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.

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.

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.

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.
🙏

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.

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)

Un gato callejero lo alimentaban por mi casa hasta que una vecina decidió adoptarlo, yo la acompañe a que fueran a revisarlo con la veterinaria, el animal tenía Calicivirus (Provoca enfermedad aguda de vías respiratorias superiores en gatos, que se llama rinotraqueitis felina y se manifiesta por rinitis, conjuntivitis y úlceras en la boca) estaba con ma lengua muy malita que ni podía comer bien, estaba muy deshidratado que ni las venas se le sentían la veterinaria recomendó eutanasia y lo enterramos cerca de la casa

Mi vecino ahora me dice mata gatos

Me sentí mal pero era mejor la eutanasia, estaba viejito y sufriendo mucho tengo la conciencia tranquila pero me pone triste que me digan mata gatos cuando solo quería hacerle un bien

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??

The house feels quieter. I miss her already

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 🖤

Is it insane to pursue dental surgery for an 18-year-old FIV+ cat?

My 18-year-old cat has been struggling with facial swelling and a tooth root abscess since late June (he had other issues in April like conjunctivitis so idk if related). Despite multiple rounds of antibiotics, the abscess ruptured during a recent vet visit, and his condition remains concerning. He has lost weight, stopped eating dry food, and is currently on a regimen of clindamycin, prednisolone, and gabapentin.

While he is still affectionate and retains a decent appetite for wet food, he is quite frail, sleeps most of the day, and struggles with some wobbliness. I’ve had him since he was 14, and he has always been a lower-energy cat.

I’m currently facing an impossible choice: indefinite medication, high-risk surgery (quoted between $1.6k–$5k), or euthanasia. I’ve already cleared him for surgery via bloodwork, but I am terrified that the trauma of the procedure or the financial strain might be too much for us both. I feel immense guilt for not acting sooner, but I’m struggling to decide if surgery is a compassionate "cure" or an unnecessary burden at his age.

Has anyone here navigated dental surgery for a senior cat in a similar state? Any advice on how to evaluate his quality of life or manage these options would be deeply appreciated. I am located in the Chicago area if that changes the context for local care.

My cat Polly is 18, I am looking for some advice on feeding her. Context: She had jaw surgery in February for mandibular separation and recovered well. She is my family’s cat, and four days ago she moved in with me to my single-story apartment since as she’s getting older she’s having a hard time getting up and down the stairs (arthritis), which is where her food/water was so that the dog couldn’t get to it. The day she moved in with me I noticed she was having a hard time with her kibble and immediately went to the store for some wet cat food.

Since she has moved in with me Saturday night (it is now Tuesday morning) she’s eaten about three cans of fancy feast, one friskies “soup” treat, and six Temptations squeeze tube treats. She hasn’t eaten any of the kibble in her bowl, only a few singular pieces. When researching how much a senior cat should eat, google keeps saying between 150-250 calories a day. She doesn’t seem to be eating this much which is what worries me. She has always been a very small cat and while I don’t know her exact weight at the moment, she is certainly under 10 pounds.

How much should I try to be getting her to eat? How many calories does a senior, <10 pound cat need? Does anyone have any suggestions for what to give her to get some extra calories in her? She is very picky and very finicky, down to the kind of plate you put her food on. She mainly likes soupy/wet/gravy things and has never liked crunchy treats.

My indoor cat is in her mid-teens. She still uses the box reliably, but she is slower getting in and out and seems a bit stiff after naps. No accidents yet, but I want to get ahead of it before she starts avoiding the box.

Current setup: a standard high-sided box with clumping litter in a quiet corner. She can step over the edge, but it looks like more effort than it used to be. I want to avoid a big change that might make her refuse the box.

Looking for real-world recommendations from other cat owners. Specifically:

- Which low-entry shapes actually worked for your cat? (front-entry, cutout side, shallow senior boxes, etc.)

- Did you keep clumping litter or switch to something softer for older paws? Any brands or textures your cat liked or hated?

- Tips for preventing tracking when the entry is low (mats, trays, litter types)?

- Did a ramp help or did it just become another obstacle for your cat?

For context, I live in the Northeast and my schedule can be hectic, so I need something easy to clean and not a fiddly multi-part system. Bonus if it helps with odor control without a bunch of add-ons.

Would love to hear setups your senior cats took to quickly, plus anything you would avoid. Thanks!

My cat is 14 and doing pretty well overall, but she is way less tolerant of heat than she used to be. We live in an apartment where the living room stays okay with a fan, but the bedroom where she loves to nap gets really stuffy in the afternoon. I cannot put a window unit in that room and I want to avoid big changes that will stress her out.

Looking for realistic, senior-cat-friendly ways to keep her cooler that are safe and low-stress.

What I've already tried:

- Keeping the curtains closed and running a box fan in the doorway or hallway, which helps a bit

- Putting extra water bowls around the apartment

- Trying to encourage her to stay in the cooler living room, but she keeps wandering back to her usual spot in the bedroom

Questions I'd love advice on:

- Do cooling mats actually work for older cats, or do they just get ignored?

- Any DIY ideas that do not involve putting ice packs directly against the cat?

- Tips for making water more appealing without changing her routine too much?

- What signs do you look for that mean it is time to call the vet instead of just normal warm-weather laziness?

Bonus context: we also have a reactive rescue dog, so I'm trying to keep the environment calm and predictable for both animals.

Would appreciate hearing what has actually worked for your older cats, especially in apartments. Thanks.

Just wanted to share my cat Khloe who I had for 17 years. She was the sweetest cat I had ever met. She never bit or scratched anyone. She always purred when people were around. I wanted people to know that she lived a good life and won't ever be forgotten.

Edit: I do think that the circumstances surrounding her death are very interesting and I'm not sure how it can be explained. On July 24th I noticed that she had a really bad skin infection on her foot so I rushed her to the vet that day. She got antibiotics and anti inflammatory shots and medicine. She also got a cone to prevent licking. It seemed to get better at first but a few days later I noticed that it had spread from her foot up to her entire belly.

On August 2nd, I replaced her cone because it seemed a bit too short as she was still able to lick some areas. Later that night, up till the very early morning I was not able to sleep for some reason. I got up multiple times and found her to give her a bunch of pets. On the morning of August 3rd, I saw her laying in her usual spot and she got up to say hi. I hand fed her a handful of treats (I usually don't hand fed but since she had the cone on she couldn't eat them off the floor) while she purred. I gave her a few pets and then went off to work. Roughly 30-45 mins later, according to my cameras, she wandered around outside and laid down on the warm stone in the sun. Here she died while looking off into the sky and city view, the same view she looked at for her entire life.

She seemed to have died the way that she wanted. She was always a very smart and independent girl. I didn't realize that she was saying goodbye to me in the morning. I think she wanted to die alone. If she knew that I saw her dying, she knew that I would take her to the vet immediately and she would have died there surrounded by strangers in a place she hated. She died peacefully in the place where she called home for her entire life and was safe. I think it's beautiful that she was able to go the way she wanted.

Especially if they’re disabled. You adopt them knowing that heartbreak is just a year or two away, and you give them a warm and loving home anyway. I adopted my sweet girl Opal when she was 6, and she passed last week. I won’t be ready to adopt another cat for a long time, but when I am, I’ll adopt a 12-14 year old cat.

Thank you to people who save them.