Our Grand Old Girl Is Not Feeling So Grand

Our gorgeous kitty has made it to the ripe old age of 18. Right now our beloved ol' girl is at the vets having lots of tests, house seems empty without her and I'm afraid we may have to get used to it :(

She has always been a very vain cat, always looked her best and never looked her age :lol: But over the weekend she suddenly looked old...DH and I felt unsettled but waited to see how she was today. We gave her a good brush and that seemed to perk her up.

This morning she was looking dishevelled, didn't want to be touched, was even walking funny which was new, she also seemed very on edge and kept flinching. We got the vet over who was immediately concerned at her appearance as it is so at odds with her usual manner.

After looking her over he was unsure what the problem is, heard him mention stroke, tumours, clots, kidney and liver, poisoning (though considering she has never set foot outside in her life that is highly unlikely. It's just come on so quickly.). So basically she is getting tested for everything but will have a light sedation to help her cope, poor thing.

He's going to call tomorrow with any results. Trying to be positive but we just don't have a good feeling. She has certainly had a wonderful life though!

18 is a fantastic age for your old girl and I bet she has had a wonderful life. If it is her time then I hope it is gentle for you all.

Sending love from me and my kitty babies to your grand lady x

oh hun, im so sorry she's so unwell. will keep everything crossed it nothing serious and u get a few more years with her before you have to say goodbye xxx

I hope you get some answers. Thinking of you and your girl.

My parents 15 year old cat was the same, she was fine and all of a sudden, she went down hill and rapidly. Unfortunately they had to make the hard decision and end her life - it is awfully sad, but I think you can really be proud of yourselves that you gave her such a long and loved lifetime!

A similar thing happened to our dog last year. She seemed like she got sick, picked up and then we got a new pup (we have working kelpies and needed a new pup) and it was like she just gave up. I was so sad because she'd been such a good dog. DH ended up putting her down. She was nearly 14 which is really old for a working dog. I hope your cat is OK and comes home again :hug:

Thanks girls, means a lot. She has had a good innings, we've always joked about her outliving all of us! Hopefully she has a little longer but we don't want her to be in any pain.

Moo always does the rounds before bed saying all his goodnights, she's always the first one he goes to but tonight she wasn't here, poor kid was asking for her :(

:hug: I'm sorry hun, I hope she makes it home for a bit longer. 18 years is amazing, well done.

I really feel for you hun :comfort:

I am in a similar position with my precious labrador, and it is such a helpless place to be.

All we can do is the best we can in terms of keeping them free of pain and confusion. I sincerely hope that your old girl's time is not yet up x

So sorry. They are such a part of the family. I hope the vet can find something treatable with your lovely old girl.

Aw hun, that's no good. :hug:

Hope you get some answers tomorrow.

So heard from her vet...she has some decreased kidney function which is not too bad. But she also has some pretty severe neurological impairment. The kidney problem is not bad enough to cause the brain issue. He thinks it's most likely a stroke but is very surprised as according to him strokes are quite rare in cats :dunno: whatever is causing it, it's not likely repairable.

She will be staying another night at the vets for more observation, as well as steroid treatment. She'll come home tomorrow and we'll see how she progresses from there. But from what I can gather she is not expected to recover from this, it's more let's see if she gets any worse. He'll be calling again tonight to update us, which I'm looking forward to as he called me when I was out earlier and I couldn't really talk freely.

So we don't know much unfortunately, or what to do from here yet. We don't want to see her get worse though...she is 18 and I know we have given her the very best life a cat could have.

:hug: for you. It is such a hard time and the choice you have to make is a hard one. I hope you get to bring her home even if it is just to say your goodbyes.

:( I'm so sorry to hear that.

:hug: It's never easy to see a loved one so ill. :hug:

How quickly things can change :( Vet called again to tell us that it's not looking good. Her blood sugar keeps rising so it appears she now has diabetes on top of the rest.

Don't think she will be coming home at all now. He'll be in touch tomorrow with an update on her condition, but we're quite certain it's her time.

I'm feeling really guilty. Since the boys have come along I haven't had as much time for her, she used to sleep on my pillow. I just hope she knows how much I loved her.

:hug: I'm so so sorry hun. :hug: I'm sure she does know how much you love her.