Tough Decisions

This week I was faced with a very tough decision and it actually is not over, yet.

My cat Gizzy suddenly lost weight. I took her in at the end of December when I noticed that . The vet said she had a major cut in her tongue and that could be the reason for the dramatic weight loss in the past few weeks. It was almost healed and hopefully things should be getting better. He did say that there could be other major reasons why she could be losing weight but he would have to run extensive tests to determine if something else was going on. He told me that his gut feel was that it was the big gash in her tongue, but I could bring her back in a month and reweigh her. Fair enough.

At first she was gaining weight and I was happy. Still eating, still pooping, still active. This past week though, her mood changed and again she looked like more weight just drastically left. So I took her back in to run the extensive tests.

The results are that she has kidney failure. Her numbers are double and almost triple the upper limits on two things they test. 75% over kidneys are damaged but her other 25% are compensating pretty good. She is only 7! But Dr. Mark says that it is common in cats. I didn't realize this.

So my options are 1) hook her up to IVs and flush out her kidneys for a few days to see how she responds and if she responds favorably I could put her on a special diet and come in twice a week, once a week, or maybe even biweekly to get a fluid shot; 2) do nothing and let her live a little longer until she is uncomfortable and then put her down; or 3) put her down now.

According Doc, she is in good health otherwise and depending on the progress of the failure she can live another few months or several years.

Anyone reading this knows I am an animal person. My pets are like my kid to me. Unfortunately, option 1 is not exactly cheap and she does not have health insurance. I have talked to my Mom and Daddy about this and this is what they told me,

Mom: "It is a waste of time; just put her down."

Daddy: "You do what you feel is right. I believe that it is my responsibility to care for my pets the best way that I can. Then let them go when it is time and you will know when that time is. Your mom talked me in to putting Sugar (my childhood dog) down right away when we found out she had a small cancerous tumor. I regret it to this day because she was still full of life. Running. Playing. Happy."

I am not ready to let her go, yet. I can't. I have not done everything that I can to try to help her. So, even though it will be costly, I have chosen to give her fluids for a few days and I will get the test results of her progress back today. If she responds favorably, I will then proceed to see how a maintenance program will go and decide what to do as time goes on.

I checked up on her yesterday and her first night went very well. I even discussed with the vet her quality of life while trying this treatment and in the future. The last thing I want to do is have her suffer. He also said we will know when it is time. She will quit eating, grooming, and she will become withdrawn. Gizzy is not at this point.

So I hope my kitty feels well, is happy, and does not suffer. She is the sweetest, most friendly, and beautiful cat. Here is a pic of her, but it so does not do her justice. BTW, I got her while living in Lubbock. Her Mom had babies in a warehouse next door to a friends place of employment and the Mommy was ran over. Several of us took in her kitties and I got this one.