Senior Cat With Fluid In The Abdomen..time To Go?

[Gizm0]

N. Male
8lbs
13 years old
No prior history of bloating
Kidneys and liver were checked a month ago and were fine.
Normal litter box Usage.
Eats and drinks normally.

My boy went into the vet due to bloating and we found out he has lots of fluid in the abdomen which started substantially showing within with last 72 hours. His breathing is short. He doesn’t seem in pain at all, but I’m scared he just isn’t showing it because he’s a really chill cat.


My vet said there’s truly not a good prognosis but he wants to run bloodwork. The fluid pulled from his abdomen looked light red mixed with yellow. He told me he was going to test the gravity of the fluid (I forget the technical term) and it came back in the higher 40’s. The vet said he looked anemic but that’s the only thing he could see right now. The bloodwork comes back tomorrow and that’s when we are going to decide on what happens. He seems so lethargic and tired today. I fed him his favorite wet food and he’s been laying beside me. Is there even a small chance he could make it through this?


If I let him pass naturally I’m afraid he will be in pain when he goes - is it more humane to euthanize in this case?

Has anyone had experience going through this and can offer me some guidance?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello

If I let him pass naturally I’m afraid he will be in pain when he goes - is it more humane to euthanize in this case?

Even if he's not in pain specifically, the shortness of breath would be frightening to him, I believe.

I'm so sorry this is happening!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I would wait until you get a diagnosis and then have a very frank discussion with your Vet. Until then, why even speculate. BUT, if your Vet doesn't think there is any hope, then is the time to think about making decisions, unless you want to get a second opinion before doing anything. But euthanizing is much better than having them suffer, in my opinion, if they cannot improve and will only suffer worse in the long run.

With anemia, there are drugs that can help, and worse case scenario, blood transfusions. But, again, lets see what the true diagnosis is, first .

Hoping for the best

 

[Gizm0]

Thanks both of you.

I’m preparing to let him go tomorrow if it comes down to it. His breathing scares me although the vet says it’s to be expected. I can only imagine not being able to take deep breaths properly. I’ve only had him 3 months and tried to give him the best life possible as he was a stray and in the shelter before this but it’s so rough to let him go this soon. I was expecting him to stay around a little longer ):

I really hope it’s something fixable but the vet kept reiterating that there’s usually nothing good about fluid buildup like this.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Please keep us posted

 

[Gizm0]

Update: His bloodwork came back great. The vet was completely stumped on why there was so much fluid. We took an ultrasound and his heart had lots of fluid around it which stopped it from beating like it should which was the reason he couldn’t breathe well. My vet was consulting with the ultrasound technician and they truly could not think why this was happening. It looked like he had left and right sided heart failure BUT there’s a chance it could be something completely else because he’s otherwise doing great. They used a lot of medical terms so I couldn’t specify what they told me, sorry. He said he hadn’t seen anything like that in decades so they’re keeping an eye on him for now.

We pulled all the fluid from around his heart and his abdomen which was at least 300cc or more worth of fluid. He was put on a diuretic, prednisolone, and a heart relaxer (forgot the name!).

If this doesn’t work we try the next thing on the list.
If that doesn’t work it’s probably time for him to go.

It’s was a crazy turn of events today where we go in thinking it was his last day and came out with a bit of hope.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Did they think he needs to go see a cat cardiologist, or is your Vet well versed in that field? So glad he's got at least a fighting chance now! Hoping the meds keep the fluids from building back up. (the diuretic should certainly help.) He's certainly got to feel more comfortable now that those fluids have been drained!!

 

[Gizm0]

Did they think he needs to go see a cat cardiologist, or is your Vet well versed in that field? So glad he's got at least a fighting chance now! Hoping the meds keep the fluids from building back up. (the diuretic should certainly help.) He's certainly got to feel more comfortable now that those fluids have been drained!!

It’s definitely not my vets speciality but he still had ideas what it could be, and alongside the ultrasound technician they brainstormed some conditions. They were talking about usually when X happens then Y will also happen, which wasn’t the case for the cat, so it was hard to rule out exactly what’s causing the fluid.

 

[fionasmom]

I am glad that you have had some small improvement which may give you more time with your new boy. If you can afford a vet cardiologist and if one is within driving distance of you, especially a reasonable length trip that would not stress out your boy, it might be a good idea. That is not to say that your vet is not entirely qualified to handle this. If it is not meant for him to be with you for a great length of time try to focus on the fact that this later part of his life with you might have been the best that it has ever been and that he knows that he is loved and cared for and safe.

 

[Furballsmom]

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