New Member, New Problem, Kitty with liver failure Options

[kinglyam]

Greetings, all.

My girlfriend's cat, which she adopted a little over a year ago, was just diagnosed with liver failure a few hours before I posted this. He is about 5 years old, and stopped eating regularly about a month ago. At first the vet said it may just be him being finicky, but over the weekend he became very lethargic, and would growl in pain when he was picked up. We ended up force-feeding him Nutri-cal yesterday, and she made it into the vet with him today.

Word from the vet is, it was caused by the stress of her recent move. Needless to say, my girlfriend is devestated (I'm not too happy either...I'm a dog person, but I really liked the cat.) The vet says he would have died already if we hadn't done the nutri-cal. As is, the only chance is force-feeding and an IV. Even then, the prognosis is 15%

Has anyone out there gone through this? Part of the biggest problem is the cost. She can't afford more than a week of the medicine, and we have no idea how long it would take for him to snap out of it. Of course, with 15%, we don't know he will. It's a terrible moral dilemma, I think. Some cats can be completely cured, but we don't know if it will happen. And I don't know what kind of quality of life he will have. Does liver failure put him in severe pain, even if he is being kept alive?

Advice, please! Where do you draw the line? How long do you try to keep him alive waiting for him to be cured? When does trying to keep him alive for his sake become prolonging his life for your sake? And how do I help my girlfriend make the decision? She looks at him like a child...she has said he is the best cat she's ever had. She's only had him for a year, and she feels like she has failed him. I want the cat to get better, but I also don't want her to drive herself to bankruptcy or into depression trying to keep him alive when it's a poor prognosis.

Thanks for your suggestions, and I hope that I this thread doesn't have to move...

[LS Support]

the answer is never simple, she can get guidance from the vet...that is the best course to take. the only thing to do is to do what you/she can do. this
decision can be reached in advance or upon a moment, and most often comes from the heart of the owner. support her, but let her guide the way.

btw, the diagnosis seems a bit odd to me (i am not a vet tho), a failing organ due to moving stress? sounds to me like it could be an obstruction of the
digestives. also, could she gotten into anything poisonous at all (ie antifreeze)? that could cause liver failure. you might consider taking the cat for
a second opinion.

[SJ J & S]

Sounds to me like a second opinion is required.

An alternative therapy available is healing, if you know of a spiritual church they will be able to put you in contact with an animal healer and they generally don’t charge.

If you cant find one you can lay your own hands on him gently and just ask God or the Universe or both to send healing.

Please don’t mock this suggestion you just don’t know until you try there’s a lot of energies out there that we just don’t know about.

Love Sue

[Muffins]

Hi!

I am in agreement that a second opinion is necessary in this case.....

Hmm...the kitty stopped eating "regularly" about a month ago????

I am truly concerned about something more "than the stress of a recent move"....

Is her/your furbaby an indoor/outdoor kitty????

I can understand your girlfriend looking to her "furkid" as a human child............I look to my babies like that as well.

You've received advice from two of the most "wisest" people on this site.......so, I'm in agreement to each of them....

God Bless you and your girlfriend, and also your sweet kitty...............

Please, please keep us posted, and let us know how things turn out....
Will you please????

Love & Prayers,
Denise, Ben, Ms. Lucy and Mr. Yoster

[LittleGirl's...]

Wow, I wish I had something helpful to add. The others' suggestions are excellent---a 2nd opinion and a spiritual healing.

My cat Little Girl, who passed away in March, had been born with a serious heart defect, and she and I moved 15 times in the almost-17 years of her life. She was stressed by traveling and moving, too, but there was never any organ damage. My family and I have had several cats over the years and have never heard of that.

Keep us posted on what happens next. Good luck! You're in my prayers,

Kathy

[kinglyam]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and cares. I was a little suspicious of the diagnosis myself, but we've talked to some people we know that are cat experts by dint of long experience of owning many cats, and they seemed to think that it was quite possible. One of them said her cat fed off her own stress, and my girlfriend does not deal well with moving, either. So it may be her own stress that stressed the cat out.

