Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

She's pretty old and I think she's becoming senile. She's around 11 or so, I think. She meows incessantly for no apparent reason. She doesn't use her litter box anymore. It ends up on the floor, outside of the box, or on the carpet around the house.

I really don't want to do it, it seems disloyal, but I think I might have to. I remember our older cat had the same problem.. we found out he had leukemia and cat AIDS for quite some time. At the time, we couldn't afford to have him put to sleep.

She doesn't seem to be in much pain. She still purrs and crap, and loves when we pet her, but I can't help but remember our older cat's body breaking down and being in a constant state of pain. He started losing his fur, lost tons of weight, and became so weak that he couldn't move onto the furniture. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Anybody have anything they can add? Thanks.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

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She's pretty old and I think she's becoming senile. She's around 11 or so, I think. She meows incessantly for no apparent reason. She doesn't use her litter box anymore. It ends up on the floor, outside of the box, or on the carpet around the house.

I really don't want to do it, it seems disloyal, but I think I might have to. I remember our older cat had the same problem.. we found out he had leukemia and cat AIDS for quite some time. At the time, we couldn't afford to have him put to sleep.

She doesn't seem to be in much pain. She still purrs and crap, and loves when we pet her, but I can't help but remember our older cat's body breaking down and being in a constant state of pain. He started losing his fur, lost tons of weight, and became so weak that he couldn't move onto the furniture. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Anybody have anything they can add? Thanks.

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You seem to be still be quite attached to your cat. Sure, it's harder to take care of her but it seems that you're not psychologically prepared to watch her die so I say no-don't put it to sleep.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

if she is in pain, i would say yes...

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

I voted yes strictly because i HATE cats.
Jay.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

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if she is in pain, i would say yes...

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I'm not sure if she is. She seems happy when she's walking around. She meows nonstop, but it doesn't seem like a whimper or anything. She was at the vet not long ago and they said she was fine.


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I voted yes strictly because i HATE cats.

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Thanks a lot.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

The cat that I own now is currently 22 years old. About a year ago, she was obviously going through alot of pain; she was having trouble walking, throwing up everywhere, having seizures, etc. She was also having eyesight problems. We thought about putting her down, but left her and it seems that the problems somehow corrected themselves temporarily. She never really has much energy and spends most of her days sitting around, but it seems like her pain has subsided.

It's up to you though, if your cat does seem to be suffering I think it would be a good idea to put him down. However, if you're really opposed to that idea I'd give it a while and see how he's doing in about a month or two. If it's worse than before, I'd have it put down.

As well, my cat seems to have lost a ton of weight as well and also loves being pet. She is a FIEND for milk, and she'll knock over everything on my computer desk if she thinks she can get to some milk I've left on it.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

You say she is peeing around the house. Is she going more often than normal? What about her water intake? Does it seems like she drinks a lot of water? When you were last at the vet, what exactly did they do to determine she was fine? Did they do any blood work or just an exam?

Also, how many cats do you have, and how many litter boxes do you have? Has anything changed recently around the house to stress her out?

There are a number of problems that cats can get as they get older, but if she is still happy and doing well, then you shouldnt put her down IMO, but in the end it is up to you. 11 yrs is fairly old, but you can likely have a few more good years with her if you want it.


Disclaimer: I am not yet a vet, I am still in school.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

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I voted yes strictly because i HATE cats.
Jay.

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were you born a douchebag or did you just grow up to be one?

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

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The cat that I own now is currently 22 years old.

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That's crazy as hell. My earlier cat that died was 15.

http://myspace-144.vo.llnwd.net/0017...77103144_l.jpg

Baby Kitty (1984-1999)


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You say she is peeing around the house.

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Haven't noticed pee, just poop, if that makes a difference.


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Is she going more often than normal?

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I don't think so. I don't know, I don't really monitor her bathroom habits. My mom cleans the litter box, it's in her room.


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What about her water intake? Does it seems like she drinks a lot of water?

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I really don't know. They always have water and food out.


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When you were last at the vet, what exactly did they do to determine she was fine? Did they do any blood work or just an exam?

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I'm not sure, I have a weak concept of time. I think they took her temperature, weight, and other stuff. I think the actual appointment was an oral examination. They cleaned her teeth. I don't think they did any blood tests.


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Also, how many cats do you have, and how many litter boxes do you have?

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We have 2 cats. The cat in question, Taj, is the oldest. The younger cat is 5.


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Has anything changed recently around the house to stress her out?

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We stopped letting her outside during the day. Our apartment manager, an idiot, recently decided that our cats can't go outside any longer. Someone moved in, on the complete opposite end of the hall is allergic to cats, so ours can't be outside anymore. We still let them out at night, but that's it. I don't think that'd cause stress, though.


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Disclaimer: I am not yet a vet, I am still in school.

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Your help is very appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Should I Put My Cat Down?
 

I remember growing up we had a dog named Ceasar that was almost totally blind and stone deaf but he really liked people and didn't have any other problems like doing his business in the house. Towards the end he had series of small stokes which caused him to be very confused and scared which was made worse by him being deaf & blind. Poor little guy used to walked in a circle in the backyard all day long wearing a pathway in the lawn b/c he seemed too afraid to stop moving. As he suffered more and more of these little strokes and his "circle" got smaller and smaller. We didn't put him down right away b/c he stilled enjoyed being petted and liked eating his food but we knew the end was close. When he started having pain we never hesitated to put him to sleep. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]