squareeyes
My old cat lasted 17 years. The final two were really tough because he refused to use the litterbox to urinate and my house reeked. I was embarrassed to have people over because of the smell. But he seemed happy and relatively healthy so I couldn’t justify to myself that it was time to put him down. Blood panels were all as normal as could be expected for a senior cat. One day he fell off a chair and couldn’t walk for several minutes. I rushed him to the vet who suggested x-rays. He was riddled with cancer – kidneys, heart, lungs, liver. I put him down that day. I mourned for about a day, then rolled up the stinky rugs to get professionally cleaned, washed the wood floors, and pretty much relaxed in a fresh smelling house for the first time in a very long time. Had I known the extent of what was going on inside of him, I would have had him put down much earlier.
I have two wonderful cats who are about 10 years old. I struggle with the idea of having to put either down should they start to exhibit similar behaviors in their senior years. I know I can’t go through two years with an incontinent cat again. While I realize that I have a responsibility to the pets that I’ve brought into my home to keep them safe and healthy and give them a good quality of life, I try to remind myself that my quality of life matters as well.