SueNJ97 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Some of you have heard about this because I just wasn't in any shape to respond to Fantasy Hockey trade proposals around the holiday. Right before the Thanksgiving holiday my cat Manon started breathing very fast & short. I thought she might be having another problem with asthma (she had one about 5 years ago) and I was going to take her to the vet as soon as he opened. I wanted to try and take her to her regular vet because he knew all her history. But she also had started eating less (although she tried to eat, she would go back to the food several times, she just wouldn't eat much). She became so obviously uncomfortable that I took her into the emergency vet right away rather than wait any longer. They took chest x-rays and told me her chest had filled up with fluid, which was compressing the lungs and the stomach, which is why I saw the breathing and eating problems. This is most commonly associated with heart disease in cats, the question is, at what stage of the disease does the fluid fill up the chest cavity? If it does it early enough in the progression of the disease, they can drain off the fluid and use medication to not only stabilize the heart, but keep the fluid from coming back. The cat can live quite comfortably for quite a while longer. So how much damage has been done to the heart before it causes the fluid to fill up the chest, because the more medication you have to give to help the heart, the more it can interfere with the kidneys and dehydrate the cat. When they drained the fluid off from Manon, they discovered that, as is the case with some cats, her body had waited until the last stages of heart disease to get to the fluid stage, which is pretty much the only way you can tell what is going on unless you happen to take your cat in for a check-up sometime while the heart is enlarging. Manon had been in in August and at that point, everything seemed fine. It probably started in September and, as they told me, you have no idea what is going on until the fluid appears. They tried to give her the medication to see what would happen, but were so worried about damaging the kidneys and dehydrating her that they could not even be as aggressive with the medication as they needed to be to keep the fluid from coming back. This is the cat that, despite being smaller than the other cats in the household, ruled with an iron paw for over 9 years. I couldn't see how she could have the kind of life she should have, so I made the decision and was there, beside her, when the vet who had been treating her administered the euthanasia meds two days before Thanksgiving. I waited until my parents got to my house before I went so that my Dad could drive me, I could not have driven myself back without being a danger to myself and others on the road. I got the ashes back from the cremation yesterday. This may sound strange, but I had no idea what to do with her brother Nicky's ashes when they were sent back to me after he died of intestinal cancer 2 1/2 years ago. I kept them in the box they were sent in. Manon and Nicky were very close, after Nicky died, Manon spent two weeks sitting in the upstairs hall, watching the stairs and the bedroom, looking for him to return. Now, I can bury them together in a plot my best friend got for her cats in Westchester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilish34 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 my condolences to you. I dread the day my pups are no longer with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threestars Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Many sympathies Sue......losing a cat is never nice (though inevitable), but a at holiday time it is very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabelle Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 aww, many condolences to you Sue.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insanity_gallops Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Sorry to hear that, Sue. I went through a very similar thing with my cat last year, only a few days prior to Thanksgiving. Wasn't a very joyous holiday. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Sue i am so sorry. My poodle died of congestive heart failure. It was a slow onset though - we always knew he had a murmer. Then finally at 15 his heart was pretty enlarged and he started coughing. Funny they really didn't care about his kidneys - I think it was one or the other so risk the kidney thing... he also had kidneys of steele -- no damage to the little guy - I kept makign them check. anyhow - I had already decided that the first time he went into full congestive heart failure we had better just put him down. Actually now I regret it a little bit. It's such a sucky way to go and I was in denial and let him sit drowning for two hours before finally sucking it up and going to the vet. I just wish I had drained them then let him feel good and safe again and then have a friend come over and put him down at home. He was just so self aware -- too self-aware for a dog I always felt. he knew what was going on... heartfelt condolences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 We had to euthanize our cat, Mo, short for Mozart. It was so sad, but he had tumor and would have had to lose a leg and he was such an outdoor cat, it would've been cruel for him to live that way. He would get into a scrape every so often. Condolences, Sue on your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Devil Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Sorry to hear about your cat Sue. I sometimes wonder if anyone should by a pet because of the tragedy that will one day fall on them. I went home to visit my family and my dog is getting old and not doing so well either. Because she is the sweetest and most caring friend I ever had, I'm probably going to be suicidal once I finally hear she gets put down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diablo Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Sorry Sue - everytime it happens it truly sucks, you made the right decision for your friend she knows that and loves you for it. Hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils26 Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 My condolences to you. I'm sure you gave your cat a great life and you definitely made all the right decisions. You did what was best for your cat, I hope you know that, and I would have done the exact same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsGoDevils Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Condolences on your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyk Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Sorry for your loss, Sue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrydevil Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Sue, my heartfelt condolences, I have been in your shoes this year. Nudgey, an energetic stray we adopted in 2005, died in the summer. He had diabetes and feline immunodeficiency, and his little body just gave out. I knew that one day he could die suddenly because of his conditions, but it broke my heart when he got sick and passed away within two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks to all who sent their sympathy and wrote about their experiences with their own pets. I know I did the right thing. It's just sad and less furry here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenaHandbasket Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I am so sorry for your loss. My family's cat died the day before Thanksgiving. We found his body under the porch, and I was just relieved that he came home to die. My parents couldn't catch him to bring him to the vet and find out just what was wrong, so we were spared the decision you had to make, but we've been in your shoes before. Once with an elderly dog, once with a kitten with a fatal abdominal disease. I still can't bring home a kitten without wondering if they have what did our little guy in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.