r/SeniorCats

My sweet Bonnie. We adopted her as a stray senior in 2021, both myself and my now husband. She was roughly between 15-17 years old when she passed today by vets guess. Last year she was diagnosed with stage 4 CKD. We thought for sure that was what she would die from and she has effectively been on kitty hospice since. I took her to an urgent care earlier because I thought she had a UTI and they found a large mass in her bladder. And the kindest decision to make was to let her rest. She was the sweetest and most gentle cat I've ever had. She loved to cuddle up with you and rest her head under your chin. And she had no regard for personal space and would bully you off your own pillow at night. But I always let her do it. All these photos were taken in the last few days. She was actually doing better than she had in a while, but now I think she was rallying for us. I'll see you in heaven again some day, my sweet old lady.

She had a traumatic beginning and never really trusted anyone but me. Knowing she was often afraid broke my heart but I did the best I could for her. RIP my sweet girl.

Arnold was one of my very first rescues and because of his FIV status he is also my longest resident, over the last couple of days i could tell something was off about Arnold he was eating right he's acting normal, but his breathing just was not the same and there just seemed to be a lot of raspiness to his cough because of his FIV status i don't mess around and immediately i took him to the vet and they could also tell something was very wrong, we put him on oxygen we did x rays we did an ultrasound and from what we can tell, a part of Arnold heart is significantly enlarged, went to the cardiologist to know if there is something we can do in order to minimize the risk of him just passing away which is something that quite frankly i cant bare because this cat is more than just a cat he is the glue to my little rescue family he his loved by so many people. But unfortunately he passed away i am writing this with so much pain in my heart because i could not imagine him passing away while making sure he lives.

My dearest Povilas,

I want to share your story with the whole world, and with you as well.

I found you at an animal shelter on November 20, 2015. You were so tiny that you could fit in the palm of my hand, and you had been put in a cage with an adult cat who was hurting you. You immediately caught my attention, and that very day I couldn’t resist — I took you home with me.

After we got home, some time passed before I noticed that you were having trouble walking. Your legs would slide out to the sides. I took you to the shelter’s veterinarian, but they didn’t know what was wrong with you — and, honestly, they didn’t seem very interested in finding out. It felt as though they were in a hurry to send us home as quickly as possible, just so I wouldn’t leave you there with them again.

I started researching what could be wrong with you and discovered that it was most likely swimmer syndrome, possibly a birth defect you had been born with. I was terrified that you would never be able to live a full life like a real cat.

One of the solutions was to gently tie your legs together so they wouldn’t slide out to the sides. And that’s what I did. Every day, I used a little elastic band to hold your back legs together, helping you strengthen your muscles and learn how to walk properly. And it saved you.

Yes, perhaps you were never quite like other cats. You couldn’t jump as high, but you could run, you could walk, and you could jump onto the furniture just to come and cuddle with me.

I truly hope you had a good life with me, because you meant so much to me.

Of course, as you grew older, illnesses and other hardships came our way. Osteoarthritis attacked your joints. Walking became difficult for you. You could no longer climb the stairs, you stopped running, and I had to lift you onto the sofa.

Then, on October 2, 2026, something happened. Your back legs stopped working. You could move them only a little, but you could no longer stand...

On October 4, when I took you to the veterinarian, I already knew that it would be your final journey.

Of course, I wanted to spoil you as much as I could. Before we left, you got your favorite treat.

I will remember your passing for the rest of my life. I knew I would never let you leave this world alone. I stayed with you until your very last breath.

A part of my heart died with you.

You were with me for so long — my very best friend. We went through everything together: moving homes, difficult times, and even my divorce. You were always there beside me.

I will never forget hearing your little footsteps on the stairs in the morning as you came to ask for breakfast. I will never forget how you would come to bed and lie beside me, how much you loved watching the birds, lying in the warm sun on the terrace, and how you would wait by the door for me to come home.

You followed me everywhere.

Those were the best 3,971 days of my life — because I got to spend them with you.

I truly hope that your time with me was just as wonderful for you as my time with you was for me.

You were an incredible cat. A true friend.

We will definitely meet again someday, my dearest Povilas.

Until then, my little friend. ❤️

Willow Pillow is 19.5 years old, has hyperthyroidism, stage 2 kidney disease and "alot going on" in her bladder (vets words after ultrasound).

She's booked in a fortnight to be put down and im so conflicted! The last few months have been up and down with vet visits and back to back UTI's, constant inflammation and high white cell counts.

How do I know I'm making the right decision for my old girl? She has few things she enjoys in life, but seems to always be yowling in pain (we have meds for this too).

I just don't know 😭😭

My son sew a new toy for her (with catnip inside!) and showered her with sweet attentions all day. She definitely deserves it 😻😻😻!!! When we got her we were students, living in a tiny studio flat, now she is the master of the house and walks around the garden every, we had her all of our adult life, she moved with us through 5 countries, across 3 continents. She is family 🥰!

