HELP any one a vet/ vet nurse??????

[jazzak]

I have a very old cat aprox 14 yrs old (we adopted him) as the previous owners that lived across the road moved and the cat didnt like the new house so he came back to the house arcross the road and did so three times and we decided that we would look after him (feed/worm/flea) as we had a cat allready and didnt want him catching anything from him and we have said all along that we wont pay any vet fees or anything like that but we have grown to love him as we have now been looking after him for about 2 years!

any how!

lately he hasnt been looking very well and he doesnt seem to be walking comfortably, his eyes are weepy so i have been wiping them clean for him and he has very smelly breath

i dont know much about old cats as ours is only 3yrs old

is all of these things related to old age or is there somthing else wrong ??

i also noticed last night that he is having a bit of trouble eating

do you think it may me time to put him out of his misery and say byebye?? :crying:

very confused :confused:
any suggestions?? as there are no vets open today or tomorrow

[Leeny]

It could possibly be cat flu if the cats not vacced...my cat was behind and she recently got cat flu, shes not even a yr old, but she gave it to out 17 year old cat. Is he drooling or does he have any sores in his mouth or on his nose?

I guess perhaps u just gotta consider wether hes become some what of a family pet, and you're willing to pay for a consultation just to get him checked out :)

Good luck, hope he gets better

[jazzak]

It could possibly be cat flu if the cats not vacced...my cat was behind and she recently got cat flu, shes not even a yr old, but she gave it to out 17 year old cat. Is he drooling or does he have any sores in his mouth or on his nose?

I guess perhaps u just gotta consider wether hes become some what of a family pet, and you're willing to pay for a consultation just to get him checked out :)

Good luck, hope he gets better

Yes he is drooling and he does have a little sore on his nose :( not sure about his mouth he didnt like it when i tried to have a look

I wouldnt know if he was vacc or not as he has only been with us for 2 years!

[jazzak]

anyone ??

[pegasus]

Hi:wave:

Just wanted to say that Kellie Renton is a vet nurse (in WA too), so maybe send her a pm.

Cya

[carls]

Mums cat is 19 and has had both trouble walking and has gone off its food - they will go off their food if their kidneys are failing (which is common in old cats) and trouble walking could be arthritis. She pays about $100 a fortnight in vets bills for painkillers and treatment.

If the kidneys arent working then the body is just recycling waste around the cats system and they get very sick. So its probably best to take it to the vet and get it checked out as it could be sick and in pain.

[1+1=5]

it could also be teeth and gums.

[Hokey Pokey]

Oh poor kitty! Hope you can get it worked out soon :hugs:

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi,
I am a vet nurse could be several things, kidney failure is possible so is cat flu if cat is not vaccinated, these are not just symptoms of old age, and teeth could also be the cause, if you do not want to spend any money on the cat euthanasia is probably your best option if you are happy to spend some money a blood test would probably be the first option unless they have a look at his teeth and they are really bad then he would need to have a dental which involves aan anaesthetic. If it is kidney failure there are foods and medications involved. Hope this answers most of your questions but i would get him too a vet soon.
kelly:ecomcity:

[jazzak]

Hello.

Sounds like you have a very sick puss on your hands there. It does sound like Feline Flu but due to his age, it could be so many different things, i wouldnt know unless i had a look at him. But when animals stop eating or drinking, its usually a sign that they have had enough.
Take him to the vet if he gets any worse. But before you do, have a discussion about how much money you are prepared to spend. Take into consideration his age.
Any vet can prescribe "medicine" to prolong his life, or get him through the day, but its his quality of life you have to think about.
Good luck

I have PM'd you

[daisyxs]

my cat drooled when he was happy, like homer simpson but there was nothing wrong with him except a bit of arthritis.
but sadly, about 5yrs later when he was 17 (i had him since i was 2) he stopped eating so we (including the vet) thought that the best thing would be to let him go.
they said they could run tests but it would just be an expensive way to prolong the inevitable, he was about 81 in cat yrs so he'd had a good life

[jazzak]

my cats are all part of the family (I have 4!) so I would spend whatever it took to get them well or if that wasn't possible at least to make them comfortable until the inevitable occured..I spend lots on palliative care for one cat with cancer before he needed to be euthanased because there was nothing more that could be done. My vet was really great

I personally would never euthanase my pets just because of old age. I find it an offensive suggestion..it would be better to give it away

just as others might be offended if someone told them to euthanase their elderly relative !

there is no way im going to just "put him down" for the hell of it !!

if there is an affordable way we can look after him then thats what we will do , but at the same time i dont want to keep him around just for our sake if hes going to be in pain

please dont judge me i am asking for help not for people to "have a go" at me

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi,
I think perth pony is obviously a very caring person and would rather see an animal euthanased instead of being kept alive because an owner cannot bear to part with them I have seen so many animals go thru unnecessary pain and suffering because an owner cannot let go, perth pony is just trying to give options and the truth is i wish we could offer our elderly relatives the dignity of dying rather than watching them suffer a slow painful death. I love my pets to death and would spend any amount of money on them but there are many people who do not have the money to spend on them. Don't let someone make you feel guilty about the decision you make, your cat is 14 years old and if you can not afford to spend heaps of money to get a few more months of life out of your cat then there is nothing wrong with euthanasing him, but you may find it is something simple and he may still have a long life ahead of him, and everone please remeber that this cat was a stray that was taken in when no one else wanted him.
Kelly:ecomcity:

[jazzak]

Thankyou Kelly, This is so true and I really appreciate your supportive post. :thumbsup:

I second that !! thanks Kelly

PS Kelly i have PM'd you