Question for those with experience with cats

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elusive
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Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:47 am

Unfortunatly we are having to deal with the end days of the community cat that we have been looking after for the last four years.who we have become attached to and him to us. Hes had a bleeding spot on his nose on and off since sept which has now been diagnosed as cancer. Hes a white ginger patched pink nosed cat so very common and hes around 16 could be older so not young.upto last we hes been healthy and happy even with the spots but last wed he was very quiet and not waiting to come in at the door on a morning and is drooling thick saliva alot. So we took him to the vet at his protest

Really looking for advice as to how long you leave it until we make the final journey to the vet. Hes still eating very well and while he spends most of his day between his bed and the garden furniture hes still taking himself across the street and next door to neighbours where he sits in the sun.( not in his bed this morn so hoping hes in the neighbours now as he was the other day)although he obviously looks ill and doesnt have alot of energy but enough to climb over walls etc.so do we wait untl he stops eating and leaving his bed or do cats eat right to the end. Personally id rather get it over with as hes not suddenly gonna get any better. Although he looked bad the other day as the colour and brightness had gone from his eyes but it came back and they were quite bright yesterday and looking normal .just looking for advice from those who may have been through this as we have always been dog ppl.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby katy » Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:52 am

Phew that's a difficult one. Sad, have been through it many times and always do some soul searching even just now when I read this. At one time we had 5 cats in Spain but down to 2 when we left. A couple of them seemed to give up, stopping eating is a sign. difficult to know if they are in pain or discomfort.

One of our younger ones had difficulty eating and when I looked her mouth was really sore and ulcerated. Turned out to be cat leukaemia so after trying some treatment which didn't work, we put her down. Another a battered old Tom we took in suddenly started to sleep under a hedge at the bottom of the garden, kept carrying him back but it was where he wanted to be. vet said he had liver failure. Eventually he just wouldn't eat so I decided it was time. So, not much help but generally it has been the stopping eating which has brought me to a decision, after speaking with a vet of course.

It is never easy, I turned back once with my cat just as I entered the vets but just was putting off the inevitable.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby costakid » Mon Jan 14, 2019 12:01 pm

Difficult decision but if he is still eating and getting around i would wait. The minute he stays on his bed and stops eating you will have to put him out of his misery.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby Miro » Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:34 pm

With our previous cat, who had feline AIDS, we asked our vet the same question; he said we would just know when it was time. I can't explain exactly how, but he was right. As your cat sounds semi-feral, I wouldn't be surprised if he takes himself off somewhere private when he knows it's time. Ours hadn't left the apartment for days as he was too weak, but somehow summoned enough strength to drag himself out to the garden one last time. That's when we knew.
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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby gerryh » Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:40 pm

Agree with Miro.
Exactly the same with our dog, when it was time we knew.
Unfortunately animals are very good at hiding the fact they are in pain until the very end when they just seem to give up the will and the fight to live.
A semi feral cat might just drag itself off to some quite spot and die and you won't know where or what happened.
Still very upsetting.
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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby katy » Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:12 pm

Agree, just like our semi feral cat did when he bedded down under a hedge and wouldn't eat.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:32 pm

Thanks all for your advice.hes spent the day in the sun at the neighbours as thought.saw him sat on the wall watching people and called im for dinner which he ate all off and groomed himself for a few mins which we havnt seen in a while.seems abit brighter putting his head up with sudden noises etc like they do. Hes not semi feral though. He is tame but i think all those years ago he came as a stray but was taken on and passed around amongst neighbours. He has his moments when he can be abit skittish and nervous like hes regressing but he was quite happy spending the evening layed ontop of you on the sofa having his chin rubbed.Also has his bed in a cubby hole in the outside kitchen which he feels safe in.

