r/SeniorCats

I got back from the trip to get my tattoo today. It really hit me hard when I walked into the house. I opened up the bag of her fur and smelled it and broke down. It doesn’t feel right here at all without her. I miss her so fucking much. It feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest. The tattoo isn’t done yet but I’ll go back and get it finished in a few weeks. I think I’m being overly critical of it because I just lost her. It’s a good tattoo so far but it just doesn’t look enough like her to me. But everyone else says it’s a good representation of her so I think I’ll just give it some time and I’ll grow to love it. I don’t know what to do with myself. It just makes me wish I could go back even just a week so I could hold her for a few more days. I’m sorry I’ve posted so much about her recently, I just feel so.. empty. Talking about her helps a little. But really looking at her pictures and laying in bed without her is really hard right now. My other cats want my attention and I feel bad because I just don’t want them right now. I only want my little Lucy girl. She should be here with me, laying on my chest, cuddling into my neck. I was just numb the day we did the euthanasia, but it’s all becoming very real now. I keep seeing her all sedated and then when she was just.. gone. Her legs moved a little, paddling. After she was gone already. That hurt seeing too, the vet confirmed her heart had stopped so I knew she was gone but.. I don’t know. Seeing her legs move after like that was sort of morbid. The vet struggled to get the final injection in too, because everytime she’d draw back to make sure she was in a vein, the blood would clot and the medicine wouldn’t push because of the blood clotting. So she had to retry like 5 times, everytime I turned away and put my face in my mom’s shoulder and cried, bracing myself for the end. But then it wouldn’t work and the whole process would repeat. After they sedated her, she really wasn’t there anymore. She had this glossy look in her eyes, I’m glad she couldn’t feel anything though. My brain must’ve put some kind of safety net up so I could get through it because I managed, but I feel like a mess now. I wish I could take it back, even though I know it was time and she was only going to get worse. God I miss her. How am I supposed to do this without her for the rest of my life?

Our old boy was seriously ill for the past 3 weeks with heavy coughing and wasnt able to breath thru his nose. He got famciclovir, antibiotics and we gave him fluids subcutaneously every day for the past 10 days... We almost lost hope but somehow we could tell that he is still fighting, trying to eat and cuddle. Well long story short he made a full recovery today, waking us up at 5 am demanding to be allowed to venture outside which he has not done in months. He's breathing without any problem now and just caught a few times (which has been normal for him for several years).

Born outside in March and brought inside in July of 2010. My BFF.

He’s fine just old, very squish, and definitely a crazy attention boy.

Today I had to say goodbye to my Persian boy, Snowy.
He was 11 years old. I knew him from the day he was born, but started living with me two years ago. He became my whole world.
A few months ago I noticed a small swelling in his lower jaw. At first everyone thought it was related to his teeth. He had dental treatment, medications, blood work, X-rays… but the swelling kept growing.
A few days ago we finally had a CT scan, and it confirmed what I had been dreading: oral squamous cell carcinoma that had invaded a large portion of his lower jaw.
The surgical option was to remove half of his lower jaw, including the jaw joint, with the expectation that he would likely need to be hand-fed for the rest of his life. Chemotherapy alone wasn’t expected to control the disease.
For several days I agonized over what to do. I barely slept. I cried until my face hurt. I read every paper and every story I could find.
My only question was never “How can I keep him alive longer?”
It was always, “What would my boy want if he could tell me?”
Over just a few days, his condition changed so quickly.
He lost his voice. He opened his mouth to meow, but no sound came out.
He swallowed constantly.
He stopped eating dry food completely and would only eat wet food mixed with water.
He began hiding more, sleeping in places he never used to. The carrier he once ran away from became the place where he felt safest.
He still purred. He still wanted to be near me. But I could see that his world was becoming smaller.
Today I chose to let him go peacefully before his pain became even worse.
It was the hardest decision I have ever made.
I keep wondering if I acted too soon or too late, even though I know that’s part of grief.
I hope he knew how deeply he was loved.
He wasn’t “just a cat.”
He greeted me when I came home. He slept next to me. He made ordinary days feel less lonely. He lit up my every day. My apartment already feels unbearably quiet without him.
If you’ve been through losing a pet, I’d love to hear about them.
Tell me their name.
Tell me your favorite memory.
I’d like tonight to be about remembering the animals who changed our lives.
Run free, Snowy.
I will love you for the rest of my life.

💛 "I've been with my family since I was just a tiny kitten... now I'm a grumpy old grandpa." 🐱👴

This is Lolo Brutos.

He's been part of our family since he was a kitten, and watching him grow into the sweet, grumpy senior he is today has been one of the greatest joys of our rescue journey.