Gonna miss you JR the open range outdoor kitty. 13 years young. Junior was originally neighbors cat she got him as a kitten. he was indoor/outdoor, came home to their house like clockwork at 7pm. We used to watch him when they were away. When he was 4 or 5, they got a large dog, Junior hated her (dog), funny thing neighbor said dog was scared to death of junior lol. They asked us if we wanted him, as he always saorta patrolled the 2 houses (we live close together). I said no we have 2 indoor only cats, would be afraid he wouln't come back.

Well, we came to an agreement since he kept staying on our porch or in garage anyways. They take care of medical, we will take care of food shelter etc. We tried as well to keep in indoors, he wasn't having that shit lol. As you can se, Mr open range "street cat" he though he was, with his cushy heated kitty condo. yea check out his Xmas, fully decorated porch (which i cleaned daily, as cat servant of course). His cheap entertainment was to make the 2 indoor cats go crazy scratching at the door while he just sat there with taht grin on his face, almost smiling.;

We have had him probably 7 years. He was there every morning on steps in garage (which we left open about 10 inches so he could come and go, as well as his loser street cat friends lol, they ate his food, what friends they were right?. Then he would be gone almost all day, you see him on ring camera at 2am-5am, just hanging out, chasing stuff he shouldn't be chasing. Was a lap cat at heart if you sit in chairs on porch, he would curl up and sleep.

Went on vacation had friend watching all of the cats, noticed when came back he was kinda skinny, not eating as much, adn hiding/sleeping in odd places in garage. I have beem donw this road many time. Took him to vet, ultrasound was terrible, cancer everywhere. Ooff makes my eyes tear up as i write this. Man it sucks as everyone here knows. We made the decision to let him go before it got way worse.

So that's Junior the cat of the jungle, open range man of the streets, my little buddy every morning. Just wanted the world to know this dude existed. Rest in Peace my lil friend !

Her name is Athena and she is my sassy geriatric kitty

Today I’m saying goodbye to my cat. I got him is two years old and now he’s 15. Why is it so hard to say goodbye? Will ever see him again? This is the seventh pet. I’ve had to say goodbye to. It’s never been easy. I keep telling myself I can’t do this again yet. I still open my heart to another pet. I have seven holes in my heart right now. Vet is coming to my house at 5 o’clock. It’s twice as expensive is going to the vet, but he deserves not to be stressed out. Going to Vet on his last day. I’ve been spending time with him privately, stroking him and talking to him softly, reminding me how wonderful he was and how much love he gave me please hold your animals tight you never know when it’s the last day.

My old man will be 16 in april!

This is my families senior cat, Alice! And she turns 18 today! She unfortunately suffers from hyperthyroidism and few other ailments that come with old age (some bad teeth, loosing mobility etc). But she is a fighter and an absolute gem! Although she’s a family cat she’s been with me since I was 4 (so I call her mine). My mum got her from the pet shop and she was around 6months old at the time. Unknown what breed or anything so I assume she’s just a moggy. I will miss her dearly when her time comes but for now she is doing very well still!
Happy birthday Alice! 🎉

Hey.

Hatte Post erstellt.

Aber ohne Fotos.

Hier sind die beiden.

Socke, 17, und Abby,14.

Es geht doch nichts über Sonne oder alternativ die Heizdecke.

Help me process this disconnect between what the vet and internet tell me, and what I’m seeing in my sweet 15 year old Billy T Katt.

Short:
rapid weight loss in the past month. Despite regular appetite. Bloodwork shows 2/3 markers for kidney disease.

Longer:
He essentially has zero body fat and his muscle is wasting.
But he eats! Oh how he eats! Wet food, small amounts through out the day.
Tons of water and tons of pee in the litter box. Almost no poop, but he’s always done that outside.
Energy level is low, but he still wanders around and meows, and likes gentle pets and snuggles. He prefers to lay in the bathroom in front of the AC vent.

The vet told us we can expect Billy to die soon and that there’s nothing to be done at this advanced stage. And it makes me so sad.

Actually, the vet did also diagnose him with hypertension and prescribed amlipodine to lower his BP, which has helped his energy level a little bit.

But also he’s not vomiting or refusing food don’t hurts me even worse to see him just slowly wasting away.

Is it worth getting a second opinion? Has anyone gotten their kidney failure cat semi-healthy again? I’m really not ready for my baby to die.

Das ist Blondie, sie ist inzwischen über 21 Jahre alt.
Eigentlich ist alles mögliche bei ihr kaputt. Inklusive verschobener Wirbel.
Wir freuen uns umso mehr über jeden Monat den das Universum bei ihr oben drauf legt. 🥰
An diesem Tag hatte sie das erste Mal in ihrem Leben ein Halsband um.
Ihre Kumpel (Katerle mit seiner Schwester) sind leider schon mehrere Jahre nicht mehr da 🤕.
Aber sie genießt nach wie vor ihr Leben. Auch wenn sie am Tag vier Pillen bekommt. Und als schlaue und trainierte Mietze motzt sie uns auch ordentlich an wenn wir ihr die Pillen (samt Leckerlie) nicht pünktlich in die Schnut werfen 🤷‍♂️