My Fur Kitty Is Dying. :(

[Contrary1]

"Stumpy" showed up one night on my deck 9+ years ago with a broken femur. It was sleeting, and my hubby (the man who has always carried on with me about my strays) announced, "You can't just leave him out there like that!"

And so I didn't. I put a cardboard box in a trash bag, set it outside, and ordered him to be gone by morning.

Nope.

The next morning, after he decided to disregard my order, I was able to exam him a bit more closely. He had oil all over him, and was missing about 1/3 of his fur. A bit thin, and there was still that broken leg thing.

He could have been one of the stray/ferals that I fed every evening. They came, they went...hard to keep track of them all.

So, off to the vet. Amputate? Operate? I opted for cheap...a vet-made "splint". Stumpy made a run for it exactly once. The sight of four adults running after a gimpy, splinted kitty around the neighborhood was no doubt amusing. But, alas; he remained on the lam for only ten minutes or so.

After spending so much money on him, I guarded his escape opportunities more carefully after that. Wherever he came from, he wasn't going back. He's been an indoor kitty ever since, and joined the other five cast offs who allowed me to take care of them.

Stumpy was diagnosed with feline leukemia about a year ago. The vet said he probably had it when he first came to us. She said to feed him whatever he will eat. That isn't working so well lately. He doesn't keep much down. At first, these spells only lasted a couple days. But now they are more frequent and of longer duration.

He's just a shadow of his former self, maybe 6 pounds. He sleeps most of the time, and I can tell that it hurts when I pick him up. He's probably 12-14 years now.

I realize that he has had a better life because of me, but it doesn't make this any easier. He's asleep on my desk right now. I will try again to get him to eat...anything, and then he will curl up next to me in bed. That's his favorite spot when he's not feeling well.

And, I will make the call.

Didn't mean to make this a novel...just a bit sad right now.

[one_voice]

1. I'm so sorry you're going through this...

it never gets any easier, yet those of us with furbabies couldn't imagine a life without any. We say goodbye to the ones we love so dearly, and open our hearts to a new additions.

Peace and strength vibes to you! :hug:

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. ...

:cry: :hug:

[lapislzi]

3. My thoughts are with you and Stumpy

I've been there. Raw turkey burgers sometimes work, and they're easy to get down. I wish Stumpy peace on his journey.

[hifiguy]

4. You gave an abandoned cat a wonderful life

and that is one of the finest things anyone can do. I empathize. I lost my dear Max - a rescue kitty who had led a terribly hard life - just over a year ago and it was the worst experience of my adult life. I cried every day for a month. A couple months later I was ready for a new rescue kitty. While I will never forget Max, that made things much easier. Remember all the joy your cat has brought to you and that you brought to him.

Hope this helps a little.

:hug:

[rurallib]

5. my sincerest sympathies

the worst part of life is the inevitable death.
Yet the wonderful memories help carry you through tough times.
peace to Stumpy.

[myrna minx]

6. Thank you for sharing Stumpy with us. It's so difficult to lose our fur friends.

:hug:

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Knowing that we've helped a little one and given them love, doesn't help to make losing them easier.

Every time, it's a heart break. We have to take that pain unto ourselves so they can rest in peace.

[muffin1]

8. I am so sorry.

:hug:

[hamsterjill]

9. Community Tears!

That's what we call it in our little rescue group when one is lost. I am so sorry for you and Stumpy. Feline leukemia is a dreadful disease and I hope one day that a cure will be found.

Beyond that, thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving Stumpy and caring for him.

[Arugula Latte]

10. I'm so sorry.

If he is in pain, I urge you to end his suffering sooner rather than later.

[siligut]

11. He has had a good life with you

I haven't had a cat with feline leukemia, but your story made me search on it, here is a link: http://www.city-data.com/forum/cats/163842-feline-leukemia-can-treated.html There are different opinions and stories. I agree with ArgulaLatte, maybe some medication for discomfort and also what other posters said to increase general health and his immune system. :hug:

[tblue]

12. I had a similar experience

Poor baby kitty was all goopy eyed and skinny and abandoned by his mommy. We took him to the vet. He lived about a week. So sad.

I'm sure you've bonded with that little kitty. I'm so sorry for both of you. :hug:

[MerryBlooms]

13. :*( ((hug)) for you and Stumpy. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

14. .............

:hug: :hug:

[fizzgig]

15. nothing makes it any easier

we bear the pain because we love them, but i know that's of little consolation sometimes.

:hug: for you and stumpy

[Bertha Venation]

16. I'm sorry, Contrary1.

:cry:

[GoCubsGo]

17. I'm sorry.

I went through this over the past year with my kitty. He had chronic renal failure, and went from 12 lbs. to 3 lbs. before it was all over. Had I realized he was THAT thin, I would have euthanized him sooner. It sucks to see them deteriorate, and know that there is not a damn thing you can do for them.

