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hey cat people, I have a doozy of a lovely situation and I am curious for any advice. We have a 14 year old cat that we've had for 12 years, and a 7 year old cat we've had for 6.5 years. Typically when we travel, we leave them at home and have someone come by to feed them and hang out with them every 24-48 hours. The older cat gives no fucks; the younger cat gets separation anxiety and is usually a bit pissed at us when we get back. We need to travel soon, for about a week and a half. That is unchangeable for reasons I don't want to get into here. We had noticed that the older cat's appetite and weight seemed off. Blood tests showed liver issues. Ultrasound showed liver problems -- and large mass in the guts they believe to be cancer. They said that she is probably in significant pain; it would require expensive surgery to figure out of the cancer has progressed passed the tumor, and even if it hasn't, the liver issues may also be quite serious. We are almost certainly to have her euthanized; please do not make me debate about that, I will ignore any replies which attempt to do that. The issue is, given that she is in pain, it makes no sense to wait until our trip, and after it, to have her put down. She can't stay here with minimal oversight for that period of time, and I won't ask a sitter to take on that responsibility, it is our responsibility. So, we're going to have to deal with separation-anxiety-cat suddenly being without his owners AND his companion for a week. We could board him, but based on what I know about this cat, that's going to be more traumatic for him than being here and well attended. We can get a sitter to come daily, and I have a relative who can spend a couple nights here during that week; I also have a coworker who may be willing to come work from here for a couple days (all of this so that Kitty doesn't feel totally abandoned in a scarily empty house). All of that said, I have two questions: * does anyone have any other ideas about things I can do to make this all less traumatic for the younger cat? * we have the option of having the older cat put down at home. This will certainly be nicer for her; does it seem better to do this in the presence of the other cat, so he can see her and maybe understand a little of what's happening?
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Apr 20, 2017 19:55
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 02:50 |
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Put her down at home so the younger one gets it, board your younger cat in a place where he has a private area, try not to go from "lol your buddy's dead" to "hey you're going to a boarding area!" the next day. It's safer for the cat even if he's more "traumatized" than running around in an abandoned house where he can rip a hole in a wall and disappear because he's a cat and cats are loving dumb.
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Apr 20, 2017 23:33
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Don't worry too much about the younger cat. Trust me; it'll be harder on you than on the younger cat. They get on with their lives just fine. As for doing the deed at home - it really is better. I mean, when it's time, it's time; and that's all there is to it. You know what you have to do, and you just get it done. Going to the vet adds so much emotion, stress and fear to the situation that you'll definitely feel guilty about it, even though you're doing the right thing. You get over it, but it still sucks.
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Apr 21, 2017 07:10
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:Put her down at home so the younger one gets it, board your younger cat in a place where he has a private area, try not to go from "lol your buddy's dead" to "hey you're going to a boarding area!" the next day. It's safer for the cat even if he's more "traumatized" than running around in an abandoned house where he can rip a hole in a wall and disappear because he's a cat and cats are loving dumb. post : custom text checks out. But, point taken. Thanks, Fluffy & Kaiser. It'll be fine. I have a new kid in the house and my own health issues going on, so this whole thing just isn't affecting me emotionally as much as it might otherwise.
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Apr 21, 2017 15:50
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Transplant the older cat's brain into the younger cat like in Get Out!
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Apr 24, 2017 03:14
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