While the vet didn't run any tests, the cat's throat was obviously jaundiced, so we know it was liver failure. Multiple sources I have checked have all said that hepatitic lipidosis can occur in obese cats that go off their feed. If I have any gripe with the vet, it is that she never warned us of that risk with an overweight cat. All we ever knew about was diabetes. One concern I have is that he got sprayed by a lazy exterminator. The exterminator claimed that the spray was harmless to pets, and wouldn't wait for my girlfriend to get him out from under the bed. When he got sprayed, he apparently screamed bloody murder. However, that being said, I think he was already not eating when that happened.

Right now, though, I don't think a second opinion will do any good. We are pretty much on a deathwatch. My girlfriend force-fed the cat last night, but he threw everything up. He has started peeing on everything, and this morning he meowed piteously all morning while we were getting ready for work. He looked at us with big eyes, like he was asking us to stop the pain. It breaks my heart.

He has a vet appointment at noon, but I honestly don't expect him to be alive by then. And if he is, my girlfriend is probably going to consider having him put to sleep. If he can't keep any food down, and he was in such pain that he meowed all morning like that, I think that will be the best choice we have left. And it's hard on both of us, but particularly her. However, last night and this morning were really tough on everyone, too. He may make the choice himself, but I really don't think recovery is likely to be an option, now.

[kinglyam]

Just a quick update. Unfortunately, Salem is no longer with us. He was still alive when my girlfriend picked him up for the trip to the vet, but was apparently crying in pain the entire time. After talking with the vet, she made the decision to put him to sleep to end his suffering.

He will, of course, be missed. I'm sure all of you have gone through this, perhaps more than once. Many thanks for your kind thoughts and wishes. Such is the fate of us all, and I can only hope to be as loved as he was when I finally go.

My girlfriend has chosen what I think is a fitting tribute, and I hope some other people who read this will think of similar things to remember the passing of their pets. She is donating a book on cat veternary medicine to the library where she works, in memory of Salem. Hopefully, it will help some cat owner save his or her kitty before they have to go through what ours did.

[LS Support]

condolences...great idea on the book though. if she feels the need, please have her come over here for support.

[SJ J & S]

Please give your girlfriend a long hug from me, I’ll light a candle for Salem.

My condolences to you both.
Love Sue

[Muffins]

I am very sorry to hear that Salem has passed.........but, please know that now he is at perfect peace....... He's at Rainbow's Bridge, and he has a body that doesn't hurt anymore..... I know that as soon as Salem passed, he was put into the loving arms of St. Francis, and now romps free with all of our furbabies that have gone on before....

I am sure that Salem is very pleased with his mom's decision to donate a book, (in his beautiful, loving memory ) on cat veterinary medicine, to the library where she works.....
Knowledge is a wonderful thing, and a blessing.

Please accept our sincere condolences.
You are in our thoughts and prayers....

And please, know that we are all here for you, whenever you and/or your girlfriend feel the need to talk.....
I wish you both Peace..

Love, Denise & Ben

[LittleGirl's...]

I'm so sorry!! My heart goes out to you both.

Please know, as Denise said, that Salem is in perfect bliss now. I believe that as fact---NOT just as a nice thing to imagine. He is all-spirit, and he's in a realm where there's no concept of time and space (unlike there is while our spirits are living here in our physical bodies). So, he really is still with you ....just not in his handsome physical form . I know it's not the same! I know you and she miss him something awful! But I believe, with 100% conviction, that he's in bliss and that you all will be fully reunited when it's your time to pass on. For some unknown reason, he had fulfilled his time in his body.

Please keep coming here, and maybe your girlfriend will too? Again, I'm so sorry! Let us know if there's anything we can do. Sometimes just talking (writing) helps a whole lot.

You are being a great support to your girlfriend. Give her extra hugs from us. I know you are hurting too! You are hurting over Salem yourself, plus you are taking on some her for your girlfriend. Thank you for being there for her! Together, you will get through this. And just maybe, when she feels ready, you might adopt another needy kitty. You are both very loving people. Your eventual love for another animal would be in honor of sweet Salem.

Thinking of you both, and sending prayers and comfort,

Kathy