> Dear Nate;
>
> It's a tough decision.  We put our beloved 13 year-old-cat Stinky t
> sleep
> today due to liver disease.  Vet thought she had cholangiohepatiti
> secondary
> to possible cancer or lippidosis (we did not want to put her throug
> the
> trauma of biopsy or exploratory surgery as further diagnosis especiall
> at
> her age).  She was hospitalized for two days with fluids an
> antibiotics and
> was eating a little.  We brought her home and were administerin
> antiobiotics,
> prednisolone, metronidazole, appetite stimulant, and a pain/sedativ
> med.
> She did not respond.  She wouldn't eat and refused water.  She droole
> out
> the liquid meds we gave her.  We took her for recheck Mon.  The ve
> gave her
> subcutaneous fluid therapy to help with dehydration.  We switched al
> of her
> meds to pill form.  We would administer the sedative first hoping sh
> would
> tolerate the pills better.  She did not tolerate us forcing the med
> down
> very well.  We got them down her for a couple of days with much effort
> I
> hated traumatizing her like that but we wanted her to recover.  No suc
> luck,
> she got progressively worse and we didn't want her to suffer anymore.
>
> The important thing  is TB responds well to the syringe feeding.  If h
> does
> not eat for a few days he can develop hepatic lippidosis ( Our ve
> thought
> Stinky may have had this) which requires insertion of a feeding tube.
> This
> treatment is high maintenance and there are no guarrantees.  We decide
> it
> was best to relieve Stinky of her discomfort. I sensed that she wa
> ready to
> go.   We lost our cat Star last March to liver disease.  She was 1
> also.
>
> It's devastating to see a beloved pet suffer.  We will miss our baby
> tremendously.  I have been in tears everyday for the past ten days.
> Today
> was the hardest.  But at least she is at peace now.  I wish you luc
> in
> whatever decision you make.  Hope my post helps.
> NateB323 wrote:-
> Hello everyone, I found this site in order to do more research, as wel
> as talk to fellow cat lovers.  I just finished doing a number o
> searches through the forum and am constantly holding back tears.  Her
> is my situation:
>
> My cat Tiger (Tiger Beast or TB for short) is a 15 year old nuetere
> male American short hair tabby.  He was born across the street from m
> house when I was 10 and I have had him ever since.  He has been
> blessing, an awesome pet, more like a dog than a cat.  He has neve
> missed a night sleeping in my bed and cuddling up purring away.  Alway
> wanted to be held and loved, never mean, just an awesome cat.
>
> Last year, around October he began getting extremely picky abou
> eating.  Finally, he stopped eating all together and I knew he wa
> sick.  I took him to the vet and they did blood work.  The blood wor
> showed elevated liver enzymes and I was given amoxicillin to make sur
> it wasn't an infection.  To make a very long story short, he did no
> get better until I put him on Prednisone.  He began to eat and act lik
> his normal self, but after two weeks he crashed and was back not eatin
> and looking ill.  I was referred to an internal medicine specialis
> that performed ultrasound.  His liver was enlarged as well a
> galbladder and bile ducts.  TB was diagnosed with cholangiohepatiti
> and suspected pancreatitis.  I had to syringe feed him while giving hi
> clavamox, metronidazole, Denosyl, and cyproheptadine.
>
> In January of this year, I bought a house and moved with him out of th
> house he had been in for almost 15 years.  He was still sick and no
> eating much at that time, but was a little bit better.  I continued t
> syringe feed him and administer the meds.  He got a little better, mor
> active, would play here and there, and was acting generally norma
> EXCEPT for his eating habits.  I had to constantly change up his foo
> in order to get him to eat on his own.  He has always eaten canned foo
> ever since he was a kitten.  Anyway, I have since had him to the vet o
> numerous occasions checking up on his blood and ultrasound images.
> About a week and a half ago, TB again stopped eating all together
> stopped bathing, and looked sick.  I put him in the vet on fluids for
> day and a half.  They did another ultrasound and took blood.  His live
> enzymes were still very high, his bilirubin was way higher at 14, an
> his ultrasound shows the same enlarged liver, thickened galbladder an
> dialated bile duct.  They are recommending exploratory surgery to mak
> sure there is no bile duct obstruction as well as biopsy.
>
> I love my cat like he is my son, and I have been very depressed abou
> this.  I really cannot afford the surgery, and there is no gaurante
> they will find anything or be able to do anything by opening him up.
> am also afraid that he might die from the anesthesia or other surger
> complications.  I just don't know what to do...he has no obviou
> masses, no signs of cancer, just this stupid liver/biliary disease.  H
> will still lay with me and purr, and has only really lost about 1 poun
> during this whole process.  I was really hoping to get close to 2
> years out of him.  I am just a mess right now, I'm sorry this is s
> long, but I had to get it all out.  What do you think I should do?
> Anyone have any experience with this
>
> --
> NateB323-