23 year old cat

[mamabear]

My neighbor has a 23 year old cat...Yes 23. Her name is Tatiana. Nan has had her since kittenhood and nan is 40 this month. I fell in love with Tata since I do not have any of my own(dh highly allergic). Tata is a Torti white short hair, gives wet wet kisses and drools on me.

Tata stopped eating and nan took her to vet and all results showed thyroid disease kidney's bad and everything else you can deem possible. Her teeth were the reason for her not eating so vet said take them out asap. Nan wanted to do the right thing but was hesitant to put her under since she could die. But vet said they would do their best to tkae them out fast while she was under and get her on good drugs for the pain. Tata underwent short anestesia because her teeth didnt have to be pulled , just gently taken out since they were rotted out already. It seems that healing had already started underneath the tooth just that the teeth had not come out yet for some reason. Tata is home now eating food and hydrated and I will be seeing her tomorrow since I know it willmost likely be my last time to see her.

Nan is a friend but she I have not seen her since an incedent (stupidity) wiht my kids when Ileft them with her. I have talked to her but not gone over, very very busy as well. So I willcheckher out. I told nan that if Tata had to go to vet tonight Iwill see her over thier tomorrow if need be.(vet is close, we are in country)

I just thought that I would get Tatiana's story out because I have never met a 23year old kittybefore.

She is an outside/inside cat fully vaccinated every year and sheltered and checked every year or twice with vet just like all of her other cats and dogs. (i cant stop her from keeping the cats outside inside but Tata is strickly inside now).

I wont ask for her to live longer, that would be selfish and I know it. I ask that when it is her time that she go peacefully just like she is...So calming and peaceful.

thank you
mama

[Traci]

Can I ask, you said Tatiana has been checked yearly, sometimes twice a year, yet thyroid disease, kidney disease, etc is just NOW being detected? Something is amiss there. In any event, those need to be addressed and treated immediately. Why weren't the teeth/oral problems addressed earlier? Excessive bacteria in the mouth can be detrimental to current kidney disease, as well as heart disease, etc. The thyroid could have been masking the kidney disease, and left untreated, is not a good thing.

Prayers that your friend will talk to the vet about treating those conditions immediately, and that Tatiana keeps going strong....

[mamabear]

Grrrrrrr I have learned that Nan did not take any of the animals to the unless individually they needed to go. THE VET herself and a tech would come to nan's place give vaccines. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR dammit! (sorry) but this could have been prevented!!!

I thought of this last night but didn't mention it to her till we talked today and asked why the vet didn't find this sooner. That is when she said they only gave the vaccines yearly.

Holy Jesus Mary and Joseph! The cat is 23 and you dont run bloods till now? I told Nan that there was no excuse But I amsure this was her who declined it. I know this vet and although I do not use her I know she would have run the tests on this cat yearly or twice yearly. I hate getting the wrong information !

Tata is still on meds and feeling better. Other issues will be getting addressed as Tata is eating now(mushy stuff) so she is still fighting and that is all I need to know so I can help. I'll take the dang cat myself if she can't.

Please continue to pray thank you.

[Traci]

I can't believe the vet would NOT have pushed for bloodwork at least once a year, and BEFORE vaccinations are ever given again! The vet knows a senior cat may be compromised and should not give vaccinations until or unless full exams and bloodwork determine the cat is in good health. Vaccinating a 23-year-old cat but NOT doing bloodwork? The vet is as guilty as the owner.

If you can, gently remind Nan that Tatiana has given her and her family 23 years of unconditional love, joy, companionship, and she owes it to Tatiana to repay the kindness by full exam and bloodwork and to detect illness early on in order to hope to treat it most effectively. If kidney disease and hyperthyroidism are present, she owes it to Tatiana to do the best she can, even if paliative care (sub-q fluids, proper diet, etc) but kidney disease nor hyperthyroidism is nothing to mess around with, the sooner it's treated, the better the ability to manage it.

My prayers continue for Tatiana, (((HUGS)))

[mamabear]

Yes I did remind her in my oh so genteel way! I admit I was peeved, seriously! And yes as I think more and more about this I am just as livid with the Vet. Nan knew I was mad because I was cursing in Spanish with my NJ accent as well...so it was apparent that I was not is a pleasant mood at all. I didn't say you better! But I did say that Tatiana did the best for them for 23 years and this is her reward, you can do better.

yes I live with thyroid and know for sure how it is and treated and she knows I do and that is one thing I will not let up on. Suffering is NOT something I tolerate in any human or child. That is why we have pain meds and we can treat most things with other drugs. Ok venting over.

I was fine till I realized this could have been prevented and instead was just overlooked and stupidity caused this. GRrrrrrrrrrr I mean I give my dogs bones to help with their teeth but good Lord I still get in their mouths and check them and stick toothpaste on them. People look at me like i'm nuts but my Newfoundland that died at 13 years old(put down) had pearly white teeth the day he died. Because my mom brushed that dogs teeth from the we brought him home at 7 weeks and people looked at her funny. He never had dental problems ever!

Ok now i'm over my venting for now. ho hum! I feel so bad.

I will talk to her tomorrow in a more civil tone but today I wasnt mamabear I was crankybear.

[Tambrey]

prayers for Tatiana that she feels better soon and things, including said neighbor, are under control!!