These days, though, age is catching up with him. His teeth have been giving him a hard time, making every meal uncomfortable. We're hoping his medications will help, but if they don't, he'll need dental prophylaxis so he can eat without pain again.

It's difficult watching someone you've loved for so many years grow old, knowing you can't stop time. All we can do is make sure his golden years are filled with comfort, good food, warm naps, and the love he's always known.

Please keep Lolo Brutos in your thoughts. We hope he still has many peaceful, happy days ahead.

If his story touched your heart, we'd love to hear about your own senior pets or rescues in the comments. Your kindness always reminds us why we keep going. And for those who've asked how to help our rescue cats over the years, your support—whether through kind words, sharing our posts, or anything more—means more than we can ever express.

Thank you for loving our grumpy grandpa as much as we do. 💛🐾

My mom and dad got Candace for me when I was 16, she was 2. Im now turning 33 in a couple months and Candace is around 19. She has been around for every major life event, and I've had a wild life. I don't know how to exist without know she's there. She's just always been there.

But she's declining. Starting in August 2025 she started getting UTIs frequently. She already was diagnosed with kidney disease and was on medication for that and high blood pressure. We've been treating UTIs pretty consistently since then.

Two weeks ago is when she really began to decline. Before then, she was just my little trooper, always taking her meds and eating her prescribed wet food. She got an IV for antibiotics at the vet and then decided she didnt want wet food. She was on a hunger strike for a bit, we tried so many different foods/supplements. But she turned it around! I thought we were at the end last weekend, but she started eating and was her happy self again. We took her to the vet and her labs were great, just had to check her urine again on Wednesday of this week.

She won't be going to that appointment. Shes barely eating, but im spoiling her with her favorites as much as I can, and her mobility is getting worse. My parents want to wait, but I cant. I know it's her time and I would hate to be "too late" and have her suffer.

So I reached out to an at home euthanasia service at 7:50pm. I didnt expect them to call within minutes, on 4th of July, despite them being open 24/7. We set up and appointment for Tuesday between 3 and 4. My heart is absolutely broken, but I wont let my girl suffer.

Im posting here because I was raised not to show emotions or cry. My parents and I are in separate rooms dealing with this by ourselves as the fireworks begin going off. Im sitting here, with my kitty, crying alone because I dont know how to ask for comfort or show this side of me. We've never shown this level of emotion together and I dont think we know how. I've never even seen my mom cry. My dad is in denial and if it was up to him, he'd wait for her to "pass naturally." But he doesnt understand that that wont be peaceful.

I dont know how we will be able to witness her pass together, but still keep the walls up that we normally have. Maybe this will break them. Or maybe, like with arranging her passing, Ill be with her alone as she goes.

My dear Thomas. We had to put down my boy yesterday, he had cancer and I just need everyone to see him. He was truly the best cat anyone could ever ask for. We adopted him when he was 7 and we only got 7 years with him. I feel like I was shafted out of more time. Deep down I know it was the right thing to do but I’d do anything to have him back for one more minute.

Just a couple hours ago she was walking around the yard and happily smelling stuff. We had our very last cuddle last night and this morning. I held her wrapped in her blanket as the sedative took effect. Then I held her as the vet did the final injection. I stroked her head the whole time as I cried silently. It was more beautiful than I thought it would be. I feel okay right now. I miss the hell out of her already, but I’m okay. I’m glad I had those 4 months to love the heck out of her and pre grieve. Those final moments aren’t easy to watch but I’m so glad I was there. She’s my special girl, and she isn’t gone, her body is. And even her physical vessel will be back to me soon. Her ashes will sit with the memorial I made last night, which will be upgraded as soon as I receive the other things I ordered for her. I feel okay. I think it’s because she was ready, and it was so peaceful and beautiful watching her get that release. It hurt like hell but it was worth loving her for 14 years. She’s gone and it sucks but she’s at peace now. I love you eternally Lucy.

Fufurufo was my little angel. He arrived when I was going through an awful time, and he helped me heal.

He was a rebel kitty, always climbing trees and staying outside until nighttime. But he always came back.

His last years he developed a heart condition, but he was stable on meds. He had regular visits to a cardiologist and his heart was fine.

However, a few years ago, a tumor began growing on his nose, and what started as a small wound, ended up eating up his nose, and now it was spreading to his mouth.

So I made the harsh decision of putting him to sleep. He left at 17:05 today, July 3. He was quiet during the procedure, he just felt asleep and then, a few moments later, he was gone for good.

Now he’s in a better place, looking young and playing with other animals at the Garden of Eden.

I’ll never forget you Fufurufo, my sweet angel. Rest in peace.

