Cat update - bad news
My cat is staying at the vet another day. They had begun tapering off the IV fluids he was on today, and his kidney numbers shot up 25%. Also, he vomited and stopped eating.
They brought him out to see me, and he seemed shockingly thin. He barely seemed to recognize me. He climbed out of my arms, and I thought he was going to make one of his graceful jumps to the chair next to me, but instead he tumbled to the floor, and just stayed there, limbs akimbo, looking stunned. I felt horrible for inadvertently letting him fall, but when a cat can't land on his feet from a short fall, or even get up from it, he's definitely badly ill. When he did get up and walk, he had a definite wobble.
He's staying an extra day, while they bring his fluids up again and hope for the best. They're also giving him some dextrose, because his blood sugar was low. But there's not much prospect for improvement.
I know what I will ultimately have to do. I've known that since this started. But the question has always been "when". If he were a tightly-curled oval of pain and unhappiness, I would not hesitate. But, even wobbling and emaciated, he still showed energy, still squirmed out of my arms and investigated the examining room. He seems too alive for this to be the right time. But, if I wait until he looks ready to die anyway -- until he looks like he's miserable enough -- how much will he have suffered in the meantime?
They brought him out to see me, and he seemed shockingly thin. He barely seemed to recognize me. He climbed out of my arms, and I thought he was going to make one of his graceful jumps to the chair next to me, but instead he tumbled to the floor, and just stayed there, limbs akimbo, looking stunned. I felt horrible for inadvertently letting him fall, but when a cat can't land on his feet from a short fall, or even get up from it, he's definitely badly ill. When he did get up and walk, he had a definite wobble.
He's staying an extra day, while they bring his fluids up again and hope for the best. They're also giving him some dextrose, because his blood sugar was low. But there's not much prospect for improvement.
I know what I will ultimately have to do. I've known that since this started. But the question has always been "when". If he were a tightly-curled oval of pain and unhappiness, I would not hesitate. But, even wobbling and emaciated, he still showed energy, still squirmed out of my arms and investigated the examining room. He seems too alive for this to be the right time. But, if I wait until he looks ready to die anyway -- until he looks like he's miserable enough -- how much will he have suffered in the meantime?