[mamabear]

I saw tatiana today. Nan is asking me if she looks good. My heart is soooo broken, I am just too overwhelmed. Tata is about 4 lbs right now she is skin and bone. Not saying she wasnt boney before, i mean she is 23 and she want fat. Butwas about 6 lbs or 7. I can tell by picking her up. Her skin is ratty, she is cleaning herself,she saw me and meowed and came to me and I picked her up and she went right for my neck and just hung over me like she always does. I of course was very strong in front of everyone as I usually am but now I can let it out. I don't want to see her go. I have become attached to her and she isnt even mine. Dammit, I am just so angry I didn't go over her house these past few months and notice this. I always check her eyes and I would have noticed her mouth being icky and said something and I know Nan would have taken her if I had said to do so. I know this is not my fault but I am what if'ing right now so I can get it out of my system.

Tata had a tumor in her mouth and the vet did take it out along with the rest of her teeth. She is eating and when I went there Nan had a glass of wine on the table and Tata went for it. I shooed her away and got her cup of water and she drank almost 1/2 a dixie cup right in front of me.!

Tata is on Methimazole liquid it does go on her ear. Although I didn't like that way nan said she is licking it off of her self from there. eh I'm still not to sure about it but I did see what it was and Tata does have Graves Disease. Nan asked if this was the form that I have and I said yes. She asked me a whole bunch of questions about it. All I could say was just keep giving her the meds and pray she gets better. This might just be from her thyroid and she will live another 5 years! You never know! Nan laughed and said she will do what she has to do to keep her alive without pain.

Tata looks like she has graves, very typical look to her. I know Nan is giving her the meds and she is indoors only. I will have to remind Nan that tata needs to be brushed out because grooming herself is out of the question. If I have to go there to do it i will.

The Vet said the tumor affected her sinus and therefore she is tearing from the eye that is above where the tumor is, hernose is also runny. She smells like she has an upper respritory infection and I will be reminding nan to get vet to see tata about that. I am sure she has one, it smells like there is infection, I just know it.

Ok I better go, I feel better venting about this. Iknow she has lived a good life. I saw her in july and know this has just come on so sudden. I never saw her mouth but know how well kept she was before seeing her today. She's not gone yet and I sure as heck hope that the thyroid issue will be solved soon and get her back to feeling better.

[Traci]

A tumor in the mouth? Why wasn't this detected sooner? What is the tumor type?

Is she eating/drinking normally? Um, tell Nan that Tatiana should not be allowed to lick transdermal medications, she needs to ask her vet about how to prevent that. If she's licking it, then the medication is of course, not going to get absorbed nor be effective!

Only going by your posts, but Nan needs to be more diligent in Tatiana's care, and get her regular (frequent) followups, preferrably with a NEW vet. If Nan was non-compliant about getting her regular care before, it may not be the vet's fault for not detecting these problems sooner, but if the vet wasn't diligent about followup care, prevenative care, requesting more frequent exams/testing, then she is just as at fault.

The thyroid condition could be causing the weight loss, but it could be something secondary as well, (i.e., kidney disease), so it is CRUCIAL that Nan followup frequently with the vet to ensure Tatiana does not lose any more weight and that these issues are addressed and followed up upon!! She has to retest the thyroid anyway soon enough, since the vet won't be refilling the prescription without frequent thyroid level testing.

[mamabear]

Traci, Hi! I have no idea yet what the tumor is. It looks like an abscess that was caused by bad tooth. I do think she said it went to pathology so I will know soon enough.

This stuff for her thyroid is to be put onto her ear and licked off!!!!! What is that BS? I have read up on it because I thought it was bull but no this is a real gel type medicine of Tapazole and it's put into the tip of the ear and the cat is suppose to lick itoff. UMMMM hello and what if the cat doesnt lick it off? Thenshe doent getthe medicine. It just peeves me off more and more as Ifind out about this dilemma. I know its not because I think I know more than that vet. It is just knowing what I know and having my gut say red flag red flag. Everyone is treating this like tata is 24 and she had 3 paws in the grave and one on a banana peel and she is going to die either way. Duh NO! 24 means crap to me. She is sick, and she iseating and drinking since her teeth were taken out. That was the only reason why she stopped. As soon as those teeth were taken out she went right back to eating like the little piggy she is. NO more no less then she ever did.

She does eat just fine. I saw for my own eyes, that was not something I was going to leave for them to tell me. I made sure I knew for a fact that she was fine.

I have no clue about this medicine that she is taking for her thyroid and why it is put onto her ear. I will be calling my vet and finding out about it through them.

[Traci]

Nan has this all wrong, and I'd be for finding out if the vet is telling her this, or if she has a learning disability.

Transdermal methimazole is to be applied under the pinna, meaning under the ear tip, on a hairless area, and applied with the owner using gloves (do NOT put a transdermal in the inner ear canal!). This enhances absorption, and prevents the cat from licking the medication. Compounds are used with the medication to enhance dermal absorption, and you wouldn't want the cat to lick the medication due to it's make-up, due to the compound used.

She also needs to know that thyroid testing may need to be more frequent, because the transdermal methimazole may not be as effective as oral methimazole, the transdermal can take longer to take effect and to note effectiveness in treating the condition. She needs to know as well, that not all cats will respond favorably to the transdermal, and may need the medication adjusted, to ensure absorption is adequate. (thus, the testing requirements)

If the vet isn't telling her this and discussing the medication in full with her as well as proper administration, then this is another reason she needs a NEW vet. If the vet is indeed competent and actually discussed with her in full about administration/testing, etc, and Nan doesn't understand, then she needs someone with her at the vet visits, to ENSURE she understands the medication and how to properly apply it and to followup on bloodwork! As it is now, according to your posts, she is INCOORECTLY applying the transdermal methimazole, and Tatiana is getting USELESS treatment because it isn't getting applied correctly and it isn't getting absorbed properly/effectively!