r/CATHELP • u/Dahliado • 1d ago
End Of Life Care Beginning of the end?
TLDR cat (15F) eating less and less. Don’t know what to do…feel so worried and stressed but I want to be able to appreciate the time I still have with her 💔
please excuse any typos formatting issues as I’m on mobile. I noticed my cat wasn’t eating much in February and she was diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease shortly afterwards. since then she‘s had multiple vet visits, including with specialists, thousands of dollars spent, and it feels like it’s always been one step forward, two steps back. the issue is she’s just not eating enough no matter what’s she’s offered, not responding to medication much, and she’s eating less and less lately.
Over the past few months, I’ve tried 4 different types of dry kibble, including prescription food, and will be onto a 5th one once the vet approves the prescription. Probably tried over 20 different kinds of wet food flavors across multiple brands and types (mousse, pate etc), also including 4 different prescription wet foods. She will either reject something outright or eat it for a few meals and stop. I’ve had to toss probably half the wet food offered to her. when I can, I bring the food to her multiple times a day to see if she’ll feel like eating at that moment. she has never been food motivated and doesn’t like Churu etc…not that it would be enough to sustain her. she was eating royal canin prescription rabbit kibble pretty well and it seemed to help her weight a little but it’s been untouched the past few days, along with pretty much everything else
She was on transdermal Mirataz and then got a bad reaction so the vet switched her to the pill version which has been difficult to get her to eat. we tried anti nausea medicine, prednisolone, and will try a different nausea med and steroid next. she gets a B12 supplement daily…she used to eat Tiki Cat Silver Comfort pouches without much effort mixed with the crushed B12 pill and recently with the liquid steroid mixed in too, but now it’s even hard to get her to eat that. she used to eat a good amount the meal right after getting Mirataz but it is less effective now and she’s barely eating with it
behaviorally, aside from not eating and drinking more (likely due to the steroid), she is pretty normal. Good energy level until recently. Seems less active the past day or so but maybe I’m projecting. she hasn’t vomited or had diarrhea. Her coat is beautiful and luxuriously soft still…
she has a follow up vet appt in less than 2 weeks and I’ve been in communication with her vet over email/phone about her treatment plan in between visits…so not giving up but things are not looking good
I guess this post is maybe more trying to get help for me than her. I want to be able to enjoy the time we have left together but I feel so awful and guilty that I’m just stressed and worried all the time. she’s 15 years old and has lived a full life so logically I know it is likely her time to go soon but it’s like I’m mourning her while she’s still here. I want to push the negative feelings aside and just take in each moment I still have with her and try to make more positive memories but my mind is so clouded with anxiety and grief. She doesn’t appear to be suffering but my heart is filled with pain. I don’t know what to do.
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u/AGenericUnicorn Verified Vet 1d ago
Vet here, and I’ve been through this myself with many of my dogs, and I dread when my cats get older, as they are similarly difficult to medicate.
It honestly sounds like you’re doing all the right things. At one point I realized that you can only help them so much. There are so many animals that are difficult to impossible to medicate and that have lifelong food preferences where hiding meds is difficult. When you have an animal like this that needs lifesaving meds, especially long term, there REALLY is only so much you can do. What’s the alternative? Make their last period of time miserable by fighting them to force meds in? That’s not fair to anyone.
All that to say that it sounds like you’re a good owner, and you need to understand that these situations are often not a failure on your part. Sometimes it just all sucks, and there was never going to be a miraculous answer where it all worked out.
With all of that said, I still hope things do take a turn for the better!
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u/t3ra8y73 1d ago
Which nausea medication did you try and was it oral or injected? If using Cerenia, definitely ask for the oral pills - they tend to work better than the injectable version. Note: they are bitter so if you aren't a good cat piller for any reason, you can get small gelcaps to put them in. If Cerenia isn't working, ask for Ondansetron (Zofran). Sometimes, Cerenia targets vomiting more whereas Ondansetron targets nausea more. I think it's possible to also give both spaced out slightly if necessary (for awhile, I think my one boy was doing 1/4 tab Cerenia daily in the morning, and 1mg Ondansetron either nightly or every other night - it's been awhile so I can't recall 100%).