This lil knucklehead long-ago stray has been bringing the love and the ‘calico-crazy’ since we allowed her across the threshold of our hearts and home 12 years ago

She’s got the diabeetus and some arthritis, but is otherwise healthy and I’m thankful for every extra day I get with her.

Our 14 year old boy has been declining since last year. In the fall we started him on a large regimen of medicine to deal with a multitude of internal issues (IBD, triditis, concerns with his liver, lots of things). This was being well managed. In January he had his third round of solensia and stopped walking within a week. Dragging his legs, issues with his bladder, drooped tail, spasms while pooping. We thought it was the end, but decided to see the neurologist as a last ditch effort.

His suspicion was a protrusion that was pressing on his spinal cord and affecting his nerve function in lower extremities. We were not able to afford the MRI or subsequent surgery to confirm but based on this diagnosis we started on a different steroid to try to decrease inflammation and a pain med regimen.

Steroid use needs to be cautionary cause he also has a stage 3-4 heart murmur.

With the steroids we were able to regain some mobility, he struggled but he was mostly still able to walk, only sometimes needing assistance. The neurologist reassessed and felt his pain was being well managed and his nerve function was mildly improved.

His bladder mobility continued to decrease, and we started expressing his bladder as he was not able to empty it fully himself. His bowel movements continued to cause severe leg spasms so we need to help him move it along so it occurs while we’re there to hold him up. Otherwise he is incontinent of bowels.

He is on 5 different meds, takes two types of pills 3x a day. He’s also always been on veterinary urinary SO food his entire time with me due to crystal history.

We are managing the med regimen well (hes very sweet and is so smart with the meds), we are managing the bathroom as best we can.

But the last week or so the walking has become nonexistent. His front legs still work so he can drag around, but we don’t want that so we walk behind him and support his back legs. Hes started sleeping in the closet, which he loved to do in the past so it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s hiding but… maybe. I think hes in more pain, his legs shake when he walks assisted now.

He still sometimes joins me in bed to sleep by my head. He still sometimes wants to play. Hes still excited by his treats. But he’s getting worse and I don’t think he will get better.

I don’t know how to make this decision. It’s my first pet thats my own, hes been with me through everything. I truly don’t believe there will ever be a cat like him again. Hes so loving, so sweet, silly. But this isn’t the same cat as a year ago.

I worry that I am making this decision for the wrong reason, that I’m making it because it’s getting too hard for us to manage. That it’s hard to explain to people. I don’t want people over anymore because I don’t want them to see him in this state, I feel like I need to justify us keeping him alive, meanwhile I feel like if we put him down it’s just because it’s difficult for us to deal with the scrutiny.

We know we can’t go out for long periods of time, we can’t go away for any overnight stays, we spend anywhere from 500-1k on him per month. We manage, but it is hard.

And the other piece is we are getting married in September and I can’t help but stress about how we will manage him on the day and night of. We have a neighbour that knows him already ready to take care of him, but the concern of it is still there. While on the other hand if we put him to sleep now I can’t possibly imagine how I will even continue on planning the wedding. I’ve been unable to sleep the past few days because I cannot get it out of my mind, staying in bed depressed and crying. Hes supposed to be part of the process. I was going to do a silly adoption signing as a gift for my fiancé, have his pictures as dance props… hes in our word search. All those things are so stupid to worry about, but I was so excited to have him be part of it in this way cause hes so important to me.

I’m doing the QOL assessments, most recently he was at 63%, but I know my vision of the situation is skewed.

This was so long, if anyone reads it all thank you.

How do you know if you’re making the decision for the right reason? I feel so much guilt either way.

Hi all, first ever Reddit post, just looking for some advice outside of googling. My gorgeous orange girl Milo has been having black poops lately, probably for 2 weeks or so. When they are fresh they’re a dark brown, but they dry black. They don’t seem tarry to me. She also had some vomiting earlier this week which has been addressed by the vet and seems to be resolved for now. She is otherwise acting completely normal. Is there any way this is her food? For years she was eating Iams kibble and a teaspoon of fancy feast wet food (under my parents’ care). I’ve switched her to dr elsey’s clean protein and about 1/5 can of fancy feast as recommended by her vet. Googling is telling me it’s internal bleeding, which is sending my anxiety into a tailspin 😩 Could her diet be the cause of these poops? She’s had her bloodwork and urine tests done, all looking good considering her age. I won’t be able to afford an ultrasound or surgery if that’s what it comes down to. I think I am mostly looking for peace of mind, but welcome any and all advice from the community. I love my girl and I want her to live a long and comfortable life as much as I can provide that for her