I've had my cat Serena since I was 8 years old and she's lived at my parents house her whole life, I just recently graduated college and moved her across states to come live with my partner and I in our new apartment. My parents were never really on top of her health and didn't took her to the vet in her old age, and it was obvious she wasn't doing well - she puked frequently, yowled loudly, and began to poop and pee on the edge of the litter box where some would end up on the floor. I took her to the vet and it turns out she has hyperthyroidism and kidney failure. We got her started on medication for her thyroid which immediately stopped the yowling but she still throws up pretty frequently. She's a naturally small cat, but was very underweight (4.6lbs) and has since gained a little bit of weight (now 5.2lbs.) Her poop is consistently soft and occasionally there's blood in it. We also have her on a kidney diet.
The living situation is stressful for her since my partner has an energetic 1yo kitty who always wants to play. Every time she approaches or bats at or chases my elderly kitty Serena hisses and growls. It happens throughout the night. We bought a pheromone thing to help ease tensions but it hasn't helped.
Serena is a huge source of stress on our living situation and relationship. My partner is convinced that it's time to put her down, and I feel as though it's not urgent, that she still has a happy enough life for the time being. He points out that her poop is unhealthy, that she vomits frequently, and how she moves slowly, saying that she must be in constant pain. I point out how she still has quite an appetite, how she still can jump on the couch and bed, and how she still shows affection through cuddles and purrs. He points out how her resting spot is a dark place under the desk and says that old cats find a dark place to hide when they're dying. I think she's found that that's the spot she likes, perhaps to avoid our other cat, but not as a sign that she's on her way out.
My partner constantly gets very frustrated about the smell of the poop and difficulty in cleaning up which I'm afraid is contributing to his desire to have her put down (even if subconsciously.) He says he wakes up every morning thinking he might find Serena dead. She's old, yes, but I think it's ridiculous to think she'd just keel over and die when she obviously still has energy left in her. My partner seems to think I'm in denial because I love my cat and want her to live longer but I genuinely don't think she's shown signs that she is suffering to that extreme degree. I want to wait a few weeks, months, keep an eye on it, wait until I see further decline before I take her to the vet and ask their opinion on if it's an appropriate time to put her down.
I'll be taking her to the vet soon. Part of my dilemma is the concern of how her stress with our other cat could be affecting her health and the financial strain that comes with each vet visit - for example constantly retesting her thyroid levels or taking in a stool sample when it has blood in it. It wouldn't seem right to put her down with finances or the stress caused by the other cat as contributing factors.
Just wanted a second opinion on the situation.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ivk5zm/my_18yo_cats_health_is_starting_to_decline_how/
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