Help please. Do you know what is wrong with my pussycat?

[Steel]

Aloros: Thank you. I really want to get some pictures and video tomorrow. I have been trying to 'drink' her in this evening and imprint her on my mind. I am sorry you lost Amazu and now understand how difficult it can be to try and make this decision.

As to knowing when she should go. I am at a loss. Today she did not want to walk or stand - just hide. Now she could move, she just didn't want to. She didn't want to eat, play, look or go outside, just hide in the cupboard.

The steroid will give me a false impression of her health. Our vet said that she will respond less and less to each steroid until they have no effect at all. Do I wait until then? Should I do it sooner? I hope the vet will let us know before then, so I can love her in peace before the end.

Lorelei: Thank you for posting here too. No we didn't discuss it. The growth in her eye (s) is not reversible and not cancer, he felt that her system was failig and as it was so quick that she was probably in a bad way internally.

ETA: Niccia: Thank you for taking the time to post. I will research your story.

 

[Deelight]

Steel I am so sorry for all your kitty troubles and the choice your facing I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better

, BIG HUGS.

 

[Steel]

Thanks to everybody who has taken the time to look in here and an even bigger thank you to those who have posted. It has been a great support to me.

Update

Not much to report.

As I said Lissey had her steroid injection and she has responded very well overall (as usual). She goes outside for a little look (mostly at our bird feeder or to use the loo), eating her tuna and chicken dinners and sleeping or lounging downstairs (as opposed to hiding in a cupboard). She still lays under our bed from time to time which is not great but mostly she keeps where I can see her.

This is the best pic of her eye (iris-itis) I could get for the moment:




DH and I went to the cinema today to lighten the mood. We say Marley & me; BIG mistake

.

 

[tarepanda]

Steel I am pretty new to Pricescope, and don''t post all that often, but I came across your thread and first of all I just wanted to let you know that my thoughts are with you and Lissy!

I have two kitties of my own now, but last January I had to put the cat that my ex-fiance and I had to sleep.

He was 13 years old (or maybe older, he was a rescue and we could never fully pinpoint his age). We had found out that he was having problems the previous November, but he seemed to make a fairly strong recovery - started eating again, etc. Then in January everything just shut down . . . he stopped eating and would sit in the dark corner of our downstairs closet. It broke my heart to see him like that. Like some other posters have said, I did my grieving before we put him to sleep. I would try and go in there and sit with him and just pet him for the couple days that he did that. In the end, when we brought him in, the vet said we brought him in right in time, his organs were failing and he was going to be in pain if we did not let him go. So, even though we knew we were doing the right thing, it was so tough. I cried so much before we took him in - but when I knew that if we didn''t let him go, he would be in pain, for some reason it made things easier. It was still difficult though, even for the cat that I still have (Moo). She would wander around meowing, looking for him.

So, I completely understand what you are going through. That choice is so difficult. BIG HUGS to you.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh Steel, this last update (well, the whole thing), and the picture of poor Lissey''s eye - its so incredibly heartbreaking, my heart just aches and aches for you.

I''m so glad to hear though, that she responded well to the steroid injection - we have all of our fingers and paws and toes and everything crossed so hard here in my house that your beautiful girl can make a recovery from this.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 3/10/2009 4:20:17 PM
Author: Steel

Update



I have been crying non-stop since I got her in the car to come home. How do I choose the day my girl should die? Where should I bury her? Will she be cold outside? Should I put her dressing gown with her when we bury her? Should I put some treats and toys with her? I cannot get my head around the fact that she will not be here next month and possibly next week. My beautiful brave girl.


I would love some support please. Especially if you have euthanised your pet; how do I cope?

in answer to the last question: with great difficulty but knowing that we have loved well, my cats and i.

yes re the other things. preparing your girl for burial is actually a process that helps deal with the reality of the situation and allows you to grieve. it is part of my ritual to wrap my kitty in something i know they have loved [in once instance my bathrobe], i add flowers and greenery from the garden, kitty treats and catnip, i comb the other cats and include their fur to accompany the deceased kitty, and i include some of my own hair as well. i have taken my cats to a crematorium . i stay there during the entire process, even watching the ash go into the urn. i feel as if being a part of the process helps me to accept the reality, allows me to be with my kitty through its entire transition, and helps me to accept closure. i light a candle in memory at home for however long it takes. right now i''ve had a candle going pretty much for 3 years in front of 4 urns........ unforunately, i''ve had 4 deaths in that time, two the result of cancer. i have five remaining aging cats. i love them and will do the same for them when their time comes. when my time comes, i''ve asked my husband to cremate me and mix my ashes with those of the 9 cats.......

if cremation is not possible, do you have a place to bury her? will you be ok leaving her there if you decide to move? do you have a friend with a lot of property that might allow you to bury her there?

i realize that my method of dealing may be over the top for many, but its really no different than what i''d do for a human loved one.

mz

ps i''m sorry you''re going through this. part of loving is also letting go. part of loving is tears. part of loving is knowning that you have those tears because you have loved well. my Gato, Tommy, Samantha Anne, and Cebastain will be waiting to greet your girl.

