Surgery for an old cat.

Is she a rescue cat?

I probably wouldn’t, but this is such a personal choice, no judgment, just hugs.

^^^Can't you read?

I'd put her down, OP, before she really starts to suffer. Animals feel pain and don't let you know about it. Think about it.

Sorry Torta @ R2. I meant R1 can't read.

Absolutely not and I wouldn't trust a vet who recommended it. Make her comfortable, love and enjoy her and appreciate the time you have left. And, prepare yourself, don't be selfish.

It is a personal choice. If she is full of life and energy and the vet says she'd have no problem undergoing surgery and you can and want to pay for it, then go ahead. Healing for this minor surgery should not be a problem and dentistry can extend a pet's life. Cats can live to be 20 years or more, but most will die by 20.

Doing nothing at all is perfectly fine as well, especially if money is an issue.

When my pets get to an elderly stage, if they develop cancer or any other serious illness, I choose to make them comfortable and then have the vet euthanize them when their pain, functioning, and quality of life tells me it's time.

NO dont do the surgery. Do as Rescue -chick r5 said!

I don’t know if the tumor is cancer until they biopsy it. The vet thinks it is cancer, but not one that will spread quickly

Money is an issue, but I would spend it if it would extend and improve her life meaningfully.

My vet didn’t want to perform surgery on my 17-year old cat— he said sedating a cat alone at that age was dangerous, let alone the surgery itself.

Sounds like your vet wants to cash in —as you still have to pay the (huge) bill even if she dies during the procedure.

Yes. The vet is part of a chain recently set up, no doubt by venture capitalists.

I wouldn't. Prolonging her life at this stage would serve your needs, not hers.

Why does it matter that she's a rescue? Why do people do this with their pets? "I'm taking my RESCUE for a walk." "My RESCUE needs emergency anal surgery!" It's an animal, not a do-gooder badge of honor.

Definitely by venture capitalists:

Who is Bond Vet owned by? AI Overview

+1 Bond Vet is a veterinary clinic chain co-founded by Dr. Zay Satchu and Mo Punjani, and it is backed by investors including Warburg Pincus, which is its largest investor, and Talisman Partners. The company itself is not owned by a single entity but is a private company with significant investment from these firms and others, according to Crunchbase.

Key owners and investors:

Warburg Pincus:

This private equity firm is the largest investor in Bond Vet and provides significant capital to support the company's growth, reports www.pehub.com.

Talisman Partners: This firm also provides capital and was the lead investor for a $17 million Series A investment in December 2020, notes Bloomberg.com.

Temasek:

This investment company, owned by the Singapore government, is another significant investor.

Around her we parody certain rescue advocates by always asking “is it a rescue?”

OP, I've been on both sides of this equation with 4 house cats over the years. Personally I believe you would get a different opinion if you were working with a small independent vet clinic.

I am going to take her to usual vet for a second opinion. It is a smaller practice. I believe they have also been bought by investors, but after decades of practice they will probably have more trustworthy advice than the younger vets at the chain.

I recently went through this about 3 months ago with my sister and the cat she inherited when our mother died. The cat is about 15 (we think; Mom adopted him about 14 years ago and he was kitten-ish but fully grown). He was always a thin cat despite eating well, pooping normally. He plays with my sister's dog, runs around like a lunatic, but pees a lot. Like 10 times a day. He always has. Our mother complained every time she cleaned his box, usually two or three times a day.

Sister decided to take him to the vet to see what was wrong, and the vet recommended this procedure where they irradiate him literally making the cat radioactive and requiring quarantine for 21 days post-procedure... and at a cost of $5000. I said to her that the cat was happy, plays, eats and poops normally; just continue cleaning his box a couple times a day, make sure he's comfortable, and if the condition worsens to the point at which you can see him in discomofort, recall he's had a fabulous life living in the lap of luxury (Mom spoiled her pets) and he won't live forever.

Regardless, she had the procedure, put the poor cat through that misery and then isolation for 3 weeks... and he still pees 10 times a day. I was so angry that the vet performed this I was ready to scream at them but it was ultimately my sister's decision. He recovered and still terrorizes my sisters dog.

I also have a senior cat and mine is FIV+. Yes, he's a recuse and I've had 10 great years with him (he was estimated to be 5yo when I adopted him). I made the decision years ago that I would never put him through any kind of surgery because it would be too much for him to handle. And I remember a dumb bitch I worked for who put her 12 year old dog through kidney surgery and he died anyway. You do what you feel is best for you and your kitty. Sending hugs,

Knowing only what OP has said, I would not have the cat undergo the procedure/s. Given the cat's age, simply recovering from anesthesia can present a challenge, and sometimes with attendant behavioral changes or effects.

I would make some mental markers of the cat's well-being and check on your mind the cat's comfort level week to week.

My cat likes her privacy, but I would not call her a recluse.

Simply do bloodwork first, and see how her kidneys and liver are functioning, and go from there. The anesthesia is hardest on those organs. Anesthesia for pets isn’t as harsh as it used to be, improvements have been made.

Waiting for bloodwork. She also has a grade 2 heart murmur, but that’s not new.

