End of life care: help with signs

stephanie42

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Piglet is 16.5, chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure, FORL. Also feline herpes that causes her eyes to weep, the left much more than the right (this has been going on since she was around a year old and has gotten better/worse multiple times). We suspect Piglet lost almost (if not all) of her hearing about five years ago. Piglet has never lost her appetite through all of this. When she started acting a little funny a couple of months ago, I took her to the vet who said her kidneys were failing, her liver was affected, and there was nothing we could do but give her fluids and try to keep her comfortable. I've been giving her fluids (between 60-100ml 5 or 6 nights a week as she lets me). Piglet's urine is almost clear and there is A LOT of it. She still seems dehydrated, she is still acting a little funny, and she occasionally turns up her nose at her normal kibble. I mix pate with warm goat's milk so it's thin enough Piglet can basically lap it up those times.

I've known the end is near and I do not want Piglet to be in pain - I want to be able to help her cross peacefully before she is in too much pain. Piglet's left eye was really weird today when I got home from work. It has always been weepy and almost a little sunken. Today it looks much more sunken and almost like there is blood in her iris, and it is very weepy and seems a little cloudy. I carefully dried off the area around her eye but the actual eye is very wet looking and the color of the iris is definitely off, and either the eye is sunken or the area around it is swollen, it's definitely different than it was when I was cuddling with her this morning.

Is this an emergency? Is this end of life stuff? I don't want to put Piglet through another vet visit and tests and stuff if I don't need to. If this is an emergency, I have a local animal hospital that has treated Piglet before that I can take her to. If this is end of life stuff, I'd rather make the appointment to have someone come to my home to help Piglet cross than bring her to the vet. I hate everything about this because Piglet is the first cat that was mine - she's been with me through the best and worst parts of my life and I can't imagine life without her, but I also know it's my responsibility as her caretaker to make the best decision for HER, not for ME. I'd appreciate any advice or experiences.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. I am so sorry for all that Piglet is going through. And, I am not a good person to consult as I have a 16+yo who I would go to the ends of the earth for. But, if this local animal hospital knows Piglet's background, could you at least call them and ask what they think. It is hard if she is eating to think that there might not be something they can do to help her for now. Maybe they would even accept pics of her eye, if they think that would help any?

I am sorry I can't offer more, but just wanted you to know that you are being heard. God bless you and Piglet.
 

stephanietx

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I think the vet definitely needs to be consulted about the eye issue. Nothing sounds like end of life to me, yet.
 
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stephanie42

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I'm going to call Piglet's vet when they open. If they can't see her today, I'll likely head to the local animal hospital. Piglet's left eye is still weepy and that odd color. She yowled me awake at 6:15am and ate her kibble, so that's good. Piglet has almost always had her appetite - the only times she's really struggled eating was when she was going through the FORL stuff and was in pain. Even now, she gets very picky sometimes and won't have more than a few licks of food at one meal, but she'll eat the other (my cats get fed twice a day).
 
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