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featherz
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Joined: 1-August 07
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Last Seen: 27th May 2008 - 10:21 AM
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featherz

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28 Mar 2008
It was sudden and hard to talk about, but we let my 14 year old cat Pixel go to the rainbow bridge today, still not knowing exactly what was wrong. I was supposed to bring him in today for more blood tests but we were treating him as if he had pancreat*itis with small syringe feedings and SQ fluids and pepcid. He was appearing to improve a bit last night. However, late last night/early AM I noticed ascites and slightly labored breathing, and by this morning he was too weak to stand and didn't respond to his name. He was just permanently 'blank'. We rushed him to the vet asap, but by the time we got there he was just this side of comatose, eyes open on his side and very unresponsive. We made the decision to let him go.

http://pixel.critters.com/ <-- his memorial, or what I have managed to do so far. He was my first kitty. sad.gif And this is my third cat lost within a year - one to CHF , one to Megacolon and one to CRF/?.. (Pixel, Infinity and Munchkin).

Heather sad.gif
23 Mar 2008
Just put my poor sick kitty munchkin down a few days ago, and my other elderly kitty is declining now.. My beloved Infinity died last year. Worst part is no one is quite sure why Pixie (13, almost 14) is sick! He was DX'd with CRF last year, but it was very early per the vet. I'm a nurse, so I know what all those funny numbers mean - his were on the upper edge of 'normal'..

So I went out and spent a fortune on special food and medications and Astro Oil and pretty much everything that was needed. I'm giving him SubQ fluids. Still, he declined. I keep taking him to the vet thinking 'ah, now the numbers will show that the CRF is advancing'. It's not good, but it's 'understood'.

And now, blood tests for CRF are smack dab *normal* (creatinine 1.4, BUN 21!), but now he has a mysterious infection somewhere and really high WBC/Bands/Neutrophils..and anemia.. it could be cancer, and I am thinking that's more likely due to the weight loss /sniff.

He's lost a lot of weight and is still doing the CRF dance with the water bowl - was hoping it was maybe hyperthyroidism - again, 'understood', but even the advanced thyroid tests are 'normal'. Glucose is normal every time, so not diabetes. Even B/P is normal. But there's something lurking there and I have a feeling it's not good - and I think the vet agrees with me.. sad.gif
I'll take him in again in a few days for more tests.

I do have a psychotic kitten that is helping a bit..but it's still hard.

Anyways.. just wanted to vent.
18 Mar 2008
I just put my kitty munchkin to sleep.. I feel guilty (doesn't everyone?) because she was still eating and alert, but I could tell the end was approaching. She had multiple medical problems and has been incontinent for about 5 years and wore a diaper. She was emaciated and had eye ulcers that medication were not helping. Everyday I woke up and thought that that this cat is NOT enjoying life except for mealtime.. And she was getting worse although her appet*ite was still hanging in there.

I discussed it with my husband and we decided to let her go. The euthanasia was very very well done, she just went to sleep on her favorite blankie in a nice room with murals, not on a cold exam table. I still feel awful, but I didn't want her to die in agony like another of our cats did when we waited too long out of hope she'd improve.

/sniff.. Goodbye little kitty, we miss you already..

http://munchkin.critters.com/

Heather
1 Aug 2007
I know guilt is one of the stages of grieving and I still feel guilty. My 13 year old kitty had been losing weight and started to refuse food. I live on a mountain and had been less than thrilled with the vet care where I live so we decided to take her about 1/2 hour away to a cat only specialist. Plus my husband could visit her from work if she had to stay longer.

She was diagnosed with kidney disease and given IV fluids. She appeared to get better for a few days, but then the vet said she started to have shortness of breath and was given a diuretic. Oddly enough the kidney disease resolved - most likely because her heart was already failing and this was an acute renal episode rather than CRF.

She also stopped eating again. She said we could take her home and syringe feed her and we could give her medications, for a recheck in a few days.
She apparently had CHF and the fluid was most likely too much for her failing heart along with the stress of the longer car trip. She made it home and died very shortly thereafter with panting,shortness of breath, etc.

I felt and still feel horrible. What if I had brought her to the closer but not preferred vet? Would she have survived at least long enough for us to put her to sleep nicely?

I know in my heart that she most likely had underlying heart disease and she has taken car trips in the past of longer duration without damage but she died in a bad way, most likely because the car trip worsened the already weakened and fluid overloaded heart. She hated being in the car and completely would get stressed out.

I don't blame the vet at all, I just blame myself. sad.gif

Anyways, goodbye Infinity, we miss you already. sad.gif
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