Not sure what to title this...

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[b]

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My boyfriend's cat is old...very old. Over 16 years old, probably close to 18 at this point.

She's started pissing everywhere, she won't eat, she has trouble moving around, and for the past two days she stands at every door and window meowing. If we let her outside she runs (as best she can) straight for the woods and then stands in one place, shaking all over and meowing louder.

This cat never meowed before.

We're pretty sure she's getting ready to head for the great litter box in the sky.

So what do we do? If this is the end, I would like for her to be comfortable, but we can't just let her go outside because of where we live. I've taken her out for "walks" but the idea of standing there waiting to see if she's just gonna lie down and die is kinda creepy.

On the other hand, if it is that time, I'm ready for it to be over with. Maybe that's cruel, but she seems to be in pain when she walks, and quite honestly, if she continues to piss all over the house, I'm gonna kill her myself.

Any suggestions?

I want my boyfriend to take her to a vet or something, but he won't. I'm think he doesn't want to know...you know, what's wrong or that is going to die soon.

I also have no idea what to do for him when the cat passes. How do you console somebody who's lost a pet they've had for such a long time?

 
Either the cat's ready to take a hike, or it's a curable condition. Either way, your boyfriend is guilty of cruelty if he won't take the cat to a vet.

If the cat dies, well, different people handle grief in different ways. You're going to have to stay flexible and react to how he deals with it.
 
it could just be a kidney/bladder infection. taking it to the vet is your best bet.
 
It's not that he hasn't taken her at all. When she first started acting this way (almost a year now, but it wasn't so bad) we thought maybe she had a urinary tract infection. But she came back fine. She's been twice since then, though the last time has probably been 4 or 5 months. Each time she checks out as ok, but it's just been getting worse. I'd have to say it's just old age catching up, but I don't know.

After tomorrow I don't have any school till next week. I'll see if I can't get him to set up an appointment for me to take her in.
 
It probably is old age. While I don't suggest that putting a pet down is for everyone, the question you must ask is...Is the cat suffering, or just moody? If no suffering is actually involved, I'd say just keep the cat at home, and care for it as you have been. With affection and caring.
 
you may have to take her to a vet. my friend mikes cat has cancer and has been suffering a lot so i know it hurts him a lot to see the cat suffer. i hate to say this but maybe put it to sleep? i know that means i should get my ass kicked but i say it in the thought that the cat will no longer suffer. take care of the cat and again were all here for ya
 
No, I've been wondering about having the cat put to sleep as well. Now that I think about it, that's probably the reason he's been less apt to take the cat to the vet, I don't think he'd be able to make that decision, even if that's what is best for the cat, I seriously doubt he could tell them to put her down.

Well, I'm supposed to go see him in about 30 minutes, so I'll see what he wants to do. At this point, it really is time to do something.
 
Be prepared to put the cat down in the vet's office if they find something really wrong. They usually keep the animal there and let the person make the decision within a day. At the very least they might be able to help with the cat's incontinence problem.

I think taking the cat to the vet is a great idea... But if he does lose the cat, I wouldn't suggest another kitten to get over it. Maybe in a while but not now. I say that because you asked how you console someone who's lost a pet. I don't think there is any way except to be there for them and listen to them. Does he have any other cats?

Good luck with it, .
 
thanks,

i'm taking the cat to the vet tommorrow at 10:15. We'll know more then...
 
It's a tough decision to make - I've had to do it a couple of times myself - but I'm sure you'll do what's best for the cat.
 
so, i took the cat to the vet today, turns out she's just really old and parts are starting to wear out.

her thyroid is starting to enlarge which will eventually cause her heart to fail and is also causing her to dehydrate, which is causing her to be slightly constipated.

her kidneys are possibly in failure.

they ran some tests so we'll know more tomorrow.

there are some treatments we can do to help prolong her life, but at best she's got from a few weeks (if the treatments don't help) to a few months (if they do) to live.

so, we'll see what happens. i suppose that the reality of the situation is we'll end up putting her to sleep before mid december.

:(
 
Well, my mom's cat did the same thing you're talkin about when he got old. He was only 12, though. He was 19 pounds :D. I loved that cat. He got real skinny, wouldn't eat, was real cranky when you tried to pet him. Took him to the vet and said he had some kind of kidney problem. A couple months later we went ahead and put him to sleep. He is buried at my parent's place.
 
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