Advice on my dear cat Mittens (long)

[matildawong]

Hi everyone,

I am at a loss. I''ll try to write this out concisely and not ramble. Mittens has not eaten (but has been given fluids under the skin) or drank for 2 days. Prior to that, she was vomiting every few hours. We have been to the vet 4 times. Blood work normal -- no thyroid probs, no diabetes. Kidneys and liver are not at capacity, but she is around 18 years old, so we already knew that. She has been ill for a week.

On the way home from giving her fluids (which I learned how to do with the needle) she had watery poop in the carrier. I got her out and lo, a RED CHRISTMAS RIBBON was extending from her bum. I pulled it gently out (read later you''re not supposed to do that. crap. literally.)

So don''t I feel the guilt since I was saying I didn''t want to do Xrays or Ultrasound (both very pricey, and I''m not really counting but I''ve already spent $600 on her I think.)

An aside: Prior to the ribbon incident, I was saying I didn''t want to do any heroics to save her. It kills me to say it, but she is 18 at least and I don''t want to keep her alive like that. I had to decide that myself and I feel sad but I feel it is the right thing. I am proud to say I don''t want her to suffer but I feel bad because if I were rich maybe it would be different.

So now we think maybe ONE $100 xray might be a good idea. Long, swallowed things can be very dangerous and strangle organs, etc. And maybe I can see what I am going to be dealing with, severity-wise. But my vet keeps saying, "And then we''ll have to do surgery or perhaps x or y.." Now maybe that''s how she''s supposed to put it to pet owners. But I keep having to say, "well, I just want to keep her comfortable as long as I can." And I feel like a bad person.

This is a nutshell; there''s no way I can type in all that''s going on. But I hoped for Mittens to have some relief now the ribbon is out. But it''s looking like that''s not the case and I''ll have to make decisions soon. I just don''t want to do tests to find stuff that will result in costly, stressful surgery on an 18 yr old who has been deathly ill for a week.

I''d appreciate any advice. I am monitoring her all weekend. And the nurses up front at the vets are awesome -- one calls me all the time to check in. And she has given me euthanasia info, and all that stuff I was afraid to ask about. So please don''t think I''m at a whack vets'' office. They''re great. I just feel .... confused.

Thanks everyone. So sorry this is so long. Sort of helped to type it out.

 

[bee*]

I work at a vets and am training to be a vet so I can give you my side of things (plus I have quite a few pets so I''ll speak from my own view as an owner). Firstly at 18, I don''t know if I would put my cat through too much, unless they are quite healthy. In terms of doing the x-ray, in work we always have to go through the different protocols with clients in terms of what we will have to do if we find something so that''s probably what the vet''s doing in your case, plus a lot of times, I''ve found that vet''s don''t think a huge amount about the cost of things. The fact that all her bloods are normal and obviously due to the fact that there was ribbon coming out of her anus, it does sound like she''s swallowed things, and I suppose the main question is what do you hope to get from doing an x-ray (especially as it''s quite pricey). In your case, I''m not 100% sure if I would do it, especially as you don''t want to go a surgical route if they find anything. Don''t feel bad about this at all-I personally wouldn''t put my 18 year old cat that''s been extremely ill for a week through it either. However if they don''t find anything and mitten''s symptoms continue, then there''s not a huge amount that you can do without further tests either, so it doesn''t seem to be a win-win situation with doing the x-ray. If I thought that it would be a solution then I''d definitely say do it, however if it does show up something, it doesn''t seem like surgery or further tests are an option an if it doesn''t show up something, then mittens condition will continue without further tests. Sending hugs for you and mittens.

 

[matildawong]

Oh bee*, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

Yes, I know it''s like a lose-lose situation. Do xray, find something that we don''t want to treat her for. Don''t do xray, have no idea how to treat her.

I appreciate the feedback. It''s just good for me to get it out and my bf has never had a pet in his life. So, while he is great and wants her to get better, he doesn''t really know much about going to the vet''s, etc...

Thanks again.

