I REALLY hate it when pets become sick

[PZelda]

:crying:

I have 3 cats and the oldest cat we have (we named her Lucy, she's 9 going on 10) has been REALLY sick. I started noticing she was acting sick on Thursday...Well, to make a long story short...she was sick all through yesterday (Friday) so I had to call around and make an appt. for today (Saturday).

We took my cat in today and stayed while they ran tests on her...After the vet was done, he called my mom and me in and told us that Lucy slipped into a diabetic coma and that her white blood count and glucose levels were both very high (she has diabetes). The vet is keeping her @ the clinic til Monday, and he has us on call if he notices her going downhill and if "that thing" happens...UGH, I hope not. :( So far, so good...I haven't gotten a call yet...So I really hope she hangs in there...I adore my cats to death and it would totally tear me up if anything bad happened to them.

Ugh...Thank you for reading. :(

[Janice]

Oh Allison, I'm sorry. You must be very scared. Nine years old is not that old for a cat. I hope your baby Lucy makes it.

My little guy, Foxy, is 15, and is in great health, but with every passing birthday, I feel sadder.

That's the downside to having pets. We fall in love with them, knowing they have a short life span. They become members of our family.

Keep us posted, and keep your chin up.

:cat:

[-*Forever*-]

Awww Allison :bighug:

I know I already commented on your journal, but I feel the need to give you more hugs.

:bighug:

I hope she's okay :(

[PZelda]

Originally posted by -*Forever*-
Awww Allison :bighug:

I know I already commented on your journal, but I feel the need to give you more hugs.

:bighug:

I hope she's okay :(

Thank you. :bighug: :bighug:

[crystals]

Aw, sorry about your cat.:( I hope Lucy is okay. 9 going on 10 is still fairly young for a cat. I've got a girl cat who is about 12 or 13 years old now. If my dad or I accidentally brush against her back she lets out a meow, so she might have arthritis. My other cat is about 2 years old and healthy as a lark. I had a dog that passed on a few years ago, so I know what it's like to have to say goodbye to a pet. I hope that your cat, Lucy makes it to at least 14 or 15 years of age though, before she passes on. Keep us posted on how Lucy is.

[dawsongirl]

I'm sorry Allison. :hug: I hope Lucy pulls thru!!

[robyrob]

Hang in there Allison - Lucy will be in our prayers :)

[Lodee]

Sorry about your cat! Hope she's feeling better soon. By the way, did you name her after Lucille Ball?

[PZelda]

Originally posted by Lodee
Sorry about your cat! Hope she's feeling better soon. By the way, did you name her after Lucille Ball?

:nod: I did. Well, we did. :lol: We got her, along with her brother, in February 1995, when they were both about 8 to 10 weeks old and we named them Lucy and Ricky, after ILL. Ricky got run over and killed by a car in July of 1998. :(

So..We got Buddy, who is 6 years old now...Then in April 2002, we got a 3rd cat and we named him Desi, to keep up with the ILL tradition. :)

[PZelda]

This is REALLY hard for me to do...I slept in til noon (so I just got up), and my mom wasn't at home...but she just got home and she said that Lucy's still doing the same as yesterday - not good. Tomorrow is a Monday, so if she doesn't pick up by tomorrow.... Well... :crying:

[Brent88]

:( That's sad. I can't imagine my precious cat dying one day. :crying: :crying:

[EmoJoe]

Im so sorry for you. :crying: I cant imagine my dog dying one day. I feel bad for you. I hope your cat gets better. :( Thats so sad

[Georgia's on my Mind]

thats sad. im wicked sorry.

[PZelda]

I posted the update on another message board...

----

My mom made a quick trip to the grocery store before I woke up, so she wasn't there when I got up. She came home about 10 minutes later, though...and she told me that the vet had called her before she headed out on her trip to the store...He said she was still doing the same as yesterday - still not in good shape. So if she doesn't get better by tomorrow...We're going to have to decide whether we want to put her to sleep...

----

God, this hurts so much. I love Lucy to death...:crying:

[Brent88]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
I posted the update on another message board...

----

My mom made a quick trip to the grocery store before I woke up, so she wasn't there when I got up. She came home about 10 minutes later, though...and she told me that the vet had called her before she headed out on her trip to the store...He said she was still doing the same as yesterday - still not in good shape. So if she doesn't get better by tomorrow...We're going to have to decide whether we want to put her to sleep...

----

God, this hurts so much. I love Lucy to death...:crying:

Awwww... that's terrible.

:bighug:

[Jokerette]

I'm really sorry, honey. :( I know how hard it is, I lost one of my cats to AIDS a few years ago and she wasn't even nine. She was perfectly heathly and then she suddenly got really ill, and declined ever so quickly it was heartbreaking to watch. We had to put her to sleep in the end because it was the kindest thing to do. I still miss her.

