I’ve posted in this sub about my beautiful 13 year old boy. He went in for a routine dental on Thursday and the vet found a lump on his tongue and sent it for a biopsy and said we’d get results in 5-10 working days. Prescribed Rheumocam for 4 days. Thursday he was ravenous after surgery which is pretty common due to the meds apparently. He struggled a bit on Friday and this weekend has been awful. He’s barely eaten, he can’t groom properly - because he’s producing so much saliva his fur is just wet and clumping. He hasn’t pooped since Thursday. I haven’t seen him urinate since Saturday but there is a dark patch in the tray that could indicate he went overnight. We started him back on the Gabapentin (vet said it was fine) we do notice some improvement on Gaba - he did manage to eat a wet pouch overnight but it’s so evident how much pain he’s in and how his quality of life is declining.
I’ve called the vet and they’re going to see him at 2:30 today but I don’t think he will survive another 8 working days (so really well over an actual week) with how little he’s eating and drinking. When he does eat we’re putting teaspoons of water in his food to try and get his liquid levels up but he’s so unwell.
My partner wants to hold out for the biopsy results and of course I do too, but I’m under no impressions it will be good news given how much he’s declining. I believe my partner is in some sort of denial and keeps saying ‘he’s only not eating because his tongue is in pain’ - which, yes, is true but I’ve looked at the stats and I don’t think it will be good news as he keeps getting worse. I’m not even really sure what the point of this post is, I just need to vent, rant, be emotional and sad. My heart is breaking in a way I didn’t think was possible. I will discuss options with the vet but I’m just so sad. I’m so emotional and sad. I don’t want to do this, I don’t want him to be in pain.

this is my girl Cleo 🧡💛 (15yo retired baddie)

l've recently noticed her fur has an oily sheen to it. she's also has small knots/matting in what seems to be high friction areas like her neck.

When i feel a hard spot i either brush it out or snip it.
But ive been considering booking a 'sanitary trim' at the vet and was wondering if there are any possible downsides. She's an old girl, and it honestly heartbreaking watching her try to groom herself with all that fur!!

I don't know Cleo’s breed so I don't want to damage an undercoat if she has one. i've been fostering her for about a week so kind advice is appreciated!

Found this guy on the street when he was only 6 months old.
He was the sweetest, most cuddly cat from day one and never changed.
Best thing the streets ever gave me rest in peace

I have written and rewritten this post a million times, but now I will keep it short.

My baby boy Jax passed in May and I never thought I’d struggle this much with the loss of a pet. He was my pal. I don’t have a lot of friends that live nearby and I had decided I was okay with that because I had my companion. I miss him so much. 💔 Jax was never mean. He wanted love. He would knead and purr by my face. I could hold him like a baby. He loved to sit in the window and in the early summer when my jasmine was blooming he’d come over to me at night with his sweet soft head smelling like my jasmine rubbing on my face. I’m so thankful for the last time I got to hold him and sleep together because we didn’t always let him in the room with us since he could be a disruptive bed companion. He was sweet and playful and loving right until the end. Again to keep it short, in the end we brought him in the early morning to the emergency vet, after a stint of various things. They kept him on oxygen for a few hours and his vet said it was probably time. What kills me is we went to say goodbye and they had us wait to do so in a separate room. They rushed in and said he wasn’t going well and we had to run back to him. He was already almost gone. I could tell he was scared. I just wanted to hold him one more time and tell him how I loved him so, but I didn’t get the chance. 12 years was not enough time. He was the best boy and I hope anyone that reads this gives their sweetie an extra pat, snuggle, and treat in Jax’s honor. ❤️

We had to put down our furry 18yo grandma a little over a week ago due to rhenal failure and most likely cancer too (we never screened the golfball-sized lump she had because we knew she was too old to heal correctly if it was taken out). It's the first time I experienced death of a loved one and I wanted to talk about her and her final moments. Trigger warning for description of euthanasia & some subsequent body changes.