 

[moremoremore]

So sorry to hear this. I, personally, would do the xray since it's not expensive or an ultrasound (since sedating her is not really an option at her age I assume)...I don't recall if they have to be sedated for xrays and I know not for the more expensive ultrasound...I at least like to try to know what I'm dealing with before I make any decisions. Best of luck to you...I know how hard this is. Oh, I also think your vet's maybe kind of an idiot? for telling you that you'll have to have surgery as your next option, etc etc. Is he a little $ hungry or cut happy? I find that really odd since kitty is 18 and sedation can't be very safe.. On the other hand, I don't know what an Xray could show (I guess solid items in there?)....

My beloved Scotty was FIV positive, in kidney failure and with severe heart disease. We just monitered him until blood work made it clear he was at the end...and his behavior changed. Just follow your heart. It's all about quality of life. So even if there isn't much you can do if the xray says x, y, z is wrong...you may rest a little easier just knowing that you explored all the options.

 

[sumbride]

Vets always give options. It''s up to you to decide. It may sound silly, but how would you feel if they DIDN''T give options. When I was trying to decide what to do with my terminally ill cat, I asked the vet, "what would you do if he was your cat?" and I got a straight answer that helped me with my decision. It doesn''t hurt to ask him/her that.

At 18, I also wouldn''t go forward with surgery. But I might agree to the x-ray. Sometimes it helps to know what is going on. Of course, I just had a friend spend $2k because her cat swallowed a hard plastic piece of a toy and it was lodged at the top of his stomach. He''d lost tons of weight and when they finally saw it in the x-ray, they reached it with an endoscope and "plucked" it out. He''s recovering well. So it depends. That''s why I would do the x-ray.

 

[VRBeauty]

How long has it been since you extracted the ribbon? Although I haven''t had personal cat blockage experience, but... my brother''s cat was very sick last year due to what turned out to be a blockage (a chunk of fabric that she had apparently ingested before my brother and his wife adopted her). In her case, 1) it took two x-rays to find the blockage, and 2) the cat was fine once the blockage was removed (surgically). It seems possible that the ribbon caused mittens'' symptoms, and that they''ll subside once she her stomach has a chance to recover from the irritation caused by ingesting and -ahem- getting rid of the ribbon. Is she eating or drinking now?

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I would also do the x-ray. I think knowing you went as far as you could without distressing mittens is a good idea. If it doesn''t require surgery then there was nothing you could do. If she did, you know the stress and pain from the surgery would be worse than the euthanasia and can let go. She may not have long, but you do and you don''t want the guilt when you did nothing worng.

 

[Gypsy]

I would do the x-ray or the ultrasound. Then take it from there. It would bother me always if I didn''t take it to that next step to see how things were with her. ((HUGS))

 

[Cind11]

I would do the X-ray too. I''d want to know if there was the slightest possibility that it might show something. I do understand though about you not wanting to put an 18 yr. old cat through surgery. Sorry you''re going through this.

 

[matildawong]

Thanks so much everyone. I wish I could thank you all personally but I am all over the place emotionally and can''t focus that well right now.

I think I will do the xray, depending on how she does thru the night. She has actually eaten a tiny, tiny bit of tuna that she had previously refused. (The nurse said at this point, try anything.) And she had fluids today so I''m not freaking about overnight dehydration. Much.

She''s sleeping a lot -- but I think that''s good because earlier this week she was in too much discomfort to even rest, it looked like.

Thanks again everyone. Such a blessing to have your input and support.

 

[Deelight]

matildawong I read the first paragraph and the immediate thought that came to my mind is your kitty has eaten something it should not have, saw then it had eaten Ribbon.

My kitty is a nutter and eats random things all the time (boogie board anyone?) and the same thing happened to me (I do find random stuff in the poop all the time. My kitty did not have a blockage but the swallowing had caused his insides to be disturbed and he got sick and was lethargic and vomiting, the vets put him a on a potassium drip and he was fine after that. All the vomiting had striped him of it

.

Personally I would do the x-ray you may find that the problem has passed and she might just need sometime to recover.

