What Type Of Quality Of Life Is This? Please Help.

[trizzo0309]

Hello all.

I could use some help with something that has been weighing on my mind ever since I brought my cat to the vet today. He's four years old and the sweetest little thing in the world. I love him more than life itself. However, he has been dealt a tough hand in life. About six months ago my cat had 15 teeth removed due to a degenerative gum disease which took a lot out of myself and my fiance who have owned him since he was a couple weeks old. The past year we found out he has fluted which is a urinary issue. He was put on medical food that works some days and others it causes him to become sick. Well, he was in really bad shape today and we took him to the vet and it turns out he had a blockage in his urinary track and if we didn't bring him at that moment it could've been fatal. They are holding him for a few days at the vet and putting in a catheter. They said if he doesn't improve with this and the new food they give him then they will need to do surgery that will really mess with his innards.

I just wonder: what type of quality of life is this? I just want him to not feel pain anymore and I wonder if I'm being selfish by allowing him to go through all these horrible hurdles life keeps throwing at him. Any advice would be appreciated as I just don't want to see my little man struggle.

Thank you everyone <3

 

[trizzo0309]

Bump.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

Take a few minutes to read through this. Dr. Pierson is a very well respected cat vet that knows her stuff.
what brand/type of food did they send you home with?
We have a male cat that had several complete blockages in his first few years. You're right, it's life threatening. He's 11 years old and hasn't had a blockage in about 8-9 years now, so there's hope for your little guy, too

 

[jen]

Boy it does sound like he has had a rough start. If the surgery is recommended do it. It will help him from continuously getting blocked throughout life. Keep him on a quality canned food for life, no dry, ever. The last thing a male cat needs is dry food let alone one with urinary issues. Get a water fountain or something too to increase his water intake as much as possible. Add water to his canned food even. His teeth being removed shouldn't affect him too bad. In the long run it is much better those teeth are gone, as they would only cause more problems. But since he shouldn't be eating dry food anyway you really won't have to worry.

 

[She's a witch]

Most cats live a perfectly good life without any teeth so I wouldn't really worry about it.
As for urinary track problems, there are many ways to try to manage them, as mentioned in the article sent by 1 bruce 1 . So I wouldn't give up on him unless you try everything there is to try.

I understand it's difficult to deal with his health problems, but personally I don't think the situation is as bad as you present it to be. Lots of cats have a good life even when faced with risk of urinary problems. Try to think positively and continue giving him all the love he deserves, it can really help.

 

[Furballsmom]

Try to think positively and continue giving him all the love he deserves, it can really help.

. along with all the great advice above, your baby needs you
My boy has had that surgery, he was about two years old. He's now 14 and completely rules this house .

Do you need financial assistance information?

 

[marmoset]

It sounds like he can be a very happy cat again once he is over this hurdle. I'd do the surgery. You can of course talk to the vet and research it more. I'm assuming this is perineal urethrostomy we are talking about?

Yes it is a delicate procedure because they are working with small parts of the anatomy (as is generally the case with cats) but it's one your vet would have likely done many many times. I know that when you are in the vet's office and they are saying we might need to do surgery and they talk about specifics your emotions and thoughts are just going all over. So write down all your questions and bring them to the vet when she or he rechecks the cat or have them by the phone when they call.

There is no stupid question. If you trust this vet they are your best source of guidance. If you do not trust them then do get a second opinion. You can ask about prognosis, their experience doing the procedure and what you need to do following the surgery. They might want the cat to be rechecked a few times over the next year.

I'm willing to bet that most vets would not consider this to be a quality of life issue however. As most cats that have the surgery live long and happy lives afterwards.

The lack of teeth shouldn't affect quality of life either. At our shelter we do almost as many extractions as spay/ neuter surgeries and full mouth extractions- we do a few a month. Those cats go on to be very happy eating a purely wet food diet for the rest of their life.

 

[trizzo0309]

Boy it does sound like he has had a rough start. If the surgery is recommended do it. It will help him from continuously getting blocked throughout life. Keep him on a quality canned food for life, no dry, ever. The last thing a male cat needs is dry food let alone one with urinary issues. Get a water fountain or something too to increase his water intake as much as possible. Add water to his canned food even. His teeth being removed shouldn't affect him too bad. In the long run it is much better those teeth are gone, as they would only cause more problems. But since he shouldn't be eating dry food anyway you really won't have to worry.

Thank you for your support and reply. I'm hoping for the best as he had a setback today at the vet. He didn't eat all day and now has to be transported to a cardiologist for heart issues as they just developed. It's been exceptionally hard.

 

[trizzo0309]

Most cats live a perfectly good life without any teeth so I wouldn't really worry about it.
As for urinary track problems, there are many ways to try to manage them, as mentioned in the article sent by 1 bruce 1 . So I wouldn't give up on him unless you try everything there is to try.

I understand it's difficult to deal with his health problems, but personally I don't think the situation is as bad as you present it to be. Lots of cats have a good life even when faced with risk of urinary problems. Try to think positively and continue giving him all the love he deserves, it can really help.

Thank you for your support and reply. I appreciate you putting things into perspective. I'm hoping for the best as he had a setback today at the vet. He didn't eat all day and now has to be transported to a cardiologist for heart issues as they just developed. It's been exceptionally hard.

 

[trizzo0309]

. along with all the great advice above, your baby needs you
My boy has had that surgery, he was about two years old. He's now 14 and completely rules this house .

Do you need financial assistance information?

Thank you for your reply and support. I'm happy to hear things went so well for you and he's still kicking butt! I'm not 100% sure what you mean by financial assistance information but I'm open to hearing what you have to say!

He had a medical setback tonight and had to be transported to a cardiologist for a new heart issue that they detected. Very scary.

 

[trizzo0309]

It sounds like he can be a very happy cat again once he is over this hurdle. I'd do the surgery. You can of course talk to the vet and research it more. I'm assuming this is perineal urethrostomy we are talking about?

Yes it is a delicate procedure because they are working with small parts of the anatomy (as is generally the case with cats) but it's one your vet would have likely done many many times. I know that when you are in the vet's office and they are saying we might need to do surgery and they talk about specifics your emotions and thoughts are just going all over. So write down all your questions and bring them to the vet when she or he rechecks the cat or have them by the phone when they call.

There is no stupid question. If you trust this vet they are your best source of guidance. If you do not trust them then do get a second opinion. You can ask about prognosis, their experience doing the procedure and what you need to do following the surgery. They might want the cat to be rechecked a few times over the next year.

I'm willing to bet that most vets would not consider this to be a quality of life issue however. As most cats that have the surgery live long and happy lives afterwards.

The lack of teeth shouldn't affect quality of life either. At our shelter we do almost as many extractions as spay/ neuter surgeries and full mouth extractions- we do a few a month. Those cats go on to be very happy eating a purely wet food diet for the rest of their life.

Thank you for your kind words and support, it's really appreciated and helps keep things in perspective <3

 

[silkenpaw]

I am so sorry you are dealing with all this. Everyone has already told you about what to expect, so I’ll just be keeping my fingers crossed for your guy. What’s his name? Sending him get better vibes. Sending you “stay positive” vibes.

 

[Furballsmom]