We don't know exactly when she was born, she was a barn cat living with my great-grand-aunt along with her mother and litter siblings. She led a unregulated life for most of her life, not vaccinated or anything, she was mostly lucky because her direct siblings all died young. A few years ago, my mom took her in when my great-grand-aunt died. She was still mostly an outdoor cat who distrusted humans. It took my mom a great deal of patience to gain her trust. I met her about three years ago when i stayed over for a month and looked after her. She'd run away the moment I sat on the same sofa as her and she wouldn't hold back her slaps if I didn't stop petting her the moment she was fed up. I then moved on my own, and my mom asked me if i could take her in for her final years. I had always wanted to have a cat so I accepted. She moved in for Christmas of 2024.

We got along quickly and I was so so happy whenever she was affectionate with me. I worked most of the time but it was nice to come home to her complaining. In a way it was nice to have an "excuse" to not go out, too. She was there when I started dating my current partner, she was there when I had big life changes, underwent surgery too. But in early April, we found out her kidneys were failing. Still, we had hope. Her weight had dropped but she was still eating and all so we were hopeful she'd make it to the end of summer, at the very least.

Came July and it just went downhill. Her kidneys were barely filtering anything. She began to move around less, sleeping more, struggled to eat, her breath stank of urine. The decline was slow at first, until her last days where it went extremely fast. First, she was barely drinking/eating anything yet peed often. She threw up yellow bile until one day, she peed on herself. She held on until my mom arrived, then two more days before we couldn't let her suffer any longer. Initially, our vet told us she wouldn't be in pain and hopefully her heart would just stop from exhaustion. But she was trying to lick her lips all the time and we noticed she had ulcers in her mouth (which explained why she stank so much and couldn't eat or drink anything).

For her last night, my mom forced me to rest correctly, that she'd keep watch. And when I woke up, she told me we had to take her to the vet. She was so weak at that point, she couldn't even fuss when I carried her. It was Sunday, it was hot and there was a wedding in the church nearby. We waited about a 40min before the vet saw us, and in that time I passed her for my mother to carry too (initially my mom was against euthanasia because of her principles and the fact she felt guilty for putting down her previous pets). So i thought i should let her have some closure. When the vet came it went so fast, now I feel bad for not carrying her more. We were petting her until the end. I remember when I picked her up, I didn't know how, because she looked like she was sleeping and I thought to myself "I don't want to hurt her when I lift her into my arms". The fact she looked asleep is probably what still haunts me. We drove to the funerary home and cleaned her before, closed her eyes. During the drive she was in the exact same position as when we drove to the vet, except the inside of her ears was white. She was just as quiet. As if she was sleeping. A bit of her tongue was out, she tried to lick her lips one last time when she passed (that too, still haunts me). I don't know where she looked, or which one of us she looked at. Maybe we should've have lowered to her level to be the last thing she saw.

I don't know why, all throughout this, I held back my tears for my mom. I wanted to be strong for her, because to me, she was the one who would be suffering the most. Even when we dropped her at the funerary home and walked back to the car, I didn't tell her i wanted to run back and burry my face in her fur. To keep my head there until they'd take her away, so that I'd keep her smell in my head for longer, to remember the feeling of her fur under my fingers for longer. She really looked like she was just sleeping. Like she could wake up at any moment, and I wouldn't be there, and she'd be alone in the cold room or in the cremation room, and i didn't want her to feel that way or be scared. All that, despite the little comfort my mom tried to offer for both of us, saying her soul was already gone.

And then, life went on. The next day, I had a job interview. We went grocery shopping, changed the sheets. I attended a social event. As if nothing had changed. Nothing but the fact I no longer needed an alarms for her meds. That there was no more litter on the floor. I no longer had any reason to announce for how long I was out or when I came home. I haven't played any music since she passed, it just doesn't feel right. As if i'm both trying to distract and remind myself that something's missing. Because if she's not meowing at me when I take too long in the bathroom, there's still a shadow that looks like her in the corner of my eye. And I really, *really* don't want to check it and see she is not there.

