# When is it time to say goodbye?



## pillars (Sep 1, 2016)

I have a cat who is 19.  She has kidney disease and is pretty emaciated at this point due to the disease.  She now has a misaligned jaw that makes it hard for her to eat (but the vet recommended against surgery because he doesn't believe she would survive it).  I make her kitty smoothies twice a day with kidney diet food, tuna and water because kidney disease causes nausea and a lot of cats stop eating (but she is still going because of the kitty smoothies).  Every day it seems to me like she is a little bit more frail.  Her life right now is eating two or three times a day, drinking a lot of water, and sleeping...sleeping...sleeping.

It still seems to my husband and I that she has some degree of quality of life.  She clearly enjoys eating, and every once in a while she will even crawl up in a lap and sit for a while and purr.

But, how do you know when it's time?  Will we know?  I don't want her to suffer.


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## TNHarley (Sep 1, 2016)

Sounds like she has been suffering for a while.
However, a typical cat sleeps like 18 hours a day. I saw that on natgeo. lol
I think its time pillars.


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## SYTFE (Sep 1, 2016)

19 years old, kidney disease, unable to chew food...not being able to chew would be hell for a cat.  Tough call, but I agree that it might be time.


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## Pumpkin Row (Sep 1, 2016)

_You won't be questioning it when it's time._


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## koshergrl (Sep 1, 2016)

If she's not obviously suffering, why kill her?


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## pillars (Sep 1, 2016)

I think that she is suffering in some ways, but she isn't showing signs of pain per se.  That's why we haven't done anything yet.


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## TNHarley (Sep 1, 2016)

misaligned jaw and kidney disease. Yes, she is suffering. Don't expect human emotion from a cat.


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## koshergrl (Sep 1, 2016)

TNHarley said:


> misaligned jaw and kidney disease. Yes, she is suffering. Don't expect human emotion from a cat.


Pain isn't an emotion. A misaligned jaw isn't necessarily painful, and neither is kidney disease.


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## NLT (Sep 1, 2016)

pillars said:


> I have a cat who is 19.  .


When is it time to say goodbye?

19 years ago.


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## SYTFE (Sep 1, 2016)

Not being able to capture scorpions, cockroaches and mice and torture them by slowing chewing on them is indeed suffering, for a cat.   It's almost equivalent to a dog losing his sense of smell.


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## TNHarley (Sep 1, 2016)

koshergrl said:


> TNHarley said:
> 
> 
> > misaligned jaw and kidney disease. Yes, she is suffering. Don't expect human emotion from a cat.
> ...


 maybe you are right. Hell, i hope you are.. but them not being able to be a cat, is.
Vets around here wont even de-claw an outside cat. Well, at least one wont. lol


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## Coyote (Sep 1, 2016)

pillars said:


> I have a cat who is 19.  She has kidney disease and is pretty emaciated at this point due to the disease.  She now has a misaligned jaw that makes it hard for her to eat (but the vet recommended against surgery because he doesn't believe she would survive it).  I make her kitty smoothies twice a day with kidney diet food, tuna and water because kidney disease causes nausea and a lot of cats stop eating (but she is still going because of the kitty smoothies).  Every day it seems to me like she is a little bit more frail.  Her life right now is eating two or three times a day, drinking a lot of water, and sleeping...sleeping...sleeping.
> 
> It still seems to my husband and I that she has some degree of quality of life.  She clearly enjoys eating, and every once in a while she will even crawl up in a lap and sit for a while and purr.
> 
> But, how do you know when it's time?  Will we know?  I don't want her to suffer.




I'm so sorry to hear that Pillars...there isn't a really easy answer 

It's hard to judge pain level and quality of life sometimes.  I tend to feel if they are still eating and drinking and engaged in the world - there is still quality.  If she is mostly sleeping, it's a hard call.   ((((Hugs)))))


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## TNHarley (Sep 1, 2016)

How Much Do Cats Sleep? | Care2 Healthy Living


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## Coyote (Sep 3, 2016)

You doing ok Pillars?  Your cat?


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## whoisit (Sep 5, 2016)

From now on I don't think I'l ever put down another one of our animals. I wish I'd never did it to our old huge dog. He lived a long life for a large dog, 15 years. But from now on we will keep them on pain meds like people. I thought I had a heart attack when we let vet kill him. He was in back of van and she came out and injected him. My old dog now is also large and she is 16 ut she will die naturally.

  Nothign towards those who do put them down we just can't anymore.


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## Grandma (Sep 12, 2016)

I just saw this thread.

pillars , ask your vet. They'll tell you what to look for and when to bring Kitty in for the last office visit...

whoisit , Don't force your loving pets to suffer.


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