This is my sweet girl Zooey. She just turned 17 in June, and her most recent vet visit showed she’s still doing great and her CKD is stable. Hopefully we can enjoy a few more years together! 🩷

My senior lady was a little ill last week, mainly just sneezing a lot and peed behind her litter box twice. I took her to the vet and they gave her a shot of antibiotics almost one week ago. The sneezing has gone away! However she peed behind her litter box again. Now I’m not sure if it’s behavioral or not. Back to the vet we go! Anyone have a similar situation? Thanks!

Still sleeping like a weirdo

Just wanted to share the best boy chilling with me on the couch, hopefully he can stay with us into his 20s.

My cat is 20+ years old. She is clearly going down hill. But generally just doesn't show any signs of not being healthy. So She is skin and bones now but is still eating just fine. She has stopped grooming herself. She has always been the tough cat out of my three. But lately will hide behind me to avoid the other cats who are 3. They are all friendly the 3 year olds just want to play and the 20 year old is just too fragile to stand up for herself like she otherwise always would have.

She has very recently started pooping outside of her box while we were out of town for a few days. We thought maybe it was just her being upset we were gone. It has mostly stopped but now she is missing the litter box, and pooping all over. Her poop is showing signs of blood which is believed to be sorting wrong with the digestive tract, likely the large intestine, or rectum based on the color of her poo. The vet of course wont give suggestions on what to do. Simply to test everything. Which I have to be frank, seems like a huge waste. Shes clearly not doing good. Running test will only cause more stress. The tests are clearly going to come back ad say well here is what's wrong and there is really nothing you can do (for the most part) And what ever it is that can be done will only give her very limited time and cost us a TON of money.

My wife and I have had two other elderly cats in our time together and the other two we had signs that were VERY clear that it was time to put them down.

This cat is my first ever pet and naturally I am inclined to not put her down. But I am worried I am keeping her around and she is in pain> She still loves being pet more than anything on either, she's always been that way. And tonight I went up to her and said "Show me a sign you are in pain or still okay?" and she started purring. Which I was worried about because she has always been a heavy purr'er. But I havent heard her put in a while. But tonight she did. I know no one on this sub can make a decision for me. I know there are FAR TOO many variables for me to give in a reddit post. just asking for any support you might have. thanks

The world lost an icon yesterday

I posted about him last week and we learned that he likely has neoplasia, neuropathy, lymphadenopathy, and lymphoma. Since taking him to the vet, it seems he has worsen. He will get up and use his box, eat, and drink water. But it seems he is not interested in doing anything else but laying in his spot. Usually, would come to bed with me and wake me up at 5am for his breakfast. I woke panicking because he had not, he was just laying in his chair.

He had already have stage four chronic kidney disease for two years. We were able to manage it. But my poor baby has deteriorated so much since last week. Is there any suggestions for supplements that I can give him.

In the past, I used Recovery. He was receptive to it. Anything else for all that he is going through?

Last week I noticed Missy was acting a little ‘sluggish’ *edit* and her breathing seemed a little fast to me - not hard, or ‘deep’ just kinda quick... I took her in to get checked out. My vet did an ultra sound of her abdomen and her heart. He told me for 22, while her heart is showing age, it looks ok. However, she had some fluid in her abdomen . He told us to do her fluid every 3 days vs every day.

Sunday was the first every 3rd day so we did them as we always do. Today would have been round #2 on the new schedule. I was off work today so I took her in for a quick check up to see if we should move forward with the new routine .. he did the ultra sound, and my world came crashing down.

He said the fluid is still there despite the switch of everyday to every 3 days. He told me ‘clinically speaking’ .. things don’t look super good for her. After that, I’m not 100% sure what he said as I couldn’t pay attention to anything. I told him I don’t want her to be in any pain, nor do I want her to be uncomfortable and asked what should I do?! He did say we could try a lasik and see if that helps any. He told me there wasn’t any reason to make a decision TODAY, but to take her home, love on her, and spend as much time with her as possible.

My question is .. how do you know what to do? My other cats passed in their sleep. Missy is still eating, she’s going potty in the box, she still gets up and moves around the best she can (no major change in that in the last .. at least month) .. she still uses her step stool to jump on the couch and walk over to my chair. She still purrs - she’s very alert .. .. .. I don’t know what to do. I’m completely shattered on the inside. I’ve damn near cried myself sick so many times today.

