Advice on Middle Age Cat

Whenever we moved, my mom would always shut our cats in one room for a few days, so they just had to adjust to that one room. Then she would gradually open up the rest of the house to them. It always worked with her cats and I have done it successfully with our cats.

Hi S.,
This is a tough one. Our animals are part of our family too. Sometimes that hardest decision is when to know when the quality of life is gone for a pet. Can you chat with your vet on the phone with out having to take your cat in and get thier opinion? If he doesn't feel good and it doesn't look like he is going to get better/his quality of life is gone it may be time to let him go. I remeber when I made that decision for my beloved Browny. I was going to take her in the next day and she passed at home that night. I'm very sorry to hear about your cat.

This sounds harsh, I know. How happy is your cat? Do you feel his quality of life is different than it has been in the past. Do you think it's fair to give an animal with lower brain fuction two shots a day? I would look at all those things and weigh them in your mind. Can you afford to keep doing the extra laundry and pay for the medication. Can you afford to keep him away from family areas of the house.

I am going to get a lot a comments on this. But IMO only, I would put him to sleep. The reason I say this is because I had a dog that was brain damaged by some poison and she became very ill and hard to take care of. I had a crawler at that time and I couldn't trust the dog to be careful around him. I had to put her to sleep. It was a hard decision but it had to be made. The vet said she was never going to improve. I had to weigh that with how much I was spending every month on an animal that was only going to get worse. And her quality of life was horrible. It was sad to watch my once playful friend just lay on the floor, go into fugue states where she'd growl and bite who ever was nearby. My three year old missed his friend but it had to be done. It's not fair to let them suffer. Good luck!!!

You need to take your cat back to the vet and get his insulin dosage adjusted! My friend just recently went through the same thing with her cat. She was having multiple accidents a day and filling up the litterpans. Once they got her on the right amount of insulin a day she was not as thirsty and stoped having accidents.

We had a very similar situation to the one you are faced with. Our cat was about 12 years old when we learned of his diabetes. It was in the fairly early stages and we knew that neither of our options would be easy. Once he started having more severe symptoms (like weak hind legs) it was clear for us that quality of life was more important than quantity so we had him put to sleep. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but for us (and for our beloved cat, Valentine) it was the right thing to do.

As far as the litter boxes go, the gold standard is one litter box per cat and one litter box per floor the cat inhabits, scooping the litter boxes daily and completing changing/dumping the litter out of the box once a week. I agree with Melissa B about changing the litter boxes and being pregnant. One thing I might add is that Toxoplasmosis can also aerosolize so it is also recommended to wear a mask. However, if you follow the above recommendations of daily scooping you are not allowing the Toxo in the feces to be there long enough (4-5 days) to become infective---IF your cat is even harboring Toxo. I also do not agree that putting a middle aged cat outside when if it's been an indoor cat with all the potential predators that may be in your neighborhood.

If he is flooding the litter boxes then I question how well his diabetes is regulated. The excessive drinking and urinating associated with the initial diagnosis of the disease should subside with proper insulin dosage +/- diet. Cats are capable of being both Type I and Type II diabetics and can be much harder to regulate than a dog. It is rare after initial diagnosis that the first insulin dose is correct---many need adjustments. After your cat has been on the insulin your DVM may recommend a blood glucose curve within the week of beginning insulin. Another test done 2-3 weeks after starting/changing insulin is a Fructosamine---this is the better test to determine long term regulation.

The diet is not an absolute since it appears your cat may have sensitivities to it but it will make managing his diabetes better/easier. There is also more than one diabetes diet out there. Did you do a gradual change from his old diet to the diabetes one or was it abrupt? You may already know this, but if you did an abrupt change this could be contributing tot he diarrhea.

