I did do the right thing didn't I?

[Toddlerteaplease]

Several posts about cars with kidney failure have made me wonder if I acted too quickly with darling Fatty, when her kidneys failed. I wonder if I should have had her admitted to the vets for fluids to see if they perked her up and maybe cut down on her diuretics. As she went down hill when her diuretic were doubled.
At the time i felt that kidney failure of top of her severe heart disease was too much for her. And I still feel that. But I can't help wondering. Her anniversary is coming up next month so just missing her.

It's easy to say 'what if' but kidney failure + heart disease is awful. MUCH better to let them go a bit too early than a bit too late. xx

Yes. I kept finding her curled in corners. Which was unlike her. Her heart disease never made her unwell. But the kidneys did.

Better to go too soon than to suffer another day.

I takes a lot for a cat to show it isn't feeling well and hiding is a big giveaway. Think you would have known her so well that you made the right call. To my eternal shame and guilt I left it too long with my first rescue cat and I will never forgive myself. Also kidneys.

People prolong animals lives for their own selfish needs

It’s best for them to slip away and be free of pain then being put through treatment in a place that animals hate

Better a week too early, than a day too late

Oh Toddler, you did the right thing, the loving thing, the only thing possible. I held on to one of my girls for too long and regret it still. Kidney failure makes them so very poorly. Better a day too soon.

I had this with my guinea-pigs , I knew those animals and sometimes even them just sitting a bit odd or not behaving as normal was the first clue.
Sometimes they slip away very quietly but we had to have three of our PTS over the years. They are cuddly but I just feel they are 'going'

With your love;y cat , the kidney and the heart problems would have aggrevated each other . More diuertics to improve the kidneys puts more strain on the heart. If the heart fails you get more oedeama.

You will always question yourself afterwards .
When we had our elderly cat PTS ( years ago) she was going downhill in stages but when she stopped eating and enjoying life , it was time to think for her sake .

I miss all of our animals , I don't look back and think "Was I too quick"? it was a tough decision each time but we had to make it for them, not us.

You did the right thing. Kidney diseases are horribly painful, even though cats will put on a great show of not being bothered - she was at the 'hiding in corners' stage, she was badly messed up. Treatment for that would have put more stress on her heart. She went relatively happy, not curled up in pain, after a happy life. You did good.

You absolutely did the right thing for Fatty. As 70isaLimit says the two conditions would have aggravated each other.

Different circumstances but my Mum died of kidney failure and heart failure and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. You gave Fatty a lovely life and a dignified, peaceful end.

Hugs from Harry and I

She had a lovey peaceful death in my arms. It was beautiful. Photos of her a year ago are coming up on my time hop and I'm looking to see when she started to deteriorate.

I had the same situation with my old boy, who looked exactly like yours. He was limping and whining constantly so I decided no more pain for him.
I found myself tortured by the idea of not doing the right thing but ultimately, it is better to be a week early than a day late.

Oh my lovely you so completely and utterly did the right thing. I did with my old girl and it was peaceful and dignified. I hung on too long with our boy. (He was better the worse and better). I wish I hadn’t.
I miss them both.

It's not possible to compare one cat's story to another, they all have different histories in terms of other medical needs and also different personalities. I would always choose to do more to treat a young cat with no pre-existing health problems but wouldn't put an older or already sick cat through lots and lots of stressful treatments.

I think about this about my senior girl who was PTS earlier this year. I know I could have learnt to administer subQ fluids at home to help her further but she absolutely hated going to the vets (to the point of becoming very aggressive and impossible to handle) and was very grumpy when I tried to do something too, so I know she would have hated staying at the vet's for any treatment and would have been very difficult to give subQ fluids at home too. I didn't want her final weeks/months be filled with a daily struggle to treat her, instead we had a final week of cuddles and she went when she still had some quality of life left.

Toddler I was here when you took that decision and through the other threads about Fatty and I know how much you loved her. You never would have done a wrong thing by her. You went to every length to give her the best life possible and it was lovely to see you doing it.

Don't doubt yourself because you are amazing.

I agree @viccat sometimes it’s not what we can do that’s the best course of action. We need to act in their best interests. I wish they could talk though.

Thankyou all. I know it was the right decision at the right time for her. But I couldn't help wondering. And daft as it sounds. I'm sure she sent me Cheddar!

They seem to have very similar personalities although Cheddar has more confidence and is not A bossy diva as Fatty was!

the pain we feel is like no other, but we suffer it so they don't have to

^^
This was a very poignant phrase I found in Doghouse . Along the same lines as the 'day too early'

My cats are still spring chickens but I know one day they'll leave me . When you open your house and heart to any animal, it in inevitable that you get the pain of losing them.

Yes. She was only 8 and had such a crap early life that I just feel she was cheated. Hopefully the 3 years with me, made up for her crap start.