Am I being cruel to my cat?

[FlopsyandMopsy71]

She is 17 years old and has had hyperthyroidism for many years. Treated with twice daily doses of Thyronorm. She has health checks every 6 months. Last one yesterday. Unfortunately she's losing weight despite the dosage being increased. Last had bloods done to check thyroid levels about 18 months ago and at the same time had a big lump removed which was thought to be connected and also traces of cancerous cells were found.
The last time bloods were done was very traumatic for her. She soils herself and is sick on the way home then takes a day or 2 to get over it and eat again.
Because of this I don't feel it's in her best interests to do it again. The last check up before today the vet said she was on the highest dosage. So if she needs more Thyronorm she can't have it anyway. What would getting blood results do if I don't want to put her through any treatment? The vet just says do them and we find out why she's still losing weight. But what then?
All I want to do is let her live out the rest of her life happily and without invasive procedures or further treatment. Am I wrong or am I missing something?

You will know when it's time to let her go. Her personality will change - you will just know. She may stop eating, she will act differently - my 18 Yr old was ok with a jaw tumour until one day she wasn't ok. She went from being my Millie and was suddenly not her. At that point I called the vet and let her go peacefully at home. I would put your plan together so you don't panic when upset. It WILL be upsetting but also the biggest act of love you can give. You will know x

It's a perfectly sound decision not to put your elderly cat through more vet treatment. My parents made the decision not to medically treat their older cat when he started to lose weight because he hated the vets so much. He had a prodigious appetite and actually lasted another 18 months. I like to think the best 18 months of his life as he got spoiled and was able to eat everything he wanted (from being put on diets as a younger cat). He was content the whole time and not in pain and just got slower and skinnier.

I have to agree, I don’t think it sounds worth doing any further distressing blood tests and it seems kinder given the cats condition and age to let her be and and you will know when the time is right.

The flip side of that of course is that they may point out something new which can be treated easily?

Lots of vets started doing more house calls after Covid (though with an extra fee of course) — could you get a vet to come out to the house rather than take her in?

Just to say that I think you're doing the right thing for your beloved pet and she knows she's loved. Extra stress isn't going to do her any favours, I wish you all the best and enjoy the kitty snuggles xx

Thank you so much. They really make you doubt yourself. The vet was quite snooty about it and had a definite attitude. Just said she needs bloods done.
At the moment puss is quite happy. She's out and about whenever she likes, eat loads (but begs for more lots straight away so I do suspect it's thyroid issues which are worse). She climbs up 6ft fences, sleeps on the bed and loves cuddles.

Sorry to hear about your cat.

I think it's okay to let a pet go without a lot of invasive treatment. When we had pets when I was a teenager there was no medical treatment beyond courses of antibiotics after a cat fight, or vaccinations. When they started to get very thin at abut 13 or 14 years old they were put to sleep. I thought that was better than putting them through a whole lot of medical stuff.

I understand, I had two senior cats who hated the vet (they were semi-feral). I wouldn’t say you are being cruel, I think you’re trying to put your cat first which is the most important thing.

this might be a stupid question but have you had a discussion with your vet about your concerns? I completely see where they are coming from with regards to finding out the cause of weight loss, but if they’re aware of just how traumatic it is for your cat, then that might change what they think is best.

an alternative which I’ve seen a PP mention is seeing if your vet is able to do a home visit? I guess the last thing I can think of, which probably wouldn’t be appropriate given her age and health issues (but I’m not a professional so worth checking!!), is a sedating tablet which you can give a few hours before you need to go to the vet.

I’m tired so feel like I’ve just rambled at you but then most important thing I can say is that in my opinion, you aren’t being cruel!!! You clearly care a lot about your cat and are trying to put her through the least amount of stress possible. Giving your cat a cuddle through the interwebs x

My boy is similar. He's 17, skinny, wants food all the time...but is ridiculously happy. He hates the vet, he hates the other cats there, he hates the cage. My decision is to wait until his behaviour changes. He can still jump, run and come for fuss. No point stressing him out 🩶

