My kitty is sick

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Tenshi is our oldest cat - he’s a Singapura, and he’ll be 16 next month.

A couple of weeks ago, we discovered he’d started peeing blood. We took him in, they did some tests, but didn’t find anything definitive. They put him on antibiotics and it cleared up. He seemed okay for a while–he lost some weight, but was eating, acting mostly like himself, and no more blood.

Last Friday, more blood. We took him in again, and this time they did an ultrasound (last time they did an X-ray, looking for stones). They’ve found a large mass in his bladder, but they couldn’t tell what it was. They said it could be a blood clot, or a big infection, or cancer (or a blood clot that’s hiding a tumor). We made an appointment to see a specialist on Monday (today). The vet said it was okay to take him home, as long as we kept an eye on him to make sure he was urinating (even a little).

Friday night he seemed distressed and was acting like he might be blocked, so we took him to the emergency vet. They determined that he wasn’t. They offered several options, but we opted for the simplest one–take him home, keep watching him, and wait for Monday. He’s been quiet all weekend, but he has been peeing a little. He doesn’t want to eat, so we’ve been putting blobs of chicken baby food on his nose so he licks it off. He spent a big chunk of the weekend hanging out on the bed with the spouse. As before, he’s quiet but doesn’t seem distressed.

This morning, we’re taking him to his appointment. I’m scared of what we’ll find out. We’ve already agreed we’re not going to put him through a lot of complicated treatments–it’s not fair to him. So I hope it’s something they can fix fairly easily–we love the old man, and we’re not ready to let him go yet.

It’s funny–we always thought we’d lose him to heart problems, since he’s had a huge murmur since he was a kitten, and originally wasn’t supposed to make it to three years old. So the last 12+ years have been a gift.

Please keep good thoughts for Tenshi. He’s a sweet old fellow, and I want what’s best for him.

2

Oh no. Kitties don’t like to be sick. Good thoughts are being held for all of you.

3

P&PT for Tenshi, and for you guys. I hope it turns out to be relatively minor.

4

Just went through this two weeks ago and am still trying to get through my days. It started with not eating. I knew there was a countdown for appointments- if I have to bring the cat back more than once a week on an issue for tests, the writing is on the wall. The mass is never good. Only fellow cat lovers could know what you are going through right now.

5

I hope Tenshi feels better…

6

Prayers and white light sent for you and Tenshi.

7

Saying a prayer for Tenshi. <3

8

Sending loads of good kitty karma your way.

9

Best wishes for you and Tenshi.

10

Keep us updated on how Tenshi is doing.

11

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. We took him in to see the specialist again, and after he did some blood work and another ultrasound, he told us that Tenshi was in severe kidney failure, and that the mass in his bladder appeared to have blood vessels in it, which increased the likelihood that it was a tumor and not just a clot. Some of his bloodwork numbers were off the charts high (I don’t remember what they were, except that Creatine was one of them, and that another one where 2-3 was considered high was at 17).

The specialist was very kind, and suggested some alternatives if we wanted to try the heroic approach, but we told him no, it wouldn’t be fair to Tenshi at his age to put him through all of that (things like surgery and stents, which would have to be done in Davis - a couple-hour drive from here). I’m sure that’s what he would have suggested (not to do the heroic measures, I mean), but he didn’t try to make our decision for us. He just gave us the facts and let us choose.

So we opted to give our dear boy the last gift we could give him. They gave him some fluids and sent him home with us. We called our regular vet’s office and they said they could send her over later that afternoon, so he could spend his last time at home. We spent the rest of the day lying on the bed with him, just petting him and hanging out with him and the other cats. He seemed very peaceful and content, not in pain or agitated.

The vet came at 4:30. Tenshi’s passing was as peaceful and easy as it could have been, but that didn’t make it any easier on us. The spouse and I both loved that cat. We’ve had him since he was a kitten, and he raised all our other cats. We stayed there with him, holding him and petting him, until it was over. We had the other cats in the room, and a couple of them (including his Singapura buddy) hung out near him too. I don’t know if they knew what was going on, but at least we gave them the chance for closure, if such a thing exists for cats.

Goodbye, Kitty Guy. You were loved, and we’ll miss you. :frowning:

Tenshi
4/21/00 - 3/7/16

12

So sorry. I know it is hard but you gave him a great life and home. I lost a girl cat last month and I know how hard it is. Treasure the good memories.

13

Hugs to you. Losing a beloved pet is never easy.

:frowning:

14

I’m so sorry for your loss.

15

That hurts. I’m so sorry for your loss, but his life ended while he was surrounded by love. It doesn’t get any better, as bad as you feel now. I’ll gove my cat and dog extra scrithes in memory of Tenshi.

16

I am so, so sorry. The loss of a loved animal is the hardest thing I have ever known.

17

I’m so very sorry, Infovore. :frowning:

18

I am so sorry. I’m glad you could be with him at the end.

19

I’m so sorry for your loss.

StG

20

I want to say that I’m sorry, and I am, but mainly I’m happy that you could give the old guy such a peaceful and loving exit.
When I go, I hope my end will be a fraction as good as Tenshi’s.