Not sure what the etiquette is here with updating posts and I really didn't want to come back on and give you all such sad news but you were all so helpful and I wanted to let you know the outcome of this.
Unfortunately, when they put Merlin under for the anaesthetic they found a large tumour under his tongue. The vet said we could bring him back round and take him home but it would only be for him to suffer more and that the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep, so this is what we did. Needless to say I'm devastated, full of regrets and missing him like crazy. I stroked him all the way in the car in the carrier to keep him from being so stressed and at times he did chill out a little bit. When we got to the vets, the vet let us in the back way as their entrance is on a very busy road and put the carrier on the floor just inside the door. She said that I could go in with him but she thought it best that they take him through and give him his pre-med straight away so he didn't pick up on my stress. He was crying in the carrier so I just went inside the door and spoke to him through the cage. My husband and I went down to the local shops so we weren't too far away and the call from the vet came about an hour and a half later. I have really beaten myself up over this, my husband said that I couldn't possibly have known the outcome and that no-one could've loved that cat as much as much as me and I know deep down this is true but feel that I let him down at the final hurdle. It had crossed my mind that there may be something else going on with him but this is only the second cat I have ever had and I was not familiar with oral cancer. My plan was always to have Merlin put to sleep at home when the time came and I am angry that this was taken away from him, it seems so cruel and brutal right now and especially as this was a cat who always loved his food. I am grateful that he didn't have to go through the dental treatment only for this to be discovered later but at the same time wish it had been spotted on the previous visit so that I could have kept him at home. On the Sunday evening, he was on the bed and I gave him lots of cuddles as I normally would and on Monday morning he went for his usual stroll in the garden and ate 8 Lik e lix (he had stopped eating all other food and water) so I am also grateful for that. I am trying to keep the happy memories of him but it is so hard, he was my best mate and I am missing him so much.
Again, sorry for the sad update but I am still in shock and thought it might help to share here.
Julia x
Hello all
Sorry for a very long winded first post but I wanted to reach out to other cat lovers as I have been agonising over this so much! I would be really, really grateful if any of you can share your insights/experiences with anything like this below?
My name is Julia and I have a 20yr old cat called Merlin. I managed to get him to the vets (more on that later) on Friday for blood tests as he has not been eating much last few weeks, pawing at his mouth, loud swallowing etc. The vet confirmed that his teeth are rotten and this is the most likely cause and they would need to be extracted/cleaned and whilst he is under they will do ultrasound to see if there is anything else going on in his tummy. The blood tests came back normal so they say he is ok for anesthesia. They have told me there is always a risk with anesthesia and some cats do well after dental surgery and some cats don't and still have problems.
My concern is that he originally came to me from a neighbour and he wasn't used to going to the vets and has horrendous stress from going in the carrier and car (panting, drooling, pooping). He also has high blood pressure and is pretty much blind now although his blindness hasn't really affected him at all. I took him to the vets about a year and a half ago because of the eyesight and the vet kept him in all day to monitor the blood pressure and when he came home he had a massive seizure. I honestly thought I was going to lose him that day but he did slowly bounce back after that. Due to that my vet said she would do home visits for blood pressure checks which she has been doing as I have been unable to find a proper home visit vet in my area. They can't do anything else at home hence me having to take him in for the blood tests and they said I could leave him there on that day and they would do the dental but I just wanted to get him back home and think about it. The vets have been very nice and let him wait in his own room with us there on Friday because they know how stressed he gets. I asked if there was anything else we could do apart from surgery and he has had a 2nd shot of Convenia (my vet came round and gave 1st shot a couple of weeks ago when he stopped eating), Metacam and they gave him vitamin B injection which has increased his appetite a little but nothing seems to be helping that much.
The thing is even though my vets are 'nice' I have always felt that I am asking too many questions and they never seem to offer the info readily which is really frustrating me and is really hard work. This is making me feel really uneasy about doing the dental surgery as they seem to be focusing on the fact that the blood results were fine so that equals him being fine but I feel I have more to consider than that. I don't want to start carting him round to other vets and causing him more stress though. I feel the only options are putting him through the stress of the surgery with a vet that I don't feel 100% confident in or the other option of putting him to sleep in the comfort of his own home, which doesn't bear thinking about but may be the kindest thing to do for him. He is my baby and I only want what's best for him.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif)
Julia x