I think my cat is nearing the end

[polkadotpjs]

She's nearly 19 and lost a lot of weight though still hungry and has just started (third day) howling at night. She's deaf so can't hear herself and I fear she's hurting somewhere. We will take to vet of course but I'm feeling sad 😞

My nephew had an old cat who began to have fits. He was dreadfully sad when the vet said she had to be put down. Turns out she had gone blind and was possibly suffering from cat dementia as she often seemed confused.

Your news may be better - I hope it is - but we have to accept that the lives of our pets are limited.

My nephew said he would never have another cat. However one of his mates turned up with a ginger kitten and he fell in love with it immediately. Now the new arrival is 3 years old and very much a part of the household.

It is so so hard I have been there. The kindest thing is to end the pain if she is suffering.
Remember the good times.

Our 18 year old started howling recently and it turned out he’d gone blind. He also lost weight due to a thyroid problem. He only howls now when he is lost in the house.

His medication for high blood pressure (which caused the blindness) and thyroid (and arthritis) is expensive but he seems really happy.

It may not be something solvable, but it might be worth checking.

Same position, our cat has lost a lot of weight and is now wobbly at the back end. She’s still bright, still comes for food, still jumps up on the couch...just so hard to know when enough is enough. I lost one last year (19), she broke my heart.

I’m sorry, animals steal your heart and then break it...it puts me off getting any more. I am always left wondering if I could have done better by them - even though I know I did all I could at the time.

She's howled again tonight but has fussed for food a lot today too and enjoyed cuddles but maybe she's struggling more than I realise. I hope she's not blind

All you can do is go on your gut instinct - I know that’s harder said than done though. Mine (I say mine, but she isn’t really, has always my husbands cat - even though I feed her), was really wobbly today, but then tonight seemed fine. I’m really worried that someone will knock her over, all you hear in my house is me shouting at the kids/dog/husband - ‘stop running’, ‘watch we’re you are going’. It’s rubbish, and I know it’s a bit cliche, but you have really have given her a lovely life and take comfort in that and just go with your instinct on the best way forward...it is exhausting though and worrying.

We are currently facing this with our 15 year old. It's so hard, so heartbreaking, when they've been in the family for so long. We're taking vet advice next week - I think it's nearly time.

You have to go with your gut feeling about their quality of life, I think.

Ours is going in for his final vet visit today at 11.45
He has end stage kidney failure...he's dehydrated and anaemic. We're broken hearted...we only lost his brother in May...now there will be no more miaows in our house

The last few weeks he has been making lots of loud noise at night. We think he may have been in pain.

The best think to do is take your cat in for blood tests to see if they spot any problems.

I'm so sorry @Baconking.

Oh baconking I'm sorry

I’m so sorry @Baconking, I know what it’s like. You can’t let them suffer.

Old cat was deaf and at the end of his life nearly blind
he was on metacam (arthritis) for four years
and thyroid pills for three years

he only really became "ill" in the final two weeks

• still happily marching up the garden every day until then

19 1/2 was his limit

make sure they check for thyroid as the improvement can be miraculous

but when the light goes out, let them go
and remember the good times