[Contrary1]

18. Thank you for all your kind words...

I set up an appointment for Stumpy tomorrow morning. I was afraid that he would get much worse over the long weekend.

The vet is surprised that he has stayed around this long. Some months back, extensive blood work showed that his body was no longer producing new red blood cells. We knew it was just a matter of time.

This will be the 2nd rescue I have lost in the last six months. "Baby" was FIV+, and lived to be about 12 years old. I still have her 3 wacko brothers. They were abandoned at about 5 weeks. I believe that my resident feral, Scarlet (aka: The Hussy) is their mom. She's been coming around for many years. Luckily, I was able to trap her and get her de-hussied.
The vet said Scarlet had "been around the block...several times". :rofl:

I take some comfort in the fact that once they find their way to me, they end up living a long and pampered life.

Also, for some unknown reason, a newbie usually shows up at my back door within a couple weeks of losing one. Life goes on.

:pals:

[hifiguy]

21. For some reason, cats seem to know

where other cats have been treated well. They must be able to pick up the vibe.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. Speaking of replacement cats.....

We lost a year old cat to snake bite last year, he was a black short hair.I had bottle raised his orphan self,

I had to rush him to vets to be put down, he was too far gone by the time we found him after the bite.
Exactly a year later, a few months ago, a solid gray cat who is the spitting image of him walked into our yard and demanded to move in with us.
The similarity between them is astounding, in looks, behavior.
With one exception.
The new cat insists on being an indoor cat, while the now gone cat insisted on being outdoors.

Learning curve, apparently. 8 lives left to go.

[haele]

19. It's always hard to make that call -

I took Shari on her last trip Monday - she was 15, and had gone from 55 lbs (her prime weight) to just under 40 over the past three years. It wasn't sickness, just old age.
They don't understand, they just get miserable. And the best gift we can give them is to not let them linger, no matter how sad we get.
The sadness is so much better than guilt. And we will always remember them.

:hug:

Haele

[stuntcat]

20. ((hug))

I've had to make the decision before. There's also a time I didn't make that decision, but I will always wish I had. It's a much easier end for them.

Stumpy's been a lucky lucky cat :hug: that's what matters.

[applegrove]

22. So sorry. I still miss my Monster daily. But I just think of all he brought me in the 10 years

I had him and it makes me happy.

[graywarrior]

23. Oh no!

:hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Oh no!! I am so sorry. We lost a beloved kitteh to feline leukemia many years ago. It's

really terrible.

I'm so sorry Stumpy has it too, and that it's his time now. :hug:

[Contrary1]

25. Update:

My sweet buddy has journeyed on...

I took Stumpy to the vet Saturday, and asked for a full exam. He was so alert and receptive to hugs, I second-guessed myself as to what to do.

I opted for x-rays, just to see if there was anything there that meds could help.

His liver was more than twice its normal size. This was the reason he could not keep food down, it was keeping food from entering his intestines. Unfortunately, x-rays cannot determine the cause. Very unlikely that it was an infection, most probably cancer. One kidney had shrunk to almost nothing.

I was incorrect in my previous post. Stumpy did not have Feline leukemia, he was the one who was FIV+. His disease would have killed him eventually.

And so, I decided to let him go now, before he became so very miserable. It was hard for me, but once I focused on what was best for Stumpy, and not me...it became easier.

He went very quickly and peacefully. I will miss him.

[dana_b]

26. I'm so sorry

you obviously did the right thing for him and he passed on peacefully but I know that it hurts. Big hugs to you!!

[TuxedoKat]

27. So sorry

for the loss of your beloved Stumpy. I lost one to FIV and one to FeLV. (((HUGS)))

[Curmudgeoness]

28. I am so sorry that you had to do this. You are right though,

we sometimes will prolong a pet's misery only because we are not ready. The two of you had a good life together.

RIP Stumpy. And my condolences, Contrary1. :hug:

[Skittles]

29. so sorry Contrary1

:cry:

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.....
I loved you so --
'twas Heaven here with you.

--by Ilsa Paschal Richardson

[Catlover827]

30. I am so very sorry

It hurts like hell, I know. I'm sure he knew how much you loved him. Hugs to you. :cry:

[TorchTheWitch]

31. I'm so terribly sorry

You're doing the right thing in making that call. The last act of love we can do our dear fur-babies is to allow them to leave us when they need to go.

I know how very much it hurts, and my heart goes out to you and Stumpy.

:hug:

[Odin2005]

32. !!!!!!!

:hug:

[emilyg]

33. I am sorry.

[MrMickeysMom]

35. It's okay, contrary1...

I've always said that their little pin prick paws knead their way about your chest, Ow.... but, they, which means Stumpy... are only re-arranging your heart.

{{{{hug}}}}

MMM

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

36. R.I.P., Stumpy.

:hug: