Is it time to PTS

[BritBratGrot]

I'm having a little wobble, having decided a couple of days ago, but now that the vet appt is tomorrow I'd like some reassurance I'm doing the right thing please

Cat is coming up to 19. About a year ago he suddenly went from his health to decline very quickly over a fortnight. He stopped going outside, had a fit, started showing signs of relatively advanced dementia, started alternating binging and ignoring his food (swung between ~3 and 4.5kg, from a previous very stable 4.2ish.

Spent lots of time staring into the distance, developed a really odd yowl he'd make whenever he was alone, would immediately turn into a normal happy mew when he saw a human.

And started toileting anywhere / everywhere.

We took him to the vet and got some pain relief, taking him home for the final few days.

He then got slightly better. Ie he learnt to use a litter tray, though he still poos on the floor now, but pee never.

He's seemed generally happy, except when he's lost.

Vet said likely dementia and braim tumour, so again we stayed giving him pain relief and waited for the end. It didn't come. To be honest this was 18 months ago, and he's been stable for about 15 of those.

However he's started being randomly aggressive and has attacked DH 3 times now, deep puncture wounds from teeth each time and a nasty infection one of these. He's gone for me too and would have done the same but for a thick jumper. Two weeks ago he woke suddenly asleep on the sofa next to DS7 and unprovoked hissed and swiped angrily at his arm, upsetting DS obviously.

Then a couple of nights ago he attacked DH again, worst one yet.

Is is clearly the right thing to say goodbye isn't it? He's great 80-90% of the time, but the random attacked are getting more frequent and more prolonged. Now we're heading on holiday midwerk, and our cat feeder is a local teen. I don't feel happy putting them at risk of an attack - he's bitten her once before.

Is this nourish with cat dementia? I'm just having a wobble as he's been great in the garden today :-(

I think it's definitely time. He's behaving out of character and wouldn't be attacking your DH if he was happy. Let him go. He's lucky to have had a long life with such loving owners.

Awful situation for you to be in and I feel for you.

It may not be the dementia that's causing the random attacks, it could be the brain tumour. Either way, he's had a good life and been living on borrowed time for a while now. These attacks are probably going to get more frequent as time goes on. What has your vet said about them?

Yes my dear, it's time. It's kinder to him. I'm so sorry it's been a difficult last days for all of you.

I've accidentally been misleading.

We don't know if he's got a brain tumour. When it all started the vet said they assumed he did but unless we really wanted to they wouldn't recommended scans etc as he was too old to operate, though he was in great health until he suddenly deteriorated.

However he then just didn't die or get worse, he stayed stable for well over a year.

Last time we got him checked the vet said based on bloods and a physical they're was nothing much wrong with him. It's all his behaviour. The dementia seems clear to me, he really reminds me of my gran in her 90s! I'll try and find a linl to my thread from back then

October 2023! For anyone who read this then

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_litter_tray/4947207-elderly-cat-has-changed-recently-timeliness-for-the-end?reply=130886199]]

I’m so sad to read this, how heart breaking for you. Yes it is time cat bites & attacks are painful and carry infection risk.

Give him his dignity, all the cuddles and treats he wants.

This is the horrible responsibility of pet ownership 🥲

Aww OP it is definitely time by the sounds of it. The random attacks are odd and he might be in pain so lashing out. Don’t prolong this, you will regret it. We had to put our dog down last year and we were explaining as best we could to the kids and one of them said dogs are lucky to have someone do this for them aren’t they, which is very true! After we’d been saying about how sometimes they are in pain but can’t tell us.

My cat also has a possible brain tumour but she is only around 12 years old, it started with her becoming aggressive, and then she had a seizure, she has been on Epiphen for nearly 2 years, this controls the seizures and she has become really affectionate and less nervous of strangers, there does not seem to have been any other deterioration and vet said she could go on for years yet. Is your cat on any meds to control the symptoms?

He's not on any meds @Rattysparklebum. If he were that age i would definitely have probed more, but at 19 it feels wrong to prolong his life, for what?

He's so much slower and creakier and it feels like he deserves a humane and loving goodbye when nature tells us it's time.

This thread has been helpful as I'm clearer why i was wobbling and what this is the right decision. Its no life staying inside every day, sensitive stomach, staring at the walls crying through the night. He's confused and quite possibly in pain a lot of the time.

He's been falling asleep in his litter tray and even falling asleep with his face in the food bowl while eating! It's his time. We've got so many lovely memories, I don't want the vicious attacks to begin to take over his final months and stain the happy memories for us all, or give my children a phobia

Oh my lovely I’m so sorry. We had to make this decision for our 19 year old cat. Different reasons but I remember the discussion we had with the vet. I had always seen PTS as an option to prevent pain and suffering. Our vet said it was about dignity. At that stage our cat had none. She had stopped doing all the things she enjoyed. And just existed. It was time.

Oh love, it definitely sounds like time, hard as it is. Your poor fella won’t be having a great quality of life right now, and how lovely to go surrounded by the people you love, released painlessly from any distress and suffering.

We had to have our beautiful girl pts last year after a sudden diagnosis of stomach cancer, and because she was only ten we felt so cheated. I am so glad we were able to give her a loving and dignified goodbye, even though it broke our hearts to let her go.