Can't Get Vet Appointment Until Tomorrow, Cat Not Eating Or Drinking

[urbancalgirl]

Any tips on making a cat more comfortable while we wait for a likely euthanasia appointment tomorrow?

Last night we took our 10 year old male cat to the emergency vet because he hadn't been eating or drinking for a day, was lethargic, and he threw up a little. Long story short, the vet said it's likely the beginning renal failure. They gave him sub-Q fluids, meds to stop vomiting, and sent him home with hopes that he's perk up.

We've been home about 12 hours now and he's still not eating or drinking, still lethargic, and I know I'm not going to be able to get him to drink. Luckily he hasn't vomited again, and he's peed in his litter twice (but not pooped). His pupils are dilated. Going back to the ER vet tonight isn't an option because I have no child care tonight. My child is 16-months old so taking her for a long wait at the vet is not possible (I was there 5 hours last night). Family helped last night but are unable to do so again tonight.

I do have an appointment at the regular vet for tomorrow at 11am, but that's a long time without fluids still. Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable in the mean time? He's in a quiet room right now, with his favorite blanket, water, litter, and food available. My heart breaks.

 

[orange&white]

Your cat can still have a few good years if he is just now at the beginning of renal failure. It's not curable in the long run, but if he was just diagnosed then some diet modification can help him live longer. Renal failure typically isn't painful (until the very end).

Do you have a syringe for feeding him food and water? The sub-Q fluids may have been enough water to get him through until tomorrow's appointment, but I would try to syringe some water and food into him this evening if he isn't eating/drinking on his own. Ask your vet tomorrow for instructions on both syringe feeding and sub-Q's.

Also, the vet can show you how to sub-Q's at home so that the care is more affordable.

 

[urbancalgirl]

Thanks for the response. The vet actually said it would be very difficult for me to administer sub-Q fluids at home in our case. My cat is very hard to handle (even the vet techs had a big problem with him last night at the ER), and since my husband works long hours, I'd probably have to do it alone. I have a terrible time pilling him, or applying topical medication, even when my husband is able to help. With a young child and hopefully another one on the way soon, the vet said it might not be suitable for our season of life right now. As much as it pains me, I have to agree. The cat is super-affectionate until he gets anxious or scared. Sigh.

I think I have a syringe I can use. I will try that and pray I don't get bit!

 

[catwoman707]

Syringing water or even better clear pediolyte is pretty necessary.
I don't want to disregard what the vet said was causing it, but to me, it's not renal failure but IBD that his symptoms point to.
It has become quite common these days unfortunately, but can be managed through drastic diet changes too.
Just about all cats will have renal failure at some point in their old age, some sooner than others but the sudden onset of symptoms aren't really signs of kidneys failing but def are signs of IBD.
Might want to look in to this with your vet.

 

[maddies momma]

Did they run any tests at all??? This doesn't seem like renal failure because it came on so suddenly. Also you say his pupils are dilated and everything else you are describing this sounds more like a toxin or poisoning situation. Did you have easter lillies in the house over Easter?? I think you should let the vet run tests to confirm what's going on, before you decide that it's not worth treating.

 

[maddies momma]

Syringing water or even better clear pediolyte is pretty necessary.
I don't want to disregard what the vet said was causing it, but to me, it's not renal failure but IBD that his symptoms point to.
It has become quite common these days unfortunately, but can be managed through drastic diet changes too.
Just about all cats will have renal failure at some point in their old age, some sooner than others but the sudden onset of symptoms aren't really signs of kidneys failing but def are signs of IBD.
Might want to look in to this with your vet.

The sudden onset of symptoms can be kidney failure, but it would be acute kidney failure. As in a poison was ingested or something happened that caused immediate damage. But your right, usual chronic kidney disease does not happen suddenly.

 

[orange&white]

Good observations. Did the vet specify chronic or acute renal failure? (Or actually run any tests?)

 

[missmimz]

Syringe feed Medicating & Assist Feeding Your Cat

 

[amysuen]

I "ditto" syringe-feeding him water or clear pedialyte. Hopefully he's lethargic enough not to fight hard.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If it is Acute, that would explain why he hasn't perked up with the sub-q fluids

What is the status today?

 

[maddies momma]

Hoping for an update!

 

[amysuen]

How are things?

 

[urbancalgirl]

Thank you all for the help and responses. It's so touching that so many strangers care.

It's been an overwhelming few days. After spending a total of 10 hours over 2 days at the ER vet, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize our beloved Hemingway. My mother-in-law left work early to come watch my baby, and I went back to the vet after my post. He got progressively worse. Additional sub-Q fluids did nothing.

More information I did not include in the original post:
- Xrays showed his kidneys were 1/3 the size they should be. They were extremely small and also full of kidney stones. This is what prompted her diagnosis.
- Xrays also showed that he was severely constipated. (He was an indoor/outdoor cat and did not use a litterbox, so I had no idea he wasn't pooping).

Looking back through the notes I kept on previous vet visits, and the notes I would occasionally keep on his behavior, I see that this actually was not as sudden as it felt. Just two weeks ago he stopped eating and drinking and was lethargic. I was getting read to take him to the vet then, but then started eating again. The same thing happened in January, December, October, and August.

