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Is it time?

3 replies

heatherwithapee · 31/01/2026 09:55

DCat (age 9) started showing symptoms of being unwell about 10-14 days ago. I noticed he had suddenly lost weight and just didn’t quite seem himself.

We saw the vet 9 days ago where it was confirmed that had indeed lost a lot of weight and bloods were taken. Over last weekend, his condition deteriorated quite rapidly - he stopped grooming and was barely eating. Bloods came back on Monday - DCat has stage 4 kidney disease. An ultrasound confirmed very enlarged kidneys but no tumour. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

Since then, he’s just got worse. The vet suggested that he could maybe live for another couple of years but my gut says there’s no way that’s going to happen - he’s deteriorated so quickly and I feel that today might be the day to let him go. It feels so sudden - just over two weeks ago I had no clue he was poorly and here we are with a cat that’s skin and bones and looks miserable.

He’s hardly eaten in over a week (the vet prescribed appetite stimulants). He hasn’t groomed himself for about 5 days. He’s still drinking water (more than normal I think) and briefly goes out a couple of times a day (won’t use litter tray!). Since yesterday has looked really quite uncomfortable. He gets up and changes position every 20 mins or so when sleeping - previously he’d be zonked for hours! Today he’s hiding under the furniture (very unusual - he’s usually asleep on a human bed, in his bed or on the sofa) and looks like his breathing is slightly more rapid than normal. He has a runny nose too.

I feel that he has no quality of life and this won’t change. As much as we all love him very much and want to keep him with us as long as possible, I don’t want him to suffer. Is it time?

OP posts:
Flamingmentalcats · 31/01/2026 10:30

I am saying this very kindly and gently, but if he was ours, we would pts. He will have had an amazing life with you all with lots of love and cuddles. Sending you love, it's hard to make the decision

Toddlerteaplease · 31/01/2026 10:31

If your gut is telling it’s time, then it really is. My cat had heart disease and then her kidneys failed. The vet said it was treatable. But I looked at her and just knew it wasn’t. The photos of her in the couple of weeks before she died are awful. She looks so thin.

heatherwithapee · 31/01/2026 10:39

Thank you both for confirming what I already knew in my heart.

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