Do you ever feel like you are going to lose it?

**Craftlady** · 09-16-2007, 11:03 PM

I will keep good thoughts and prayers for Magic.
It's a hard decision to make when it comes to our fur babies health and well being. Quality of life etc.
You will know in our heart when enough is enough. It sucks bigtime when that realization hits ya square in the face. Been there just did that with Thumper.

One thing, have you considered getting a second opinion from another vet?

**jazzcat** · 09-17-2007, 12:06 AM

I'm so sorry to hear about Magic. Please forgive me but I don't remember what happened to Panther. Did your vet give a diagnosis? Do they think it is the same thing with Magic?

I do understand how you feel about the endless testing that often doesn't lead to any results. I'm thankful that I have a vet who doesn't like to rush into too many tests at once.

What you are describing reminds me of a very bad time Ripley suffered about 5 years ago. We had just brought Jazz in as a kitten and she had a very bad URI. Ripley caught it and ended up in at the vet for three days on IV antibiotic and fluids. He came home on Saturday and by late Sunday night he began throwing up and having uncontrollable diarrhea to the point that everything coming out was bloody. We rushed him to the vet and it was touch and go for a couple of days. After many tests and x-rays the vet decided it was a secondary infection of the blood stream that was triggered by the few days of antibiotics to treat the URI. Even after he came home I had to take him back every day for a week for an antibiotic injection.

Now we are dealing with Ripley's kidney failure and on his last visit to the vet there were some signs of a possible liver tumor but after talking to the vet we are just waiting to see if anything changes because for the moment he is maintaining.

I'm not sure if telling you Ripley's story will help you at all but I wanted you to know that I understand how you feel. Prayers and positive thoughts for Magic and you.

**krazyaboutkatz** · 09-17-2007, 01:27 AM

I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this and that Magic is so sick.

I remember your thread about Panther and I felt so bad for both of you.

If I were you I'd also consider getting a second opinion. I had to do this with Starr and now I've changed vets. Starr's now seeing my new vet and a holistic vet and he's doing so much better these days. I sure hope that Magic will be able to be diagnosed and treated easily. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care.

**G535** · 09-17-2007, 04:59 AM

Whatever you decide to do please remember that your cat's quality of life is the most important thing to consider. I know how hard it is, I lost my 14 year old cat in March to liver disease. A second vet's opinion would be good too.
Hope things do work out well for Magic and you.

**jenluckenbach** · 09-17-2007, 07:24 AM

Not that this helps much, but I know EXACTLY what you feel like. At this moment Jasper is suffering with diarrhea. He is pooping on the bed, it's pudding consistancy, no meds have helped him so far, we've done tests......and this is exactly what happened with Lucas before he was found to have cancer and had to be PTS. I am certain more tests will follow.

But, I have one distinct difference....my vet isn't a fan of unnecessary tests. She is known to attempt a medication that could help before knowing the specific cause. Her idea is....."If the medication works = GREAT, if not, we know it is not that particular problem". Then we move on to another idea.

There is no magic potion to handling the stress. I WILL be hard. And when episodes come close together, it is even harder. So just focus on the cat's well being. Take into consideration the cat's age, prognosis for a good quality of life, and YES, your monetary situation. You will know the right thing to do if you have faith in your feelings.

**sasvermont** · 09-17-2007, 08:46 AM

I know exactly what you are going through. I just made one of the most difficult decisions in my life, and had a dear, dear kitty of mine, PTS. I couldn't do it anymore. I know she went peacefully - purred her way to the Rainbow Bridge. She is no longer suffering. She was ill, was tested, treated and then some, and she wasn't improving. I made a difficult call, but now, know it was the right one. It took me years. Yes, years. But I knew when it was time to let her go.

Good luck with your decision. Only you know the answer to the difficult question.

**fragrancehound** · 09-17-2007, 10:31 AM

Thank you so much for the support! I really do appreciate it.

I did call the vet today and I am bringing Magic in for some testing including x-rays. She also has to have some test that requires 14 hours of fasting. It is called FTLI/FPLI/FOLATE/COBALMINE . I guess this is some sort of specialized test?? I won't get the results for 2 weeks.

In the meantime I am trying to Magic as comfortable as possible. I do love her!

**TopCat3** · 09-19-2007, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by krazyaboutkatz

I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this and that Magic is so sick.

I remember your thread about Panther and I felt so bad for both of you.

If I were you I'd also consider getting a second opinion. I had to do this with Starr and now I've changed vets. Starr's now seeing my new vet and a holistic vet and he's doing so much better these days. I sure hope that Magic will be able to be diagnosed and treated easily. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care.

I echo what KAK says about holistic vets. They look at the cat and its symptoms rather than looking for a diagnosis they can label then treat the label. That is not to say they don't use bloodwork and Xrays etc but they look at the whole picture and can often start to give your cat relief from its symptoms before they even know fully what the condition is they are treating. Acupuncture to bring the system back into balance, chiropractic to make sure the nerves are supplying all the organs and body systems correctly, maybe some Chinese herbs or a special dietary mix to support the digestive tract whatever may be wrong. I am glad Starr is much better because he is one of my favourite pt cats. I hope Magic and Shadow will recover soon. It is so important to feel trust and a comfortable rapport with your vet and it sounds like you have that. Good luck. - The TopCats.

**Pawsitive Thinking** · 09-19-2007, 10:39 AM

Poor pusscats and poor you. Hope everyone starts to feel better soon.

All I can say is that I know how you feel - my RB CallyPuss had daily injections for about a month before she had to be PTS. One morning I saw a woodpecker as we were driving through the park and it was after I mentioned it to the vet that he said he would only charge me for drugs used not for any consultation time!!! Guess he could tell I was slightly stressed

**Medusa** · 09-20-2007, 09:25 AM

I'm w/ya on the stress; I think all PTers are, actually. There were days when I felt like I was being ganged up on by the Universe. Nearly every vet bill I've had is in the 3 digits and when surgery was involved, it was usually 4 digits because several of my cats are special needs cats. For ex.: my Yodie's ear polyp surgery started at $2000 and follow up care went from there.

I have so much money into my heart kitty Puddy that I could probably pay cash for a brand new car. But in the grand scheme of things, when I look back on it, it was worth every penny. I guess that's how we have to look at it. My vet's office is more expensive than others but boy, does he ever have the instinct! He cuts right to the chase and knows exactly what to do and I love that! No guess work! So if you're happy w/your vet, even though s/he's expensive, consider sticking w/him or her because you'll end up stressing yourself even more trying to find someone else that you can trust. Bottom line, Magic is doing better and that's wonderful!