Bengal Cat problems
Discussion
Hi all
Might be a bit of a long story, but here goes
I have owned a bengal cat since i was around 10 (about 12 years now) called Topaz. She was always full of live and running around etc. About 5 years ago we took in a family friends bengal cat called Tokugawa (Japanese warlord or something!) as it was refusing to socialise with their other cats resulting in it not eating etc. We saw a massive turnaround in this cat which was amazing!
Fast forward to present day
Topaz has had problems with her back legs for a while. It has been getting worse and worse and now is completely incontinent. It is as if she has no control over her back legs, bladder etc. Her symptoms seem similar to Saddle Thrombus
Tokugawa now 17-18 has a overactive thyroid. The vet said it was 3 times the highest reading they have seen (over 300). She was always hungry and would eat anything she could get her paws on but still very very thin. She was given medication and now doesn't seem as starving as before.
The reason im posting here is not really knowing what to do. The cats now belong to my younger brother who lives on his own, and its getting him down. Topaz has bad days and good days. When they are both cuddled up and purring they seem very happy which makes this decision even harder. They are both inseparable and so i fear if we euthanise the younger cat with what seems like Saddle Thrombus the older cat will loose the will to live.
From an outsiders point of view, should we bite the bullet and have both cats euthanised at the same time together?, Or continue to deal with the effects of their conditions (which i can only believe will get worse)
Here are some pics taken recently..Tokugawa (Older) on the left, Topaz on the right
Might be a bit of a long story, but here goes
I have owned a bengal cat since i was around 10 (about 12 years now) called Topaz. She was always full of live and running around etc. About 5 years ago we took in a family friends bengal cat called Tokugawa (Japanese warlord or something!) as it was refusing to socialise with their other cats resulting in it not eating etc. We saw a massive turnaround in this cat which was amazing!
Fast forward to present day
Topaz has had problems with her back legs for a while. It has been getting worse and worse and now is completely incontinent. It is as if she has no control over her back legs, bladder etc. Her symptoms seem similar to Saddle Thrombus
Tokugawa now 17-18 has a overactive thyroid. The vet said it was 3 times the highest reading they have seen (over 300). She was always hungry and would eat anything she could get her paws on but still very very thin. She was given medication and now doesn't seem as starving as before.
The reason im posting here is not really knowing what to do. The cats now belong to my younger brother who lives on his own, and its getting him down. Topaz has bad days and good days. When they are both cuddled up and purring they seem very happy which makes this decision even harder. They are both inseparable and so i fear if we euthanise the younger cat with what seems like Saddle Thrombus the older cat will loose the will to live.
From an outsiders point of view, should we bite the bullet and have both cats euthanised at the same time together?, Or continue to deal with the effects of their conditions (which i can only believe will get worse)
Here are some pics taken recently..Tokugawa (Older) on the left, Topaz on the right
For me and I know some people will disagree, if a cat is happy and has a decent standard of life you should never have them PTS. Would you want to be euthanised if you were incontinent?
Obviously I don't know quite how bad it is, or what it's like to look after a cat in this condition but I always thing that animals should only be put down if they are really suffering or they become literally impossible to keep happy with a good standard of life due to their condition.
Obviously I don't know quite how bad it is, or what it's like to look after a cat in this condition but I always thing that animals should only be put down if they are really suffering or they become literally impossible to keep happy with a good standard of life due to their condition.
When you're emotionally involved it's hard or impossible to make a rational decision. At times like this I like to ask the vet's advice; they have seen this kind of thing many times before and will be able to give an accurate opinion.
My view is that if a cat is in significant pain with a terminal condition then off he goes; but if it might get better or if it is not painful then he stays. I wouldn't say either of yours are ready to check out just yet.
My view is that if a cat is in significant pain with a terminal condition then off he goes; but if it might get better or if it is not painful then he stays. I wouldn't say either of yours are ready to check out just yet.
Simpo Two said:
My view is that if a cat is in significant pain with a terminal condition then off he goes; but if it might get better or if it is not painful then he stays. I wouldn't say either of yours are ready to check out just yet.
Yeah, I'd agree with that really.By the way, that bottom picture is crying out for a Lolcat caption.
If they are both happy in themselves and doing Ok they, imho, should be given more time to enjoy each others company, the sun, chin rubs and whatever their fave foods are 
It is, of course, a very difficult situation and perhaps at some stage there will be a time when a final trip to the vets is required. It's just not right now, i reckon.
All the best, regardless.
C.
It is, of course, a very difficult situation and perhaps at some stage there will be a time when a final trip to the vets is required. It's just not right now, i reckon.
All the best, regardless.
C.
Firstly I know this is a very hard thing to be going through and it is not so uncommon for this scenario to occur.
Your brother should take both cats to the vet and discuss both their cases separately and try and decide on quality of life of the individuals, not together initially.
To those who are saying it should be on the cats qulaity of life, yes this is right to an extent but have any of you dealt with an incontinent pet, if you have you must know how hard / stressful/ demoralising this is to deal with day in and day out. Until you've been in this situation you can't know how you'll cope. Your house will smell, you'll have wet carpets/ beds/ furniture etc and often end up limiting where that pet can go, is that fair on the pet? Incontinent pets get sores, bladder infections and generally have poor body condition, this is not a good quality of life.
The thyoid cat can respond well to tx (though not always) so this is a different situation.
The decision to put them down together really depends more on if they will cope without each other and only an owner will really have the best idea of this.
This is very much a personal decision that can only be helped by the vets that know both the owner and pets, I doubt many vets would refuse to do it with the medical conditions presented and especially if the vets know the two of them.
There is no right or wrong answer and it seems to me that the OP brother is already distressed about the situation, this is not an uncaring owner but someone who really wants to try and do the right thing.
Your brother should take both cats to the vet and discuss both their cases separately and try and decide on quality of life of the individuals, not together initially.
To those who are saying it should be on the cats qulaity of life, yes this is right to an extent but have any of you dealt with an incontinent pet, if you have you must know how hard / stressful/ demoralising this is to deal with day in and day out. Until you've been in this situation you can't know how you'll cope. Your house will smell, you'll have wet carpets/ beds/ furniture etc and often end up limiting where that pet can go, is that fair on the pet? Incontinent pets get sores, bladder infections and generally have poor body condition, this is not a good quality of life.
The thyoid cat can respond well to tx (though not always) so this is a different situation.
The decision to put them down together really depends more on if they will cope without each other and only an owner will really have the best idea of this.
This is very much a personal decision that can only be helped by the vets that know both the owner and pets, I doubt many vets would refuse to do it with the medical conditions presented and especially if the vets know the two of them.
There is no right or wrong answer and it seems to me that the OP brother is already distressed about the situation, this is not an uncaring owner but someone who really wants to try and do the right thing.
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