NOW, with all this said....Diabetes is NOT a curable disease. And for these kinds of diseases, I don't think there should be a DVM out there that would judge you or decline a request for euthanasia. I have a diabetic cat and he turns 16 in a couple of weeks. I have been fortunate that after the initial insulin therapy he has been able to be maintained with diet alone---Purina D/M, FWIW. But I have thought long and hard about euthanasia in the earlier times of his disease, not to mention the other expected geriatric issues he deals with.

Please send me a message if you would like to discuss this further. I have a lot of experience with this and would like to help you if you feel you want to talk more.

Best wishes.

K

S.,

I totally know what you're going through. My 5 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes last year, and the peeing in the house literally gave me a nervous breakdown. Every morning I would freak out at how much I would have to clean. It sometimes took the whole day scrubbing carpet and the toll it took on me and my family was overwhelming. I finally made the difficult decision to put her to sleep. It was one of the worst days ever and the vet was not totally supportive since she was so young. I knew she was not adoptable and any option I chose would eventually have the same outcome.

The next day I felt a huge weight lifted. Even though she was missed, the feeling of getting up in the morning to no pee was wonderful. I would never tell anyone that's the only answer, but for me it was. Whatever you choose, you have to put you and your family first.

Good Luck
M.

PS As for changing litter boxes, as long as you wash your hands after, you should be fine. Toxoplasmosis is a transmitted fecal/orally. If you get feces on your hands and don't wash them you could get it.

When I moved into my new house one of my two cats started going pee on everything. She was crying all the time and was acting up. I thought she may have a bladder infection but when I took her to the vet they said it was a behavioral issue due to the new environment. I got her spayed which stopped the crying but she continued to pee on rugs, clothes, etc.......She would pee right outside her litter box. She and our dog don't get along even though we got all of them about the same time so they have grown up together. It took about six months for her to adjust to the move but she will still pee on clothes left on the floor and rugs in certain rooms. I have eliminated the rugs but the kids sometimes leave their clothes out so she continues to pee on them. Guess they need to learn to put their things away LOL. She will not pee in my room and only chooses certain rooms to pee in. Mostly the kids's bedrooms and their bathroom. She also pee's outside both of the litter boxes. The vet told me to confine her to one room where it won't matter if she pee's on the floor or not. That's hard to do. That was three years ago and she continues to pee on things so I don't know if there is an answer. We just have to be careful and watch where we leave things. It's an adjustment but it works most of the time. I think she has issues and deals with them by seeking attention. Not sure if this helps in any way but at least you know you are not alone.

Cats have a life span if left indoors up until 16 years, so he has another 7 good years left.
I am a firm believer that when you take on a pet they are your responsibility for life. What are you teaching your children by getting rid of a pet because of health issues?

THAT SAID However, I understand costs that exceed what you can manage. You can surrend your cat to the Humane Society and they will give him the care he needs and find a home that doesn't mind the issues he has, hopefully.
However an older cat may or may not get adopted out, especially with health issues. Do you want your cat sitting in a cage for a long time?
I know personally, from having cats for a long time, one just died two years ago and she was 17 and had diabetes. The medication can be causing issues in the stools and you need to discuss this with your vet. Also, once he gets his diabetes manageable just like a human he can live a perfectly healthy life.
I am not laying guilt trip on you, however, keep the cat somewhat isolated if possible, keep clothes off the floor, maybe put another litter box on a level or near where he seems to be going, but try and figure it out before thinking you cannot do it. If you have had him that long it is only fair to him you do whatever you can first.
You can spend $15 on another litter box so he has it handy where he has been going, you can spend $150 on a self cleaning litter box if need be. Pets are expensive, I have three cats and a dog, so I do understand.
My suggestion is if you really cannot handle the expense, surrender him to the Humane society so he at least may get a good home.

Also you can have him tested for Toxo so if he doesn't have it you should be fine pregnant, if he has been an indoor cat his whole life and you have kids already you have probably already been exposed and fine, but please remember to talk to your OBGYN about this situation too.
Good luck.

