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| Charla in happier, healthier days |
We have an old cat. She is nearly 15 years old. We were given her and her sister when they were six months old, when we first married. Ocoee (the sister cat) died last summer of a sudden, serious illness. Our surviving cat, Charla, is not healthy. She's been a diabetic and receiving insulin shots for 5 years now, but has recently lost a dramatic amount of weight. She's gone from 8 lbs to 5 lbs, all the while eating more than she ever has before.
Lately, though, she's not eating as much. And we're a few days away from running out of insulin and syringes, and to replace both will be nearly $200. She's arthritic, so bony, and lays curled up in a quiet corner most of the time. But she's still so loving. She purrs so loudly when we enter the room. She cuddles with Sophie. She sleeps on top of my husband or myself at night (not so nice for us, but still sweet). I feel guilty even thinking about euthanasia, because I don't want to seem like a "we don't want you any more" issue, but realistically, what kind of quality of life does she have? I know she doesn't feel good. I can feel her kidneys through her body and even though she drinks a LOT they always feel hard like she's dehydrated (I know kidney issues tag along with diabetes frequently). The simple fact, though, is we cannot afford hundreds of dollars in tests and medications to make her healthy again, and at this age, should we even try?
I just don't know what to do!
You should bring her to the vet and have the vet make the call. I know how you feel. We had a 12 year old amazing cat named Stevie and he went from 15 lbs down to 4 lbs in a year. It turned out he had cancer and was just wasting away no matter how much he ate. We had to make the call th put him down because he wasn't himself anymore. Just a shell of what he once was. We brought him to the vet and she said that the answer was clear. It was the hardes decision we ever had to make and we both cried and cried about it. But once we did it, we felt at peace about it and now we have his ashes with his picture displayed on our bookcase. We miss him but we know that he's in a better place. :)
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