I've lost about four cats to the road as well, once I actually witnessed my little kitten (about six months old, he was a neighbours cat by then but I still saw him) run out into the road and get hit by a car...that was the worst experience. I also found the body of my grandma's year and a half year old cat after it got run over on the same strech of road and ANOTHER of her cats got run over when it was barely two a while later. I've had one of mine get run over and killed when he was about eight months and another got run over but she SURVIVED (:)) and is stil here...although she's having problems with her teeth, we recently took her to the vets and had them removed though so she's better now.

But yes, it's AWFUL when pets get ill or die, and I'm really sorry you're going through that with yours. *hugs*

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

Bah, I hate reading stories like this. :( I really hope you dont have to put her to sleep- shes so young! Is there any kind of operation or anything? I hope she gets better!:hug::heart:

[PZelda]

Originally posted by ¤MsConanOBrien¤
Bah, I hate reading stories like this. :( I really hope you dont have to put her to sleep- shes so young! Is there any kind of operation or anything? I hope she gets better!:hug::heart:

I strongly doubt it...She's still in her diabetic coma now. :(

[PZelda]

My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

[Brent88]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

Awwwww.... :( :( :( :crying: :crying: :bighug: :bighug:

[Chocoholic]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

I'm so sorry to hear that. At least she's in peace now though, and you'll be reunited some day.

[x Rogue x]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
So..We got Buddy, who is 6 years old now

i just got a german shepard/lab mix puppy who i named buddy. hehe. :D

anway, i hope lucy makes it. it's hard when we lose a animal that we love. hang in there and keep us posted. :)

[x Rogue x]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

:( oh, i guess i skipped that part. i'm sorry she didn't make it. :crying:

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

I'm so sorry Alli. :bighug:

[EmoJoe]

Im so sorry!! :crying: :bighug:

[Stuck In The '70's]

I'm so sorry Allison.:crying: :(

[Moonlight Lady]

:bighug:

I'm soooo sorry Allison, I know how much it hurts to lose a pet, they're family. :(

[Janice]

I'm sorry for your loss Allison. Take solace in knowing that you gave Lucy a good life although it was cut short.

[Cashodeen]

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
My cat finally passed away late last night.

:crying: :crying:

God, this sucks so ****ing much. :(

:crying: I'm so sorry.

:bighug: :bighug:

[dandelion wine]

Oh no...I'm really sorry. :crying:

:bighug: :bighug: :bighug:

[-*Forever*-]

Awww Allison. :(

I'm so so sorry. :bighug:

[PZelda]

Thanks, you guys. That means a lot to me. I'd had Lucy almost half my lifetime. My mom and I got her (along w/ Ricky) in February of 1995, when I was 9 going on 10. So I had had Lucy since I was just a kid...it's still hard to believe she's gone now. I've had other pets that died...but this is the first pet that I've been extremely close to, that died...Losing a pet is like losing a family member...it's really hard both ways.

My mom gave me three options -- she said it was up to me, since she wanted me to be able to have a part in the decisions...Okay, my mom gave me three options of what we could do with my cat's body....We could 1) let the vets dispose of the body themselves, 2) have them give it to us and we would take it to my maternal grandma's house and bury it in her backyard or 3) have her cremated and have the vet give the ashes to us.

I told my mom I wanted to go with option #2. It would give me (and my sis) so much more closure that way.

[crystals]

I'm sorry to hear about Lucy. :(

[PZelda]

Ugh I never thought I would see myself bumping up this thread... 4 1/2 years later.


Similar story as last time. Three cats, and one of 'em got sick. Actually, that's not the full story...

A few weeks ago, around the week of Halloween, one of the cats (Dinah) came down with a cold. Dinah passed on her cold to another one of the cats, Buddy. Buddy in turn passed it on to the third cat, Desi. Dinah and Buddy both recovered from their colds... Dinah almost immediately and Buddy took a while + lost some weight in the process, too.

But Desi. He got hit REALLY hard with the cold and just couldn't kick it. My mom did EVERYTHING she could - medicines from the vet, keeping him at the vet for 8 days, more medicines, attention, etc. Nothing worked.

It was decided today that we would take him to the vet to have him put down to sleep. The last cat we had that passed away, Lucy, passed away on her own and I still feel bad about not being with her when she died... so I chose to accompany my mom to the vet today when he went to sleep.

I wish I could say he went to sleep in peace... but he was really so sick and in so much pain, he just didn't care. He did struggle when the vet started injecting him, but not like he normally would have.



I never want to have to do that again. I'd really rather my mom's remaining cats just pass away on their own, in their sleep, at her house. Instead of at the vet.

He wasn't even that old, either. Dinah is 8, Buddy is 10 and Desi was only 1 1/2 months away from turning 7.