I am very sorry to you to not only have your cat go through this, but to have to deal with all of the problems/stress. Please don't touch the litter boxes though, it can make your unborn baby very sick. You will need to have someone else do this until after the baby is born. I think animals who are sick sometimes have troubles and I don't know that you can change this. I took in a dog who was clearly mistreated. I nursed him back to health (or so I thought). It wasn't even a year later (just before I had my son) that he started having really bad bathroom issues. He peed on the island in our kitchen but never had any accident other than that in our house while we were with him. He started going to the bathroom in the kennel and we quickly became tired of washing him and our other dog off. So we hooked him to a chain in the garage while we were gone (so he wouldn't get into chemicals). He had lots of room to move around, but kept going to the bathroom and lying in it. I tried giving him beds to lay down on as well as everything else I could think of. He was actually a little thin too, but had always been. Then one day he seemed to be doing a little better about the bathroom thing. He didn't go in the kennel for a couple of weeks. He seemed great...now he always seemed full of energy and like he he was fine (after I initially nursed him back to health). Then one night when we fed and watered him he seemed to be moving a little slow, but he ate, when to the bathroom outside, and responded to us well. We put him in the garage (without a chain, but no chemicals around) and gave him food and water. We thought it would be a good place for him to be so he could eat/drink as much as he wanted and if he had an accident, it wouldn't matter much. We came out the next day to find him dead. We were shocked. So, what I am getting at is that your cat might always have issues and might not full recover from this. I'd talk with your vet as well as a few others and see what they suggest. You might also contact a cat trainer and see if they have any ideas. Good luck, and once again, I am very sorry.

Unfortunetly it may be coming time to put your cats suffering to an end. I know how hard that is as we had to put down our dog a little over a year ago. She had been with us for 13 years. But she was very sick and beyond healing. Another thing to think about is with having a new baby what health concerns could there be with a sick cat in the house. Also you being pregnant should absolutly not be changing the litter boxes. I am very surprised that your vet and doc has never asked if you were doing that. Please if nothing else stop changing the litter boxes and let someone else do it. Talk to your Doc and have him explain the dangers of pregnant women and litter boxes.

Hi S.,
You have your hands full it sounds like. I would put plenty of water outside for him and food, and just let him be an outside cat. As much as I love my animals, if they were to develope an illness where they required shots, or were ill in any way etc, it would be time to humanely euthenize them. There are too many cats, and dogs that are waiting for a new home. I would go get one if I just had to have another animal.

Hope this helps you make a choice.

Hi, Oh boy do I feel your pain. My cat is 17 years old and diabetic as well as a number of other problems. But with health problems under control, I have to say her quality of life is good and coulnd't consider putting her to sleep. She is on insulin, and as others have said, it does need to be adjusted sometimes. But we also found out our cat had thyroid issues. And actually the litter issues didn't improve with our cat until the thyroid problems were under control. Same basic testing panel for thryoid, and it's a pill for that (much cheaper than the insulin!).

Good luck. And I'm very impressed that you've done so much for this lucky cat with everything else going on in your life! I know it can be exhausting and beyond frustrating. I hope it gets better.

Growing up on a farm you learn sometimes animals have to be put down. It is a hard choice but sometimes it is better for you and the animal.

Good Luck with your choice.

I'd say cat fever, but that comes on suddenly and kills within hours. It also sounds like feline leukemia. If that's the case, putting him down would be doing him a favor. I have two cats, and they are a part of the family, but I wouldn't hesitate to let them go if they were suffering. Nine years is a long time for a kitty to be alive. Sounds like you love him a lot. Notwithstanding the mess he's making, he's a very sick kitty, and sick animals hurt.

I am so sorry your beloved family member is so sick. Our cat had diabetes when I was a teen and it didn't get any better with the medicines and within a few weeks he was miserable. It was a very hard decision but we couldn't take the yowling and trying to catch him for meds, not to mention the fact that he was so sick he did just let himself go anywhere and he started stinking. His fur got really yucky very quickly so we had him put to sleep. It just seemed like the most humane thing to do. The vet was very understanding and made us feel comfortable with our decision.