 

[lulu]

I''ve been through this with several of our pets and it''s never easy. My feeling has always been that to do it sooner rather than later,because once their quality of life is gone holding on would be selfish.

I have always been with them during euthanasia to see them out of this life. I have done both cremation and burial and I also worried about them being cold. Bunny,whom we lost to cancer over a year ago ,was buried in her favorite blankie.I really believe I''ll see all my babies again in the next life. She''s really a blessed kitty because you love her so much. So many animals never have that.

 

[zhuzhu]

I am so very sorry you have to see your girl so sick. I have not had any experience myself so I can''t provide any advice. Please just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your kitty (as well as the other cats).

 

[CJ2008]

Oh Steel, I am so so, so sorry for you beautiful kitty.

When I saw her I gasped, she looks a lot like my cat...

I am so sorry.

 

[stepcutnut]

Steel-I just wanted to send big hugs to both you and your beautiful Lissey(and Henry).

We lost our Max last Dec.(he was 2.5yrs old) from kidney disease, so I understand your dilemma as to when the time is right for euthanasia! It is a terribly tough decision to make!!! Just love her and spend lots of time with Lissey, make sure she is comfortable. Looking back on it all, I can say we made the decision at the right time-but at the time it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make! We chose a beautiful spot over looking the lake, facing the east-so Max could have an eternity of gorgeous sunrises. We buried him in a lined wooden box and put in some of his favorite toys. We also, purchased a lovely engraved stone to lay over his grave in my garden. All these choices were quit therapeutic for both my husband and I to make. I also kept some of his fur and put it inside a heart shape locket to wear.

I hope you and your hubby can have many more wonderful days/weeks/months with your Lissey!

 

[doodle]

i''m so sorry your kitty''s having such a tough time, and i know how hard it is to face the possibility of losing a pet. we''ve had a cat die of FIV and another die of feline leukemia, and it''s really hard to watch the toll those kinds of diseases take on a pet!

just out of curiosity, you said earlier that there isn''t a vaccine for FIV. I know there''s one available in the US and has been since May 2002, but is it not available where you live? the vaccine is controversial because, once given, the animal will always test positive for FIV, so if your cat goes outdoors, you run the risk of it being picked up by a shelter, which would automatically euthanize it because there''s no way to tell the cat has had the vaccine rather than just having FIV. FIV is generally transmitted through a bite, so it''s important to keep Henry away from any uninfected cat with whom he might get into a fight, and he really shouldn''t go outdoors because every germ he comes into contact with is a risk for his inadequate immune system. Some cats do extremely well with FIV and can live for a long time while infected, but you have to be really diligent in making sure they''re kept healthy. Our cat who died from FIV lived with the virus for about a year, but he caught a cold from one of my family and couldn''t shake it off because of the FIV, so it really can be the simplest thing that can cause complications. in henry''s case, you really have no way of knowing whether he was born with FIV or if he got bitten by another cat while outside, but if it''s the latter, Oscar is that much more at risk due to the possibility of exposure to so many infected animals. i know you have to do what you have to do, but for the safety and well-being of all your kitties, i highly recommend keeping them inside and particularly trying to keep Oscar away from the other two since he is uninfected. i hope this isn''t a barrage of too much information--i''d just hate to see you have to go through all this all over again with Henry and Oscar! best of luck to you and your kitties!

 

[Steel]

I don''t want to post for the moment about this but will be back soon to fill you in.

Thank you for the support, information and advice.

From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for caring about my feline family.

 

[Steel]

Sorry about the delay in updating this thread. I really needed some time, also I did not want to jinx anything.

Lissey has made an almost perfect recovery

; we did not have to put her to sleep.

Within 4-5 days of her being diagnosed with iris-itis and us being told her other eye was going to go the same way with full organ deterioration likely to follow shortly thereafter, she had made a full recovery. Her eyes were clear and she had gone outside to bask in the sun. Bird watching followed sun basking and bird chasing followed bird watching. She plays with the other 2 cats, likes to cuddle our ankles and furniture legs. She has even crawled onto my lap once or twice for a cuddle and petting which is like a little piece of heaven for me.