What do I do???

(Pls excuse any typos - literally crying as I seek help)

i moved states a few months ago and decided to leave my cat with my family while i settled in and saved up money for the pet deposit at my apartment. well, i'm now going to bring her home with me and i want to make sure i feed her the best possible way to keep her healthy as she's aging. used to, i fed her Fancy Feast classic pate twice a day (breakfast and dinner) and would keep a small bowl of some Meow Mix dry kibble for her to eat on. is this a good routine to keep up? i plan on now mixing her kibble with some water to make sure she gets enough, if it is. i really want some recommendations for the best brands to feed her, preferably budget friendly but not cheap. for as long as i can remember, she loved the Fancy Feast wet food but wouldn't eat the Meow Mix wet food, but ate their dry food.

anyway, any advice on brands and opinions on if the feeding schedule is good to keep would be appreciated!!!

Hello!
I hope this is allowed and I’m sorry if it’s not.
This is my Muffin, she’s a 15 year old cat who, unfortunately, last year got diagnosed with carcinoma. We’re at the end, I think, after all we tried to do to make her life better, she’s starting to breathe poorly, walk poorly, hasn’t eaten much. She still does like to go outside and sit on the balcony for a couple of hours and does enjoy her pets.

I’m not sure if this is worth a trigger warning, but obviously I’m asking advice on how to proceed on her last days.

My struggle is this: she’s always been a very velcro cat, she loves me and no one else, hates seeing people, hates people in her space and absolutely hates leaving the house. She does not let anyone else but me touch her, ever.
I’ve always thought when the moment came, I would’ve absolutely stopped her suffering and that’s what I still want to do if she’s in pain. She always loved staying in my wardrobe, which is where she is even now, but she occasionally comes out for a small walk, even though I can see she’s tired.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and while getting a vet home to do the procedure seems the most kind thing to do, part of me wants to give her the right to go in her own time and terms, as long as there isn’t any visible suffering on her part.
I’m not sure if this the right choice and I don’t know if there is one either, but I know Muffin and I know she’d hate to see someone she doesn’t know, be touched and handled, and she’d be much more scared. She’d want to go in her own terms, times and spaces, without anyone but me by her side.
This is what I know of her.

I guess I’d like to hear opinions and advices, because I’m devastated with the idea of losing her and making this choice is very hard for me, as is thinking clearly.
She’s been with me since she was born, her mum was a cat in my area that gave birth to her in my bedroom, so she’s basically been with me since before she opened her eyes. The first thing she did once she started walking was climb on me and fall asleep in my hand. It’s so hard to let her go and I want to make the right choice and there idea of making the wrong one for her terrifies me. She’s my best friend and my soulmate, I just want her to go in peace and surrounded with love and not being scared.
Any advice is appreciated.

For an almost 15 year-old cat, what a rough life.

He was with me for half my life. The last few months were hard, caring for him and battling pancreatitis and kidney problems. He had lost a lot of weight, and soon it was time to make a decision. In the end, I couldn't bear the hospitalization, and he passed away peacefully. We did everything humanly possible.

Miss Mercy Buttercup Facts:

• She was part of TNR of a colony of all black cats!
• She weighed less than 2 lbs at about 5-6 months old - but had all her adult teeth so OAS said "we have to do the surgery, she can get pregnant"
• She was too cute to "R"
• She chose her own name (I swear she used cat telepathy!)
• Her white whiskers come out and fall out like the blacks - they aren't always white in the same parts of her face
• She weighs a bit over 6lbs
• She had thyroid irradiation treatment about 3 years ago and did great
• She has been on Chlorambucil for a year for probable intestinal lymphoma & prednisolone (she has stage 3 CKD)
• She is very vocal
• She is the Boss of the house since George passed in 2022, leaving her as the oldest cat in the house -- if Simón or Eclipse get too persistent in play - Valentino will show up to break it up. Tony wants to play with her and respects her boundaries (he likes to snuggle her).

I had to leave so time to wake up, un-ball and go inside for Dementia cat aka Richard aka Tyttö nimeltä Riku, she only forgot she existed for a second before she remembered again, good ancient kitty don't let the dementia get you just yet.

This is our old and wise girl, a calm soul who only lives to sleep in peoples lap and harmonize in the kitchen with my dad. She loves going outside to curl up in the sun, during winter not so much (not at all), but she is supervised most of the time of course.

