How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not

Heather Micaela · 03-03-2015, 04:33 PM

I have a 15 year old cat and everything online is conflicting. Some say it is very elderly, other sites say she could have many good years left.

The problem is she is peeing on the floor. Consistently now. It is in the same place so there is not senility going on. And we have tried various solutions but nothing, not even puppy pads, work.

She also has bloody mucous in her stool

-which she also deposits on the floor.

I am not sure if it is even worth it to have her checked out because unless it is a simple fix (like easy-to administer meds), I cannot invest in it. It sounds callous (though if you knew how I care about animals you would know it isn't) but I am not sure drastic surgeries at her age are even worth it. At the same time she is still seeming to be without pain and still alert.

I hate to euthanize a cat for MY quality of life but even with several animals I have been fastidious about cleanliness and now our house smells.

Some have suggested crating her since all she does is sleep and eat and has about a ten foot range she stays within, but I am afraid she will just end up having to sit in her mess because there would be even less room.

Would you take her to the vet and look into health care solutions, or would you let her die with dignity now? (My kids are going to hate me in the end either way because eventually I will have to put her down.)

milkmommy · 03-03-2015, 04:51 PM

Our cat had bloody mucous stools and went outside the litter. We had to ensure all her food was gluten free and corn free and it stopped. However she did this even as a kitten. At her age I'd be concerned with like failing kidneys.

domesticzookeeper · 03-03-2015, 05:09 PM

Oh, that's so tough

If she were my cat, I'd take her to the vet and get their assessment. I'd leave myself open to the possibility that the news would not be good, the treatment would not be feasible, etc. I'd leave myself open to the fact that the answer could still be 'goodbye'

But at least then I'd know.

ReedleBeetle · 03-03-2015, 05:31 PM

In my experience with cats that age, often such problems can indicate being near-ish to the end. On the other hand, my parents cat that has the urinary symptoms started having recurrent UTIs around that age.

The bowel issues could be caused by dry food, gluten problems, worms or disease. It is hard to know.

Do you have the money to take her to the vet and see? Or no?

Our cat has to have gluten free wet food. Sheba is a pretty cheap canned cat food if you want to try it. He also can only consistently eat the poultry flavors without problems.

Cats struggle to drink enough water (they are naturally supposed to get most water from their food), so dry food is very, very hard on them. They also will stop using a litter box if it always hurts when they use it...they will associate the pain with the box and become afraid of it.

I would start, knowing your situation, with changing food. I would boil just plain chicken thighs and shred, cover in broth and feed that for about 48 hours to help reset the system, then get the Sheba and see how that does. You can get goat dewormer at Tractor Supply and safely use that on cats. Then if she is still having problems, I would try doing the vet.

Heather Micaela · 03-03-2015, 05:56 PM

She will only eat dry food. I can get BETTER dry food but she is stubborn and wont eat anything else. We have tried various times over the years. Even when I run out of food she will barely eat chicken or wet food.

I can take her for an exam but I cannot afford any expensive meds ongoing or surgery other than the euthanasia which is not cheap.

milkmommy · 03-03-2015, 06:57 PM

We supplement with dry.. we have to use grain free with dry or she starts having issues.

ReedleBeetle · 03-03-2015, 08:46 PM

I would try grain free dry then.

Safeguard is the goat dewormer you can use if you want to try that. It is the suspension and you use 1cc/ml per 5lbs of body weight for a cat or dog. It works great and works gently. Give it everyday for 3 days. Wait 10 days and give it again for 3 days.

Heather Micaela · 03-03-2015, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReedleBeetle

I would try grain free dry then.

Safeguard is the goat dewormer you can use if you want to try that. It is the suspension and you use 1cc/ml per 5lbs of body weight for a cat or dog. It works great and works gently. Give it everyday for 3 days. Wait 10 days and give it again for 3 days.

So where (other than Tractor Supply, which I've never even heard of) can I get this?

ReedleBeetle · 03-03-2015, 08:59 PM

I am PMing you a location that might be close enough to you.