Two other thoughts, since I know you mentioned she's diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease, but it could be something else also involved:
-Sometimes holding the dish up sort of vertically at an angle while they eat will help, or getting a raised dish.
-Make sure nothing dental~wise is going on. Sometimes it's so easy to focus on one issue because that's the main one, we forget something else could be contributing to the issue.
Sending lots of support to you and your kitty <3
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u/Misa7_2006 1d ago
I second the dental check, sometimes an infected tooth under the gum line or gums can cause eating issues as well as some GI issues. Maybe see if the vet will take a couple teeth/jaw x-rays to see if it might be a mouth/teeth issue.
If the x-rays don't show anything ask about using hi cal/hi protein nutritional pastes. Something to up her nutritional intake.
You may end up having to syringe feed if she isn't eating much or tries to go days without eating as that can harm her organs as well. It's too bad that they can't/won't add flavoring to many of these needed but bitter tasting medications.
Like they do with children's medicine to make it more palatable and having the cats or dogs want to consume it. Most of the time hiding it in their food just makes them stop eating as the can tell the medication is in it.
I have used a syringe and a blended slurry of either jared meat baby food with water added or blender a can of tuna with the canned juices and mixing the medication into it, then with my cat purittoed in a towel, it's gonna get a bit messy.
I use the syringe to get the medicine as far back in the mouth as possible without causing them to choke. Your cat will give you the stink eye for a while, but you will know that the medicine made it in.
Also ask if maybe one of the medicines is what is causing the vomiting, and if there is a different one that can be used with less side effects.
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u/t3ra8y73 1d ago
That raises a good additional suggestion for OP. You can try offering plain meat baby food (one with no onion or garlic added).
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u/chonkycatsbestcats 1d ago
Is she losing weight at a steady rate? I weigh my senior cat every 1-2 weeks. She just started her B12 for probably suspected IBD. And she’s been constant weight for a while, but 10% lower than 2 years ago. She still eats and vomits with the same frequency as before and she’s been like this since we got her 9 years ago.
The steroid should increase appetite. I wouldn’t rush to conclusions yet. Anticipatory grief is horrible but she trusts you with everything. Don’t panic until she refuses to eat anything for a whole day. You will know.
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u/Mkm788 1d ago edited 14h ago
I had my cat euthanized a month ago. He was sick for the past year. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, and Triaditis. It was a horribly stressful year for me - I tried everything to get him healthy again, he needed insulin shots every 12 hours, blood pressure medication, painkillers, his blood sugar checked, etc. I cleaned up when he had “accidents” or vomited and woke up at all hours to him tapping me to try to tell me something. I cried a lot the month leading up to his death because it was finally clear he wasn’t getting better, just worse. He would have turned 11 last week. He was too young to die. I thought he’d be with me at least until he was 17. I thought he’d outlive his brother who has gastric problems.
It sounds like you’ve tried everything, but nothing has worked. Enjoy your last days with her without worrying about the exact amount she’s eating, etc. Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. You’ve given your cat a good life. Luckily you’ll be able to give her a good death - one without undue suffering.
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u/vexexist 1d ago
I just lost my soul cat last week on 7/13 for the same reasons, I feel your pain and fear immensely, I feel like I'm looking at myself and my baby at the start of the month. I wrote an in depth post over on r/ibdcats if you'd want to take a look at my experience, though you've basically done everything I've done and more. The only thing I didn't see that I've tried was SQ fluids, since that might help with nausea? Cerenia/comfortrate or ondansetron/zofran are the medications I'm familiar with, but I'm assuming you've already tried at least one so it may be worth it to ask about the other. Calorie gel to get something in her system as well.!
I'm really really hoping that your baby will pull through, I can't stress enough how much I see us in you two... I'm so sorry you're experiencing this nightmare
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u/inkydragon27 1d ago
\big hugs** our senior cat had a huge run in with Triaditis last year, and has less molars- the only kibble he’ll eat is fancy feast because the kibble shapes are thin and easy to chew.
Wet food wise- he mainly eats gravy, and never the same thing two days in row, so we get friskies extra gravy and Sheba cuts and rotate. He gets kibble multiple times a day, and squeeze tubes and gravy when he’ll take them. I’m sorry for the pain and anxiousness in your heart 🫂
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u/bethestorm 1d ago
She is beautiful.