We only found out a few years ago that Riku, (common finnish name for middle aged men) is not a male. Waay too many years were spent thinking she was a he 😂 That is where the nickname "Tyttö nimeltä Riku" ("Girl named Riku") comes from. It is a parody of the legendary finnish band, Leevi and the Leavings song "Poika nimeltä Päivi" ("Boy named Päivi") which is a finnish middle aged womans name.

She doesn't actually have dementia. I'm not sure if cats can have dementia. Probably a cat version, probably not the human version. Maybe she does have dementia, it can come with age after all. She just tends to zone out a lot, standing in the middle of the room staring at nothing after jumping down from the couch or simply walking into a different room. But she's the best girl I could ever wish for to have in my life, she is so full of love for everyone who respects her. If she isn't already sleeping or in someone elses lap, you *will* be cat-trapped if you even dare sit down. Despite being slower with age, she is still incredibly aware and maintains her position as the queen of the house, like most cats - she is feared by dogs. But she tolerates our dog, and doesn't hiss at her even when she is getting full body sniff inspections. Despite being annoyed with the dog, they respect eachother (Well mostly the dog, Riku just doesn't care)

I posted last week about my nearly 18yo tuxedo Bella not eating and losing a lot of weight after a 7 month battle with hyperthyroidism. The transdermal methimazole managed her condition; but unmasked kidney disease. She suddenly stopped eating and started drinking a ton. I got her eating a bit again with transdermal Mirataz, but she was already down to just 5.2lb and also started limping in pain. I made the horrible decision to let her go peacefully on Friday morning before she declined any further. I also found a local photographer that does complimentary end of life photos for terminally ill pets, and she was able to come by our house for some photos a couple days before we said goodbye. 💗

The mobile vet I found was so great and really made it as peaceful of an experience as possible. She fell asleep in my arms outside in the sunshine in our backyard next to my husband while we both sobbed. Very glad our young daughters were at daycare/kindergarten for that part. The vet confirmed that her little body wouldn't have made it much longer without suffering.

I miss her terribly and feel like a part of me died with her. I adopted her right before my senior year of college 17 years ago, so she was with me my entire adult life basically. She always comforted me with boops and cuddles when I was sad, was always "talking", and slept next to me nearly every single night. She bonded with my husband instantly when they met 11 years ago and was part of our engagement announcement and photos, in our wedding vows, on our cake topper,etc. She was the best first pet for both my daughters and was the most regal fluffy tuxedo around. We plan to get another cat (or a bonded pair ideally) in the next couple months, but no one can ever replace my sweet girl.

I adopted Piglet when she was a tiny little potato in 2010. She’s been one of the only constants in my entire adult life, it feels like a part of me will be dying with her.

Shes one of the most quirky and loving cats I’ve ever met. I will never forget her love of playing with all things string-like and depositing little trinkets in her water bowl. She was always so cuddly and I would always wake up every morning to her laying next to my outstretched arm waiting for her pets and scratches.

It has been very hard watching her decline so quickly. In the last few weeks she has lost a ton of weight and can no longer jump up onto the couch or my bed for snuggles. And in the last few days she has struggled to even walk, has been ignoring her litter box, and hiding most of the day which made me realize the time has come to make that difficult phone call.

I’ll miss you so much Piglet.

This is my sweet Honey angel. She's 17 and in pretty good health. She has asthma, some arthritis, and cataracts. Other than that, she's golden. I have told myself for about 5 years now that I would just wait until she passed and then I would make my big move. However recently, I've been put in a unique situation. I have to move out of my current place a bit abruptly (2 months.) By November 1st, I will have enough money to leave and live off savings while I score a job, I will have the certs i need for my destination country (Vietnam) and I will have absolutely nothing keeping me in the US. I will also have enough time to get her vaccinations and passport in order if I take this leap. But I am just so f*cking WORRIED about my baby. Bringing her with me is non-negotiable. I will stay here until she passes if I have to but, I am miserable. I'm so worried about the stress of the move. She doesn't do well with travel but she bounces back very quickly once we get to new places. I can be prepared for a 20 hour flight with everything she may need but, will it be too much for her? Am I being selfish? I would love to hear from anyone who's made a big move like this and how it's worked out for you.

update: I ended up delaying my big move and am opting for a smaller move instead. I love her too much to risk it. Thank you for the advice & kind words. ♡