I have posted on here about how our old guy of at least 23 Simba was getting fussy with his foods, getting thinner, vomiting a lot, but is still hanging in there, still interested in eating but we really have to mix the foods up for him. We give him baked chicken, turkey, lean hamburger and switch it off a lot to keep him "happy" as he doesn't eat much wet food anymore but does eat dry. He used to eat treats but got tired of them for whatever reason, but he loves cheese but we think that was giving him issues and making him vomit more so we cut that almost out. We suspect his thyroid if off so for months we have been giving him holistic thryoid/weight support pills from Best Life 4 pets, it seems to be helping him. He is thin but we think it is just age, he doesn't seem to be in any pain, is still quite spry and pushes us for food when we are in the kitchen, but a lot of times he is just "playing" us to see what different things we will give him, he's pretty smart! But we aren't going to take him to a vet, not at this stage of things, and he is thin and might freak out in the carrier and break something or worse. Years ago he had an issue with his teeth, we couldn't get him so we had an exprienced woman from a local cat rescue place come in, she trapped him with my help and it was horrible, he went wild, so much she told me "I hope I never have to do that again". I talked with her and also our vet months ago, and they both agreed and said the same thing, at this age let him live his life out on his terms. We wouldn't be able to give him shots for anything if he needed it, pills would be a struggle, we wouldn't treat him if he had cancer or anything like that, he doesn't appear to be in pain but we know that the clock is ticking, and despite losing 9 cats over the years this one will be extra tough, he was everybody's friend, bonked the new cats when they came aboard, washes the others, just this morning when Deb was feeding them and they were standing there waiting he was rubbing his face into Sock's head and face, still everbody's buddy, so that is going to be so sad when his time does come.
But he still is spry, jumps up on the sofa to sleep, climbs up to the back of the sofa at times, eats, drinks, uses the litter box, still responds to attention, but for some reason Deb and I are saddened already, knowing what will eventually come. But I said I think a lot of it is what stress and heartache we have dealt with over just these past two years, moving my parents out of their home, them in and out of hospitals and now in skilled nursing, having to sell everything they had which was a LOT, dealing with elder law lawyers and banks, Deb's 87 year old mom and her issues, losing 3 cats in that time, the last being Slim in December which still hurts, many other things, I think it just wears us and we see him and we know that we are doing all we can for him, but we are just so sad knowing we will lose him one day, but that's how it goes, we took him in as a stray 17 years ago, he would've been dead MANY years ago if we didn't, but he is just such a sweet cat, everybody's friend, just don't try to pick him up to put in a carrier he'll kill you lol!!
I don't know why I am even putting this on here, I guess it just helps to put it into words. We wrote him off months ago after he had a bad day and threw up 4 times, we said our goodbyes to him and told him it was okay to "do what he had to do", and I dreaded what I was going to see the next morning, but there he was, first one in the kitchen, ready to go and that was months ago! He still throws up but not as much as before, I think those pills help him, but more than we would like, but the last few days almost all of the others did too, so maybe they are passing something around. But we do our best to keep him happy and give him different foods, we let him "play" us and he's still here, but we can't shake the sad feeling of what will one day be. But we know that when he does go he will rejoin his "Girlfriend" Sabrina, and Sugar and his pal Slim and Slim's brother Skipper (Sabrina was their sister) and all of the other cats that are at the Bridge waiting for us, and how one day we will be surrounded by them once again and it will be FOREVER...
But we dread the day, but the way he is going it may be awhile yet, time will tell...
Thanks if you read through all of this, I just wanted to put it out there as I know many here have good ideas and also lend their support which helps a LOT. I often think of what Di & Bob says, "if love could save them they'd live forever" 
But he still is spry, jumps up on the sofa to sleep, climbs up to the back of the sofa at times, eats, drinks, uses the litter box, still responds to attention, but for some reason Deb and I are saddened already, knowing what will eventually come. But I said I think a lot of it is what stress and heartache we have dealt with over just these past two years, moving my parents out of their home, them in and out of hospitals and now in skilled nursing, having to sell everything they had which was a LOT, dealing with elder law lawyers and banks, Deb's 87 year old mom and her issues, losing 3 cats in that time, the last being Slim in December which still hurts, many other things, I think it just wears us and we see him and we know that we are doing all we can for him, but we are just so sad knowing we will lose him one day, but that's how it goes, we took him in as a stray 17 years ago, he would've been dead MANY years ago if we didn't, but he is just such a sweet cat, everybody's friend, just don't try to pick him up to put in a carrier he'll kill you lol!!
I don't know why I am even putting this on here, I guess it just helps to put it into words. We wrote him off months ago after he had a bad day and threw up 4 times, we said our goodbyes to him and told him it was okay to "do what he had to do", and I dreaded what I was going to see the next morning, but there he was, first one in the kitchen, ready to go and that was months ago! He still throws up but not as much as before, I think those pills help him, but more than we would like, but the last few days almost all of the others did too, so maybe they are passing something around. But we do our best to keep him happy and give him different foods, we let him "play" us and he's still here, but we can't shake the sad feeling of what will one day be. But we know that when he does go he will rejoin his "Girlfriend" Sabrina, and Sugar and his pal Slim and Slim's brother Skipper (Sabrina was their sister) and all of the other cats that are at the Bridge waiting for us, and how one day we will be surrounded by them once again and it will be FOREVER...
But we dread the day, but the way he is going it may be awhile yet, time will tell...
Thanks if you read through all of this, I just wanted to put it out there as I know many here have good ideas and also lend their support which helps a LOT. I often think of what Di & Bob says, "if love could save them they'd live forever"
