Max: Euthanasia and the kids

/ f.lynn.whyte / 1 Comment

Dear Max,

When we decided it was time to say goodbye, I had the luxury of arranging for private time for our family. At the time we had a middle-grader and a pre-schooler. Both of them knew you and loved you. We went to the clinic together, the five of us.

In the interest of being transparent and teaching them that death is an important part of life, we brought them with us and explained as simply as possible: You had had a great long life with us, you were showing more than one serious illness and I didn’t know whether I would be able to help you feel well again. If we couldn’t give you good quality days, then it wasn’t fair to you. We felt it was the best thing for you that we euthanize you, which meant they had to say goodbye.

I explained as well as I could what would happen. First, I would give you a sedative with a pain reliever in it, so you wouldn’t hurt or be scared. They could each choose how much they wanted to see, and whether they wanted to be in the room with us. Once you were relaxed, I would inject a special drug to make you go into a deep sleep, and then that drug would make your heart stop and you would be dead. They could see you and pet you or talk to you any time while we were there, but then your body would be going away for cremation and they wouldn’t see you again.

Once the sedative took effect you were in a light sleep and more relaxed than we’d seen you in a few days. The trembling and struggling you’d been showing stopped, and somehow that meant to me that you were at peace with our decision.

When it came time to give the euthanasia injection, our middle-grader went to another room. She didn’t want to see what happened, and she patiently waited, although I knew she was nervous.

The pre-schooler was quite interested in every single thing that was happening. She stood beside me as I gave the IV injection, asking questions about the medication and about you. She wanted to listen for your heart to make sure, after I’d confirmed you were gone.

You were cremated with other pets, and your ashes interred in Guelph. We had a keepsake clay pawprint made, and you’ll be pleased to hear your little buddy kept it in her bedside drawer for several years.

I was sad to say goodbye to you, my black lapcat and study-buddy. And I missed your quiet shadow presence for weeks after you were gone.

My lap was cold.

Feeding Kittens

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How you feed is just as important as what you feed. Here’s the what.

In general, cats need meat protein in their diet. They are descended from hunters, and require meat proteins in order to be healthy.

Most commercial kitten foods will be adequate for the average kitten, but you do often get what you pay for with pet foods. Get the best quality food you can afford on a regular basis.

Kittens will general accept many different textures and styles of food – kibble sized and shapes, canned pate or canned chunks and gravy style diets. It’s a good idea to offer different types of food to your kitten while she is young — sometimes older cats will be less open to any changes in the food.

If you’re looking at the label, the most important thing to look for is the AAFCO statement. Here’s a quick primer:

When looking at kitten food, the ideal statement will look something like this:

Feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that this diet provides complete and balanced nutrition for the growth and development of kittens.

This will be hard to find.

More commonly, you will see something like:

This food is a complete and balanced cat food, specifically formulated for the growth and development of kittens.

This means that the diet has everything your growing kitten needs.

Max – kidney failure

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Dear Max,

Once we treated your arthritis pain, you became more active and social again. You were always the cat who prefered to be with me, so the feeling was mutual. I loved it when you would cuddle into my lap, knead and drool a little.

One day when you were seventeen, you simply stopped eating. This is not an unusual sign of illness in a cat, and sometimes it’s the only thing that says there’s something not quite right.

Anorexia in a cat is a reason to take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible. It can mean something easily treatable, like a fever or change in food management, or it can mean something much more serious and difficult to treat like kidney or liver disease.

I brought you to work with me the next day, and the blood testing showed advanced kidney failure. Most cats would have been losing muscle or vomiting regularly by this time, but you had shown no signs of illness.

We also checked your blood pressure. High blood pressure is often associated with kidney failure in cats, and yours was elevated. High blood pressure is often silent in our pets.

Then I got ready to start some treatment. We gave you fluids under the skin and an appetite stimulant pill. I picked up blood pressure medications. Giving you medications by mouth was going to work okay, because you would let me pill you. This, not unexpected, disease was something we could manage.

And then you had sudden neurological changes, as if you’d had a stroke. You had a hard time walking, but couldn’t rest comfortably. You had vision changes, and most heart-breaking of all, you didn’t seem to recognize me anymore.

When we got home that afternoon, I had a difficult conversation with my husband. A cat with kidney disease and high blood pressure was one thing. That was something we would be able to treat, and probably improve your quality of life for a while.

Once you were blind and didn’t recognize us any more, then what were our options? Treating you with anti-clot drugs and putting you on IV fluids while we waited to see if your signs would improve over the next few days was possible, and may have helped. But it did truly break my heart to see you pacing at the back of the carrier, weaving and crying out.

Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye.

Oh, Max, this wasn’t a decision we took lightly. Were there things we could do for you? If I started looking, I could probably find lots of things to try. Would they help you? Unknown. How long would they last? Also, unknown.

We were on the knife-edge of your life and death. The decision came up so quickly. Two days ago, as far as we knew, we had an old but relatively health cat. But then, in a flash, we were trying to predict how much quality of life we could give you.

I completely empathize with pet owners who have to make these choices, with little time and little to no warning. The pressure to make a decision that was the best thing for you, my Max, was immense. And we did the best we could.


What is food?

/ f.lynn.whyte / 1 Comment

So, why did it take almost two days for my three cats to deal with a single mouse?

The short answer: My cats have it easy, they haven’t been taught that mice are great food, and they are out of practice.

