Hope for Kuzco

dss62467

dss62467

Cathlete
I have this sweet little cat named Kuzco. He's about 4 years old and just a total lover. I noticed a few days ago that he wasn't himself. He was sleeping a lot, but I thought maybe he had just been out carousing all night and was catching up on his rest.

But the next day when he was STILL sleeping, and I noticed I hadn't seen him eat, I picked him up and saw that he had funk all over his nose. I called the vet and they told me to bring him in.

Vet thought Kuzco had a bad cold, gave him an IV of fluids and penicilin, then sent us home with an antibiotic. He told me Kuzco should be better by the next day, but if he wasn't back to himself by today, I needed to bring him back in. Kuzco wasn't better today.

I took him back to the vet's and they're keeping him overnight and running tests. The dr. is checking for leukemia and AIDS, and he should know the results tonight. He'll also test for other things, but won't know on those until tomorrow.

If it's leukemia or AIDS, those are pretty much fatal and I guess I'd have to put him down. I want to be there with him for that. But here's where I'd like your opinion...do you think it's a bad idea for my daughter to be there? She's 7, and I try to let her know that death is natural and not horrible.

I'd like to have her say goodbye. I thought maybe have her come, say goodbye, then wait in the other room. But I also know that it's a very peaceful thing for the animal, so it shouldn't be bad to watch. Other than the emotion of losing a friend.

Maybe I'll just ask her what she'd like to do and let her do it.

Anyway, I'm hoping it's just a viral thing that can be knocked out with treatment. I'd hate to lose such a sweetie. He's been one of the best cats.
 
I would strongly caution you about having your daughter there. I was there for 2 of my cats when I put them down as an adult, they were both very sick and near death, and I felt worse than I have just about ever felt.
I believe there is a big difference between being there and witnessing someone or something dying of natural causes and being there when it is "put down". At the moment it happened, and even still I have a real conflict with myself about choosing the moment and being the cause of my 2 cat's deaths. I know in my heart it was the humane thing to do in both cases, but still, I "threw the switch" - or was in the room when someone else "threw the switch" and did nothing to stop it, and that has caused real feelings of responsibility and conflict. I don't believe a 7 year old can completely process the fine line between something dying of natural causes and something dying because a doctor injected it with something that killed it. Even if she is really smart and mature, and perhaps especially if she is really smart and mature, this could lead to some real confusion about death and dying, her role in it, your role in it, and the doctor's role in it.
I would have her say goodbye at home. Even if she knows you are going to have the cat put down - there is a huge difference between knowing that and being there the moment the injection is administered, the head sinks and the eyes close for the last time.
All that being said I hope it is a moot point and that your Kuzco is on the mend as I type this.
I'll be thinking of you, Kuzco and your family.
--Laura
 
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!!! FIV (feline AIDS) and FeLV (feline leukemia virus) are NOT deadly. Cats can live a very full life with them. an FIV+ cat should not live with non-FIV+ cats because they could transmit the disease via blood through scratches, but there is NO REASON to kill an FIV+ or FeLV cat.

I am surprised your vet would tell you that's the only option. I suggest you do an internet search. You will find lots of information about FIV and FeLV.

Lorie
 
But if it is something where the best choice is to put him down (not until you know there is no other option - I agree with Lorie), I don't know about your 7 year old. My 5 year old Aussie was hit by a car and died in my husband's arms on the way to the emergency vet. I am sooo happy he was able to look up and see someone he loved before he died (he was such an incredible dog), so I would be there no matter what as he was my pet/friend/family member and it would be the least I could do, but I would probably avoid having my 7 year old daughter witness it just because it is so heart wrenching. I think it's okay to talk about it as being natural, etc., but I would hold off on the viewing.
 
I would say it could be okay to be honest with your DD and have her say goodbye but I would think twice about having her in the room when they do it. I had to put my dog down and I stayed in the room. I am glad that I stayed as I was the only person with him that day BUT I was so distraught by it that I wouldn't even GO to the vet when my cat was dying and needed to be put down. I made my mom do it. You are right in that it's calm and there was no suffering but you don't know what will happen once the animal goes. In my dog's case, he was hemmoraging and all of the blood that was inside his body came out of his mouth and nose once he was gone. You don't want her to see anything like that.

Sorry about your cat. I hope he is okay though.

I know how hard it is when an animal is sick. I've been through it twice already. I also dealt with the waiting when my current dog (golden) had to have a biopsy done for cancer. Thank goodness he didn't have it!
 
Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is difficult, no matter what one's age. I'm not sure how a 7 year old would take euthanasia. Maybe not a good idea to have her in the room when the actual shot is given, but she might be able to handle it. You might want her to accompany you to the vets, say good bye, and let her wait in the waiting room while the deed is being done. Give her the choice.

But let's hope it doesn't even come to that, and that Kuzco turns around and doesn't have a disease that he will suffer from.

My three cats and I will send good healing vibes his way!
 
>I would strongly caution you about having your daughter
>there. I was there for 2 of my cats when I put them down as
>an adult, they were both very sick and near death, and I felt
>worse than I have just about ever felt.

