My Husband's Cat Is Sick.....

Hi Ladies,

I just wanted to share with you all my story of what’s going on. Months ago I wrote about my husband’s cat keeping us awake at night with her crying right in front of our bedroom door because she is not allowed in the room because she is a long haired cat. It was driving me insane! Well that problem eventually stopped and on occasions she still cries especially when she’s in heat.

Now I am not the greatest animal lover in the world because I never grew up having pets where as my husband did, but now even I feel bad because the cat is sick. We came home Saturday morning and found the cat with her head tilted up and to the side and she was walking with a heavy limp, she couldn’t even stand up straight she just kept falling down and her eyes were weird looking. One of her pupils was normal and the other was dilated so small. My husband tried to get her to come to him but it was like she couldn’t even see him so we rushed her to the Vet and after examining her she said that Lucy (that’s the cat’s name) had an infection in her nerve system which was causing the situation with her head and her walk. Then after running x-rays on her they found this large mass that is growing inside her abdomen and we can’t even tell what it is and it’s pushing her intestines up. It may be a tumor, but whatever it is it made it hard for us to see her liver, stomach, etc. because of this big mass. They put her on medication so we have to see how the next few days goes. She may or may not get better. At first she didn’t want to eat or drink and we had to force feed her and give her her medicine (vet said we may have to do that) but everytime my husband tried she would not cooperate and my husband was getting so frustrated with her. She also hasn’t been going to the bathroom much. I am really worried about my husband. He won’t have her put to sleep unless they tell him that it is 100% certain she will not survive. If he looses her he will be so devastated…she is like a little sister to him and he was crying on Saturday. At night all I hear him saying is “Lucy, do you want to get better, then cooperate with me” or “that’s it you’re pissing me off, fine don’t take the medicine, choose your own destiny then” Saturday night she was crying I guess because she’s scared and she only stopped when she saw my husband so he had to sleep on the couch with her on his chest and she feel asleep…(just like a little baby…LOL) it’s so heartbreaking to see him going through this and like I said although I am not the greatest animal lover I still don’t want anything bad to happen to her. Nobody deserves to be sick whether you’re an animal or human. But I am learning a lot and seeing really just how much animals are like humans.

However now it does seem like she is slightly improving. Her walk is better and more balanced and she is slowly starting to eat and drink from her dish again so at least we can now put her medicine in her bowl and her eyes look much better. Her head is still slightly tilted and she starting to use her litter box again. All these positive signs are making my husband hopeful that she will get better. Keep in mind though that she is an old cat. The vet had said that if that mass turns out to be a tumor then she may need surgery…Is it just me who thinks that’s it’s crazy to do surgery on an old cat??????? Has anyone been in this situation before. We could use some advice or support. And also if you could just say a little prayer for her. Thank you all for taking the time out to read this.

Ive been thinking about her...

It really is amazing how these little pets become part of the family like one of the kids...

Hugs to Rob and Lucy...and you too!

I am so sorry about your DH's cat. I hope that she gets better. Hopefully she won't need surgery and there is something they can do with medication alone. If not, that is something you and DH have to talk about. What are her chances if she does need surgery? Is the cat suffering? If there is nothing they can do, and the animal is suffering, sometimes the best thing we can do is to unselfishly let them go peacefully to sleep. I hope this is not the case and that Lucy will get well.
Just be there for your DH. Our pets are very important to us, they become part of the family and when they are sick, it can be very difficult on us.

Thanks!

Like I said she is showing signs of improvement and Rob does sound more hopeful. I was getting worried because I told Rob that aside from all the things she's got medically wrong with her, she will die of starvation if she doesn't eat. She is slowly starting to get back to her routine one of them being following Rob around the house like she always does and this is making him happy.

I'm glad Lucy is showing signs of improving.

Sorry to hear this…I know I’d be devastated, my cats are like my children!

I hope Lucy continues to improve…

Oh I read and re-read your original post and I just started crying ... I hope & pray Lucy is OK, I know how your DH must feel because that is the way I feel about my cat!

Saying prayers for you guys and Lucy with hopes that she continued to improve!!

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Posted by FeliciaDA

Oh I read and re-read your original post and I just started crying ... I hope & pray Lucy is OK, I know how your DH must feel because that is the way I feel about my cat!

Saying prayers for you guys and Lucy with hopes that she continued to improve!!

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Felicia, we are the same when it comes to cats – I cried a little too when I read it…

I am a cat lover and they are family to me. It's hard to see your animal hurting. Your Husband sounds great. I'm glad he's waiting it out.

I'll pray for your cats health.

Poor Kitty.

It is painful to see them sick. They can't communicate their illnesses as well as we can. Still they are a big part of our lives if we let them be and it's like having a family member ill. Old or not.

