Hi.., my name is AJ & I am new here. I'm reaching out for support regarding
my precious cat. Her name is Sable. Sable is the oldest of my kids. She's 18
(almost 19) years old & she is very very sick.
During the past 3 days she hasn't been eating or drinking, she can hardly
walk & can't even make her way to her litter box. She also smell terrible.
The few times that she did try to eat & drink she ended up vomiting within
seconds after intake.

The Vet said that she was anorexic & constipated & that, based on the test
they did, they couldn't find anything wrong with her. We had already paid
$300.00 for a few tests & they recommended more test & a couple of nights in
the hospital but the cost would be well over a thousand dollars. Even then,
there would be no guarantee that her condition would improve.

We did the hospitalization thing in the past with two of our other babies
that were sick but all it did was prolong their suffering. All we cared about
was keeping them barely alive for a little bit longer just so we could delay
the inevitable. We brought them home & for two weeks I was sticking needles
in their necks to give them fluids, force feeding them a special non-protien
diet & having to lift them into their litter box or clean them off because
they couldn't control themselves. Finally the reality of my own selfishness
hit me. It was only after they were put to sleep that the Vet told us we made
the right decision.

Sable is showing all of the same symptoms plus other unusual behavior. The
saddest part is that she’s always been an affectionate & playful cat. Loves
to be held, stroked, & scratched. But now she refuses to be picked up & she
cowards away from our hands whenever we reach for her. As is with all our
babies, Sable was conditioned from day one to always feel safe & secure in
her daddies arms. But now, every time we reach for her she hisses & swats at
our hands. It breaks my heart.

The Vet prescribed some medicine for her but we have to literally force the
drops & pills down her throat which may explain her sudden fear of our hands.
Problem is that she's unable to keep her medicine in. She just pukes it right
back out. It feels like we’re doing more bad than good because she’s not
getting any better.

There’s also the handling & manipulation aspect to deal with. Sable has never
been sick in her entire life. Other than getting all her shots & being spayed
when she was a kitten, she’s never had to deal with other people handling her.
Unfortunately it does require some aggression to treat her. This has been a
very traumatizing ordeal for her. I'm afraid that, if her illness doesn't
kill her, she may die from the shock alone. She doesn't understand what's
going on & that it's all for her own good. She's very scared too. I know my
cats & there are things that I can just tell. Her instincts seem to be
communicating that she's ready to die & if this is the case then I would
rather her be put to sleep & die peacfully than be kept alive until her
sickness kills her.

When we take her age into consideration coupled with her symptoms & her
declining strength & energy it’s hard to determine the most humane approach.
Paying a thousand + dollars would make more sense if there was more certainty
in knowing that the additional treatments would help. When I say “help” I
mean making a full return to the same quality of life that she had before she
got sick but we honestly don’t see that happening. She’s miserable & it’s so
obvious.

My partner & I are back & forth in thinking that the time has come for us to
put her down.., end her suffering. The Vet refused to put her to sleep unless
he could run the additional tests but we can't see the point in having more
expensive tests done only to find out that her condition is terminal. We know
Sable well enough to know that this is the beginning of the end.

The only other option would be to surrender her to animal control & let them
put her to sleep. Problem is that they will do it but they have a policy
stating that the owners of the animal are not allowed to be present at the
time. Animal control is geared towards dealing with animals that are a menace.
They're not concerned with providing a safe & loving space for an animal to
die. They just pull them out of the cage, shoot them up, & throw them aside
until their dead. My Sable is not a menace. She is so LOVED & she needs to be
surrounded with that love when she takes her final breath.

I don’t know why I’m posting this. I guess I just need some extra support.
Sable may be old but she’s still my baby & she’s dying. I don’t know what to
do. I’m so scared. I LOVE her!

What would you do?

Sincerely:
AJ