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

[InWithPeaceOutWithStress]

My sister has a 19 year old cat.
Cat has lived at our mums house for a couple of years because my sister has a younger cat and a child and felt the older cat would be happier at my mums house.

Cat has come to stay at my house as my mum has gone on holiday.
Cat is clearly not well - skin and bones, ravenous and thirsty but not putting on weight. I weighed her and she is just over 2kgs. Breathing heavily at times and unsteady on her feet.

I messaged my mum to say I think cat needs to go to vet, I’ve had no response for 3 days. she’s in the U.K., not abroad.

Phoned my sister who agreed I could take her to the vet.
Vet wanted to do blood panel due to suspected hyperthyroidism so I got the ok from sister by text (she is owner so needs to agree). Sisters response to the possible diagnosis was - ‘that sounds expensive’.

Results came back and cat has severe hyperthyroidism. Too weak for surgery so treatment is special diet and pills. I explained this to sister by text and response is “ok”.

I am on the way to pick up pills now. Sister hasn’t asked me how much any of this costs (£300 so far) so is possibly expecting me to pay for it? Not sure how to approach this?

My mothers response when I’ve previously suggested cat is ill and should go to the vets is “she’s just old”.

sisters response when I said cat may also have renal failure, just to warn her that outlook may not be good was “she’s super old I wouldn’t be surprised if she needs to be put down”.

its like they both just think oh she’s old, just let her die.

But she is really suffering with the hyperthyroidism as she eats and eats but doesn’t get nutrition. With treatment she could have quality of life so to me it’s a no brainer to give her that.

I have two cats and I love them ti pieces, can’t imagine letting them come to this. I also have pet insurance for them, she doesn’t. I’m picking up the cost possibly. Should I have stayed out of this? It felt negligent to not take her to the vets whilst under my care and clearly ill.

feel really put off my mum and sister as they seem so heartless. Or am I being a martyr?

not sure how to convince my mum to buy / give cat the special food and pills once the lot I’ve got runs out.

vet needs to do more bloods in 2 weeks to check treatment is working so it may be easier to keep cat with me till then. Treatment will be for life.

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.

AIBU = I should have stayed out of this. Now I’ve got involved I need to suck it up in terms of vet bills and ongoing care.

IANBU = I was right to take cat to vets and sister is the owner and responsible for care, including paying me back.

I disagree with those suggesting you should PTS. If this is treatable then it would be heartless to just have her put down. I would try the treatment for a couple of months and if it doesn’t help at all then maybe then it is time to consider PTS.
I don’t think it’s the vets that are being cruel but your sister and mum who clearly have neglected this poor cat who needed to see a vet ages ago.
People seem to forget that vets are there to make animals better! They don’t PTS animals purely because they’re poorly and old. They don’t train for years to exploit owners of poorly animals and extend the lives of animals that don’t have a hope.
I would listen to the vet over a bunch of mumsnetters! And I would do my damndest if I were you to give that poor cat a happy retirement if your other cats can learn to live with her.

Just to be aware that my cat was diagnosed with failing kidneys (renal failiure) I took him in every 3 days to have treatment (injection) to help his kidneys and he was in a special diet
Then blood tests then took him in every 5 days. It took a couple of years to get to once every 6 months and then he was given the all clear

He lived till 22years old

Op, you have been kind!
Hyperthyroidism is a disease that responds well to treatment, and so the cat does not need to be euthanased. Many cats take the medication with no fuss. Hopefully this old girl will start to improve, and be much happier in her old age!
I would recommend that the cat stays in its home though. Moving home can be quite stressful for both your cats, and you mums cat. Hopefully your mum/sister will keep giving the medication. Once the cat is stable on a dose then you may be able to ask for a written prescription to source the meds online, which will probably be cheaper.
If you did want the cat to be euthanasia, then you just need to ask for this.
I hope this helps!

It’s reasonable for you to have taken the cat to the vets to see what’s wrong with it. But now the cat should be pts.

She’s not doing that, she uses her litter tray. Goes out for a bit of sun when the suns out. She’s not senile.

Hyperthyroidism is very treatable with medication. If that's the reason cat is unwell then it'll feel better with meds.
Not sure why everyone is saying PTS when it's a treatable condition.

The heavy breathing - I would arrange PTS at the first opportunity. An unmanaged death can be an ugly and messy thing.

My DM regrets not putting her elderly cat to sleep. It's a much nicer way to say goodbye.

