Elderly cat...what would you do?

[PerfectlyChaotic]

My lovely 16/17 yr old lady has just been diagnosed as hyperthyroid. She’s been prescribed medication and this is generally going (& staying in). HOWEVER...over the past month she has been peeing everywhere. It’s making us all feel pretty fed up as well as guilty for being annoyed with the whole situation.

I think we’ve tried everything to try to solve this. Obviously we’re under the vets care & advice. She’s had antibiotics in case of underlying infection, she has two litter trays (upstairs & downstairs) which are kept super clean, food, water etc in two locations and nothing else has changed in her environment.

So what would you do? Initially I felt it wasn’t fair to have too many invasive procedures as she’s so stressed at vets BUT we cannot continue like this. I’m so upset by the situation - if she was in pain then the decision to maybe PTS would be far easier however I don’t feel I can do that based on our inconvenience. Please help me think through or share experiences...

I have got two elderly cats doing this too. And I'm putting up with it as my whole house is designed to be piss proof. And even then it gets to me sometimes.

I think, if you've tried everything, and she realistically doesn't have long left anyway, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to PTS. And you shouldn't blame yourselves either.

And while you're thinking about it you could try puppy training pads scattered around the place and hope she decides they're good to piss on.

My childhood tabby had hyperthyroidism in her later years. She would have been about 14. Looking back we kept her alive longer than we should have, and even tried some surgery ( can’t remember the exact details).

Looking back I wish we hadn’t let her go (PTS) earlier and avoided the suffering. Twenty years ago and we all still get emotional about it. She was a great cat.

I would PTS in that situation. The fact that she's peeing everywhere is a sign that she's stressed & not happy. Cats are by nature clean, dignified creatures & she can't be enjoying life as she used to. To me that says it's time. I'm so sorry.

Can you confine her to a nice space that is also easy to clean?

I agree with Drama Alpaca, if she has lost control of her bodily functions then it is probably the right time to say goodbye and PTS.
It’s a really hard and difficult decision to make but it sounds as though the time is now.

Oh such a difficult time but I think you know the answer. Our old girl started randomly peeing. We gave her a chance of an antibiotic jab (she'd had a 2 or 3 UTIs in her last few months) but then she started to fade so we made the decision to PTS.
At 16/17 I think this is the kindest thing to do but don't feel you have to the decide straight away unless she suddenly goes downhill. Have you talked this through with your vet?

Has the vet looked at a urine sample to determine what sort of infection she's suffering from? I think that different antibiotics tackle different infections.

You have my sympathy; my old girl has pretty much ruined my carpets as a result of a UTI and I was having the same thought processes as you until my lovely vet took charge and solved the problem. The eleven months since the infections was knocked on the head have been a happy time for her and me whilst I save up to replace carpets once she eventually pops her clogs .

As pp said, cats are usually so clean that for her to be doing this must mean she's either unhappy and trying to show you or if she's doing it involuntarily tat she is likely miserable with the situation too. We had to have our darling girl PTS a week ago tomorrow and my heart is still shattered, however, one of the things that helped us decide to make the final decision is what another poster said to me exactly this time last week; better a day too early than a week too late - they were absolutely right in my opinion. Wishing you all the best at this awful time.

Difficult one. We had a cat who did this for a few years, she would wee up the curtains and anywhere else. It was never resolved, but as she was my teenage sons cat and even though it drove me to distraction I could not put her to sleep because of it.

Thanks all. So hard isn’t it...spending my days worrying at the moment. She’s at the vet again today for more bloods. I can’t help but think she just deserves some peace, but on the flip side doesn’t she deserve a little while longer. Do you just know when the right time is? I wish a vet could tell me.

Our vet was fantastic and we had "that discussion" after I'd said our old girl was looking old and a bit frail-she really discussed everything. She had got to know cat and me as a client and owner very well. She felt then wasn't the right time and cat bounced back from a few off days and had another few reasonably happy weekend we did just know.

If you can get the hyperthyroidism under control and medicating isn't too stressful, then that can be overcome. Our girl had it aged 15-18, although, it was harder to control during the last six months.

The weeing is a sign she's getting older, she might not even really enjoy going out any more, it's painful to walk to far or slowly dementia is setting in. I go to the stage with my girl that if I thought it was easy to treat, ie injection, something to mix in with food she'd get it, but anything too evasive no as I just wanted her to relax/enjoy her last days/weeks.

How is she in herself?

I found it so hard making that final decision. I had one week thinking it was her final week, somehow it got put off but then I had to face up to the fact we and she couldn't continue - in my girls case she had a touch of dementia, then lost of hearing and sight - it was so hard.

I think that’s where I am ifonly. I don’t really want more bloods etc so will just continue tablets for thyroid all the while she’ll take them. We’ll somehow cope with the peeing all the while she seems comfy I guess!

Have you got a shallow litter tray? Maybe she's finding it hard to get in and out of the current ones? Worth a try.

Hyperthyroidism in itself isn't an issue - one of our cats lived with it for several years (with treatment). But the random weeing sounds like a cat that's losing it's control I'm afraid.

All of that said, I'll be eternally grateful that she died after a GA to investigate a breathing issue, rather than us having to make the decision (even if it was horribly traumatic at the time). So very hypocritically, I'd be sprinkling everywhere with Olbas Oil to remove the smell and keeping her for as long as possible - if she's otherwise okay, random wees are absolutely worth it in my view.