Am I being ridiculous or is it time to let FABCat go?

[fabwoman]

Just discovered she has weed in an empty plastic tray under the stairs - at least she is trying to do it in an okay place. She is 17, has several illnesses but to me still has quality of life as she still plays and is clever enough to hide behind the sofa when she has sneaked back in or make me move stuff off the bed so she can sleep in the sun. She has been weeing in the wrong places for several weeks now. She has access to a big garden and hasn't had a litter tray for years except for when she had to be kept in, but she doesn't like them.

[ExitPursuedByaBear]

It is up to you if you can put up with the weeing. If she is still playing and eating and drinking then I couldn't, but I am soft as clart.

My old girl did used to get in her covered tray but stand with her arse sticking out and wee out of the hole.

Oh how I miss that smell.

I left it a day too late (as most do) but by then she had stopped eating and was collapsing .

[fabwoman]

So many people have said they should have taken their pet the day before they did. It worries me that she will suffer. I have only had to have one animal put to sleep and we weren't given a choice, our hamster had broken his leg and that was that.

[ExitPursuedByaBear]

How did your hamster break its leg? bless.

I only say a day too late as I made the decision and wanted it doing there and then, but the vet couldn't come until the next day. But she did spend that evening purring on my knee so I don't regret it.

Believe me, you will know when it is time.

A lot of people would probably not put up with an animal weeing everywhere - like I said, it is whether you mind that aspect of old age.

[stealthsquiggle]

No rapid degeneration here, but my main worry is that the thing that she hates more than anything is going in cars - so a trip to the vets in itself would be a year off her life (she howls and shivers the whole time and pukes and is generally incredibly stressed). She hasn't seen a vet in 6 years (not quite as irresponsible as it sounds - she is wormed, and doesn't come into contact with other cats, or hunt, so flu risk is minimal) - we used to be able to walk to the vet before we moved. I honestly think that if I were to take her to the vet now, for a checkup, while she is still eating and drinking and going in and out of the cat flap (when she feels so inclined ) and up and down lots of stairs, then it would hasten the end very significantly, but I also worry about leaving it so long that she is already in distress when we make it a million times worse by taking her to the vet.

[sigh]. This stage was a lot easier with last long-lived (18 years) cat - she loved vets, and would curl up, purring, and go to sleep on the vets table - so when she had a stroke taking her to the vet was the least traumatic part of the whole thing.

[ExitPursuedByaBear]

My cat rarely went to the vets, and when the time the vet came to the house and did the deed whilst she and I were sat in her favourites spot on the window seat overlooking the garden.



She too hated the vet and the car and rarely went.

[ripsishere]

Stealth, I imagine you'll be able to find a vet to come out to you when the time is right.

[nannipigg]

It's funny but they seem to give you that look when it's time. my beloved dog Rebel did....it breaks your heart still though.
I still miss him loads.....:-(

[fabwoman]

He got it stuck in the toy I had bought him for Christmas . I felt awful as I had bought it for him. The shop I bought it from put him down and the staff refunded me the cost of the toy. I cried. The vet didn't charge me for putting him down.

Mine is so so good at the vet but then sleeps all day once home and won't talk to me.

She is still okay as she answered me back today .

Just had to fish her out from behind the chair where she weed before and caught her sniffing the carpet.

[evilgiraffe]

Regarding using incontinence pads (or similar) to catch litter tray spillages - what sort and where on earth do you get big enough ones from? I suppose they only need to go by the door to the tray, but that's still quite a wide space. Does anyone have any reccommendations?

[ExitPursuedByaBear]

You can get puppy house training mats - just googled and Tesco sell them - they are pretty big and should do the trick.

[fridakahlo]

Or try on medical supply sites, the ones that sell wheelchairs and things like that. We used to use three at a time but would only need to change one, depending on which end of the tray the cat had peed out of.

[topknob]

My 15 yr old cat died NYD last year and towards the end we brought a litter tray for her as she didn't want to go outside :( She also lost the ability to purr..you could feel her throat vibrating but no noise :( x

[fabwoman]

topknob.

FABCat has started snoring and squeaking but does still purr.

[stealthsquiggle]

For us, it's less putting up with it and more containing / preventing it - so I force the DC to close their bedroom doors when they leave them, and generally keep cat confined to the kitchen, where she has a bed on the heated floor, and keep the kitchen and utility rooms clear of any piles of clothes or other stuff she might wee on, so that in the end it is easier for her to go out - and I'd she is in and I am around I can spot the signs and put her outside. It's a PITA but I really couldn't live with the house stinking of cat pee all the time.

[fabwoman]

She was sick this morning but dh said it was normal with grass in. Oh flipping heck. What if she is suffereing?

[fabwoman]

e

[fabwoman]

I don't know why DH says FABCat is spoilt.

She was trying to get on the bed and couldn't . I didn't really turn a laundry basket upside down, put her on it and watch her then jump up on to the bed and settle down to sleep..

[ripsishere]

and .
Do you think she'll pee on your bed? One of my cats has done it twice. Little git. There's no reason for it, he is not yet a year old.

[fabwoman]

I don't think she will. She has stuck to the same couple of places and has never peed on the bed before. DH not happy that I let her go on the bed tough

[girlywhirly]

I can recommend Simple Solution Cat Stain and Odour Remover which I got from Pets at Home. You just get up as much of the wee/poo/sick etc as you can and saturate the area with the spray. You then let it soak for 10 mins and blot up as much as you can from carpets, leaving them to dry.

You can pre treat washable fabrics like upholstery and bedding in the same way. The spray contains enzymes which digest the organic matter and gets rid of the smells, so prevents cats returning to the same place to soil. You can clean areas where soiling has occurred previously, even if you are not cleaning a fresh accident.

In fact the container says you can use the spray to clean food and drink, blood, grass stains too so useful for households with DC.

[fabwoman]

I feel so ill today and now FABCat has just peed in the corner again. Seriously upset with it all.

[ripsishere]

Probably not what you want to hear, but do you think the time is NOW?

[fabwoman]

I don't know .

She plays, bites me, is cheeky and funny, argumentative and cute. The only thing is the peeing (obviously she has things wrong but they don't cause her too many problems.)

I wish my vet wasn't on the other side of the world.

[ripsishere]

How long until wonder Vet gets back?
If you are prepared to put up with the piddle, it will be OK.
Personally, and I dare say I'll get shouted at, I couldn't. My boys are very lucky they are young.

[fabwoman]

Just phoned surgery. Receptionist not interested in listening to me but she doesn't know me so

[stupid woman emoticon}