Hospice Care

[tnrmakessense]

It's my personal philosophy not to force food, but to continue to offer it until the end. I have an old guy (very thin, nearly blind) that had been hiding in the bathroom and refusing food for 36 hours, when I offered canned food in my hand close to his mouth, and he began eating again. It's been three days now and he's eating with gusto. I also noticed that despite all the quilts on the floor for him, he seemed only able to curl up to sleep if I put him on the couch. I just put a bed pillow under him (on a quilt, on the floor) and he's now curled up and sleeping.

Just wanted to mention in case it helps someone else with a cat moving toward the end.     

 

[betsygee]

Aww, sweet boy.  I'm glad to hear he's eating again.  I had an old boy, at almost 19 he could hardly walk but like your guy, if I put food up to his mouth he'd eat it.  

It sounds like he's as comfortable as he could be at this stage.  

  for a peaceful passing when the time comes.

 

[Kat0121]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can to make his last days as comfortable as possible. He's lucky to have you and no matter how much longer he has, he will never forget the love, kindness and friendship you are giving him and have given to him. I also send out loving vibes that when it is time for him to cross the bridge that it is as gentle and painless as possible. 

 

[tamu708]

God bless you for your patience and gentle care of him in this time.  I'm also sending prayers and vibes for a peaceful passing when it's his time. 

Hugs to you both. 

 

[boney girl dad]

My last 3 pets have passed naturally. The hospice care we provide seems harder on us than on them. I feel and have witnessed my pets having some good moments during these last days and I'm so glad I did not rob them of these moments by euthanasia. They deserve every good moment they have coming. I know how happy you must be, seeing him eat---one of life's simplest pleasures. My cat Xena ate one of her last days last week. It was more than she had eaten in some time. She had a happy belly that day and I rejoiced. She also had other moments that were good and it was my responsibility to facilitate those. Hospice care is difficult for us and them, but also has some rewards. I pray that God takes him gently and fills you with peace.

 

[mr holton]

I have a beautiful 12 yr old tabbie named chichi who a week ago suddenly bacame weak and had trouble walking out of nowhere been to several vets and they said blood tests were ok , no underlying conditions she stopped eating and drinking one vet did an X-ray of her and said she has something going on with her chest couldn't tell if it was tumors or infection he gave me mirtzapine small dosages and she started eating again he also said he wasn't sure her problem with walking was a result of her lung problem seems to me that they had no idea what was happening I recently took her back in because she hadn't pooped or peed in a few days they gave her a enema and she went , before I took her back she still was a bit wobbly but ate and tried to still get around , that day when I brought her home and gave her clavomox which was prescribed for her three days earlier she threw up and now she totally out of it refusing food and water will not attempt to get up sleeping most of the time up for a few seconds God it's breaking my heart should I have taken her back to vet ? Should have waited to see if she regained her abilities on her own but I was so afraid but now I'm more afraid please say a prayer for her I don't know what else to do finances are a problem but I know prayer is free and cures all things please pray for us I just need to share its thanksgiving and all I can do is cry for my baby thanks for listening

 

[tnrmakessense]

Thank you to everyone that sent their kind thoughts. My patient is still chugging along. He seems to sleep more comfortably (on his side, curled up) after a meal of real chicken.

Mr. Holton, I'm so sorry about your Chichi. I've had a cat passing pure blood that tested negative for stones. When I finally insisted on surgery she had a horrible spiky stone removed. That's just one of dozens of experiences where tests were inaccurate.

Cornell University has an area called "consultant" that's free and open to anyone. It was a real eye-opener for me to plug in symptoms and see that there were often fifty or one hundred possible causes. Since then I've taken with a grain of salt any vet advice that a blood test will be "conclusive" (except perhaps for anemia and diabetes.) So please don't be hard on yourself for not racing Chichi back to the vet. I had a young one that got sick very suddenly - similar symptoms - and against my gut I let the vet do all kinds of invasive treatments. I finally brought him home and he died within hours, with me still putting food through a feeding tube, and the kitty fighting it with his last bit of strength. I'll always regret not listening to my gut, but the vet said he had a 50/50 chance of survival. Now I wonder, was that based on his personal experience ? Studies he read? Talking with other vets ? At least with humans we can access information about survival rate with certain treatments and know that there's some degree of accuracy. With vet care we have experiments that take place in laboratories, and the personal experience of vets which may or may not be compiled and compared. 

