# What's wrong with this cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944 "2003-07-03T03:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/1 "2003-07-03T03:58:30Z")
My girlfriend’s cat is about 18-19 human years old and in the past two weeks, I think longer, hasn’t really been eating and in the last week has thrown up blood, won’t eat at all and sometimes throws up water. She doesn’t want to take him to the vet because she feels it too costly. Is the cat dying of old age are is there something else going on perhaps some kind of stomach condition? What should she do? ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/2 "2003-07-03T04:12:12Z")
Take her to the vet ASAP!! 18-19 “human” years would equate to a very young feline. And, if you choose you include an animal in your life, y’all should be prepared to ante up the cost associated with that responsibility. Experts shall follow with more specific advice… ---
**Author:** ![Alexxandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alexxandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alexxandra)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/3 "2003-07-03T04:12:24Z")
There is obviously something wrong with the cat, and she should take it to the vet ASAP. There is no other humane option. ---
**Author:** ![Searching\_For\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Searching\_For\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Searching_For_Truth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/4 "2003-07-03T04:13:33Z")
Too costly? How important is this cat to her, after 18-19 years?! If that was my cat, it’d be worth the trip. The cat is obviously having serious medical problems that require the attention of a professional. **Go to the vet. Before it’s too late.** If you were having the same problem, wouldn’t you hope that your girlfriend took YOU to the ER? ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/5 "2003-07-03T04:14:01Z")
There are all sorts of possibilities. none of them good. The animal may have perforated it’s stomach lining eating a foreign object. It may be going through organ failure or worse. If, indeed, the animal is 18-19 years old, it is at the end of the kitty road. Check the animal’s gums. Are they bright pink or have they become gray? Gray indicates some sort of blood loss. Check the animal’s stool (if you have an indoor litter box), is it black and tarry? This indicates excreted blood. Are you giving it soft and easy to digest food. Canned salmon, tuna or the high grade kitty chow (Sheba)? Is it able to eat and retain this food? Are you providing the animal with plenty of clean fresh water (filtered is best)? Hope that **Crazy Cat Lady** will see this thread and render you some professional advice. Things do not look their brightest for little kitty. Sorry that I can’t be more optimistic. Your cat is very old and animal geriatrics do not have high rates of positive outcome. Make the animal comfortable and take lots of pictures if you haven’t already. Consider taking it to the humane society, they will sometimes charge on a sliding scale. If there is a University with a veterinary school near you, consider that option as well. Best wishes, Zenster ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/6 "2003-07-03T04:18:54Z")
Evidently, you need to clarify the actual calendar age of this animal, please do so. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/7 "2003-07-03T04:19:21Z")
Wait…I’m wondering now if the OP meant 18 REAL years old?? I divided by seven and assumed she was still in her prime. Take her to the vet and have her put to sleep, if she’s really 18 years old. Otherwise, take action to save her life. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/8 "2003-07-03T04:28:18Z")
18 calender years, not cat years. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/9 "2003-07-03T04:53:13Z")
Having just had to take my own beloved 18-year-old kitty to the vet to be put down last week, I can tell you it sounds a lot like the symptoms he was having. He was dying of kidney failure (we’d been nursing him along for a few years, so we knew what to look for). Please, please get her to take him to the vet. Kidney failure causes an ugly and painful death, and he deserves better than that after all these years. I was going to tell you how much it cost me to have my pet euthanized, but looking at the invoice my vet’s office sent me (they’re far too kind to have requested payment on the spot), it looks like they didn’t charge me anything for it. The regular geriatric exam cost 40 dollars, if I recall correctly. If neither of you can afford it, the local humane society might be able to refer you to a vet who would do it for a reduced fee or for free, just to be humane. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/10 "2003-07-03T04:57:00Z")
What **InternetLegend** said. Don’t let your animal suffer. That critter has been loving you for a long time, repay that kindness. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/11 "2003-07-03T11:04:28Z")
She should take the cat in and have it euthanized. The poor thing’s suffering, and has been for quite a long time. I’m guessing he hasn’t been grooming himself or eating well for a month or more, which means he’s felt like shit for _months_. If the thirty bucks or so to take him for an exam is that big a deal to you, take him to the humane society or shelter, and they’ll euthanize him for free. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/12 "2003-07-03T13:51:38Z")