I think it depends on the person.
I've been there whenever I've had any pet euthanized. I feel I owe it to them. Of course, it makes you feel like s(#@t at the time, and for a while, but seeing them in peace can also be a release.

For me, it's not the actual moment of euthanasia that makes me feel bad, it's the simple fact of making that decision. And since I'd feel crappy about it whether or not I was there, I might as well be there.

(But I agree wholeheartedly, there is such a difference in the way one feels when a pet dies naturally--as my Scooter died in bed next to me in February---and when you have to make the decision to euthanize to spare them suffering---as I did for Mandy just a little over a month later).
 
>I would be there no matter what as he
>was my pet/friend/family member and it would be the least I
>could do, but I would probably avoid having my 7 year old
>daughter witness it just because it is so heart wrenching. I
>think it's okay to talk about it as being natural, etc., but I
>would hold off on the viewing.


I think this is the best thing to do.
 
Donna-

I have no advice about your DD, my personal opinion would be if she wanted to be there let her but again I have no children so not one to give advice on that.

However I just wanted to say please keep us posted & I am so sorry you are going through that. I will say a prayer for you guys & hope Kuzco is okay. I had my "child" CJ, a part siamese/himalayan, from 8 weeks old to 10 years old & she died in the middle of the night in bed & being there & knowing she didn't suffer was the only thing that keep me from totally losing it. I really hope your baby will be okay.

Hugs & prayers for Kuzco... ;(
 
The vet didn't tell me it's the only option. What he said to me was that the diseases are usually fatal. He didn't mention euthanizing him at all, it was just my assumption about what would have to be done.

I called this morning and it's not either of those diseases. So that's good news! They still don't have the results of the other tests yet, so we don't know what's wrong with him. That's the bad news.
 
i am happy to hear it's neither of those things! i hope that whatever it is, it's easily treated and kuzco is as good as new :)

as for the dilemma (which no longer exists) i think it depends on the child. my son is 7 and i think i would let him be there. he's an old soul and he would understand enough to want to be there. however, my daughter who is a year younger would not be able to handle it. and that's due to her personality, not her age. i don't see her being capable of handling something like that for quite awhile.

good luck!
 
Sorry that your kitty is sick, Donna. I hope they'll find out what's wrong and he can get treated.

When we had to put our Labrador, Jake down last year, I originally didn't want my kids 7 and 11 years old to go with me. However, I did give them the option to go and both of them decided they would be there.

As much as I didn't want them to go, I have to say that it was better for them to be able to be there. Both said that they were glad to have been there and they had expected it to be much worse and they were surprised how peaceful it was. I guess they had all those frightening images of it being painful and horrible. It didn't look all that peaceful to me, but as adults we often have a different perceiption of things than kids do.

There was a lot of crying, of course, but actually my kids did much better than I did, I was a mess! In our case, I think it was better, because my kids seemed to have such a vivid imagination about what was going to happen to their buddy that the actual being there was the lesser of two evils.

If it really comes to this, I probably would ask her.

I hope your kitty will be ok!!

Carola
 
Just talked to the vet. It's kidney failure. They aren't sure of the severity of it yet, meaning whether or not he'll recover, but they'll keep him again tonight and give him more blood tests tomorrow. They're flushing his system with fluids.

I wonder if he got into something while visiting the neighbors. We don't have any antifreeze at our house, and that's what the vet was thinking he might have gotten into.

The vet wanted to ask me what I would want to do with him, if the damage can't be repaired, but he stopped himself and said we'd talk again tomorrow.

I suppose I'll start preparing Teri for the worst.
 
Donna-

I am so sorry about Kuzco... that is going to be a hard decision for you. Do you have any idea what you'll do? I guess my question for the vet would be is he in pain? I guess how do they really know though, you know? I will say another prayer for you guys, I am so sorry. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
 
I'm sorry to hear about the kidney failure. I've had two cats who died from it. It's not something they will die peacefully in bed from, but it's possible that Kuzco can turn around for now, and with some TLC (and probably some home administration of fluids) could have several more happy months.
 
Sorry to hear about your kitty!!! My cat was going into kidney failure a few years ago. Came home from work and he was sitting in the basement all swelled up like a balloon and we couldn't touch him w/out him crying something awful. Packed him up and took him to the vet. They said it was kidney failure, didn't know if he was going to make it. A couple days and a few hundred $$$ later he was fine. They pumped him full of antibiotics and who knows what else and fixed him up. He was supposed to be eating a special food after that, but absolutely refused to eat. He didn't eat for like 3 days, so we caved and gave him his old food back. Other than the short stretch where he wouldn't eat, he bounced back just fine. That was at least 5 yrs ago, and no probs since. He's an inside cat, so we still have no idea what he got into. But hang in there, he can recover!!! Think happy thoughts. As for DD, maybe let her choose if it comes down to that. Or take her to the vet and let her say goodbye, but don't have her in the room if it has to happen. But big hugs to you and your kitty!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top