S., I can totally sympathize with you. I have a diabetic dog who also has other medical issues. It is VERY expensive to do all the bloodwork needed to get your pet well regulated with regards to how much insulin he gets. One thing you might ask your vet is if she can sell you a glucometer so that you can do these tests at home. I work for a vet in Denver and my bill (even with an employee discount) was getting out of hand with all the bloodwork. Not to mention that going to the vet was very stressful for my dog and probably is for your cat too. Being able to do the blood glucose curve at home was much less expensive, affordable really, and less stressful for my guy. If you can get him well regulated the water drinking issue will resolve as will a lot of his other issues.

The other option you have is to try to find another home for him. Ask your vet if they can try to find a good home for him - they may accept care of him while they're looking, but you'll have to relinquish him to the vet. There are people who are willing to adopt a special needs pet. If not then I would suggest the Denver Dumb Friends League. They try their best to find him a home and not just put him to sleep.

Good Luck.

I had a cat that was my 'baby' we stressed her out going a way 2 weekends in a row- my sister came and feed her but...she became diabetic and needed insulin 2X a day. After 8 monhts she was no longer diabetic :). She lived many years after wards with stress of moving, being boarded when we went on vacation and never became diabetic again. We had to put her down after complications of being constipated lead to liver failure etc....
I was able to get insulin and needles from Target's pharmacy to be the cheapest, I could suggest calling Costco- you do not need to be a member to buy from the pharmacy. I would use one needle a day, wiping down with alcohol and kept it in the fridge.
Missing the box for my cat was her sign of missing me if I was gone for a long period of time. We started leaving a radio on for her. A friends cat has to have a light left on because her cat's eye sight is going and if she can not see she will stay and pee on her bed instead of jumping down into the dark to find her box.
Currently we have (1 senior and 2 young cats) the senior cat that is headed for kidney failure on special food that has stablised her. However we have a cat (or more than one?) that has been peeing out of the box. We just took her in for a physical and she is fine- they recommend pheramones to help make her mood happy, or cat prozac- well we are going to put her in our bedroom with food and a box and keep the other 2 out to see if that keeps her happy or see if the puddles are outside of the bedroom being one of the other cats.
Goos luck. It is hard to deal with but hang in there...

Not for the same medical reasons, almost exactly the same symptoms (only my kitty ate constantly on top of eveything), we had my kitty put down. She was an awesome kitty, but we just couldn't afford everything she needed medically plus the medications to keep her going on made her sick, too. I felt so guilty...I felt like if I really loved her I would do anything and spend anything to keep her going. I inflicted so much guilt on myself out of my own confusion. I'm hear to tell you that it is okay. We were all so sad to have her go, but she never felt good and we had to keep our priorities straight and remember that even though she was our pet and we loved her that she was still simply a cat. It sounds mean and unfeeling...trust me, I wasn't unfeeling in any of this. It was very hard and I miss her, but it has all been for the best and I know now in my heart that we did the right thing for her and our family.

Hi S.,
I don't know if I really have any advice but I can relate. One of my cats lives exclusively in my bedroom because when she has run of the house she becomes overly stressed and toilets on the rugs. Now that she lives just in one room she just uses the litter box. She is 16 1/2 and sometimes can't keep her food down so I have a clear plastic sheet that I cover my bed with every morning after I make it....seriously. I laugh at myself that I live this way but I don't feel like I have the right to decide that her life is over yet since she gets along fairly well. So I guess I would say to you that you have to decide what you are comfortable with and what you are willing to do to keep this cat. I would try isolating him to a smaller area- maybe just a few rooms or one floor. His cat box will need to be changed often with the kidney problems(my cat has that too) but have someone else do it until you have your baby.
Ultimately you have to decide what you can live with. It sounds like you and the cat are pretty miserable right now. Good luck to you,
B.

