Expert: Jessica - 1/13/2012

Question
Hi Jessica, I am so happy I found your site. My almost 13 year old tabby was diagnosed last summer with lymphoma, it's in one of her intestines - can't remember which.  I had her on prednisone for a while and then it just kept getting harder and harder to give it to her. Now she foams and drools at the mouth, spits it our or fights me.  She has runny stool and her accidents are becoming more frequent.  She does vomit from time to time, on the plus side she does not seem to be in pain. Although I read one of your older posts and you mentioned cats are good at hiding pain.  She is very skinny, I would be surprised if she is more than 6lbs.  My husband thinks it's time to make "the decision". My girls - 5 and 8 obviously do not want us to do that.  What do I do? Is it ok to put her down now? I don't want her to suffer or prolong any pain she is in.  Please help. I would very much appreciate your guidance.

Answer
Hi Andrea,

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Cancer is such a horrible diagnosis. Unfortunately, once you have exhausted your treatment options, the kitty’s condition only deteriorates. It doesn’t improve. With your girl unwilling to put up with the prednisone any longer, I think you are probably at the point where you are going to see her go down hill from here. Because you are having quality of life questions for her, and since in my experience, I feel assured that things will not improve drastically for her, I don’t feel it’s wrong to put her to sleep now. I believe with all my heart that it’s better to put an ailing cat to sleep too soon rather than too late. It’s a sad mistake to wait until they’re suffering.

However, the choice is very personal. You need to come to a place where you feel it’s the right decision. Most owners are able to do this by seeing that the kitty has become a shadow of what she once was. Many cats let go in spirit. If you feel she is finding joy each day in eating her food and receiving affection, then it’s probably not time to put her to sleep yet. When cats seem to give up on these things, they have shown us that they are ready, and it is certainly time to help them let go of their bodily constraints.

In short, if this was my kitty, if she is still eating and seeking attention, I don’t think I would put her to sleep just yet unless the accidents are unmanageable to clean up. When she has lost her appetite or becomes too weak to seek attention, your choice has been made for you.

Kindest regards,
Jessica