AngelaVA · 03-04-2015, 05:49 AM

We have a cat who is actually 22 who has had some urinary problems. Vets vary but ours was able to treat her for around $200 total. Blood draw, antibiotic shot and then she has to take Azo Dial each day which is an ongoing cost of about $40 every 6 weeks. My cat is willing to eat canned food and that has helped as well. I wonder if you gradually mixed small amounts of canned with the dry if she would adjust?

mom23sons · 03-04-2015, 07:15 AM

My advice is probably not the popular one......if your cat is not living a cat life and is in pain or discomfort, feeling miserable, then I opt for the putting her down.
You can take her to the vet and spend hundreds and then in 4-6 weeks see that she isn't improving and have to put her down anyway. I am not callous towards animals at all but grew up with the mindset of if an animal isn't living the way they are enjoying their life then it is more humane to put them down. For a cat to me it would be loving their human, weaving in between my feet, putting the dog in his place to let the dog know she is in charge, ect. Often times people spend $$$$ to keep their pet alive but the pet is miserable, in pain and it is more for the owner then for the pet. Just my honest 2 cents.

Amber · 03-04-2015, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domesticzookeeper

Oh, that's so tough

If she were my cat, I'd take her to the vet and get their assessment. I'd leave myself open to the possibility that the news would not be good, the treatment would not be feasible, etc. I'd leave myself open to the fact that the answer could still be 'goodbye'

But at least then I'd know.

This is what I would do too. It could be that she has some crystals in her urine that are making it painful for her to pee, a change to a special food can help the crystals dissolve and help prevent them from coming back. Like a PP said cats will often stop using the litter box if it is painful because they associate the pain with the litter box.

My old cat would have bloody mucous in his poop when he was stressed. Sometimes I could figure out what the stress was (visiting dog, change of furniture

, etc) other times I couldn't.

Heather Micaela · 03-04-2015, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom23sons

My advice is probably not the popular one......if your cat is not living a cat life and is in pain or discomfort, feeling miserable, then I opt for the putting her down.
You can take her to the vet and spend hundreds and then in 4-6 weeks see that she isn't improving and have to put her down anyway. I am not callous towards animals at all but grew up with the mindset of if an animal isn't living the way they are enjoying their life then it is more humane to put them down. For a cat to me it would be loving their human, weaving in between my feet, putting the dog in his place to let the dog know she is in charge, ect. Often times people spend $$$$ to keep their pet alive but the pet is miserable, in pain and it is more for the owner then for the pet. Just my honest 2 cents.

I understand. I am glad veterinary medicine exists, but I think it is a mistake to think that we must go to great lengths and spend a lot of money to prove we are caring pet owners. When I was young they thought a ten year old cat was old.

I am willing to try better food but I cannot give her medicine for the rest of her life at the cost of $40 a month.''

She WILL NOT take canned, mixed or otherwise. Nor fresh meat. She got used to junk food

. But she made it to 15 so far with different qualities of dry.

AngelaVA · 03-05-2015, 06:16 PM

In that case I think the most responsible thing to do would be to euthanize her. It's certainly a reasonable choice at her age.

Earthmummy07 · 03-06-2015, 02:12 PM

I would try the wormer and gluten free dry food if you can get it, as a last resort, but when our elderly cat (she was somewhere between 15 and 18, she was a rescue so not sure exactly) had these sort of issues, it was due to her systems starting to shut down due to old age.

We put it off for a while, because other than sleeping a lot and the toilet accidents she was happy, just slowing down. After a few months though she went down hill fast and started vomiting, then vomiting blood because her systems had shut down past the point of her being able to properly digest food (she also would only eat dry food, and only drink out of a running tap because that's what she had before she was rescued). At that point we had to let her go, and part of me feels bad that we let her get to that point, but it's hard to know when they're done, especially if they're still happy and purring most of the time. She was never actually miserable enough to convey how sick she really was