[catlover79]

So do I. I've lost 3 cats and it was heartbreaking each time. :(

[Stuck In The '70's]

Ugh I never thought I would see myself bumping up this thread... 4 1/2 years later.


Similar story as last time. Three cats, and one of 'em got sick. Actually, that's not the full story...

A few weeks ago, around the week of Halloween, one of the cats (Dinah) came down with a cold. Dinah passed on her cold to another one of the cats, Buddy. Buddy in turn passed it on to the third cat, Desi. Dinah and Buddy both recovered from their colds... Dinah almost immediately and Buddy took a while + lost some weight in the process, too.

But Desi. He got hit REALLY hard with the cold and just couldn't kick it. My mom did EVERYTHING she could - medicines from the vet, keeping him at the vet for 8 days, more medicines, attention, etc. Nothing worked.

It was decided today that we would take him to the vet to have him put down to sleep. The last cat we had that passed away, Lucy, passed away on her own and I still feel bad about not being with her when she died... so I chose to accompany my mom to the vet today when he went to sleep.

I wish I could say he went to sleep in peace... but he was really so sick and in so much pain, he just didn't care. He did struggle when the vet started injecting him, but not like he normally would have.



I never want to have to do that again. I'd really rather my mom's remaining cats just pass away on their own, in their sleep, at her house. Instead of at the vet.

He wasn't even that old, either. Dinah is 8, Buddy is 10 and Desi was only 1 1/2 months away from turning 7.
Wow I'm sorry Allison. I remember when Lucy died and I know how it is when you lose pets. I'm sorry about Desi. :( Pets are a blessing. They make you feel so happy when they're with you but when they die, it's like losing a member of your family. :(

[Hollywood Rock Chic]

Allison, my deepest condolences in losing, Desi. I know, the passing of an animal is very heartbreaking. You are in my thoughts, sweetie. :hug:

[dawsongirl]

:( Poor Desi. He's in a better place now. Hang in there.

[70s show watcher]

im sorry to heear that allison:( i have 2 cats myself so i sure understand how heartbreaking this is for you

[Brad Russ]

I'm so sorry Allison!! :( I know how helpless a feeling it is to see your pets suffering, and not being able to do anything about it. He will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there!! :hug:

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

I'm sorry, Allison. It really is a horrible thing. :( My dog that I grew up with since I was 5 years old passed away in February. That was hard.

[Pus$y Galore]

Aw Alli, I'm so sorry. This is always so sad. I'm glad you were brave enough to be with him at the end. I think that means so much helping them cross over like that.

It's toughest on you as he's out of his terrible pain and discomfort now. Hang in there sweety.

[LuLu Rogers]

I'm so sorry sweetie, I know how hard it is to lose a pet. :(

[PZelda]

Aw Alli, I'm so sorry. This is always so sad. I'm glad you were brave enough to be with him at the end. I think that means so much helping them cross over like that.

It's toughest on you as he's out of his terrible pain and discomfort now. Hang in there sweety.
So very true. I know we really did do the right thing, but grah. I really wish it could have been under better circumstances. I would have liked it to have been because he was old and it was his time to go. But nope. Poor guy just didn't have a strong enough immune system to fight off this cold. :(

And you know what... The one cat my mom has right now, Buddy. Buddy is the first cat out of 5 that my mom has had in almost 15 years who has reached the double digits (10 1/2 almost 11). I always hear about other people with really old cats who are still going (15, 20 and in one case, my age [23] :eek:) and then I think to myself "Why don't I have a cat that old yet?" The other three were 3 1/2, 9 1/2 and 6 1/2 when they died. The 3 1/2yo cat was a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago, before SO existed... he died in July of 1998.



Jen, I remember that. Do you know when Chava was born? Desi was a '02 baby too... the person we got Desi from said that he had been born on January 6, 2002. He was the only one out of the five that I knew the exact birthdate of... not sure why but I just did.



And to everybody else... Thank you very much for the thoughts.

[Hollow]

aww. :( it breaks my heart to hear about cats dying. it must be so painful for the vets to have to put them to sleep.

[Janice]

Allison, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. We had our cat put down three years ago next week, and it still breaks my heart. Be proud that you were with Desi to the end. I'm sure that was comforting to the little guy.

http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

[Zoneboy]

One of my cats was hit by a car earlier this week, I still have 6 outdoor cats and 1 inside cat but I still miss her.

:rip: Gracie, March 9th, 2007 - November 2008

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/zoneboy/Gracie.gif

[comedyfreak]

My cat has been battling anemia off and on and about once a week or every other she'll get sick for a day then she bounces back, she's only 4 years old. It's hard when they get sick like that.

