept hiding. I had several vet visits. She had lost her spark, got to the vets and decided no, enough is enough. I had her PTS vet kept saying you sure? you sure? It was horrendous and he made me feel awful like I was an awful cat owner.

You have done the right thing by engaging the vet to provide treatment while they are on holiday. When they return and are made aware of the treatment required by the vet and the cat, it is their decision whether to pay for the cat's clinical needs or whether they wish to have the cat put down. It is their decision.

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With treatment she could have quality of life
No. She's 19 with severe hypothyroidism. The outlook for quality of life is not good.

The diet can slow things getting worse, and the tablets can suppress the thyroid function. But the tablets have the potential for side effects, and whilst they're for life they are not permanent fix. Eventually the side effects catch-up. The blood tests will need to be repeated regularly to monitor the dose. I speak from experience as not only did I have an elderly cat that developed hypothyroidism I have also suffered from it myself - at one time the cat and I were on the same medication.

I think you've done the right thing. Your sister or mum should pay you the £300 incurred so far, and then it's up to them whether they decide to continue treatment or PTS.

@InWithPeaceOutWithStress Please follow the advice of a vet who has spent years studying to care for animals, rather than that of people on the internet who have not even met the cat. I would love to know how many of these people are vets!
If people have really got you worried then try a different vet practice for a second opinion

Stop being cruel and get the poor cat PTS stop prolonging the poor thing’s suffering the cat is 19 how much more life does the cat honestly have and the vet is never in a million years going to suggest it because they just want the money off you.

It sounds like they both think she has reached the point where she needs to be put to sleep and to be very honest, I agree with that view.

But they shouldn't be leaving you to deal with it and pay expensive vets bills! I think an honest conversation needs to be had between the 3 of you once you mum returns from holiday.

Our Ragdoll got this diagnosis at 16 , was very well aside from having diarrhoea and we started him on the pills and he went into acute liver failure and had to be PTS . At 19 and 2kg I’m not sure I’d have been treating her , just because you can treat elderly animals doesn’t mean you should .

I had similar with a 13 y cat - suddenly lost weight and was eating constantly. Like your sister's cat, her kidneys were badly damaged and so it was diet and medication which she was on for about two years until her kidney function improved enough for surgery and she had her thyroid removed. Obviously she still needed medication but lived until she was 18. However, this was a 13 yo cat. At 19 I would ask the vet to euthanise her. She is going to be uncomfortable for a while longer anyway (and cats don't like taking tablets) and harsh as it sounds, she is unlikely to live a lot longer even if the medication is effective.

It is probably kinder to let her go.

You did what you thought was right and what you did was right - you saw the cat was unwell, so you took it to the vets and took the vets advice.

You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty or bad about because you did what you felt was in the best interests of the cat.

You have done nothing ‘wrong’.
But I think you have simply just delayed the inevitable.

When my cat was poorly (14yo) I did try and keep him alive and it did work for a few months but then he went downhill again and that’s when I knew it was time to PTS.

Perhaps give it a couple of weeks and if there’s no improvement or it goes downhill then take him back to be PTS.

Well done for taking an animal (that’s not even yours) to the vets when it was unwell.

OP, I’m so surprised how many people are saying you should definitely put her to sleep, when the vet has recommended a potential treatment. If it were my cat, I would absolutely try the treatment first (assuming your sister is happy to do it, given it’s her decision). If the vet felt there were no treatments available / the treatment was unlikely to work then they would have told you that (even if they didn’t go so far as to recommend PTS). If you try the treatment and it doesn’t work then PTS may be the outcome, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t be worth trying. You sound kind and like you’re trying to genuinely do your best for her, I hope your sister agrees to try the treatment and to pay for it x

OP advise your sister about the current situation and that costs so far are at £X and does she want to continue with the treatment and if not will she take to be pts (kinder for her to do it)

A previously homeless cat who just needed a bit of TLC is very different to an unhealthy cat with a chronic condition.