I made this decision for my adored cat. I was lucky, the vet was very supportive, and told us what to be watching out for. With Toby it was when he couldn't jump up onto his normal seat anymore. That was the day we rang the vet and made the final appointment. We had a couple more days to wait, and in that time his ears started to droop a tiny bit on the corners. It was the right decision, he wasn't suffering, he was chatty and affectionate right up to the end, and thankfully it went smoothly. We all cried a lot, but it was the right decision, and it was us taking responsibility for the welfare of a beloved family member

The reason blood tests are being done is to check whether the condition is well controlled or needs dosage adjustment/change of treatment and to see if anything new has come up (as older cats are more prone to certain diseases, ie kidney failure, diabetes etc and often will suffer from more than just one). At 17 and if last bloods showed uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, chances are the weight loss is due to her thyroid not being controlled (and possibly other issues, but the thyroid is likely to be the main culprit). Once you get to that point you really have only a few options. If compliance is good (the cat is definitely taking the medication as prescribed and it's not sat untouched in food that gets thrown out or spat out the moment it's given in the mouth) either change meds (but unlikely to be beneficial and thyronorm does seem to be the best tolerated of all the meds), up the dose (accepting that there's no research done after a certain dose so no guarantees how safe the meds can be and in some cases could lead to higher risk of side effects, some of which can be significant/fatal if left untreated, but so is her condition) or go for surgery/radioiodine treatment (which removes/destroys the thyroid tissue but obviously can be a significant expense and comes with their own set of risks, especially surgery at that age). If none of this is really an option/something you would consider I agree putting her through the stress of blood tests is pretty pointless (however there is medication that can be given to anxious cats to make vet visits more tolerable or home visits as others suggested so might be worth speaking to your vet). Of course like others have said it's possible that something else treatable is causing the continuous weight loss and the only way to find that out is by doing more tests (whether it would be treatable or not and whether you would want to put her through said treatment is a different matter).

Untreated hyperthyroidism can lead to quite serious problems, especially with their hearts and high blood pressure and is not the nicest way to be feeling so please don't just assume that the only thing "wrong" wth her is losing weight and keep an eye out for rapid/difficult/deeper breathing, strokes, bumping into things (which could mean sudden onset blindness) and general weakness/mallaise.

Also keep in mind that health checks (even without bloods) are still a good idea (and a requirement from the RCVS for vets to be able to continue prescribing medication) as the vet may pick up new things (heart murmurs, blindness, liquid in chest etc) with just a general exam. Your vet will also likely offer more tests every time, not because they're trying to convince you but because they have to make sure you've been given all the information so you can make your choice with informed consent (another rule vets have to follow) and it's not to convince you or make you feel bad.

YANBU OP. The vets job is to make money. If you don’t feel additional tests are in your cats best interests then absolutely don’t put them through it.

My cat has feline dementia and is also on steroids for asthma. He has been eating like crazy recently and I think he has hypothyroidism. However, he is 18 and HATES going to the vet. I’m going to treat him with as much love and good food as I can until he isn’t enjoying life, then I will get the vet to come to my house so I can say goodbye peacefully. 💐💐💐

I’m sure you could arrange for a vet to come and take a blood sample at home. Mine would in these circumstances.

I think you sound like lovely owner and not cruel at all!

I am in a similar position with my elderly pug and often feel guilty and I do get depressed about it. Hes very happy but his back legs don't work like they used to. He does physio once a week (he enjoys loves the lady) but I stopped taking him to the vet as it's was scary for him (and me!) and they just gave him drugs that i couldn't really see a benefit from.

He wakes me up every morning excited for breakfast and his day is filled with short walks, cuddles, meal and ordering me around. He is more clingy but I think that's to be expected. Our life's aren't always easy but better for having each other ❤️

@SophieStew I can guarantee you that in my almost 10 year old career as a vet not once did I suggest a test because I "need to make money". Neither does any of my colleagues. Most vets who work nowadays are employees, we get paid whether we work nonstop for our 10 hour shifts or sit around twiddling our thumbs. And with the shortage of veterinary staff, trust me there isn't a vet or vet nurse who isn't working today, unless they opted not to (and unfortunately a lot opt not to due to the pressures in the profession and the attitude from the public that we are "money hungry people who don't care about animals").