[InspectorExstead]

:( that must've been so heartbreaking to see him be put to sleep. pets really do become a huge part of the family & losing them is devastating. i'm so sorry about desi. that's good that you were with him to the end & that he won't be in pain anymore. i hope your other cats will stay healthy for a long time. :bighug:

[Pus$y Galore]

So very true. I know we really did do the right thing, but grah. I really wish it could have been under better circumstances. I would have liked it to have been because he was old and it was his time to go. But nope. Poor guy just didn't have a strong enough immune system to fight off this cold. :(

And you know what... The one cat my mom has right now, Buddy. Buddy is the first cat out of 5 that my mom has had in almost 15 years who has reached the double digits (10 1/2 almost 11). I always hear about other people with really old cats who are still going (15, 20 and in one case, my age [23] :eek:) and then I think to myself "Why don't I have a cat that old yet?" The other three were 3 1/2, 9 1/2 and 6 1/2 when they died. The 3 1/2yo cat was a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago, before SO existed... he died in July of 1998.



Jen, I remember that. Do you know when Chava was born? Desi was a '02 baby too... the person we got Desi from said that he had been born on January 6, 2002. He was the only one out of the five that I knew the exact birthdate of... not sure why but I just did.



And to everybody else... Thank you very much for the thoughts.Allison, if you don't mind me asking, what do you normally feed them? (I may be able to help with the longevity issue). All five of my cats have never had anything other than ringworm which one passed along to the others shortly after we got him (he had the virus when we got him). I've NEVER had to bring one to the vet for illness since. And get this - it just hit me that Gizmo is now almost 19 and he doesn't look or act any older than 9. The others are all around age 13 to 14 and they're the same. I've been very lucky with this bunch and hope to get them to live to at least what my other Maine Coon lived to be (20 +).
I've feed them only dry food their whole lives, with a bit of canned food only as a treat - maybe once a month or so. At first it bothered me, but the cats didn't seem to mind and if anything, they've been the healthiest bunch I've ever had.

Believe me though, I know how it feels to lose them early. I had to put Finnegan down when he was only 14 months old - it was his immune system too. The vet figured he was born with Feline Leukemia, he caught a cold and that was it. Broke my heart. He was such a character. :(

[PZelda]

Allison, if you don't mind me asking, what do you normally feed them? (I may be able to help with the longevity issue). All five of my cats have never had anything other than ringworm which one passed along to the others shortly after we got him (he had the virus when we got him). I've NEVER had to bring one to the vet for illness since. And get this - it just hit me that Gizmo is now almost 19 and he doesn't look or act any older than 9. The others are all around age 13 to 14 and they're the same. I've been very lucky with this bunch and hope to get them to live to at least what my other Maine Coon lived to be (20 +).
I've feed them only dry food their whole lives, with a bit of canned food only as a treat - maybe once a month or so. At first it bothered me, but the cats didn't seem to mind and if anything, they've been the healthiest bunch I've ever had.

Believe me though, I know how it feels to lose them early. I had to put Finnegan down when he was only 14 months old - it was his immune system too. The vet figured he was born with Feline Leukemia, he caught a cold and that was it. Broke my heart. He was such a character. :(
Hmm, I think my mom feeds them IAMS weight control food - Dinah (see pic below) is a fatass.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/PZelda/camphonepics/090406_12591-1.jpg



And this is Buddy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/PZelda/camphonepics/091406_14441-1.jpg


Both these pics are from '06 - not recent at all. Dinah looks the same, but Buddy lost some weight from being sick, so hmm... I dunno. My mom was feeding him wet cat food recently to help with gaining back some weight, I think.

All 3 had never been sick with anything. Never even had diarrhea. The sickest any 3 of them would get was if they puked up hairballs. And that was it. When we got Buddy as a kitty back in 1998, he had fleas REALLY bad and it took us several months to make them stop. Since then, he's been fine. Dinah has a tendency to eat really fast and then throw up her food later, but that doesn't happen often. We don't give them a ton of food every day - 1/4 a cup of dry food 2x a day and that has seemed to work well.

We don't give them wet cat food very often, either, because I know how bad it can be for them if you feed 'em that all the time.

I guess now maybe my mom should only give Dinah some type of weight control food, and something else for Buddy. Whatcha think?



This is the cat we put down to sleep yesterday:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/PZelda/camphonepics/082106_15251.jpg

[Pus$y Galore]

Oh wow - Desi was gorgeous! They all are - but that's a great pic of Desi.


Well, from what you tell me the diet isn't bad at all. My Simba and Gizmo have put on and lost weight in the past. Luckily they're all a healthy weight the past few years.

Yah, the hairballs are necessary unfortunately for us. And I love it when they hit your shoe and you don't notice until you put your foot in it! YECCH!

I've had cats that wolf their food and then puke it. Especially if they're super hungry they'll tend to do that.

Sounds like it has nothing to do with what you're doing. You've just hit some bad luck. It happens. Just know that it wasn't anything you could have prevented or stopped. At least he had a wonderful life with you and a couple of buddies, albeit short. You're a good pet owner. :)