She has had tuna or chicken everyday since I last posted as I did not know which day would be her last. The box of cat treats which normally lasts 3-4 months was gone in under a month; I spoiled her so much. She would find cat toys under the sofa and run about chasing them all by herself.

I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for your dusting and positive thoughts. I wonder if there really is more to this ''Pricescope Dust'' than we know?

She went back to the vet last week and he is astonished with her. He too felt she would be gone the week I last posted. She has gained weight, her coat condition is back to normal and even her lymph glands had significantly reduced in size.

So please continue to think of my little girl. She is never going to be out of the woods; but at least she has her quality of kitty life back again. And for me, I will not have to bury my girl anytime soon. Please God

 

[Lorelei]

Oh I am so delighted to read this, it just shows that sometimes wonderful things can happen!! I will continue to dust like crazy that Lissy continues to do so well!!

 

[Steel]

This shot was taken less than a week after the first; posted above. Shows the iris-itis leaving her eye.

 

[Steel]

Date: 4/6/2009 8:05:27 AM
Author: Lorelei
Oh I am so delighted to read this, it just shows that sometimes wonderful things can happen!! I will continue to dust like crazy that Lissy continues to do so well!!

Thank you Lorelei!!!!!!!!!!

It is such great news and I so wanted to share it, but didn''t want to jinx her recovery. She is such a trooper. Thank you fo continuing to dust her.





I looked through my photos of her at the moment and they are terrible. I will try to get a nice pic of her soon so you all can see her now.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/6/2009 8:06:19 AM
Author: Steel
This shot was taken less than a week after the first; posted above. Shows the iris-itis leaving her eye.

WOW!!! AMAZING! This is so wonderful, I am sitting here smiling - BLESS HER!! You bet I will continue to dust her!!!!!

 

[Deelight]

this is the most amazing news I have heard all day, I am so happy to hear this Steel she looks like such a sweet girl

 

[AmberGretchen]

AW, Steel - I can''t describe how overjoyed I am for you and for sweet Lissey - what an incredible blessing to have her restored to health, even if it may only be temporary. I am sure she senses how much you love her and that that helped her make this incredible recovery. My thoughts and prayers will continue to be with both of you for Lissey''s continued good health - HUGS and head bonks to your sweet, precious girl

 

[Octavia]

Steel, I was just thinking about Lissey this morning and wondering what was going on with her. I''m so, so happy to hear that she''s currently doing well. I hope she will stay healthy for as long as possible!

 

[zhuzhu]

A toast to Lissey!!!

 

[lulu]

Amazing news! Congratulations to both of you.

 

[ladypirate]

Aww, steel, this just warms my heart! I''m so glad your kitty is feeling better!

 

[princesss]

Hooray for your kitty! I''m near tears here because I''m so happy that your little girl isn''t going anywhere soon.

 

[VRBeauty]

What terrific news! Thank you for letting us know!

 

[Selkie]

Steel, I''m so happy for you and your baby Lissey! These pet threads are very hard for me to read and comment on, but I was silently hoping for improvement in her condition too.

 

[deegee]

I''m so happy to hear that she''s feeling much better!

 

[Steel]

Sorry everybody - still no pics. Soon, I promise.

Deelight, AmberGretchen, Octavia, zhuzhu, lulu, ladypirate, princess, vrbeauty, selkie & deegee thank you all for checking back and posting. It is heart warming that Lissey has touched you too. I think she is such a special girl and it makes me teary that maybe you see it too. Thank you again, you all have supported me through this trauma and helped me to support Lissey.


Head bonks right back atcha!

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/7/2009 1:39:10 PM
Author: Steel
Sorry everybody - still no pics. Soon, I promise.

Deelight, AmberGretchen, Octavia, zhuzhu, lulu, ladypirate, princess, vrbeauty, selkie & deegee thank you all for checking back and posting. It is heart warming that Lissey has touched you too. I think she is such a special girl and it makes me teary that maybe you see it too. Thank you again, you all have supported me through this trauma and helped me to support Lissey.

Head bonks right back atcha!

I hadn''t been back in a while but what a great surprise to come and see that Lissey is doing better!

Speaking of head bonks (or face smooshies as I call them)- aren''t they just the best? I knew my little Emma was returning to her normal self after 6 months of weirdness following the arrival of Charlie (the a-hole kitty I posted about) when she started doling those lovelies out to me again!

 

[bee*]

That''s amazing news Steel! I''m thrilled for you and Lissey!!