My Kitten Has Kidney Failure, What do I do?

[Rallygirl]

She is a very beautiful girl.

[Mego Magyar]

A very cute cat.

I agree, she was put there for you to find and you did. You've given her a happy home and love that she wouldn't have had otherwise. It's not about the money and you have nothing to feel guilty about. From what you and the others have said, you could spend a fortune and the odds are that she will still die so it's about doing what is best for her. I had a dog for 15 years and when he developed kidney trouble and started being in pain we did the kind thing for him and I held him in my arms as the vet gave the shot. I'm tearing up as I wrote that and it was 14 years ago. Good luck and DON'T feel guilty about anything, as I said you've loved her and she has loved you something neither of you would have had if you hadn't picked her up.

[Red Hulk]

I feel for you man,its never easy to make a decision like yours.

[Earth 2 Chris]

That's rough. I'm very sorry.

I would have her put down. I know it sounds harsh, but it sounds like the most humane thing you can do for her.

Years ago, my wife and I took in a stray Blue Maltese cat. The cat had a personality more like a dog. Best cat I ever owned. We eventually took it to the vet to make sure he had his immunizations, and found out he had leukemia, and a feline version of AIDS, and eventually had to have him put down. He had gotten in a state like you cat, unable to eat and keep anything down.

I miss the cat, but I've never regretted what we had to do.

Chris

[Gorn Captain]

My previous dog died of it. She had stopped eating, was throwing up.
Her kidneys had shrunk and atrophied (which could be seen on X-rays and from her blood work). The vet said he could keep her on an IV drip, but that this would only give her a few weeks more. We had to make a tough call, and put her to sleep.

Sorry to here about your troubles. Always remember, no matter how sad you may feel (and we were heartbroken), an animal cannot tell you how much pain it is in. Usually, they are tougher than people, and only show the discomfort when it's really bad.

[enyawd72]

Den,

Don't know if this is right for you, but my mom was an old country vet and a county humane agent for years. She had to put down her fair share of animals. In a case like yours, she'd give the cat alcohol. Something that will taste good to the cat. It numbs their pain, and is very relaxing, and actually accelerates the kidney failure. They don't suffer long and die painlessly in their sleep. Just my two cents.

[Brazoo]

I know it's hard, but you shouldn't guilt yourself about the money. It sounds like you'd be willing to spend anything necessary to get your cat healthy again, but sadly from what people are saying about your kitten's prognosis it seems like no amount of money can do that.

If she's suffering I think you should have her put down. You gave her a great life. Maybe honor her by making a donation at a local animal shelter? That way you and your kitten can help lots of animals in need.

[Den82]

Thank you everyone. She passed on today at home. She hung on hard. I just hope it was painless and she is in peace now.

[Goblin19]

I'm sorry for your loss. We had a cat who ecperienced the same thing. It came on fast, too.

[EmergencyIan]

I'm so sorry to hear about this, the outcome and your loss. I really am.

I've lost three cats..all were euthanized....most recently last Tuesday.

Wilson was a stray who showed up at our window after Christmas. We have a colony of ferrel cats in our neighborhood and 3 of them show up on a regular basis. They're all black and hearty. This little girl wasn't one of the usual suspects. She seemed a bit congested within the past two weeks and also had a difficult time with the cold weather...shivering at times. Last Monday she seemed like she wasn't feeling well, at all. My wife nursed her all day with hot water, food and blankets. At that point, we figured we would likely have to take her to the vet later that week, unless she improved. On Tuesday morning, I noticed that her (I had named her Wilson a month prior..not realizing that she was female) abdomen was suddenly distended. I told my wife that Wilson needed to go to the vet that day. So, later that morning we got little Wilson to the vet and found out how sick she really was. She was FIV positive, had a raging kidney infection, was in kidney failure, respiratory infection and there was so much gas in her abdomen that they could not see all of her organs. Additionally, she was between 5 to 7 years old. She must have been owned and then dumped or something like that. I suspect that it was around the time that she came to our back window. Most horribly, whoever owned her previously, either extracted her teeth sans of few of her back teeth which looked very healthy to the vets. The vets all believed that her missing teeth had been pulled and had not rotted or fallen out. Horrible what was done to this sweet little girl.

We took her to the vet to help her, nurse her back to health and adopt her. But, within 5 hours of walking through the animal hospital doors, she was dead. It was truly heart breaking.

Again, Den82, I'm very sorry for your loss. I sincerely feel your pain.

- Ian

[Hector]

My condolences, but at least she's not suffering anymore, she's lucky she had a very caring and loving owner in you.

[4NDR01D]

I'm really sorry to hear it Den, I've been there several times myself. It's never easy to lose a pal, feline or otherwise. Take comfort in the fact you gave her a great home full of love. Take time to mourn, and hopefully you can share your home and heart with another feline pal again shortly. There's enough little furry pals out there that could use a great guy like yourself to care for them.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

So sorry for your loss. The good news is that you gave her a good life and love while she was here.

[MIB41]

I just HATE it when people lose their pets. They're family and it hurts deeply. Prayers and warm thoughts coming your way. Hang in there buddy. Your kitty is in a good place, waiting on you.

[Duncan]

Very sorry for your loss. The pictures you posted were great. It's a shame.