The vet said our next steps were to do an ultrasound and see if there was any other kind of blockage. If so, that would result in surgery, which would be in the thousands of dollars, and require him to remain indoors for weeks (he hated being locked inside and always got so depressed. The longest we ever managed to keep him in was a week. Also, we have no garage or spare room where we could put him to recover. So, anytime he had to stay inside, he howled all night, keeping us up and the baby up).

If there was no blockage, we could hospitalize him for a few days with IV fluids. She said it might perk him up and with a diet change, it might give him a few months or a year, but that the kidney disease would eventually take him. I had a long, talk with the very kind vet. My concern was that we were going to head down a rabbit hole of tests that would likely lead to painful, expensive treatments. Hemingway was very difficult to handle, especially when stressed or sick, and it would always take several vet techs to do anything to him. The vet said that it would be nearly impossible for me to administer sub-Q fluids at home by myself (my husband works long hours and I'm home alone with a toddler for 15 hours a day). Indeed, whenever my husband and I attempted in the past to give him pills or medications, it was a stressful nightmare for him and us. The vet pointed out that we also needed to consider the quality of life for my family. I appreciated that. When I was a child, I watched my mother go through the anxiety and stress and guilt of giving our cat injections and medications for nearly two years when he was diagnosed with kidney disease.

It breaks my heart that finances were a factor, but it's true. We'd already spent $500 on the first visit, and close to $2,000 on previous visits in the last 6 months. As a middle-class family in an area of the country with one of the highest costs of living, continued expensive treatments weren't feasible for us.

I read something while waiting in the vet's office that said it's better to euthanize a day too soon than an hour too late. This gives me some comfort in the midst of my guilt. I do wish we had been able to take him home and have the euthanasia done there, but we couldn't get a vet to come out until almost 24 hours later. I didn't want him to suffer any more and I didn't want to subject him to any more stress from being handled by the techs.

I will second-guess our decision for the rest of my life. The very kind, compassionate vet said she thought it was the responsible, loving decision, so that gives me some comfort, too. She could have pressured me to continue with the expensive treatments, but she did not. I take the most comfort from knowing that we pampered him while we had him. He was my best friend during 2 years of painful, emotional in-vitro fertilization treatments. He brought us so much joy and I hope that he loved us, too.

(Please, please do not reply if you're going to shame me for our decision. I have enough guilt and am punishing myself enough right now. We did what we thought was best for him, and our family, and what would save him from any more suffering).

Also, if you'd like to hear more about the story of how we got him, here's a link to a blog post I wrote about him 3 years ago. I May Not Have a Human Baby, But I Have a Fur Baby! | Amateur Nester

 

[orange&white]

I'm sorry you lost Hemingway. There is no shame in deciding not to put the cat through lots of poking, prodding and vet visits when the diagnosis is terminal.

I know that Hemingway loved you very much for giving him a wonderful home for 10 years. Now he is off chasing butterflies in the sunshine and will see you at the bridge.

Rest in peace, sweet Hemingway.

 

[amysuen]

I am so, so sorry. I support your decision. It's sad that finances play a part, but that's the real world. I don't blame you for not wanting to spend more money and put him through who-knows-what to prolong the inevitable. We let Kippy go naturally and there's a big part of me that wishes we'd taken him in so his passing would've been quicker and easier for him - and for our children. Be at peace. You made your decision out of love. and I'm sure Hemingway knew how much he was loved.

 

[surya]

I'm sorry you lost your little buddy. I know how hard it is to make the decision to have a kitty euthanized. You can honor your kitties memory by helping another kitty. If you can't adopt one, you could help in other ways, by volunteering and helping organizations spay and neuter cats. You have no reason to feel shame or guilt, but helping another cat in your little boys memory will make you feel good. That's what I did after I had my boy euthanized and now I have saved many cats because of him.

 

[foxden]

urbancalgirl
I am so sorry for your loss. Hemingway was one of a kind, and he can never be replaced. You will love other pets, but we love each pet differently.

I made the same difficult decision for my Kiki a little less than 3 months ago.
I also had the experience of a very kind vet who was honest about the possibility that I might never get my kitty back, even if we put her in ICU for several days. He did not push for intensive treatment, and I walked Kiki to the bridge. She was about 13 years old, but had crashed in only two days. The ER vets had not been able to stabilize her after several hours of treatment, and we never found out why she crashed. I could not imagine the possibility that she would die in a hospital cage, with all the strange noises and strange people and without me, so I allowed her to leave.

Do not second-guess yourselves. You gave Hemingway the gift of being without pain, without the bother, anxiety and fuss that medicating him always required. You gave him his freedom, but tore a hole in your heart.

As you mourn his loss, consider posting in the Crossing the Bridge forum. Everyone has a different grieving process, but I found it very helpful to share my feelings about losing Kiki there.

Again, I'm so very sorry you had to experience this. You did the best you could ever do for Hemingway, and you have the memories of his life to carry with you.