Don't know what to do for the best

[Justonedayatatime11]

My teeny weeny tiny little white cat is unwell. She came to me from the RSPCA full of giardia, practically yellow with both her eyes semi closed and they didn't tell me she was from a feral colony.
She's 18 months now and this morning at the vets she was weighing 2.5kg she still has baby teeth, some of which need to come out. Vet also wants to do full bloods etc. She looks so unwell. I don't know what to do for the best for her. My insurance doesn't cover dental work.
For now she's had antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and she's not in any pain. She's my baby, and I feel like I'm failing her

My cats often acted odd in hot weather. Hope that's it.

Definitely just an off day yesterday. This morning she's full of beans, racing around the garden and up the cat climbing frame, and for the first time ever she rolled around on her back as if she wanted her tummy tickled (and tried to rip my arm off when I gave it a try!) happy Snow

The naughtiness levels are out of control for the first time she's playing with toys, zooming around the house making daft noises to herself and attempting to intimidate my Savannah (who's 4 times the size of Snow!) still gaining weight and is SO cheeky!

What a change in her. It's lovely to hear of her progress. She's a cheeky wee thing now

I'm so pleased she's doing well. Long may it continue.

Sounds like she's making up for when she was ill.

Have you tried weighing her again?

I haven't but I'm 100% certain she's broken 3kg. Honestly, the change in her is unbelievable. She's so beautiful

The change in personality though... apart from my Siamese, who's always terrorised her, she's now chasing all of the others around the garden, before she'd hide away from them and literally be shaking. She's currently killing a fly

She has really come out of her shell! I think I'm beginning to feel sorry for your other cats. As well as all flying things living nearby!!!

Not the greatest photos, but suffice to say this was not normal behaviour for the 'old' Snow!

It is normal!

You're definitely going to have your hands full with that one! I look forward to hearing the Further Adventures of Snow. xxx

Now I can see the photos better I have to ask, in the first one is that a branch she's on or do you have a walkway set up? What's the thing to the left?

Ha, we have a cat climbing frame! In between all the small apple/cherry trees

Wow! That's amazing! I won't be telling Tilly, though, she'll get jealous!

(Idly wonders if bridges could be built between all the polytunnels, sheds and greenhouses...!)

How amazing is that garden such a lot of space!! My poor two urban cats will never know the difference unless i win the lotto and move out of London. Mind you Dolly brings half a forrest home with her everyday so shes found a green spot somewhere.

When do you have to go back to the vets?

My vet has (very rudely) gone on holiday for 2 weeks, so we'll see him when he gets back, second week of July. She has enough steroids to keep her going until then. Although at this rate she'll have grown bigger than all the others and taken over entirely! They love the climbing frame, particularly my Savannah. They also have an outside cat house with heating... lighting... basically spoilt rotten!

And so they should be! Do they have a cat-flap into the house, or is their outside house where they go when you're out?

My rabbits have a shed with heating, lighting, and various places to jump up onto and hide. My mother (who has yet to see it) refuses to believe it's as large as I say (apparently I only "refer" to it as a shed - it's 8 by 4 feet, what else would you call it!). My guineas are getting the same, without the climbing aspects. The cat gets the house, and a million places to hide in the garden. I am quite tempted to show your photos to DP and see if he'll build walkways around the garden for her, though. She'd love it!

I fear you may have to build a larger climbing frame for Snow. I fear she's turning into a Snow Leopard!

Someone give me a slap. I'm sat on the floor with the (not so) tiny terror howling my eyes out. Inexplicably. When I think how close I came to having her pts, it was what the vet advised... I feel sick. God knows why I'm such a wreck about it now, maybe I'm just tired but it's really got to me tonight! In the space of 2 weeks she's gone from deaths door, to this unbelievably beautiful, bouncy, cheeky cat. She's filled out SO much and is so confident and playful. I just can't believe how close I came to the unthinkable

Not a slap but stop that now!!
You would only PTS if all the evidence had suggested that your darling cat was suffering and no vet treatment could stop that suffering. You were prepared to suffer bereavement yourself in order to prevent your pet suffering even a moment of pain. That makes you a good cat slave. The best. It's hard to know when is the time. It wasn't then. You've done the right thing. But if she hadn't turned that corner you would have done the hardest thing. But the best for her.

So lovely to see Snow in her garden... you're a great Kitty Mum!

If it helps I was in a very similar position just before Christmas. I've already mentioned my rabbits, but to recap:

Thursday - saw mother limping, thought nothing of it, assumed she'd landed badly from jumping off something and got a sprain

Sunday - "Kit" (over a year old by now) 1 is limping - take her inside and realise she's paralysed at her rear legs. Take all of them to emergency vet. Kit 1 kept in, vet not worried about mum, take others home.

Monday - Kit1 dies.

Saturday - Take remaining 4 rabbits to vet for vaccinations. Mention mum's limp. Vet reckons she's fine, but, she's lost an awful lot of weight. If I'm concerned the following week he can do bloods and x-ray.

Tuesday - Mum goes in for the above. She's lost more weight in the meantime (about 15% of what she was on the Sat, means she's lost nearly 50% overall), barely eating and totally lifeless. Vet sends home 3 days' worth of medicine, but warns me that if there's no improvement she'll have to be pts.

Now, the problem was that I was going to my mother's for Christmas on the Friday and had to leave early, meaning that, if the worst happened, it would have to be DP who took her up to do the deed. So, when I came off the phone from the vet I said that if there wasn't any improvement by the Thursday I'd book an appt for that day and have her put down then. It wasn't giving the steroids their full time to work, but I thought it would be the best solution all round.

DP was not happy (despite him not having much to do with the rabbits) and refused to let me do that, saying he'd deal with it on the Friday if necessary, but I was awful to be thinking like that. As it was, the steroids kicked in straight away, and she was back to munching fairly enthusiastically that evening. Another one of the kits went the same way, but, luckily, the vet sent more steroids home for both without another consult, and DP was on rabbit duty for the next week. Both are back to normal, mother has nearly regained all the weight she lost (but, to be honest, doesn't need to put on the rest) and they're back outside with the other two.

Still no idea what caused it.

So you see, you're not the only one. I don't feel guilty in my case, but DP is still horrified I was planning to put her down.

Hello! Small (or should that be not so small!) is still doing fabulously, absolutely thriving and becoming a right little madam! Her confidence has appeared from nowhere, she will now chase my others around the garden, pounce on anything that moves and is SO full of life! Down to 2 x steroids a day, and even with cutting her meals from 4 a day to 2 a day, she's still maintaining her weight gain. Total miracle

Fantastic news.