old old lady.....

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Cussypat1974
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old old lady.....

Post by Cussypat1974 »

Minnie is old...... her exact age is unknown but I took her home when she was dumped from a van about ten years ago, and the vet at the time already said she was old. she has henerally been very healthy once her initial parasites and ovarian cysts were dealt with. she has always snored loudly.
three years ago I found a pea sized lump on her "boob" so she had to have an operation to remove that strip of mammary tissue. it was done within a week and she recovered well (despite fears for her life due to her age under anaesthetic). I know most mammary cancers in cats are malignant. i have been expecting the spread to her lungs ever since.

recently she hasnt been grooming as well as normal and has lost weight. her snoring is worse and she is chesty. I now have her on some very posh food that costs a fortune from the vets,and try to snip the knots out of her (she is longhaired). she was never keen on grooming.......

So we went to the vet last night. she has an ear infection which I am now treating. she also has oral antibiotics to try to help her lungs IF it is an infection. she also has a grade 3 murmur which was never diagnosed before, and is left sided.. so...... she could have an infection (hopefully) or it could be her heart causing the lung issues (second best hope) or it could be the cancer back (probably most likely).

we could do bloods and sedate her and scan her and do loads of tests but she HATES all that. my thinking is that she is old..... and something has to get her in the end...... and OF COURSE we will treat anything that can be treated without too much invasion, but I am not going to have all those tests done on her. she is still eating and drinking normally and is happy sleeping the days away.

if the ABs dont work, we can try diuretics for her comfort. i did this with Brownie who eventually passed in her sleep on my pillow aged 24. i still miss Brownie but I have never regretted the approach we took......

basically I know tht so many tests CAN be done....... to identify what EXACTLY is making her body slow down...... but I dont think those tests should be done in this case. I think I should focus on keeping Minnie happy and comfortable rather than just alive.......

thoughts? i adore this cat...... she has been my friend for so long now, and I really want to do what is best for HER.
booktigger
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Re: old old lady.....

Post by booktigger »

If she was mine, I wouldn't put her through the tests, if they show the cancer is back, you wouldn't want to put her through treatment. If the abs don't work, I'd ask the vet for steroids but wouldn't do more than that.
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meriad
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Re: old old lady.....

Post by meriad »

totally agree with booktigger x
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lilynmitz
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Re: old old lady.....

Post by lilynmitz »

This is so hard for you. My Lily was the sickliest cat I ever had but she outlived all the others, albeit that she was 17 at the end, which is young compared to some of yours. She gathered more and more medical conditions as time went on, she was on 8 meds a day at the end, and finally her little heart was giving out, and it was time to let her go.

You've done an amazing job keeping Minnie going and happy as long as you have, and have given her a wonderful extended life given the circumstances in which she came to you. But there is only so much you can do, when the treatment becomes more of a battle than the condition itself, simply as her tired old body loses it's ability to fight things off or bounce back from surgery. I agree with Desley, if it can be treated with drugs, then give it a try, but if the tests would only show either conditions that need surgery, or conditions that can't be treated at all, then you're limited to drugs anyway.

You must do what you feel is right for her. If you think it's going to be too stressful to put her through the tests, then treat what you can, and keep her comfortable. In Lily's case, one night her legs kept going from underneath her, so it was clear her time had come and we had to let her go the next day, as she wouldn't have survived another night, but she never lost her spirit or gave up, my dear sweet old girl.

It's so hard when you've fought so long for them, but you're not giving up, you're just supporting her through this next phase in her journey. I hope it will be filled with love for both of you. Xx
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Crewella
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Re: old old lady.....

Post by Crewella »

I totally agree with the others and support your decisions for the best way to care for your old Minnie at this stage of her life. Sometimes all those tests do more to help the owner than the cat, and at her age you're better off treating the symptoms and keeping her comfortable.

Your instincts are usually right, give yourself a hug and give her a gentle fuss from me. xx
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