I have an 18, closer to 19 year old tabby named Ronnie. He has been very healthy all is his life. About a month and a half ago he started vomiting and having soft poo that turned into diarrhea. I took him to the vet, they did blood work and an X-ray. Those tests were normal. They sent me home with a steroid and anti diarrheal. The vet suggested doing an ultrasound to get a better look. The vet told me to give him a sedative the night before and the morning of his appointment but the stress of travel and just being at the vet overpowered the medicine. The ultrasound was not done. They suggested fasting him and bringing him back and they would sedate him. I asked the vet what we were looking for in an ultrasound. She said that it could be IBS or a GI lymphoma. Not uncommon in cats his age. I asked what the treatment would be and she said steroids for both. Considering his age and the stress for him I opted not to do the ultrasound. At his age I wasn't going to start him on any chemo or do any biopsies/surgeries. I just want to keep him comfortable, which I feel like has been a challenge. The vomiting has subsided considerably, but he still has diarrhea. I have tired the anti diarrheal, which makes him nauseous and curbs his appetite, slippery elm, a probiotic, making my own bland cat food. I have continued to keep him on a low dose of the steroid, which has its own set of issues.
I know I'm not alone in this situation and I am doing the best I can for him, although sometimes I don't feel like I've done enough. He has lost a bit of weight and has started to seclude himself. Some days are better than others. Its like he has aged 10 years in 2 months. I feel like I need to consider making the difficult decision that I don't want to make. But I know that he isn't living his best cat life right now.
What have your experiences been? How do you really know when? The thought of "setting a date" is very unsettling for me. I don't want to be selfish and keep him here just for me but I don't know what else I can do for him
I appreciate whoever takes the time to read this.
Thank you,
Ronnies mom Demitra
I know I'm not alone in this situation and I am doing the best I can for him, although sometimes I don't feel like I've done enough. He has lost a bit of weight and has started to seclude himself. Some days are better than others. Its like he has aged 10 years in 2 months. I feel like I need to consider making the difficult decision that I don't want to make. But I know that he isn't living his best cat life right now.
What have your experiences been? How do you really know when? The thought of "setting a date" is very unsettling for me. I don't want to be selfish and keep him here just for me but I don't know what else I can do for him
I appreciate whoever takes the time to read this.
Thank you,
Ronnies mom Demitra