He has kidney issues, which we found out in August during a 7 day stay at the emergency vet for diarrhea. He’s OK now, but we watch his numbers. And I just had to board him for a month at a wonderful facility, but they had to medicate him for anxiety and anorexia. He’s home and doing well. But they advised a dental.
He has a broken incisor and another rotten tooth in the back. To preface the dental, he needs a kitty cardiologist exam and special anesthesia (they suspect a heart murmur).
He stresses so badly when we go to the vet, and this month long boarding caused weight loss and nervousness, which I’m trying to overcome with cuddles. He’s doing very well now.
The vet at the boarding place fears the rotten teeth may exacerbate his kidney issue.
BUT, he’s 17. I honestly don’t want to put him thru anymore crap. My regular vets “gets” that I don’t want to make the poor old guy crazy, but I can’t stand him suffering. So on one hand it’s let him alone in his old age, and my selfish hand says I want my kitty!!
Thoughts??
When I’ve been faced with a similar situation, I just let kitty go. It sucks for me but I don’t want to force the cat to live in pain just so I won’t miss him.
17 years is a good run.
Sorry for you situation.
I realize that only you can make this decision, but if the cat seems to otherwise be doing well, that dental work may give it a few more years of quality life.
Dental surgery requires anaesthesia (eg: isoflurane), but recovery should be pretty quick and it’s nothing like a month-long boarding. I would definitely book an appointment; rotten teeth can put extra stress on the system. If stress is a real problem with a trip to the vet, there are anti-anxiety medications but you must consult with a doctor before considering anything like that.
My position on this has changed completely after the experience I had with my last cat. She was 16 and in renal failure, and got very distressed in the cat carrier and at the vet. I put her through hell for a year until we finally put her down. In retrospect, I wish I had done it as soon as her health started declining. She had 16 years of a great life, but her final year was a tough one.
If she’s up to the surgery, I’d work out sedation with the vet, to ease her stress on the way to the vet. Bad teeth are no fun, so they’re lowering her quality of life. Also, as the vet noted, bad teeth can lead to other health problems.
Rock and a hard place.
I’d be adverse to the dental work at age 17. But that’s me.
I had a very elderly terrier (21yo). Her teeth were a mess the last 5 years of her life. The Vet encouraged expensive and stressful treatments. I refused to do it. She ate and never acted in pain. Most of her teeth were gone, anyway, by the time she died in her sleep.
Always a happy dog.
Cats hide pain better, you’ll have to watch closely to detect it.
Good luck.
My advice, based on experience with several elderly cats, is that you should have the teeth extracted.
He should be home the same day without staying over, and should be eating again the next day. He will probably recover well.
I’ve known elderly cats living well for years, and far more happily, after having teeth extracted.
Don’t let the vet con you into unnecessarily expensive and elaborate treatments.
Ask your vet about pre-car ride sedation/anti-anxiety meds. If the teeth are paining him they should come out, if the vet thinks that he’s healthy enough to be anesthetized. He should be able to go home to you the same day, and maybe even before he’s fully recovered from the anesthesia if you’re comfortable keeping an eye on him while he wakes up.
Weight loss comes with kidney failure, especially if he’s on a kidney diet - the low protein is good for kidneys and bad for muscle mass. As much as we hate to see them get skinny they can have many good years looking like hell. So long as he is happy, eating, and sticking to his usual routines I think I might take a chance n the teeth, provided our vet thinks it’s a good risk.
I’ve just lost my 8th?** cat due to renal failure, she was almost 19. She looked like a walking skeleton but up until the last 2 days she was demanding her meals and sticking to her daily rounds. I generally go for quality of life over quantity and so I tend to let them eat whatever they want to eat, and I don’t do subcu fluids. My last three kidney elderlies have all been 18-19 years old, and pretty perky until they day they weren’t, and I sent them on.
All that said, I would rather end it a month too soon rather than a day too late. If your kitty’s surgery outcome is dicey it would be kinder to him to say goodbye now. It’s utter hell on you, I know. It’s beyond suck that the best thing we can do for our friends hurts us like nothing on earth, but there is comfort knowing that they won’t be afraid or feeling awful, and that you can remember the love but not have to worry for them any more.
This is a toughie, vibes for the best outcome possible for both of you ~~
**Eight cats over a span of 25 years or so – always have many multiples of felines 
If the teeth are causing pain it would be best to take them out if that’s feasible. Rotten, broken teeth cause suffering. Kitty will be more comfortable in his remaining time if he doesn’t have to deal with that.
If the other health problems are under control, then the 24 or so hours of the dental ordeal will be well worth it. But do one or the other soon.
My previous vet was reluctant to do dental work on cats that old, as there was a high chance of complications. They wouldn’t do routine work - only emergency work on an otherwise healthy cat, and only after a battery of other tests to ensure there were no underlying issues.
Just a side question but what area of the world are you from?
I’ve never heard of dental work referred to as having “a dental”.
Yes, I agree. Very easy for me since he’s not my cat! I always wind up feeling I kept my pets too long. 
I did. He was 17, had mild kidney disease, arthritis, some other minor issues but was in surprisingly good health for 17, and needed 2-3 teeth extracted. The vet didn’t have any specific concerns about putting him through surgery/general anestheia, so we did it.
I told her that while she was in there, if any other teeth looked iffy, just remove them because this was the last general anesthesia I’d be putting him through. She ended up removing 8 teeth, including one of the canines, and doing a through cleaning.
He was much happier after the extractions and lived another 3 years.
Cats are good at hiding they are in pain. I think you will be surprised how much happier he will be without the rotten teeth.
My mother’s old dog got five rotten teeth removed and she changed completely. Before we had to keep an eye on small children because she got impatient and would snap out if they petted her. Afterwards she would come to the children for pettings and her last year was much happier
FWIW, my 7 year old cat is largely toothless. She had rotten teeth since we first adopted her at about age 8 months. They were likely infected and out cat probably felt ill all the time. My wife, who has worked as a vet tech and in pediatrics (she’s got a way with kids and animals) managed to just pull out the bad teeth using her fingers. She did this about a year ago.
Ever since we removed those teeth, the cat’s health and happiness has improved a lot. She eats her kibble like she’s popping pills, and it doesn’t seem to bother her at all. She’s eating enough to be a little chubby, and she spends a lot of time cuddling us and purring. A real sweetie.
I’ve never had a cat, and am not sure of life expectancy, but I do have limits as to the care I am willing to provide (and pay for) for my pets. What you describe so far seems to come close to exceeding my expectations.
Good luck.
I’ve always prided myself on being good at trimming cat claws. Now I have to up my game?
We have a 17 year old tabby cat, luckily in perfect health. However, if he needed dental work I would do it without thinking. Andy’s way too much a part of the family to let go without trying everything possible.