As I explained to the OP, as vets we have to make sure we get informed consent. That means that the owner has to be given all the options of tests/treatments available and technically we aren't supposed to make the decision for the owner. In today's litigious society I never once sat home at night fretting whether I made enough money for the practice, spent many a sleepless nights though wondering if by agreeing with the owner on a best course of action (which we often have to do as we are there to help/advise) I may have made the wrong choice and will have to deal with the consequences further down the line (an angry owner, a sicker animal and sometimes a trip down the disciplinary commitee process).

With my nasty cynic’s hat on, the more tests the vet does, the more money they’re going to get out of you.

When our poor old dog was ill, the vet suggested a particular test that would have involved a drive of 50 odd miles to a different centre - and the dog hated the car, never mind the stress of an unfamiliar vet’s practice.

I asked him whether in the circumstances he’d put his own dog through it. Was it really likely to achieve anything?’
He said no and no. ‘But some people do just want to try absolutely anything.’

Pre visit gabapentin can really help pets really stressed by vet visits. We use this amongst other protocols for our fearful patients

Not unreasonable or cruel at all.
Our old boy had hyperthyroidism and was being put through almost monthly blood tests even though his levels were always ok. I was taking him in the vets on my own at the start. My dh was a bit concerned about the costs of the blood tests which seemed to be unnecessary, and we were both concerned about the stress he was under as he hated going in the car, so he came in with me. The vet basically refused to prescribe any more medication for him if he didn't have his blood test done.
We took him to another vet (a small independent one, not part of a chain) who just treats cats and he agreed to treat him and prescribe his medication as long as we felt he was responding to it. When his blood pressure was high that he lost his eyesight, he upped the dose and his eye sight came back.
Sadly we lost our boy almost two years ago at the age of 19, but he had a very good, long life.
However, the same vets weren't very good with our other cat, or with how they spoke to my dd who is the cats main person, so we have gone to a vets within Pets at Home who have been fantastic, and are also brilliant with our dog.

You’re being kind to her, thinking of what causes her the least stress. Xx

My 16.5 year old cat is also on hyper thyroid meds and was due a blood test today!

I called the vet and said I didn't want to put her through it and can we just continue with the meds. They said we can sign a waiver to say we're going against advice.

We've decided to monitor her and if things go rapidly downhill, we won't prolong anything. She's had a lovely life and we will do what's best. I think you're doing the right thing too.

I hesitated whether to intervene with my dog. In the end I took the vet's advice and removed a tumour, which the vet said would probably give him another couple of years. Operation apparently went very well. Dog went seriously downhill after it and died within a couple of months.

My view now is that once they've lived to their life expectancy, just let them enjoy what life they have left free of interventions, so long as they're not in pain. They don't value living for longer, and making them suffer because we want them to live longer is just selfish imo.

I think you are doing the right thing.....everytime I've taken my old girl (now 13) she's had random dogs going upto her carrier and sniffing etc. (Owners have found it funny 😔)....its deeply traumatised her every time (wee and poo etc)....she's of the age now that anything untoward i will be paying for a call out to avoid the stress..... you will know when the time comes.

You are doing the right thing xx

You are fine.

We had an elderly cat with kidney issues. Vet 1 wanted regular monthly blood tests. As you say, cat found it stressful and was costing me a lot of money.

On one blood test visit I saw Vet 2 who said they weren't necessary. Basically it was terminal, but with diet and meds we could keep him going and happy for a few more months/years. Vet 2 said cat was on a downward slope, but all the blood tests would do was pin point where on the slope we were. It wouldn't change anything, there was nothing they could do to halt it. Vet 2 said only need to come back if I noticed a deterioration.

So do what you think is best for your pet. You are not cruel.

Not cruel in the slightest! Putting an elderly animal through that trauma for no real benefit would be cruel imo.

Sometimes I think vets get are so attuned to the type of owner who would put an animal through suffering for their own peace of mind that they forget that lots of us owners will only do what is best to the pet.

I'm really lucky to have a vet that does home visits. My 12 year old cat hates travelling. We have talked recently and I have decided that from this point onwards, unless it can be treated at home (blood tests ok) then nothing that is invasive or takes her away from what is familiar.
She is healthy now but her insurance is now high and there is a co pay. I'm going to cancel insurance and save the premium instead. I love her so much but will never prolong her life or scare her for my benefit.

Summary - I agree with minimal invasive treatment and PTS at home when the time comes. Pets don't understand - kindest way