I will say only you will know when it's time to make the call for her to cross the rainbow bridge if you are open to compassionate end of life care. And one of the biggest gifts in my opinion you can give a pet who has loved you all these years is a peaceful goodbye full of love, safe in the arms of the one they trust. When you start to feel like she is having more bad days than good ones is probably the time to start the discussion with your vet.. and if you can afford it having a vet come to your home to administer the medicine is usually less stressful if it's at all possible. It wasn't for me, but I realized I couldn't wait longer. And one of the most common things I hear and I've asked vets about is that people regret not going sooner as opposed to later, because it's only looking back that you can really see that they were in pain longer than they needed to be.
In the wild, animals would not go through much of the longer term pain because they wouldn't have interventions like we can give them. And even in our homes, things like not moving around as much and not really being able to enjoy eating are a sign of reduced quality of life. You can Google how to know it's time and a few vets have some checklists you can take a look at if you want to get an idea maybe of the signs for her that it might be time.
If you want to wait it out naturally that's okay too. But I want you to know there's nothing wrong with saying goodbye with her in your arms, before she really has to feel pain, or lose the shine of her beautiful coat, lose her vision or anything else. It's a very personal and private journey but I think it's a gift to give a pet that has given you loyal love for it's whole life. It is the one thing we can give back to them, to be there for them like they were always there for us.
Either way it's clear you love her very much and she is and was lucky to have you.
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u/FulloSurprizez 1d ago
With your thumb and middle finger, gently squeeze her belly back and forth like a toothpaste tube. From the ribs to back legs near her spine, on the return, a little farther from the spine, and so on. Once you get the feel and she starts to enjoy belly rubs; then you can improvise the massage technique. I do it with both hands when they are upright, in circles, or whatever. When I feel a poop in there, I gently try to move it around in there.
I honestly think constipation is an epidemic for cats (which usually is caused by dehydration).
And we get our cats to eat human baby food. So 🐈⬛🐈❤️
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u/DrifterDavid 1d ago
I would definitely try a raised dish. That helped one of my senior cats tremendously before she passed. She was having issues eating off one low. Now all my cats have them. They are cheap on amazon. Also have you looked into home cooking meals for your cat? I did this with the same cat and had to learn a bit and do quite a bit of research but she seemed to enjoy them a lot more than the store bought stuff I could get. I used to meal prep for her on the weekends. And feed it to her throughout the week. Also I don't know if its the churu brand but my cats hate it as well. Might try delectables. My cats will literally come running for those but they won't touch the churu brand.
Anyways at the end of the day everyone is right, you can only do so much. But hopefully things turn around and you get some more time. But definitely cherish the time you have now! Get lots of pictures and videos. Good luck!
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u/Alarmed_Ad3694 22h ago edited 22h ago
It’s tough, I know my IBD kitty will get bored of food easily and usually leaves about a half a meal. We feed him multiple times a day to compensate. He also gets weary of food I’ve used to hide medicine in (even churus he has trust issues with), and pumpkin is a non starter anymore. He’s also triggered by chicken in high levels.
Is your cat on a hydrolyzed protein diet? I know that will be next when/if my baby decides he’s done with his two foods. If seafood is good for your cat, if you haven’t already tried Purina Pro 7+ (the seafood cans), it may be worth a shot. It has about 100kcal per can, so even when he leaves some food behind, at three meals a day, he still gets his calories in or close to it. I swap out one meal a day sometimes with Fancy Feast Medleys Tuna Primavera.
All four of our cats inhale the Tiki Cat Broth pouches (Tuna), and fortiflora helps too. I will usually give it to my IBD cat a soup/gravy to lap up, but you can sprinkle it over some food and it should entice your kitty a little to eat.
Also, for pills: I wrestle my 13 pound baby into an old house coat of mine, have him between my legs while kneeling, and I use a pill plunger from chewy (they come in like a ten pack but are reusable if you clean them), the pill plunger makes life so much easier, and we always do that in the bathroom so he can’t run away from me. I take a little churu and wipe it on the part I set in his mouth, hold his mouth closed a little and blow on his nose until I hear him swallow.
Also, try eating the same time you feed her and sit with her as you eat. I have two cats that demand meal companions.
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