as you navigate this

03-03-2015, 04:33 PM	#1
Heather Micaela Rose Garden Bar/Bat Mitzvah picture with husband Michael. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Within sight and earshot of the Disneyland fireworks Posts: 39,893	How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not I have a 15 year old cat and everything online is conflicting. Some say it is very elderly, other sites say she could have many good years left. The problem is she is peeing on the floor. Consistently now. It is in the same place so there is not senility going on. And we have tried various solutions but nothing, not even puppy pads, work. She also has bloody mucous in her stool -which she also deposits on the floor. I am not sure if it is even worth it to have her checked out because unless it is a simple fix (like easy-to administer meds), I cannot invest in it. It sounds callous (though if you knew how I care about animals you would know it isn't) but I am not sure drastic surgeries at her age are even worth it. At the same time she is still seeming to be without pain and still alert. I hate to euthanize a cat for MY quality of life but even with several animals I have been fastidious about cleanliness and now our house smells. Some have suggested crating her since all she does is sleep and eat and has about a ten foot range she stays within, but I am afraid she will just end up having to sit in her mess because there would be even less room. Would you take her to the vet and look into health care solutions, or would you let her die with dignity now? (My kids are going to hate me in the end either way because eventually I will have to put her down.) __________________ Heather ESFJ T4 Messianic Joshua-13 Christina- 11 Amalia Linda-8.5 Trinity-7 Gabriel-5 w/ADHD, ASD & Dyslexia Taylor Jordan11/15/04 SkyeDakota10/12/05 Life is a pile of good things & bad things The good things don't always soften the bad things but the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things

03-03-2015, 04:51 PM	#2
milkmommy Rose Garden sisters! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sunniest place on Earth and hotter than Phoenix! Might as well be sitting on the sun... Posts: 35,300	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not Our cat had bloody mucous stools and went outside the litter. We had to ensure all her food was gluten free and corn free and it stopped. However she did this even as a kitten. At her age I'd be concerned with like failing kidneys. __________________ Deanna wife to Shawn since 2001 mom to a young adult Cecilia , tween Margaret and three I will hold one day in heaven.

03-03-2015, 05:09 PM	#3
domesticzookeeper Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 10,115	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not Oh, that's so tough If she were my cat, I'd take her to the vet and get their assessment. I'd leave myself open to the possibility that the news would not be good, the treatment would not be feasible, etc. I'd leave myself open to the fact that the answer could still be 'goodbye' But at least then I'd know. __________________ emily

03-03-2015, 05:31 PM	#4
ReedleBeetle Rose Garden Hangin' on for dear life! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: WV, I'm a mountain momma Posts: 25,579	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not In my experience with cats that age, often such problems can indicate being near-ish to the end. On the other hand, my parents cat that has the urinary symptoms started having recurrent UTIs around that age. The bowel issues could be caused by dry food, gluten problems, worms or disease. It is hard to know. Do you have the money to take her to the vet and see? Or no? Our cat has to have gluten free wet food. Sheba is a pretty cheap canned cat food if you want to try it. He also can only consistently eat the poultry flavors without problems. Cats struggle to drink enough water (they are naturally supposed to get most water from their food), so dry food is very, very hard on them. They also will stop using a litter box if it always hurts when they use it...they will associate the pain with the box and become afraid of it. I would start, knowing your situation, with changing food. I would boil just plain chicken thighs and shred, cover in broth and feed that for about 48 hours to help reset the system, then get the Sheba and see how that does. You can get goat dewormer at Tractor Supply and safely use that on cats. Then if she is still having problems, I would try doing the vet. __________________ RiAnnon infj Single Momma to LegoCraft May 2005

03-03-2015, 05:56 PM	#5
Heather Micaela Rose Garden Bar/Bat Mitzvah picture with husband Michael. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Within sight and earshot of the Disneyland fireworks Posts: 39,893	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not She will only eat dry food. I can get BETTER dry food but she is stubborn and wont eat anything else. We have tried various times over the years. Even when I run out of food she will barely eat chicken or wet food. I can take her for an exam but I cannot afford any expensive meds ongoing or surgery other than the euthanasia which is not cheap. __________________ Heather ESFJ T4 Messianic Joshua-13 Christina- 11 Amalia Linda-8.5 Trinity-7 Gabriel-5 w/ADHD, ASD & Dyslexia Taylor Jordan11/15/04 SkyeDakota10/12/05 Life is a pile of good things & bad things The good things don't always soften the bad things but the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things

03-03-2015, 06:57 PM	#6
milkmommy Rose Garden sisters! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sunniest place on Earth and hotter than Phoenix! Might as well be sitting on the sun... Posts: 35,300	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not We supplement with dry.. we have to use grain free with dry or she starts having issues. __________________ Deanna wife to Shawn since 2001 mom to a young adult Cecilia , tween Margaret and three I will hold one day in heaven.