I have a 14 yo cat who has eye herpes where there is discharge and lately I can see there is a lot of irritation but it doesn't seem to bother him. He's always been a massive cunt but we've grown closer because I'm always cleaning the eye with a wet tissue. That's been the upside to this. I've considered that the vet would recommend some surgery but I'm not doing it. He has to be sedated just to be examined so that plus surgery would be approx 5K+ and I'm not going for it. I kept this cat (born on my porch) because he was adopted and returned within a week. The woman who had him as an 8 week old kitten saw his true nature and was adamant that we come back to collect him. I knew that I couldn't find him another home so he's family. Don't care if people judge me for not going all out for him. They aren't paying my bills or dealing with this black devil. I just don't think it's money well spent because he'll be made miserable by the visits/surgery and so will everyone around him. As far as I can tell, there's no upside.

The number of pets, particularly the smaller-sized ones, who never awaken from anesthesia is always under-reported.

My boy is 9.

I have spent money on a recent surgery thsy turned out to be a sarcoma. However, I would not put any animal through surgery at that age.

I can't imagine how hard it will be to let go, but surgery at that age is costly, risky, and probably will not extend her life to any significant degree. Its a hard decision, but the most practical one.

Here is my advice as one who has been in a somewhat similar situation. Actually, I won't give you advice but just an idea of how things may go that may help you make a decision.

I also had a cat who was diagnosed with a slow moving cancer. She was about 15 at the time. She still acted completely normal - was affectionate, ate normally, used the litter box normally, loved to be brushed, slept with me, etc.

Vet said it was possible she could be referred to a vet oncologist for treatment. But the cancer was her nasal cavity. She would fight me every step of the way whenever I had to put her in her carrier to take her to the vet and in the past I'd had to reschedule more than one vet appointment (and had had to go to urgent care to treat my wounds!) because of it so I knew it would be next to impossible to get her to a vet specialist with any regularity.

Since she had no symptoms I chose to let nature take its course and she lived another year and half with me.. But then she started having symptoms and she let me know it was time. She died peacefully in my arms.

I had a small dog that never came home from a teeth-cleaning. That may be part of the reason why I have neglected this cat’s teeth.

I wouldn’t. When my cat was 14 I had them clean her teethe and do some extractions. My cat was never the same after that. The next time I had to take her to the vet, she bit the tech who was handling her. She had never bitten anyone in her life before or again. Switched vets after that with the understanding that any further medical treatments would be palliative. She died about five years after that of old age.

Toss her out the window on the ride home. Maybe she'll get lucky twice.

I would do it if I could afford it. Sixteen isn't all that old these days. She should have the teeth removed at least, if not the biopsy. And Solensia is great for arthritis pain. I'd get that second opinion first, too.

I’ve learned the hard way not to do everything a vet wants to do, especially in elderly pets. The only intervention with a good outcome was radioactive iodine treatment for my hyperthyroid cat who was about 13-years-old. Baloo lived another 4 years. Every other big intervention has ended in tears. Of course, this is only my experience. I’ve had four dogs and 15 cats over the years. I’m old.

[quote]R11 Why does it matter that she's a rescue? Why do people do this with their pets? "I'm taking my RESCUE for a walk." "My RESCUE needs emergency anal surgery!" It's an animal, not a do-gooder badge of honor.

How dare you. Our rescued pets proudly proclaim to the world that THIS is how we do things now!

R11 probably runs a sordid, diseased puppy mill.

"Rescue " is far too dramatic and self-aggrandizing for most adoption scenarios. But lots of people are egomaniacs. It's like how people like to tell you that their poor pet was probably abused (because of fear or anger triggers). There are lots of reasons why animals develop those behaviors, some having to do with an inopportune event during an early developmental stage.

Still, I like how people use it as a running joke here, especially when they describe themselves as "seconded " to a brigade.

I took in two 10-year-old cats that no one wanted when their owner got cancer. One turned out to have terminal cancer himself and I put him down after two weeks. The other is the subject of this thread. I think I’m entitled to use “rescue.”

The dental surgery is an all-day thing here. My vet referred me to another vet an hour away that does dental cleanings/surgery at a discounted price due to a grant. One cat is getting a cleaning, scaling, and will need one, maybe two teeth removed once the plaque is removed. The other cat is getting a cleaning and will need one tooth removed because of a cavity. I have to drop them off between 7 and 7:30 am, and I pick them up after 4 p.m. Just putting them in their crate and driving them in the car is stressful enough for them. I can't imagine adding an eyelid procedure on top of that. (My two are both under 10 years old.)

"Adopted," r33 OP. Think of the poor patient having to surrender the cats due to his/her terminal illness, not because of abuse or neglect.

You are wonderful for having adopted the pair.

Vets are the worst price gougers. I rescued a cat and got her fixed and promptly paid FIVE HUNDRED and FIFTY dollars, which I could not afford. I told Vet I rescued the cat from the street and on a budget----both true. They still gouged me.

As for you OP----do not feel guilty putting your kitty to rest. YOU know when it's time and I'm sure Kitty had a good life.

R32, Marry Me! We can have a quiet ceremony, with no asshole people around!

I rescued a cat just the other day. He was just sitting on someone's porch, and our eyes met, and it was all I could do to stuff him in my Whole Foods reusable tote bag.

I also rescued a Billy bookcase from IKEA. It's blue, with glass doors. It's much happier with me than in that dusty warehouse being ogled by all those foreigners.

On the way home tonight, I rescued a footlong chili dog from Sonic. But it's really more of a foster situation, as it will be leaving rather abruptly in a few minutes.

R36 How much do you think you should have been charged to have a professional perform a medical procedure on your pet?

Many locales do have lower income vet care but you have to seek it out.