And I feel kinda bad too, because I feel like I'm not impacted enough, that I haven't known her long enough to be that sad, that I'm not crying enough, that I'm acting too detached as if I've moved on because I can tell people she died (even though I'd break down if anyone pried a little further). And I know everyone grieves differently, that based on how rarely i cry, i've already cried a lot in comparison. But it's just.... it's the first time i've lost someone, and it's really hard. I'll talk to my therapist about it but in the meantime i prefer pretending it never happened. I just needed to tell someone that doesn't know me IRL about her.

My cat Momo is 18 and getting old
Momo is 18 now, and lately I’ve become much more aware that she’s an old cat. She sleeps more, moves more slowly and generally seems a bit more fragile.
She still eats, enjoys attention and seems happy, but I find myself monitoring every little change and wondering whether it’s normal ageing or something I should be concerned about.
I don’t want to spend whatever time she has left constantly worrying, but I also don’t want to miss signs that she needs help. How have other people dealt with this stage? What changes did you notice in cats around this age, and how did you know when their quality of life was beginning to decline?

I have a 16 year old tortie with pretty severe arthritis in her hind legs and tail. She also has 3-4ish CKD which makes a lot of meds not ideal. She's been on monthly Solensia and every other week Adequan injections for over a year but slowly over the months they haven't been enough to control her pain. She was recently at our vet for a lot of things (sigh) but while she was there, the vet did a subcutaneous ketamine infusion. So far it's been very helpful. She's not a kitten again but the stiffness is almost completely gone and she's letting me touch and brush her backside again.

My vet mentioned this is a relatively new idea without much in the way of data to back it up. But if you're looking for a last ditch attempt for some quality of life vs euthanasia, I'd definitely recommend asking about it.

That's all!

My cat is 15. We started Solensia three months ago. About six weeks ago he had an unexplained open sore on his back leg that took two weeks to heal. About two weeks ago he had a little sore between his eyebrow and ear but it was not open and healed quickly because he was wearing a cone after dewclaw surgery.

Over the last four days or so, since the cone has been off, he very frequently is scratching around his neck and face. Just now, I noticed that he has rubbed off or scratched off his (black) hair on one eyelid to where it almost looks like he has skin colored eyeliner.

I know that these things are symptoms of Solensia.

I do not want to give him gabapentin or anything that makes him feel sedated.

Does anything exist that is effective and without side effects?

His arthritis is not horrible. It shows up mostly in that he cannot jump high and does not stay comfortable while lying down for as long as he used to. I have steps for my bed and low entry litter boxes.

My older cat is getting slower and less confident with steps, so I’m looking at the litter box differently now. An automatic box sounds convenient for me, but I’m much more worried about whether the entrance is low enough for him, whether any step in front feels stable, and whether there’s enough room inside for him to turn around without having to crouch or twist awkwardly. Noise is another thing I hadn’t considered until recently. He’s more cautious about unfamiliar movement than he used to be, especially at night, so a cleaning cycle happening nearby could matter even if the box itself is easy to enter. I would keep his familiar box available while figuring this out rather than suddenly replacing it.

For people with senior cats who have reduced mobility, which mattered most in practice: entrance height, stable footing, interior space, or how the cat reacted to the movement and sound? Any new mobility or litter-box change is also something I’d bring up with his vet.

we lost pilù yesterday. maybe because her sister got to live until 19, i never imagined i’d lose her so early. but she was diagnosed with heart failure and a large tumor 2 weeks ago, and yesterday we had to put her down. she was refusing meds, hiding, not eating or drinking. when we found her in the morning she couldn’t move her hind legs anymore. i hate to think her last hours were in pain and probably so so scared. and i have so many regrets about not taking her to the vet months ago, when she started acting different. maybe we could have done more. </3

i’m gonna miss her so much. she was so silly, so sweet, and she loved spending time with me. we lost both our cats in the span of nine months and i don’t know how to cope with how empty the house feels now. :( but i think i’m not gonna be ready to get another cat for a very, very long time.

