*UPDATE* Please help: So scared and confused about my cat (very long)

[babystuffbuff]

Well, we spent the morning at the vet, about three hours altogether. At first they put her in the oxygen cage, and gave her 2 Lasix injections, then they brought her out in her carrier and just had me sit with her and watch her. Her breathing, unfortunately, stayed pretty much the same throughout. However, her heart function had not worsened.

They increased her Lasix to 2 full pills/day, and said to give a "booster" dose if her breathing was really bad. We are home now. She was so excited to be home, she was turning circles in her carrier while I unlocked the door! She hid under the bed for an hour or so, but I just went back there and she wasn't hiding anymore, just laying on the carpet. I got her some food and water and she started eating! :)

Her breathing is awful still. DH says to watch her for a bit before giving the extra pill, because the vet probably really stressed her out. She was looking *slightly* better when I gave her the food. I am still extremely scared and worried, but we are blessed with the world's best vet, who looked me in the face and said, "It's not time to stop (treatment) yet." She is so encouraged by her normal behavior/eating and drinking at home, and so am I.

Thanks for the hugs and prayers. Please keep them coming!

-------------------------------------------

I posted last week about my sweet little kitty, who was diagnosed with heart disease. Thank you again to everyone who responded with their support and prayers.

My girlie was doing great on all her medications until Wednesday. Tuesday was the day we dropped from two doses of Lasix per day to one dose per day. She did NOT like that!!! We restarted the two doses on Wednesday, but on Thursday morning her breathing was very rapid, as it had been at the beginning of all this, which is what caused her to be examined and diagnosed. She spent the day at the vet's office Thursday. She was given oxygen treatment and a "booster" dose of Lasix. The vet said that sometimes they just need an extra dose to get back on track after going to one dose per day doesn't work. I took her back home Thursday night, with her breathing supposedly improved and orders to keep the same drug regimen that had been working before.

Today, her breathing seems to be fast again. The vet said to watch for open-mouth breathing or panting, which she isn't doing, but she has NEVER done that, not even when she wound up in the ER last week. Other than the breathing, she is acting pretty normally. She has always been pretty low-key, it's not like she races around. She is playing with her 'string on a stick' toy when we hold it, and I have seen her eat and drink. This morning she was kneading at me with her paws, a favorite past time of hers, and she jumped up and over our bed to go look out the screen door at the noisy birds in the tree. All of this is exceedingly normal for her. It isn't like she is sleeping in the back of the closet all day. She is up and moving around, albeit not as much as my other two cats. But the quick breathing has me so worried.

I'm really sick over this, otherwise I wouldn't be taking up so much bandwidth for a pet problem!!! I don't know what to do. Seeing her breathe so quickly scares me to death. If DH says she is fine one more time, I will kill him. He said she was fine when I took her to the vet yesterday, and she wound up in an oxygen tent. When I point out her breathing, he says "oh, she was just running around". Um, no, she was just laying on the bathroom rug.

I feel so alone in this struggle. My heart is sore. I desperately want to do what is best for my furry little friend, and as much as her breathing worries me, when I see her playing, or massaging me with her paws, I know that she still has life in her. How do you know when a pet has had enough? How do you know when she is suffering? How do I know, when she's lying on the bathroom rug like she is now, breathing nearly once per second, if she is just resting, or if she is in pain? I'm trying to not worry and leave her alone, but it is so hard.

Everyone is telling me I will "just know". Well, I don't. I have cried over this every night for a week, and I just don't know. I will try to talk to the vet tomorrow, but I needed to get all this worrying out!

Thanks for listening. I'll take any words of advice anyone has to offer.

Sarah

[buddyleebaby]

Sarah,
Big hugs to you. I know how hard it must be to watch her go through this.
My grandma's cat suffered from FL . She was regularly taken to get steroid shots, etc. My grandma was very concerned about not prolonging her suffering and ensuring her a good quality of life.
The vet gave her this advice: "When her three favorite things no longer bring her joy, and she stops purring, it's time."
Despite the fact that she was sick, that cat lived happily for seven years after being diagnosed.
I know that when the time comes you will make the right choice.

[Ceepa]

Sarah,

I'm so sad for you. Speaking as someone who has had pets her whole life, I know it is exceedingly difficult to see a furry family member have health problems.

The Lasix is tough because changing a dose of it can make a dramatic change in your pet. Unfortunately, it's one of those things that sometimes takes a bit of "playing with the dosage" until you figure out what works best. Your kitty has gone through a lot and her little body is trying to figure out a balance.

I'm encouraged by a couple of things you wrote: She was doing great on her medicine until Wednesday. This tells me she was responding. Some pets are too far gone to respond to medical intervention. Also, you said she's still doing all the things she enjoys doing (playing, cuddling, bird watching). This speaks to her mental state and it sounds like she's feeling good on a mental/emotional level. That will help a lot.

Now as far as her breathing, I'm not sure. She does have a heart condition that affects her stamina, energy, oxygen levels, etc. That's a toll on anyone. I would talk to your vet as planned and see what else you can do to make her more comfortable. Is she on a vasodilator? And even if she wants to bop around as usual, I would try to get her to slow downa bit and rest more until she adjusts better to her meds. (tough slowing down a kitty, I know!)

Big hugs and let us know what the doctor says.

[amp]

I think, personally, when people say "you'll know", it isn't as cut and dried as that, but I do believe you'll know. I know this from experience. And you'll still question yourself every step of the way. But what will be different is that questioning yourself every step of the way will not stop you from making the decision or from following through. You will continue to cry and ask yourself if you're doing the right thing, but you'll do it anyway, for the your beloved pet....so they don't suffer anymore. Basically it's when the fear of the coming suffering (both yours and your pet's) is more difficult to bear than the thought of ending it all. And it will hurt like crazy to make such a huge decision and you *will* absolutely, positively feel guilty and quesiton whether it's the right thing. But when you love animals, euthansia is not something you take lightly. Trust that if you start to think it's the right thing, you're not doing it prematurely.

I've had one cat that came very, very close to being euthanized, but the vet told us, let's give it a couple more weeks. If, in that time, you realize the time has come, we'll know it's time, but if not, it will mean he's rounded the corner. And he did. Now, 4 yrs later, he's healthy as can be.

But with another cat, I waited anotherr week and it was excruciating. I knew it was time, but I hated it and questioned myself and wondered ir it was premature like with the other cat. And I worried that he would resent me doing it so soon. But I knew that his behavior had changed to the degree that it was not a way to live. As much as I wasn't sure, I knew I didn't want to force him to live that way. That's also the scenario that happened most recently, on Halloween. I just knew that there was no going back, and the road to come was a hard one, filled with discomfort and anxiety and suffering, so even though I wasn't sure it was the right time, I really, really did know it when we made the appt. and I was prepared to follow through.

I think saying "you'll know" is just something that even when you're questioning it with every fiber of your being, and saying you really don't know, you will, when it's the right time. Which may not be now, while she's playing and eating and purring. Trust yourself to figure it out. You will. Because you love your cat. And you aren't going to put her through more than you think the both of you can handle. If you think she's not suffering and that it might improve, then wait. There's no rush to make the decision. It sounds like she's making a go at recovery right now. See what happens and how you feel about it.

Feel free to email me if you like. I know I keep going on ad nauseum about this, but I've been through it a few times in the last 3 yrs and it's very present in my mind.

Hugs!

[candybomiller]

Sarah,

I don't have any advice to add, just wanted to pass on some (((((HUGS))))).

[colegiala]

Hi, I just emailed you. My husband has some information than can help your cat.
Thinking of you,
Gaby