I guess is just a case of taking it a day at a time. Thanks again for your input ill update as and when

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby gruff » Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:06 pm

It would seem that nasal skin cancer is common amongst older outdoor cats presumably because of their desire to lay in the sun. We have/had cats with the problem. It has never been the cause of their death.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:03 am

Thanks gruff. Yes the vet told us its very common in white cats. Same as fair skinned humans i guess. Question for you further day seeing as you have experience of this. Appreciate what you think

A little update. Over the last couple of weeks hes amazed us considering what he was like when i first wrote my post. Hes always been eating well. But wasnt wandering to far in the street and it was lunchtime by the time he was going out. Now hes alot brighter. About 65-70% his normal self. Started waiting at the door on a morning to come in and best of all hes started coming back in and cuddling up on the sofa on a night the last few days. Alot more talkative aswell! Hes also wanting to go for a wander in the street by 10am the last few days which is the first time hes done this since been ill. More like a normal cat again

We are wondering if he picked up a virus ontop of his nose problem as he started with on and off drooling (the thing that pushed us to take him to the vet in the first place) runny eyes which are alot better now. And hes been sneezing alot and very bunged up in the nasal area especially when eating. thats better than it was aswell.We wondered if the sneezing and bunged up is because of the nose cancer as his nose looks abit swollen or if its a seperate infection?. Did your cats have this prob gruff? Or if its something totally different and thats what appeared to make him seem so ill when it first started

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby gruff » Tue Feb 05, 2019 12:52 pm

I think it might well be linked to cats with a light coloured nose? I've no reason to link other symptoms to the nasal cancer but difficult as being an older cat other problems may well be present.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Feb 05, 2019 1:30 pm

Thanks gruff. Yeah defo white/pink nosed cats..
Last edited by elusive on Tue Feb 05, 2019 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby chrissiehope » Tue Feb 05, 2019 2:00 pm

It can affect the tips of their ears too :-(
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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Feb 05, 2019 3:24 pm

Yeah. Vet said that. He saod its better there as they chop the ends off! Cant do that with the nose!

May pop into the vets and just ask advice the drooling,sneezing etc as as dr google (yeap i know!!) Mentions a upper resp infection (URI ) so maybe unconnected to the cancer. Dont want to leave him with that if even if he is alot better if its something seperate to the cancer that can be treated.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby gruff » Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:07 pm

I believe there is a laser treatment for the nose, looking into it.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:36 pm

Yeah the vet mentioned that gruff. But he didnt think it was really worth it as it wasnt a cure just prolong.would only get some of it.he said theres alot there. We were thinking of it right at begining but until the last couple of weeks he didnt seem well enough.tbh dont think its worth putting him through it as hes old and got terribly stressed and upset been put in a pet carrier and taken to the vets. I dont want to put him through that again unless i really had to.

Anyway back in again tonight fours hours on my lap which is good. Dont want him out when its so chilly.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:02 pm

After a noble fight we had to take the cat on its final journey today. Amazingly after i first wrote this post he turned around and had been well until mid may when the growth on his nose got worse and he wasnt his old self. That last couple of weeks he was eating less although still eating but was alot quieter. The last week he had seemed worse and neighbours who had looked after him before us for many years had been away for a week and came back and thought he was bad and it was time.we had to agree although parts of us had been putting it off knowing it was only going to end one way.. so we decided not to leave it until tomorrow. We took him down and the vet said it had spread as his eyes werent opening as much and his cheeks were more swollen in the last week. So we held him and gave him cuddles as he drifted off .we arent cat people. Always had dogs but we got very attached to him and him to us and he was very much loved and pampered for the five years we looked after him which is all you can do.. we will miss him very much x
Last edited by elusive on Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby gerryh » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:24 pm

I know it's very upsetting but you did the right thing.
Remember the good times you had with him and 16 years is quite a good age for a cat.
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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby elusive » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:49 pm

Thanks gerry. Yeah he lived to a good age considering his start in life and how he was passed around. We dont know his exact age but he was at least approx that due to people who still live in the street remembering when he first turned up.. he was a very effectionate and loving cat once you gained his trust loved to cuddle up on the sofa with you and have a chin rub. Nudging you to keep on doing it but was nervous around strangers. Its gives us comfort that we were with him at the end holding him stroking/talking to him and he knew we where there for him right to the end and wasnt left with strangers.

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Re: Question for those with experience with cats

Postby chrissiehope » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:38 pm

I've done this with 3 cats & a dog - it's doesn't get easier the more you do it, but you know you're doing the right thing
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