03-03-2015, 08:46 PM	#7
ReedleBeetle Rose Garden Hangin' on for dear life! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: WV, I'm a mountain momma Posts: 25,579	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not I would try grain free dry then. Safeguard is the goat dewormer you can use if you want to try that. It is the suspension and you use 1cc/ml per 5lbs of body weight for a cat or dog. It works great and works gently. Give it everyday for 3 days. Wait 10 days and give it again for 3 days. __________________ RiAnnon infj Single Momma to LegoCraft May 2005

03-03-2015, 08:59 PM	#9
ReedleBeetle Rose Garden Hangin' on for dear life! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: WV, I'm a mountain momma Posts: 25,579	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not I am PMing you a location that might be close enough to you. __________________ RiAnnon infj Single Momma to LegoCraft May 2005

03-04-2015, 05:49 AM	#10
AngelaVA Rose Garden Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 11,512	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not We have a cat who is actually 22 who has had some urinary problems. Vets vary but ours was able to treat her for around $200 total. Blood draw, antibiotic shot and then she has to take Azo Dial each day which is an ongoing cost of about $40 every 6 weeks. My cat is willing to eat canned food and that has helped as well. I wonder if you gradually mixed small amounts of canned with the dry if she would adjust? __________________ Wife to David since July 2005, Mama to Genevieve born June 2006 and to Gabrielle born February 2009

03-04-2015, 07:15 AM	#11
mom23sons Rose Bouquet Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 614	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not My advice is probably not the popular one......if your cat is not living a cat life and is in pain or discomfort, feeling miserable, then I opt for the putting her down. You can take her to the vet and spend hundreds and then in 4-6 weeks see that she isn't improving and have to put her down anyway. I am not callous towards animals at all but grew up with the mindset of if an animal isn't living the way they are enjoying their life then it is more humane to put them down. For a cat to me it would be loving their human, weaving in between my feet, putting the dog in his place to let the dog know she is in charge, ect. Often times people spend $$$$ to keep their pet alive but the pet is miserable, in pain and it is more for the owner then for the pet. Just my honest 2 cents. __________________ Amie, wife to JB and mom to 3 amazing teenage sons. IT 19, CP 17 and EG 15. DON to the elderly . Living as simple as can be in Maine.

03-05-2015, 06:16 PM	#14
AngelaVA Rose Garden Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 11,512	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not In that case I think the most responsible thing to do would be to euthanize her. It's certainly a reasonable choice at her age. __________________ Wife to David since July 2005, Mama to Genevieve born June 2006 and to Gabrielle born February 2009

03-06-2015, 02:12 PM	#15
Earthmummy07 Rose Garden Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: UK Posts: 8,586	Re: How to solve a problem like my kitty: Is she that old/sick or not I would try the wormer and gluten free dry food if you can get it, as a last resort, but when our elderly cat (she was somewhere between 15 and 18, she was a rescue so not sure exactly) had these sort of issues, it was due to her systems starting to shut down due to old age. We put it off for a while, because other than sleeping a lot and the toilet accidents she was happy, just slowing down. After a few months though she went down hill fast and started vomiting, then vomiting blood because her systems had shut down past the point of her being able to properly digest food (she also would only eat dry food, and only drink out of a running tap because that's what she had before she was rescued). At that point we had to let her go, and part of me feels bad that we let her get to that point, but it's hard to know when they're done, especially if they're still happy and purring most of the time. She was never actually miserable enough to convey how sick she really was as you navigate this

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