These kitties are such unique and fragile creatures. I think it's going to be a while before veterinary science catches up with their complexity. And I don't think there's a chance of that until we include owner experience - treatment vs. no treatment -in the equation.   

 

[kskatt]

I am incredibly grateful that the vet I have now is young and no nonsense. Young means going through vet school recently enough to be more up to date, she also attends seminars, workshops, etc to stay up to date. The no nonsense is on the side of the patient. I have two boys in hospice right now Thyroid cancer and an unknown mass that's growing.
My vet said that if I want more testing she will set it up for me to go to the University, she has sent me there twice already. Once with a horse, once with a cat. But her experience and knowledge tells her the only thing we would do is put the boys through a traumatic, painful experience that may only hasten their deaths. Shoot, Mr's platelets are low enough any surgery is out of the question, even a needle biopsy could end up in uncontrollable bleeding. I need to start a thread of my own, I could easily hijack this thread and I won't
I believe in Feline Assisted Feeding as long as the vet and I both believe it's temporary. I do not believe in forcing any animal to go on when he/she doesn't want to.
tnrmakessense, my vet got after me when I even came close to dismissing a "gut feeling". An owner knows the animal better than anyone, if something feels wrong, it probably is. Not having treatment, nothing I can do is just hard. I want to fight, and I have no weapons.

 

[tnrmakessense]

I am incredibly grateful that the vet I have now is young and no nonsense. Young means going through vet school recently enough to be more up to date, she also attends seminars, workshops, etc to stay up to date. The no nonsense is on the side of the patient. I have two boys in hospice right now Thyroid cancer and an unknown mass that's growing.
My vet said that if I want more testing she will set it up for me to go to the University, she has sent me there twice already. Once with a horse, once with a cat. But her experience and knowledge tells her the only thing we would do is put the boys through a traumatic, painful experience that may only hasten their deaths. Shoot, Mr's platelets are low enough any surgery is out of the question, even a needle biopsy could end up in uncontrollable bleeding. I need to start a thread of my own, I could easily hijack this thread and I won't
I believe in Feline Assisted Feeding as long as the vet and I both believe it's temporary. I do not believe in forcing any animal to go on when he/she doesn't want to.
tnrmakessense, my vet got after me when I even came close to dismissing a "gut feeling". An owner knows the animal better than anyone, if something feels wrong, it probably is. Not having treatment, nothing I can do is just hard. I want to fight, and I have no weapons.

Your vet sounds like one in a million. I'm so sorry about what you're going through. The hardest thing in the world is to watch those you love suffer.

 

[tnrmakessense]

Just a quick update. The old fella' who I posted about in November and December 2016 is still chugging along six months later. I've had two episodes where he spent 24-36 hours circling the house, wedging himself in odd places and yelling for me to get him out. Both times I was sure it was nearing the time to help him leave this world, and in both cases he just came out of it. I've never seen anything like it.

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and encouragement.

 

[arouetta]

Just a quick update. The old fella' who I posted about in November and December 2016 is still chugging along six months later. I've had two episodes where he spent 24-36 hours circling the house, wedging himself in odd places and yelling for me to get him out. Both times I was sure it was nearing the time to help him leave this world, and in both cases he just came out of it. I've never seen anything like it.

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and encouragement.

I've heard that getting lost in a corner is often signs of dementia. Maybe the physical health of the body is not the problem, it's getting the mind to cooperate?

 

[tnrmakessense]

I'm sure that's a big part of it.

 

[andieg]

I am glad I found this posting. My sweetie boy appears to be nearing his departure
I did an animal communication session to confirm my communication with him that he is tired of being in his body. No definite time yet, but I am seeing many signs. I seem to be in the place where I'm wondering if I'm imagining it or denying it. Dementia bad, eating hardly anything, screeching during night for me to find him and he eats a little then. I'm up with him around 3 ish every morning. He sometimes has the look in his eyes, the gaze, and is sleeping most of the time and not letting me pet him anywhere need what he used to. He does let me brush him still.
So, is there a time I'll just know? I knew with my others. But he's my closest buddy.