Why when there is treatment?

You've done the right thing! I know circumstances are different for people, but I can't imagine not having insurance for my pets. If your sister is worried about the current costs and ongoing costs involved, and given the age of her cat, maybe it would be more humane to have the cat PTS?

I adore my cat and dog but I am also of the opinion that just be a they can treat, it doesn’t always mean they should.
I also feel this about humans too btw. lives are often made miserable, dragging on far too long and in pain and distress in some cases, for both pets and humans. Put the poor thing out of its misery.

I would not have this cat put to sleep without trying the special diet and medication first. She's losing weight because her thyroid hormone isn't regulated, which is what the tablets aim to correct. She could have a much better quality of life, even if it's not for a long time.

I once had a cat put to sleep even though I had decided not to. But it quickly became obvious that it was the only kind thing to do. If this cat is not at that stage then I wouldn't do it yet. It might be 19 but some cats live several years longer.

I mean this kindly but I think it's time to let the cat go .I had a cat with renal failure and she went off behind the shed to die

The naivety in your comment is quite outstanding.

Personally I disagree with most here - possibly because my cat is only a bit over 2kg, though that is her norm.

To some cats pills are awful and a daily battle, to others, it's fine. It doesn't sound as if this cat is bothered by it, in which case I think it's worth a brief try with the pills, before making any decisions about euthanasia.

This was addressed to another poster, not you OP

i cannot believe this cat has been left to suffer like this.
this is treatable even at this age!
our family cat lived well into twenties with this. We had them
treated straight away at 17. Lived another 6 odd years with it. Really awful that it’s been left like this.

I think you’ve done the right thing so far, I think I would not have had the cat PTS without the owner there. As it is you’ve given your sister a bit of breathing room and she can decide what’s best (including a second opinion from another vet if she wants) when she gets back.

BUT if I am honest from the dismissive sound of her texts she probably won’t pay you the money, so you should steel yourself for that being her first response. If she ever asks you to look after another animal in the future have an agreed plan!

Can we stop all the fucking vet bashing? Hyperthyroidism is an extremely common illness in older cats. It is highly treatable and they can live YEARS with the condition. My own cat has had it for over 5 years. She is medically managed with tablets which do not cost anywhere near £300 a month it’s about £40.

Yes euthanasia is a viable treatment option but it is NOT the first port of call just because something is old. Should we start mandatory euthanasia of people once they hit 80?

Because at nineteen, how much time are you buying? A few weeks? A few months? If she was nine months or nine years, it would be a very different story.

At some point, you have to let go. It's not kind (imo) to put an elderly cat through a new diet, blood tests and endless medication for practically no benefit.

I think you are getting some extreme responses. Hyperthyroidism is very treatable in cats. Cats can live to their mid 20s. There is nothing wrong with treating it. The vet is not being unethical. Once stabilised you can get the tablets online to save some money.

The issue will be if there's concurrent heart disease, which there may be as you mentioned breathing trouble. Anyway no you've started treating I would carry on for at least a couple of weeks. You should see a rapid improvement.

That's not to say putting to sleep would be a wrong decision either, especially if finances and issue. Or if tablets too difficult, there was concurrent disease, or quality of life not improving rapidly once on treatment.

As for the money I doubt anyone else will pay towards it unfortunately. It sounds as though you're the only one who cares about the cat!

My cat had hypothyroidism. It took OVER A YEAR of regular blood tests and altering the medication dose to get it right. It honestly took ages and cost so much money. This might not be a case of just one other blood test.

I’ve owned animals for my entire life, and cared for horses, dogs and cats until they’re old. Please enlighten me!

Not necessarily treatable as a part of old-age wasting. Including in humans.

My cat was coming up 16, she had well controlled hyperthyroidism for about 2 years. In the last 2 weeks she started losing a lot of weight - about 400g in 2 weeks.

The breathing heavily suggests that it's possible more than thyroid. Maybe heart issues. My cat was also breathing very heavily - she had fluid on her lungs and had to be out to sleep.

That said thyroid on its own cost me only £18 a month roughly - a prescription from vets and ordering medicine online.

My cat is 19 and has a very good quality of life. She’s a little stiff but still explores the garden, loves her food, likes to play with toys and jumps on the sofa for cuddles. I would try to treat the cat too OP. Being old doesn’t mean she can’t have a nice life if healthy.