As far as opinions on surgery of an old cat. Im a pretty big cat lover. I put the idea as if it really were a family member. Would I let my 80 yr old aunt die just cause it didnt make sense to do a surgery to let her live a few more years or would I give her that chance to get better. For me it's a subject of suffering. As long as they're not suffering I do what I can for them. Otherwise i'd rather put them down then let them suffer.

JMHO

We don't know what her chances are if she has to have surgery done because right now we are monitoring her condition and see if she improves with the medication she is on now. If it's certain that she does need surgery then they will let us what her chances are. But like i've said so far she is showing signs of improvement so we'll have to see how she is by the end of the week.

I have to admit that she really is a good cat. I was worried that after she moved in she would be jumping all over the furniture and the kitchen counters cuz she did this when my DH had his own apartment but she hasn't once jumped on anything! All she does is sleep, eat, drink and sometimes walk around under our dinning room table. If she walks in the Living room she doesnt even go near the couches. She has her own bed.

Thank you all for your support!

The one good thing about this is that she has not been in any pain. Not once did she cry when we were at the vet. She only cried in the car because she is an indoor cat and is not used to being out. So she just flipped out that time. As far as her having surgery well that's tough because it all depends on what her chances on survival would be. If she is only going to suffer afterwards then she should just peacefully be put to sleep. My grandmother suffered for ten years when she had alzheimer's disease and it was heartbreaking and it really was the best thing when God took her because finally there was an end to her suffering and she went to a better place.

Thanks guys for all the hugs...

Janet and Felicia...that was real touching to hear that you cried. Aweeeeeeee!

Believe me I've been doing my share of crying just by watching my husband. I cried at the vets cuz i saw him get teary eyed and at home when he was worrying about her. I'm really surprised at my actions because I am not into pets but I am learning a lot. It's funny cuz when my husband was trying to get her to eat from her dish she wouldn't go and when I took the dish and put it down by me she came and ate the whole thing!!! I was surprised she even did that with me!!! Maybe it's a woman thing...LOL So my DH then put her medicine in and she started eating more. She hasn't eaten in days so it looks like her apetite is coming back.

i'm sorry to hear that she was sick but glad to hear that her appetite is coming back. These furballs really do become a part of the family!

They sure do

Many 's

We have been through something similar with Xena twice, once a year and a half ago and again at the beginning of the month.

Xena vomitted 15 &18 times in one day. The last time before we scooped her up and rushed her to the Vet was pure blood. They had done x-rays and sonograms and by all appearances she has lung cancer and cancer of her stomach and intestines. They told us a year and half ago that she only had a few weeks to live. She is still here alive and well. When it happened again this month, we rushed her to hospital and ironically got the same vet. He was shocked to see that she was still alive. He did x-rays, sonogram and blood work on her again. It still looks like she has cancer but yet she is alive and well. It just seems that she has this spells. What we have come to realize (THIS IS JUST OUR OPINION, NOT A FACT) that although there is all of this wonderful medicial technology what goes on inside of animals can still be a mystery. Since she cannot tell us what hurts, we go by what we can see, and that is not always as it appears.

I hope that this medicine will help her feel better.

Jamie you are so right! We really don't know what goes on inside animals because they can't tell us how they feel. That's why I prefer Lucy not have surgery, she may be able to go on even with the tumor. Look how Xena is still going. My SIL's MIL had a cat with a tumor that lived for an additional ten years! So you just don't know. I think cats really do have 9 lives........

I'd like to thank all you ladies for the support, hugs and prayers...

Yes, we are lucky! Two days later she was back to her same adorable wacky self. We did change her food and that seems to help a little.

They wanted to do one of 2 things and we were not putting her through that. They wanted to 1) open her up from neck to rectum and biopsy her lungs, stomach and intestines. 2) was flush fluid down her lungs until she vomits and then try to analyze what was in that.

We were not going to put her little 5 lb body through that. If she started to seem like she was suffering we would put her down rather than put her through that!

Oh and they wanted to put her on Chemo. Which at this point seemed pointless because the spots are exactly the same size and shape as they were a year and a half ago, and again I would not put her little body through that since she cannot tell us that she was or is uncomfortable.

I agree with you- I truly believe also that they do have 9 lives!

I don't think it's fair for them to go through that, it can only do more harm than good. I'd rather them be put peacefully to sleep than get tortured by biopsies and surgeries. Lucy is old, let her live out the rest of her life in as much peace as she can. Would you do surgery on a human that you know is dying anyway??? I just don't agree with putting them through surgery, they do have tiny bodies. Lucy is small and sooooooooo skiny. No I just dont think they should endure such things....

I would do whatever it took to save my beloved Beemer, even though she can drive me nuts sometimes. If the vet said she would be in tons of pain and not survive then I would have her put to sleep but if all she needed was an operation I would do it.
I feel awful for your DH. He is one devoted Daddy