If your vet has told you to try anything to get her to eat have you tried a little yogurt she might be able to just lick it.

 

[allikatac]

I am so sorry to hear about Mittens! I too would have the x-ray done. I went through something similar with my kitten recently and they were almost sure she would need surgery. She had swallowed a twist tie and was having the same symptoms as Mittens. They did an x-ray and found out that the twist tie had passed, but left a lot of irritation through her track. They were able to give her some different medication to soothe her insides and she was back to normal in a few days! The x-ray wasn''t even a decision for us since she is a kitten, but I understand not wanting to go forward if the results are going to be surgery. Good luck!

 

[lumpkin]

Matilda, I would not do the x-ray. The poor baby is 18 and rich or not, I would not want to put my kitty through more when she can''t understand what''s going on. I don''t think you should feel bad about your decision. I love my pets and have grieved for each when it was their time to go. I''d still rather let them go than extend their suffering. JMHO.

 

[orbaya]

I''m sorry you''re going through this.

I would do the xray just to see what you are dealing with. If it shows something that won''t get better, then you can just keep him as comfortable as possible. Perhaps the xray will show something that is easily treated with medication, change in diet, etc.

 

[risingsun]

I have recently had my 19 year old cat successfully treated for hyperthyroidism and pancreatitis. He is no longer in pain, is eating and sleeping, and doing quite well for an older gentleman. We carefully considered our options and chose what we thought would be best for him. I would have Mittens xrayed and do the ultrasound. They are noninvasive procedures and then you can make an informed decision about further treatment.

 

[matildawong]

Thanks everyone. Since I already am hogging a whole thread, I''m putting down updates here. I can''t tell you how much it helps me just collect my thoughts.

She ate more tuna last night. Not much, but still. I gave her more sub-q fluids this morning and set her up for an x-ray on Monday morning. She''s resting rather uneasily.

 

[bee*]

Is she passing anything? That''s good that she ate a bit of tuna. To answer someone elses question, they do need to do a sedation/GA for an x-ray unless the cat is so sick that she isn''t going to move. Sending hugs again. I know how hard it is when a pet is sick.

 

[treysar]

I'm sorry to hear that mittens is sick.

When my kitty was sick and not eating , I had a couple of tricks.

1. Buy a rotisserie chicken (no spices) and serve it shredded and HOT so she can smell it.

2. Buy sardines in water - they are really GOOD for cats. GRoss, but you should microwave them for a bit so they are smelly - cats are more likely to eat when the food is smelly.

3. Get a syringe with no needle on the tip and inject canned pumpkin or babyfood into the cats mouth, as well as water or better yet, unflavored pedialyte- force feeding back to health. Some of htse ideas I got right on pricescope, I bet if you did a search my post might even come up.

My cat was 15 when he got sick and we nursed him back - that was 3 years ago. He had kidney failure and we finally did put him to sleep a week ago, after a few weeks of doing fluids like you have done.

I had no idea if I could ever put him to sleep, but after seeing his quality of life tank so rapidly, I made the decision and I do not regret it. I think he was thankful

No matter what you decide, it's the right decision. Good luck and I'll say a prayer for mittens.

 

[bee*]

sorry to hear about your cat treysar.

 

[LegacyGirl]

Oh wow my heart goes out to you guys. My cat is also nuts and likes to eat random things (her favorite is tape). I hope you are able to keep you kitty comfortable. It sounds like she has had a long and happy life so far. We just had to put a family friends cat to sleep and I''m very upset over it. I loved that cat to death and I know she is in a better place now (she had cancer).

**Hugs** to you.

 

[matildawong]

treysar,
I''m so sorry about your cat. And thanks for taking time from your own grieving to help me. I am going to try the syringe of babyfood.


Thanks for everyone''s help. Mittens is sleeping more comfortably now and she has eaten more tuna and had a bit of milk, too.
I have an xray set up for 9am Monday to see if there is damage from the ribbon, etc..

 

[marvel]

Date: 2/16/2008 7:24:12 PM
Author: matildawong
treysar,
I''m so sorry about your cat. And thanks for taking time from your own grieving to help me. I am going to try the syringe of babyfood.


