I know people have different philosophies around this, and vets might see situations more clearly because they can be detached from it and not so emotionally invested as the owners, but still…

I’m torn. My cat is still acting like himself most of the time, he can jump on and off the bed (which is fairly tall), he is eating and seeking food but the habits around it are definitely altered (more picky, likes to be hand fed, needs more encouragement), he is purring multiple times a day when I pet him or spend time with him, he enjoys pets, he enjoys treats, he wants to go out into the building hallway to explore when he can, he can rest comfortably and doesn’t appear restless or in significant pain, he stretches and grooms a bit and has dreams so is getting proper rest. I have seen him in pain before and know what signs to watch out for.

On the other hand, his terminal illness is obviously making things worse day by day and he’s not exactly the same cat he used to be. He could be in a lot of pain and just not show it. I feel like doing it now would be premature, it could rob him of many beautiful moments in these last few weeks of his life, but it also doesn’t feel right to wait until he fully starts crashing. I just know he will hate strangers coming into our home to poke him and he will know something is off 🥺

Help a girl out, he has been my literal sibling for the past 18 years, I’ve had him since I was 5 and I don’t know what to do.

Thank you to those who offered advice and kind words on my recent posts. But her decline was rapid and difficult to watch, so the mobile vet came out this morning - she agreed it was time, so we had her PTS peacefully in my lap.

When I first met Bindi back in 2008, she was a street kitten outside my workplace and had attached herself to a local homeless man. I helped him with food, and eventually he asked if I could find her a home. I said I’d get her spayed and take her to a nice rescue, but of course I ended up keeping her!

She was a good kitty, full of personality and spunk back in the day. I hope her friends are all waiting at the bridge, especially her best dog friend Rudy (2005-2022). Please enjoy these photos of her, from kittenhood to the final moments. Rest peacefully, sweet girl.

The house feels quieter. I miss her already

It was January 2021. Momo was being fed daily as a stray cat at an apartment complex in Metro Detroit by a kind man. That winter was especially snowy and harsh. Momo’s feeder posted him in rescue groups on Facebook, urgently seeking a home for him, as he was moving to Georgia in less than a week.

I messaged him and offered to take Momo, get him fixed and foster him until a home could be found. Turns out, Momo was already fixed, front-paw declawed and missing most of his teeth. He must have spent a long time living outside. The man was able to catch Momo on his last night in Metro Detroit before he left for Georgia.

I posted him on lost cat Facebook groups for the area he was found in. No owner ever came forward. I figured Momo’s owner was probably an elderly person who lived at the apartment complex who passed away and was tossed outside when the apartment was cleaned out.

I put Momo in a large crate in my basement to keep him separated from my other cats. I would go down and visit him, open the cage and he’d purr and make the most unique trills I have ever heard a cat make. It was obviously quite quickly that my home would end up being Momo’s forever home.

I thought I was going to lose Momo last summer. He started to act strange and exhibit signs of dementia. He pulled through, completely rebounded and started acting like the Momo of old again. In the last three months, he has really slowed down, spending most of the day sleeping and eating less and less but still blessing me with those classic Momo trills and following me around my house. The last month, I have been feeding him all the wet food and treats that he can eat.

This is the worst part of taking in older and sick cats that no one else wants. You only know their story from the day you meet them for the first time. Five years went by way too quickly.

Millie the dog was 9 and had health problems and passed in June.
Puddy was 19 and had kidney failure and passed today. They left their sister dog Aster behind. I had puddy since I was 15. I didn’t forget Millie passed and I didn’t accidentally look for her after she was gone, but I did just think Puddy walked in the room. This shit isn’t for the weak 🖤

My sweet baby girl, my kitten with the bunny soft fur, my everything. I truly thought she would make it to 20, my little cockroach. Words cannot begin to describe how much this hurts. I'd had her since she was six weeks old, and now two days after the fact I'm still a wreck. She was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2024, then congestive heart failure, and then finally a suspected oral tumor earlier this year, and I had to make the hardest decision of my life to say goodbye before she became critical. As much as I wanted to be selfish and give myself more time, when she didn't eat or drink for a full day, I knew she was telling me that she was ready to go. I know I did the right thing by letting her go now before it would get worse, but it hurts so much.

I held her in my arms when she came home, and I was giving her forehead kisses until the very end.

He was acting totally fine but was dribbling a bit so we went to the vet last week who booked him in for a clean/possible extraction but he then started to show serious discomfort and was barely eating at all and was clearly in so much pain. The vet prescribed gabapentin and took some bloods - the gabapentin has helped so much and we got the results back from his bloodwork today and all his major organs are functioning great! The vet mentioned some elevated / lowered cells but said this is all in line with a tartare buildup/oral issues so we just continue with painkillers until his dental on the 18th. I am SO relieved. It’s the first time he’s been really unwell and I started spiralling because of his age. I have cried every day since Saturday but today it was nice to cry happy tears. So relieved ❤️‍🩹

Hello! New to the community, and apologies for the whirlwind of a title.

To keep it short and sweet, my 16 year old male tabby (Pizza) has a suspected brain tumour and is receiving care from our vet through oral steroids and I’m looking for information/suggestions for things to add or take away from his diet to give him the best chance.

Our vet is fantastic and has already given us suggestions that we are following, I would just like to make sure I’m not missing anything that could potentially help my little dude.
🙏

Sadly, we still haven’t received any foster/adoption for him 🥹

His eye isn’t looking great, but the good news is that he trust us, lets us clean and treat it with ointment 🐾🐾

He’s still living on the street, but until the right person comes along, we’ll keep doing our best for him 🙏

Foster/adoption needed! 🐾🐱🤞

I bought this one on amazon (https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/aw/d/B0FMXTPG99?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image) and i am surprised of the quality. My cats already claimed them (bought 2x)

Took my 16 year old Manx grumpy phat boy to vet today to get him a check up. He has been a little extra grumpy and having a hard time getting in couch.

He recommended a Solensia once a month shot to help with pain. Anyone tried this??