How do you know when it's time?

[lostinthoughts]

I know I may get a lot of criticism for this.

Male cat had him for 18 years. Initially was an indoor cat then we moved house and he's been living in a house with access to lots of land to roam in a house of 3 children. Much loved but very low maintenance. He has always been incredibly healthy and have never had to take him to the vets. Eats dried food only and gets flea and worm treatment.

He now is sleeping all day (and all night) awake for short periods only. His back legs occasionally don't work properly when he gets up after sleeping and he has now started weeing all over the house (previously would do this outdoors) this morning I caught him trying to have a poo on my kids football boots.

I know he is old and isn't likely to live many more years, however how do I know when it's time? Is the above enough to warrant a trip to the vets?

Mine were Ill rather than old. So it was easier. But I did 'just know' The light had gone from their eyes. And they all weed on the bed. Something they'd never done before.
If he's pooing in the house, then he's telling you something is wrong..

Definitely a vet trip needed. He could just be off because it's been so cold.

The weeing and pooing in inappropriate places justifies getting the vet to have a look at him. Your old boy might have a UTI; they can cause issues with toileting if the cat associates the usual place with pain and discomfort. UTIs in cats can also cause cognitive dysfunction (as they can in humans) which might in themselves give rise to toileting problems. UTIs can be treatable, so get the vet to see him.

We knew we'd reached the end of the road with one of our old lady cats when she wasn't eating and seemed permanently unhappy. (UTIs were in the mix too - recurrent ones.) The vet saw her, checked her out for everything that might have been treatable and agreed that it was kinder to let her go.

Thank you. Is a UTI expensive to treat? Sounds awful but if this is the start of an expensive road of treating small but commonly occurring problems, would we be unreasonable to make a decision to let him go?

Sadly I often think the time to let a cat go is when you start to ask that question.
And 18 is a very old cat - I wouldn't be doing a lot of investigation and would be very unlikely to have any intrusive veterinary work at this age.
Sorry to hear this OP 💐

I've just spent the best part of 3 grand on a UTI issue for one of our cats...

Your vet will be the best person to advise. I've heard of elderly cats bouncing back from UTIs. It didn't happen with ours, because she had several underlying health problems. She had an ongoing bacterial infection, (probably from her background as a stray) her thyroid was playing up and she had kidney failure. If your lad has previously enjoyed good health, it may be a different scenario for him.

Having said that, 18 is a fab age and it sounds like he's had a great life with you. If you and the vet come to the conclusion that he wouldn't benefit from medical intervention, it would be a good decision, made to spare your beloved cat indignity and suffering.

I think at that age it is completely reasonable to say that you will give antibiotics but won’t do anything intrusive . We are at this stage with our 32 yr old pony - she can have a tub of powder for her asthma when needed but if she needed surgery for anything we would have her PTS . Best wishes 💐

Your vet will be the best person to advise
Generally true - but some vets like you to prolong life to keep their cash tills full...
Nobody knows your pet like you do

We made the decision to let our cat go when she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer - it was a horrible shock, and she was only ten. We had options for “treatment” but it would have prolonged her life (for 12-18 months) with invasive and distressing chemotherapy rather than cure her. She hated the vet and the car and the carrier box, and it would have been awful for her being carted there on a weekly basis to be prodded and injected.

I know some people thought we were cruel and should have given her all we could. In my heart I knew we would have been treating her for us, not because it was the right thing for her. It was utterly shit and heartbreaking. She fell asleep in her fleecy blanket with us holding her, after a day lying in the sunshine and eating her favourite foods. I hope I can go like that.