Thanks for everyone''s help. Mittens is sleeping more comfortably now and she has eaten more tuna and had a bit of milk, too.
I have an xray set up for 9am Monday to see if there is damage from the ribbon, etc..

It''s sounds like she''s feeling better now. Hopefully it was the ribbon causing the problems and she''ll start perking up. Keep us posted on the xray.

 

[bee*]

Yeah that''s great news that she''s eating more and keeping it down. Best of luck for mittens for her x-ray today!

 

[gwendolyn]

I hope everything goes well with the x-ray today, matilda. As treysar suggested, baby food works really well, at least in my experience. I had a sweet Siamese who had kidney disease, and when it was near the end of his road, he stopped eating and drinking. I would dip my finger into the baby food jar and get just a small dollop on my fingertip, and then offer it to him. If he wouldn''t take it, I would open his mouth and smear it on the top of the roof of his mouth. Sometimes, after he''d had a little taste of it, he''d lick it off my finger when I''d offer it.

 

[matildawong]

Aw, thanks ladies.

I took Mittens in today and we had the part-time vet that had his own practice for 18 years and now does fill-in work. I just absolutely loved him. I brought in Mittens'' ribbon (Exhibit A) and he said that xrays would not show ribbon. He says she does not display the usual symptoms of damage to her intestines. She would not have lasted the weekend with a tear to her insides.
We would have to do an ultra-sound and upper g.i. to see for sure if there is something still in there. Which I don''t want to do at this point.

Basically, there are so many things it can be. But she is no longer vomiting, no temp. She''s drinking and nibbling at food. We just have to watch because if she doesn''t get enough food, it can lead to liver shut down. We can hope that the symptoms go away and chalk it up to the ribbon (as he said, heh) or just keep taking care of her and treat the symptoms as best we can.

I did say I was worried about keeping her alive if she''s in pain, etc.. He said I seem to be very honest with myself and that nobody knows her better than I do. I will know when it has become too much. He said it''s harder when people are in denial (with the best of hopes, of course) because he has to gently try to get them out of it in order to keep the pet from suffering needlessly.

Thanks everyone for all of your kind words, suggestions and support. I''ll update if I have anything.

 

[gwendolyn]

Your vet''s so right about knowing when it''s time. I heard the same, but kept thinking, "No, no, I love my baby so much, I will never be ok with putting him to sleep!" But the time came where there was no doubt in my mind. It was hard, but it was what was best for him, because I loved him too much to have him be in pain.

Mittens is already showing signs of improvement by eating and drinking a bit more--hopefully it will just be all due to the ribbon and things will be back to normal again soon!

 

[bee*]

I agree with Gwendolyn that you''ll know when the time is right. Till then, enjoy every minute that you have with Mittens. She definitely seems to be improving.

 

[VRBeauty]

Hi Matildawong!

Please check in soon and let us know how Mittens is doing!

 

[monarch64]

Hi Matildawong...I''m very late to this thread but just wanted to wish Mittens well and I hope things have turned around. Update when you can!

Hope everything is ok.

 

[matildawong]

Hello everyone. Thank you so much for the continued support. Mittens ate almost an entire little cup of Meow Mix salmon/crab/gravy/ewwwwww dinner things tonight!

We just tried to give her more sub-q fluids but the needle was pinching a nerve or something and we all got spooked (we = bf and myself) and gave up. She is drinking but I am not sure if it''s enough. She is still using her box but (TMI here) I haven''t seen anything resembling a BM. The vet''s office has been checking in w/me every day and today I was worried about her food intake. But tomorrow I can report much better for that, so maybe we won''t have to do any more poking or prodding just yet.

She is sleeping a lot but she purrs (oh what a joyous sound to my ears) and looks more like her old self. I do not know if she will fully recover or if she is rallying temporarily; but I try not to worry about that and just enjoy her every day that I have her with me.

I know I keep saying thank you, but this place has been a safe haven for me to come and type out updates and questions. So thank you dearly to everyone.