The argument that I was presenting to her is that the cat is suffering and at the very least she should take him to the vet just to see what’s wrong with him. Her point is that he’s old and she seems to acknowledge that he’s dying but doesn’t seem to think that he’s suffering at this point and is ready to die. Why she doesn’t think he’s suffering now is a mystery to me, but she seems to think she knows her cat and he will tell her when he’s ready to be euthanized. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/13 "2003-07-03T14:09:48Z")
**Phil** , if you and your girlfriend are living together and _you_ get really sick? Get on the Message Board and tell us so a Doper can get you to the hospital! And get that poor cat to a vet and have it put out of its misery. Do it yourself if necessary, pay for it, and tell your girlfriend it’s her birthday present. ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/14 "2003-07-03T14:12:02Z")
all together now, thinking of **EasyPhil** ’s girlfriend: _ **EWWWWWWWWW!!!** _ that’s just… just… beyond words. my Siamese cat was nearly 19 (actual years) when she stopped eating, and started staggering when she walked. this was many years ago, before i really knew about things like kidney failure. but we realized something was VERY wrong, and after my mom had a chance to say goodbye to kitty, i took her to the vet, pretty much knowing the likely outcome. later, when i was done crying for a bit, we buried her in a spot where she’d liked sunning herself in the back yard. my personal opinion, ranging from kindest possible interpretation to blunt, is that your girlfriend is either massively into denial or a tight-fisted cheap-ass bitch. i couldn’t stay around anyone who made a long-time pet and companion suffer like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiger)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/15 "2003-07-03T14:38:05Z")
Not eating and puking up blood sure seems like suffering to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sqwerticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Sqwerticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqwerticus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/16 "2003-07-03T17:19:21Z")
How much more bleeding and vomitting does the poor little bugger have to do for her to do the decent thing? Short of keeling over I think the message he is sending is clear, and any normal person would take him to the vet NOW. I feel sick. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/17 "2003-07-03T17:28:57Z")
Vet. Vet now, take him yourself if you have to. Anything else is cruel. Likely dying and will need to be put down, but maybe he could be saved. Either way, he IS suffering. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/18 "2003-07-03T17:42:48Z")
My initial reaction was along the lines that most people have posted; something like, “That bitch! Take the cat and have it put down”. But, she _is_ right about knowing her cat best, and there _is_ a difference between suffering and unbearable suffering. If the cat is still active, and still seeks affection (assuming he ever did), I’d say take him to the vet, and see what can be done for him. It could be that meds and a special diet could give him some more good months/years. If he’s basically a shivering, miserable lump, take him for that last trip. He deserves it. This is a hard, hard situation to deal with. Your girlfriend may be right, or she may be in denial. But, either way, the right thing to do is to get the cat to the vet. And, you’re probably going to have to be firmly, but kindly, insistent, in order to make that happen. If it’s really just the money, hell…email me. I’ll pay the damn bill. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/19 "2003-07-03T17:45:40Z")
**EasyPhil** , echoing what everyone has said here, you really do need to take the cat to the vet. FWIW, if cost is a factor, when I had to put my kitten to sleep, my vet didn’t charge me for it. Of course, I’d already spent so much money on treatments than an additional $40 was a pittance. Heck, at this point, I’d be willing to pitch in money for the vet bill. I don’t understand why your girlfriend can’t see that her cat is suffering. As **lachesis** said, she could be in denial about the whole thing. I hope she isn’t waiting until her cat just dies “naturally.” “Honey, throwing up blood and not eating are not normal cat behavior. It’s not normal human behavior.” Please please _please_ get the cat to a vet or animal shelter. At the least, please euthanise him rather than have him suffer any longer. (When my cat merely regurgitates food from eating too fast, she clearly seems kind of down and likes to curl up next to me more than usual. I can’t imagine the discomfort involved in throwing up blood.) ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944/20 "2003-07-03T18:42:40Z")
Go to this website and you can ask a vet what the problem is for free. I have used them several times myself and found it helpful. Good luck [http://www.expertcentral.com/](http://www.expertcentral.com/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-cat/185944.md?page=2)