Sometimes the only thing you can do with a pet that is suffering is put them to sleep. I realize that he is a part of your family and it will be the hardest thing to do, but he sounds like he's suffering. It doesnt sound like he has a good quality of life because of his illness, and it has got to be hard on you and your family seeing him in this condition. I'm so sorry that this is my only advice, I know how it is to make a decision like this for a pet that is practically a child to you. I know that you don't want him to suffer though, and it seems that you've gone above and beyond to try and keep him healthy and alive. I hope things work out for you.

Dear S.,
You are probably going to hate what I have to say. It's time to have Kitty put to sleep. I am an animal lover myself. But there comes a time when we have to face the fact that we are keeping an animal alive for selfish reasons, such as we love them so much, and can't imagine life without them around. But quality of life is more important than quantity of life. It hurts us pet lovers greatly to face that but we must. Kitty is hurting and it's time to let him go. His behavior will probably not improve and he really can't help whats happening to him. It's time to let go and then when the time is right you can get another "Kitty" or "Doggie". I wish you the best and I hope you make it through this either way you decide.

Diabetes is very hard to get mananaged with cats. Once you get their blood sugar regulated then it becomes easier. But that can take up to 2-3 months of checking glucose at the vet every week. Not cheap, and not easy. You should also know that a cats glucose level can spike when they are stressed, so even just the car ride to the vet can make their glucose higher than normal. Whatever you do, DON"T limit the water that you let him drink. You could cause serious harm to his kidneys. If you are going to keep this cat, it is going to take serious commitment. I'm sure your vet told you already, but I will remind you, it is VERY important that your cats meals and shots are at the same time EVERY day. If this can't fit into your schedule, then you have no hope of regulating him. It sounds cruel, but if you aren't able to dedicate the time, and possibly give up a lot of vacations...it can be hard to find a pet sitter that will give shots to your cat, and even if they do, will you trust them?....anyway, it may be kinder to your cat to put him to sleep. THat is a hard decision to make and nobody can do it but you, but you have to consider the way your cat feels right now, and will feel for some time until you get him well. He will never be cured, only maintained. I have been a vet tech for over 10 years, and can tell you that most diabetic cats don't live for more than 1-2 years after they are diagnosed, because it is just to hard to keep them regulated.

First of all, let me say, I'm an animal lover. I've had cats, dogs, horses, you name it. With that said, I think you have answered your own question but are just afraid to admit it. I'm going to say it for you... it's time. It's ok. It doesn't make you a bad person. It sounds like you have done all there is to do within reason. Some people would spend a lot of money for life saving measures. But, it's a cat. Even though it is part of the family... it's not a human. It sounds like the cat has lost control of its bodily functions. You need to think about quality of life for the cat and for yourself. I think the humane thing to do is to euthanize the cat. When I was a kid, we had to euthanize two of our pets --- a cat and a dog --- for different reasons. Of course, it's hard. At the time, our only choice was to bury the animals. More recently, my husband and I had to euthanize two of our pets --- again --- a cat and a dog --- for different reasons. This time we were able to cremate them. We were able to say our goodbyes. We held a nice ceremony. We spread the ashes. I think it's ok to mourn the loss. Consult with the vet. Ask him if he thinks the cat will get better. Hopefully, you have a vet that is honest and won't try and extend the life of the cat just so he can get more money out of you. I would say most vets will think of the welfare of the animal and the family first. Your vet will give you your different options. You can decide what's best for your family. Pets teach kids a lot about the joys and responsibilities about life. Another lesson they teach is about loss. I'm sorry. Hug.

