Feline Old Age Through to Bereavement - Knowing When to Let Go

As your cat's condition deteriorates and the euthanasia decision gets closer; it is gets harder because you may have nursed and bonded more strongly. His rate and stage of deterioration can be measured by blood, urine and stool samples, tissue samples, X-rays and ultrasound scans (depending on the nature of the condition). For example, the levels of urea and creatinine in the blood gives an accurate measure of kidney function. The higher the levels, the worse the problem. Dialysis, diet and drugs can slow chronic renal failure, but not reverse or halt it. Once urea levels reach a certain threshold, death is inevitable and unpleasant so most vets recommend euthanasia before that point.

Assess the side-effects and risks of treatment. Modern anesthetics are very safe, but weekly anesthesia for dialysis sessions is stressful for an older cat's body. Can your cat survive comfortably, albeit for a shorter period, without a potentially distressing course treatment? How will he react to a severely restricted lifestyle? Some diseases are infectious though he may stay relatively healthy for a while but can you keep him from infecting other cats?

Remember - he thinks in terms of current quality of life, not of life expectancy. His concept of the future is limited to the short term. He doesn't make long-term plans. Age is a winding down, it is a natural process not a disease. You can treat many of the distressing symptoms related to age, but no-one can cheat death forever. Without death, there would be no room for the newborn.

Home Nursing & Giving Medication

• Will other commitments prevent me from giving medication or from getting my cat to the vet regularly?
• Who will give treatment when I am away from home for any reason (e.g. work)?
• How often must he go for check-ups?
• Does my vet do house calls or out-of-hours appointments?
• Must I take my cat for check-ups at the clinic because it needs specialist facilities/equipment?
• Can I afford long-term treatment for the cat?
• Do I have pet insurance and does it cover this sort of treatment?

Life-prolonging treatment may mean daily medication and nursing but not all owners can cope with this and an extremely uncooperative cat may be impossible to medicate at home. Can you both manage daily trips to the vet clinic for treatment? A determined cat may resist all attempts to nurse it until it is too weak to resist, by which time treatment may be ineffective. You may have to settle for a shorter life expectancy without medication.

You need to know what side-effects to expect and whether you can cope with them - some medications cause diarrhea or behavioral changes. In some cases, side-effects outweigh the benefits of treatment. Sometimes, the economics of the situation will be a major factor. Don't feel guilty just because you couldn't afford a particular treatment. You have no guarantee that the treatment would have worked in the case of your cat. The important thing, from your cat's point of view, is that you provide it with a good home and good care during its lifetime and that you do not let it suffer or allow it to lose its quality of life.