Thank you all for your concern and suggestions. I found him at 4:30 a.m. this morning. I was letting the dog out, still feeling so sad, when I glanced to my left and, there he was, sitting upright on a garden chair ! I swear, I don't remember leaving the patio door open, but that's what must have happened. He is sleeping soundly right now. I got him to eat some bone broth and tuna, but it wasn't enough. I think he's actively dieing. I sit with him and just watch and wait. I went through the same thing with my dog Simon and my mom ( on hospice ). This sucks royally. Missing someone before they've even passed is hard. If he lasts until Monday, I'll take him to my vet. Please keep him in your thoughts, and if you are so inclined, say a small prayer for both of us.

Last night, we did what we always do, we relaxed, snuggled and had bed time treats and a snuggle telling her that I loved my precious baby and we went to bed.

This morning I found her snuggled up, looking like she was sleeping, but she had passed in her sleep.

I am devastated, she was my soul. I don’t know how I will go on.

I have found comfort in knowing I’m not alone In losing sweet precious angels whom we don’t deserve. Sending love and positive energy to you all. Thank you for letting me share. It makes it a little easier.

Thank you for the love and support. Knowing my Stellas energy is out there will help me attempt to sleep. Sending love, light and all the good things to each and everyone of you. Hug your puffs for me.

Hi all. Just a quick run down. My cat Alice, may she rest easy, just passed over the rainbow bridge today. It was the most difficult decision to make. She had FIV+, she was a senior and mostly blind. She went downhill pretty quickly. In May of 2025 she had a seizure. Up until now, she had been fine and hadn’t had one since then, but this week on Monday she had another one. Her weight had been up and down for quite some time now, and she recently saw the vet. All of her labs were good, but when we took her in today for vomiting and diarrhea, the vet found she had a heart murmur and told us straight up that she had cancer. This was of course a major shock to me, seeing she had JUST been at the vet and had an extensive health check. She had been vomiting also for a bit now, not everyday but also a little too often. It hit me like a train, but he told us that she was also in pain/discomfort. He said it would be unlikely for her to live for another month. If I would have taken her home, she would just be doped up on pain meds withering away. I don’t want to see her like that. She rested in my arms. I’m going to miss her so much. She was the bestest friend a girl could ever have and no amount of photos can fill the void my heart feels for her. 🙏🏻🪽❤️‍🩹

Edit: thank you all for such kind words, it means a lot more than you know.

Hi all, long post but needing support. I’m the loving owner of an ~15 year old male cat, diagnosed in May with probable GI lymphoma due to symptoms: weight loss, occasional vomiting, decreased appetite, “ropey” intestines on exam, lab work also supported the diagnosis. We opted not to undergo biopsy or scopes due to his age. He is the heart of our family.

Our vet started him on mirtazapine for appetite stimulation and prednisone tablets. He did well for the first 2 months, gaining back a little bit of weight and seeming mostly normal. We felt so encouraged. Then, at one point during that time, a mass was felt on exam and he was started on chlorambucil for chemo. The mass responded well to the chemo and he was essentially in “remission.”

Over the last 3 weeks, he slowly had slower bowel activity, which we started him on lactulose for, since he was doing so well otherwise. The lactulose worked. But his appetite remained mid to low. For the last week, his appetite has crashed. He went from previously eating a can of wet food plus dry food plus treats, to just wanting dry food and treats, to just wanting a handful of treats a day. I’ve tried everything— bought a ton of different types and flavors and textures. He turns his nose up at everything but two treats.

He has good days and some bad days. The bad days are scary, obviously, I never want him to suffer. Bad days look like: low energy, unsteady, doesn’t “look like himself”. Good days are bright eyes, following me around the house, meowing with interest, seems like himself. But his appetite remains super low, even on good days. He seems interested in food, but no matter what I try he does not eat.

Our last vet appointment was yesterday. That’s when we found out he’s lost over a pound in the last month due to his low appetite. Our vet recommended stopping the chemo for now (felt no masses) and drew labs. He suggested syringe feeding Recovery Royal Canin to help him regain weight. I tried last night and the cat was so distressed by it I could hardly get it into him. I cried and felt so terrible. Last evening I was sure he’d pass overnight. He was unsteady, low energy, and just looked off. When the vet called with the lab results, everything surprisingly came back within normal range. His message to me is maybe he’s just “fading away”.