They are fed regularly and have some play opportunities, but these games don’t mimic catching a rodent and killing it. So they only saw the mouse as a toy.

When weanling kittens are with their mother in a natural setting, the queen will introduce them to food by bringing them fresh prey to eat. Gradually over time, she will teach them to hunt and kill their own food by refining their natural hunting instincts. They learn that mice or birds or other small creatures are ‘food’.

However, cats in our homes will learn that the dry kibble or canned food (or occasional treat) we give them is ‘food’. For my cats chicken, especially Swiss Chalet, falls firmly under the definition of preferred food.

There has been research on whether these ‘definitions’ of food are learned early in life and then set for life. Right now, it seems that a preference for canned or dry food or fresh prey is strong, but not unchangeable later in life.

One way this might affect you and your cats — if kitty needs to have a diet change, then slow and gradual is definitely the way to go. Dr. Tony Buffington has a great resource called ‘The Indoor Pet Initiative’, or you can give us a call.

So I can relax with the knowledge that if we are over-run with mice, the cats will probably pick up their game and improve on the dismal performance last time.

Max, my first old cat

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Dear Max,

You were a healthy cat for most of your life. No chronic issues or common problems.

We always fed you a high quality diet, and I think that helped a lot. Good quality nutrition for our pets, just like for us, helps us build and maintain a healthy strong body and immune system. You got regular health care, vaccinations and occasional deworming. Even though you were mostly an indoor cat, some preventive health care was still necessary.

You also had your teeth cleaned every few years, so you made it into your teens with all your teeth and in good general health. You were doing okay, just ‘slowing down’, but the signs of arthritis in cats are subtle. Research shows that most cats will have evidence of arthritis or degenerative joint disease by the age of twelve.

How did I start to look for the signs of arthritis? Well, by just assessing our regular routine and being super sensitive to any changes. Cats very rarely show pain by limping or crying out. Just like us, if there’s a little stiffness, they do their best to get on with the day.

I could see you starting to move around the house differently. You stopped jumping up directly onto the arm of the couch, choosing to jump onto the seat first and then to the arm. You didn’t follow me down the stairs to the basement as much. You were quieter during the day – no more ‘zoomies’, and you wanted to cuddle on my lap for longer in the evenings. You also started missing the litter box on occasion.

None of these things was alarming on its own, but put them all together and we have an old cat who is compensating for arthritis pain in his quiet, dignified way.

So what did I do? Well, you had a visit to the clinic for urine and blood testing. Once that was all clear, we started three different treatments for arthritis at the same time. By using several treatments that work in different ways, I was able to use lower doses and reduce the risk of side effects from the medications. Also, after a few weeks, we were able to wean down to two medications – one a powder and the other a flavoured liquid. We mixed both into your canned food.

I was really proud of the fact that my old cat was still active and mobile even as you neared and passed 17 years of age!

Living with you as you aged taught me the importance of careful observation. Even a small change in your daily routine was a valuable clue to your health.

It shouldn’t have to be a fight

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Getting kitty to the vet peacefully

This is not a simple process sometimes. First of all, please don’t carry your cat in your arms. A stressed or fearful cat won’t act like they normally do at home. Sometimes cats get lost when they struggle out of someone’s arms and take off in a strange place. We don’t want this to happen to you or your cat.

If your cat is used to a harness or collar and leash, then that may work for you, but the safest way to bring kitty to see us is in a carrier. The best way to use that carrier is as part of kitty’s regular household routine so that it’s not a scary container but a cozy safe place.

Here’s a useful video from our friends at the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners):

We joke around my house that an empty box is the start of an effective cat trap. Cats can’t help but explore little nooks and crannies, so set up the carrier like a cozy nook where good things happen.

Put a soft blanket inside and let it have the smells of home on it. You could even feed your kitten inside the carrier so she associates it with good things.

If you have any questions, please email or call and ask us. We want these visits to be as stress-free as possible for you and your cat.

Max up a tree

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Dear Max,

After you recovered from the skunk incident, we continued our outdoor adventures. The first order of business was to tighten the harness. With cats, we have to make the harness much tighter than you would with a dog. Cats have a more flexible back and rib cage, so they can get out of the harness and get sprayed by a skunk (for instance) more easily.

You had discovered the joys of the great outdoors, and you would wait by the door, ready to dart out if someone didn’t notice that small black puff of fur.

So we started our outings again. This time, you were quite content to wear the harness and I was careful to tighten it.

One day something, and I don’t recall what it was, scared you (again). You started to back up, to pull and then to wriggle and writhe in the harness. I couldn’t get you reeled in with the leash quickly enough to pick you up. Remembering our last adventure, I was afraid to hold onto the leash too tight, for fear you’d slip away again.

So I let go.

You headed right to the foundation of the house, and followed it along around the house. Across the lawn, and about ten feet up an ancient apple tree in my parents’ front yard. Yes, that’s a photo of you in the tree, trailing your leash.

And then we had a cat in a tree. And you weren’t interested in coming down. No amount of calling, begging, pleading or offering of treats could make you climb down to where I could reach you.

Until . . . my brother-in-law came out with the ladder. The noise and vibration of the ladder up against the tree beside you was enough to convince you to make a run for it, and you jumped down and came right to me.

One thing I learned that day – the cat up the tree most often could climb down if properly motivated. There’s just too much scary commotion going on down there, and staying put seems like the safest course of action.

If I had just sat quietly at the base of the tree and been more patient, I bet the whole thing would have been less traumatic for both of us.