A New Blog Look and a New Kitten

Well, spring has finally sprung and lots has happened since I last posted here. Bored with the old blog appearance, I opted for a new one. More importantly, however, is the news on the cat front: last fall, two of our three old cats, Black Bear (my favorite, ahem) and Little Girl, passed away within a week of each other.

Late in October, Bear started acting differently. A subtle change at first, but I noticed. I also had a feeling that it was not just a couple of "quiet days" that cats have now and then. Always a healthy eater, I knew he was in trouble when he began leaving some of his dinner on his plate. When he was six years old, he had been a "plugged" cat, suffering from Feline Urological Syndrome and had to be rushed to the animal hospital to be catheterized lest he die of uremia. Since that time, he had been on daily methionine to acidify his urine. Now, he was nearly 14 years old. I had a sinking feeling that the old problem had returned and morphed into kidney failure.

J. and I took him to our holistic veterinarian, who took blood for liver and kidney function tests. Two days later, I received the news: terminal kidney failure. The vet said his numbers were off the charts, and it was amazing that he had done as well as he had for so long. I attributed that fact to the homemade diet he had been on for the past few years. Once I calmed down, I called back and made an appointment to euthanize him. It was three days hence, and I was determined to spoil him like crazy before the end of his life.

He was still eating, so we gave him all the neat treats we could think of: canned cat food, canned fish snacks, etc. He was pampered more than ever (quite a feat, I assure you). When the time came to bundle him off to the vet, we were sad, but knew we had done all that we could to give him a great life. I had hoped he would live to 20 years, but the end came quickly and he was in fine fettle until almost the very end.

Little Girl, who had been having some recurrence of urinary tract problems herself during the previous summer, became despondent over his loss. The only female, she had "belonged" to Bear, the alpha male, and was despondent without him. She would wait for him, and cry when he didn't appear. She stopped eating. Soon, her kidneys failed, as well; we had her put to sleep less than a week after Bear. To those who claim that animals cannot love, I have this to say: You are dead wrong.

Poor J. buried two cats in one week, the second one on his birthday. As he trudged up the driveway after putting out Miss P.'s trash, looking lost and depressed, I said, "Let's go out to lunch and stop by the shelter to see what they have on hand for kittens." He looked surprised, but agreed. No way was I going to let him remember his birthday only as the day he buried Miss Thing! So, off we went--and found ourselves a cute little bargain.

Next time: A new playmate for Goldie.

How to Know When it's Time to Put Your Pet to Sleep

How does one know for sure that there is no hope and it is time to euthanize one's pet? People that are very close to their animals can tell when something is wrong. Very often, they know also when their pet's time has come. When making this important decision, consider the following circumstances and issues; after taking everything into consideration, you will feel more secure about taking this merciful but irreversible step.

Your pet is very old and/or chronically ill. A very old pet, particularly one with health problems, is not going to improve. They are at the end of their lives, and you must come to terms with that. How old is old? A 2-year-old cat or dog is equivalent to a mature human of 21-25 years. The new math then adds 4 years to each year after that. Therefore, a 7-year-old cat is considered to be 21/25 + (4x5) = 41/45 human-equivalent years old and just moving into middle age. A 10-year-old cat or dog is therefore about 53/57 human years old; this is considered the beginning of old age (at least for pets!) and you can usually start to see changes in your animal in their tenth year. Of course, some pets seem to age faster than others (hence the wiggle room in the numbers) and large dogs age more quickly than small ones.

Remember, too, that these newer numbers represent an animal with the best care and a healthy youth and middle age. An animal of 10 years who develops diabetes or kidney failure is not going to live to a ripe old age. Talk to your veterinarian, who will help coach you as to what to look out for when your pet's age and health problems are keeping it from living comfortably.

Your pet is no longer eating and cannot stand up. An old and/or sick animal that just stops eating needs to be euthanized. Very quickly, s/he will be unable to move, and you don't want it to get to that. Cats should not be allowed to go completely without food for 2 days or more anyway, as organ failure can occur. A young animal with anorexia (no appetite) is one thing; a sick, elderly pet, another. Either way, get to the vet and have the situation assessed.

Your animal has sustained serious trauma or has cancer. Often, animals hit by cars (this doesn't happen to indoor cats, hint hint) can recover and live many more years. In other instances, however, the pain and expense involved in taking that chance isn't worth it. The same goes for cancer. I know people who have had surgery and chemotherapy done on their pets to gain 6 months to 1 year of extra life. Think about the healthy animals you could adopt from your local shelter if you instead said "goodbye". Alternately, you could make a donation to a shelter in your pet's memory. Either way (or both), you'll do more good for more animals!

Remember that the grief you feel is only for your own loss; your pet is now no longer suffering. Time will pass, and you'll recover. The sure-fire method to get over your grief fast? Get another pet (or two)! Believe me, it really works!
Chat later!

When it's Time to Say Goodbye

Anyone who has ever owned a pet knows the feelings of loss when the beloved animal dies. Even though we all know that no one lives forever, it still hurts when our pets pass on. More often than not, pets do not die in their sleep, as we would all prefer (even for ourselves!), but continue to decline in health until we take the initiative to end their suffering. Unfortunately, this issue often causes both pets and their owners unnecessary stress and discomfort. How can one be sure that the right decision is being made?

Very seldom is anything certain in life. However, I believe that responsible pet owners do not make the decision to euthanize their cat or dog lightly. I have seen people agonize over the decision, with the end result that the animal suffers more than it would have had the action been more decisive. People who are worried about making a rash decision to euthanize too quickly paradoxically wind up causing their pet more discomfort by postponing the procedure. Therefore, if you are considering putting your pet to sleep, I would bet a box of donuts that you are reading the situation correctly.

Still, we worry. We wonder if veterinary science might not be able to save the animal, no matter what the cost. Or we convince ourselves that the animal is not suffering, is still "enjoying life", as I've heard it put. An old, chronically ill animal that cannot see, hear or control his bladder and/or bowels is not having a good time! I have seen pets that could barely walk and had lost so much weight that they looked like skeletons. The owners still maintained that the pet was doing fine. Only when the animal couldn't get up or eat a single morsel did they throw in the towel. To my mind, the act of euthanasia was long past due.

If you have a trustworthy veterinarian, he or she will give your animal an exam and honestly apprise you of your options. Some vets encourage their clients to pay thousands of dollars for treatments that do not work and only prolong suffering. My husband has a friend that traveled 100 miles once a week for chemotherapy treatments for his dog. He did this for 6 months. The end result? The dog died anyway, and this man was out several thousand dollars.

But, how do we know it's "time"? Tomorrow, we'll take a look at how an owner can determine with a reasonable amount of certainty that an animal's time has come.
Chat later!