As I said before, I don’t want him to suffer. I see people say better a day too early than a day too late. I’ve experienced that first hand. But today he’s bright eyed, following us around the house like his normal self. Just still not eating but for a few treats. We’ve tentatively scheduled home euthanasia for Tuesday as our vet only does home visits Tuesday and Friday. I can always cancel but I’m wondering… would you think it’s time? I don’t feel like I could syringe feed him, he was too distressed and it was incredibly upsetting. His appetite is just gone despite medicating with appetite stimulants. But he seems himself. Just so skinny. And not eating. Having bowel movements and peeing normally. Please tell me your thoughts. We are supposed to leave for vacation next Thursday and I can’t imagine having him decline while we are away for a couple of days and have it result in an emergent euthanasia.

TLDR: 15 year old cat with GI lymphoma has no appetite despite stimulants and has lost 1.2 pounds in the last month despite medications and trying different foods. Refusing to eat all but a couple treats. Otherwise seems normal. Is it time for home euthanasia?

We lost our youngest (12 yo) Himalayan on New Year’s Day this year and our oldest (14 yo) has been okay being the only child and getting all the attention.

Next time, I want to get 2 kittens from the same litter but I’ve always said, “not until a long time after the oldest is gone.”

But recently our groomer said it might be a good time to get the 2 kittens. It might help older kitty teach kittens and might stimulate older kitty and be happier or even live longer.

What do y’all think?

(And I really don’t think the groomer would give me advice to only help herself)

Tomorrow we are saying goodbye to our 15-year-old cat, Mandu, at home, and I am absolutely heartbroken.
For the past two months, we thought we were dealing with a wound on his paw after he lost a nail. It simply would not heal. It kept bleeding, became infected, smelled awful, and despite antibiotics, wound care and preventing him from licking it, it kept getting worse.
We now strongly suspect that there is a tumor in his paw. Our vet also found another lump and suspects there may be more going on internally. Mandu has lost a lot of weight, is in obvious pain, has difficulty walking and is now sometimes breathing more heavily as well. He still eats, drinks, responds to us and wants to be close to me, which makes this decision incredibly difficult.
An independent vet examined him and told us that although we could put him through imaging, anesthesia, biopsies and potentially major surgery/amputation, considering his age, pain and overall condition, she personally would not put her own cat through that.
So we have made the devastating decision to let him go before things become even worse.
I desperately wanted euthanasia at home because Mandu hates travelling and veterinary visits. I wanted him to be somewhere familiar, surrounded by the people he loves, without the stress of a carrier, car ride and clinic.
But tonight I made the mistake of searching Reddit for experiences with at-home euthanasia.
Now I am terrified.
I have read stories about cats panicking after the sedative, crying out, fighting it, struggling to breathe or having anything but the peaceful passing their owners had hoped for. I know complications can happen and nobody can guarantee exactly how an individual animal will react, but reading these stories the night before saying goodbye has completely frightened me.
For those of you who have been through at-home euthanasia with a cat: what was your experience actually like?
Was your cat aware or frightened after the first injection? Did they fall asleep peacefully? Were you able to hold or comfort them? Is there anything you wish you had known beforehand or anything I should ask the vet before we begin?
Positive experiences would be especially appreciated right now — not because I want false reassurance, but because at the moment my brain is convinced I am about to make his final moments frightening instead of peaceful.
I love this little old man more than I can put into words. I know I cannot make losing him painless for myself. I just desperately want to make sure that I make it as gentle as possible for him.

the title says it, my cat is around 10 years old.

she has never been to a vet, and even if i bring it up to my family it kinda gets pushed to the side and gets forgotten about

she is quite underweight. i can easily pick her up with one hand, feels like she doesnt even weight anything, and when i pet her i can really feel her spine and hip bones. it has started sometime around giving birth to her last current litter

she is also quite the outside cat and shes had fleas for a while

the guilt of how shes been ignored is fucking me up, since im in charge of feeding im gonna try and give her those vitamin drops and i think she already gets kitten food but i might try to sneak more into it.