Hi S.,
My name is D.. Your article caught my eye because I know what you're going through. Back in 2006 one of our cats, she was 15 yrs. old and I noticed that she didn't want to be bothered anymore by our other cat and when she came upstairs all she did was want to hide and sleep. She was also drinking tons of water just like your cat and she was having diarrhea all over inside the litter box and she would also go in our basement that wasn't finished, even in our bookshelf she would have diarrhea and I knew then that there was something not right so we took her to the vet, had blood work done and she had kidney failure, she was dehydrated even though she would drink tons of water then she'd be in the litter box getting rid of the water so in my opinion your cat does not have diabetes, sounds like he's got kidney failure. So the vet told us that we could keep her but she'd need long term care (with expenses) or we would have to put her down. So, because she was so sick we ended up putting her down and that was the very hardest thing to do in my life but we knew she was hurting and suffering so we did it for the best. We had her cremated and she sits in a nice box that they gave us along with her paw print and we have her in our living room. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

D.

S.,
My heart breaks for you! I am a person who has a very hard time saying "goodbye" to my pets.....all of them have been cats. I had to put one of my sweet cats "to sleep" last winter. I think we waited too long to make the decision to do so, and she was suffering. She was wetting & pooping on our rugs as well, and my house smelled bad. When we finally decided to ask for advice from our vet, he told us that he felt it was time to let her "go". Maybe this is a question you need to ask your vet as well.
No matter what your decision is, YOU should NOT be the one to clean up after your cat's messes. You are having a baby, and it is not good to be cleaning the LITTER BOX even.
I will pray for you, that you will know what the best choice IS for the problem with your cat. Remember that others have had to make these choices, and we all care.

You can test your cat at home with a human glucometer - test it on his ear. There is some good info here:

www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm

I test my diabetic cat pre-shot, and when I need to do a curve, I do it at home. Once a year I take him in for a fructosamine test at the vets (test the average level of blood suger over the previous 2 weeks). He is well-regulated now, but when we started, he had some inappropriate voiding. Have the vet check to make sure he doesn't have a UTI or any other underlying problem.

I have been treating my cat for 6 years now, and he is doing fantastic! My vet says he's one of the best regulated cats she has ever seen. So it can be done! If you need help, or want a demonstration for testing, I live in Littleton and would be happy to help.
~L.

Hi S., I am an Animal Communicator and what my intention is here, is to be helpful to you and your cat family member.
This cat is absolutely feeling everyones anger at what he is experiencing. Animals always act out what is happening around them for purposes of doing what they will always do, which is to help the "humans" become more conscious. If one of your children were going through what the cat is going through there would be NO negotiating the value of that child. It is very clear in your Mamasource communication, that you're pretty mad at the cat. It might help you to examine your own fears about the possibility that this cat will pass on. When an animal family member (and please remember this is a family member) dies, the humans they live with go through exactly what they'd go through if one of you left the planet. I hope you allow yourself to talk to this friend (your cat) and explain your own fears & concerns so that you don't end this relationship from a place of guilt vs. LOVE.
Best to you, J. Sexton

Hi S., I am so sorry to hear about your cat. I want you to know my sister had the same thing with her cat. He got diabetes took him to the vet, basically before they realized what was going on he was peeing all over and lost a bunch of weight. Ended up they couldn't afford to repair all of the damage to the house this cat and another caused. Also, we all felt the same way, he was part of the family etc. Eventually she couldn't afford to pay for the insulin shots anymore but the cat lived by himself freakishly thin and obvioulsy not in comfort at all for about 10 more months. I truly feel that perhaps your cat is saying that this isn't working that well for me. Perhaps he is trying to let you know he is still uncomfortable as I know cats also do this to "let you know" that they have bladder infections or aren't feeling well in general. I hate to tell you in any way shape or form that the best thing is to put him down but perhaps you need to have another conversation with the vet if you are concerned with his comfort, feelings and well being as well as your own. My sister had finally made the decision to put the cat down and the mommy of that cat got sick as well the very day she dicided this,so both the mommy and son got put down together. She had cancer. Sad but... I just want your cat to be living the best life it possibly can. I'm sure it doesn't like to get in trouble for doing something it can't really control. :( Good luck.