- Joined
- Apr 3, 2017
- Messages
- 17
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I just had to put my kitty down in January, sadly after putting my dog down in December. I had no idea that cats could have kidney problems, and completely missed the signs my kitty was showing. She was perfectly fine.. she loved food and drinking water, so when she started drinking more.. No one questioned it. One weekend, my dad left to go on a trip with his friends, and she stopped eating. We assumed it was because he was gone, because she often got weird when he left..but she continued to not eat, even when he came home 2 days later. She also was sleeping a lot more than usual, and was looking very skinny and weak. We took her to the vet 4 days after we realized she stopped eating..and she was 6.9 pounds..when she was normally 12 pounds. They took blood tests..and determined it was the kidneys. We couldn't do anything but force feed her a special food that was low in sodium and protein. It was an awful experience. We had to wrap her in a towel like a burrito, put a bib on her, and pry her jaws open to syringe food down her throat. They also gave her an IV of fluids for dehydration. We had to force feed her 3 times a day..and when it came to Wednesday..she started acting really weird. We rescued her and her two siblings when they were 2 weeks old, so she didn't have a mother to train her how to play or socialize..so she pretty much stuck to herself. That being said..she hated going in the kitchen (where the dogs stay) and the bathroom (she HATED water..other than drinking it). All of a sudden..she was going in the kitchen, and staring at my dog. She would even start going into our bathroom..where we found her in the toilet and sink multiple times. I decided to turn the water on for her and she just shoved her head in it and started purring. If I turned it off she got extremely angry. We decided to fill the tub with a little bit of water and let her play in it. She was so happy..and even laid down in it. She also wailed every night, all night long. She would refuse to sit with us..and started hiding in strange places she has never gotten into. By Thursday, I decided to take her in for another IV..since dehydration can make cats loopy. She was 6.3 pounds..despite us feeding her every day. Friday night she continued to cry..and we made the decision to take her in and let her go. I was extremely distraught because there was part of me that wanted to give her more time..maybe..just maybe she would pull out of it. However, even if perhaps she did start eating..we would have had to take her in to the vet once or twice a WEEK to get her IVs..which would be stressful on her as well as us. I didn't think that was a good quality of life for her. Saturday morning the vet weighed her..and what I saw told me I was making the right decision. Just from Thursday, she had lost a pound and a half. She was only 7 years old, and we didn't even see any visible warning signs until she was too far gone.
If your kitty starts peeing more, drinking more, eating less or not at all, and being lethargic please take them in immediately! Vomiting is also a symptom..which my kitty did often, without us thinking anything of it. The earlier the diagnosis, the longer they can live a somewhat normal life.
If your kitty starts peeing more, drinking more, eating less or not at all, and being lethargic please take them in immediately! Vomiting is also a symptom..which my kitty did often, without us thinking anything of it. The earlier the diagnosis, the longer they can live a somewhat normal life.
I realize this post must have been hard for you to write, but thank you for getting this very important message out.