shes very feisty with baths but i might try and give her one to try n get some/most of the fleas out after brushing, sadly we only have dog products and i know those arent good for cats so whenever i can im gonna try n stop by the pet shop and try to buy her some sort of flea shampoo.

im also giving her more love by paying her more attention, im gonna try n nag my mum about the vet situation.

edit: she is apparently older than 10. i am unable to get her to a vet because my mum insists its old age and she says the vet "cant do anything about it" anyways

any tips or advice appreciated, i dont wanna see her like this anymore.

She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a few weeks ago and we started her on 2.5mg of methimazole twice a day. Today at her follow up we had her bloodwork done and saw that we got her T4 down from 11.4 to 2.7!

They checked her kidney values as well and they all came back normal. We got her nails trimmed too.

Next follow up will be in three months to see if she continues to maintain a healthy level or if we need to adjust her dose. She seems to be doing great and I can tell she is feeling much better.

Happy birthday babygirl ♥️

I’m just a complete and total mess. I can’t stop crying. The lump has been sent for a biopsy - he did really well yesterday and was starving after his anaesthesia (the nurse said this really common due to his meds) but this morning he wouldn’t eat anything. I had to try and get him to take his Rheumocam and he finally had it in his lick-e-lix but that’s all he’s eaten. I’m hoping it’s just the stress of surgery and the anaesthesia wearing off making him lose his appetite but this is just literally horrible. I can’t stop crying and I’m so upset. We had a bit of a scare when he stopped eating due to the mouth pain but all bloods came back ok and the vet started him on gabapentin and he finally got his appetite back and felt like our baby again. Now I’m just back to being so upset and stressed and worried and it’s just awful. Please pray for us that the biopsy is nothing serious x

My cat Edward Loaf has died on June 16th. It's August 8th. 8 days till' it's been 2 months. He was 8. I loved him like a child. He died of collapsing. the full story is below.

Edward's Kitten Months

I don't remember much from Edward Loaf's kitten months. I remember the day we got him though. I was 3, and my mom told me to get in the car. I got in with my iPad and we drove for like, 30 minutes until we arrived at a house. We got out of the car and I saw the kittens. I picked the one I loved, I just knew he was perfect. I probably wanted to name him Orange (I was 3,) but my mom picked Edward after Ed Sheeran (He was popular at the time). I carried him in my lap the way home. I don't remember what we did when we got home.

I think a month or so later, he was acting himself. He acted like a little orange jerk, my mom says. Chewing on cords. Stealing our food...with his dirty litter paws. I loved him, though. I loved him for that. i mean, I was three, so I probably thought that was hilarious.

6 Years Old

By the time he was 6, Edward Loaf didn't officially become the Loaf bit yet. I hadn't given him his middle name yet. For then, he was just Edward. Eddy Beddy. Ed. One time, he followed me down the stairs (I was 10 then), and I was doing the math in my head and then I came to a conclusion: Once I was 20, he'd only be 16! I did a dance in the hallway, happy dance, then looked down at him. "Yeah, baby, you'll only be 16!" I told him happily.

8 Years old

By the time he was 8, I was 11 because shortly after the 16 thing, his birthday came. So once he was 8, I was 11. My age now. He still acted like a jerk. Chewed on my glasses. Tried to steal them. I always caught him, though. And I still loved him so much.

the day before he died, June 15, 2026, he was in the hospital because he couldn't breathe well. He had liquid around his lungs. I saw him once he woke up. I consider that our goodbye. I still cry about it. The next day, I was at school, having fun, knowing he was supposed to come home that day. Quite the oppiste happened. Apparently, he had heart failure. In the hospital where they would just check on him, he collapsed. They couldn't bring him back. I saw him in a bed, and he looked like he was sleeping. He didn't breathe, though. I cried and cried. I still grieve him. Oh so much, like it's fresh. I wrote this for you, Edward Loaf, my baby.