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What would you do2007-11-25 12:29:44

11 year old female cat catches cold, scratches eye, deveopes HUGE ulcer on cornea. 2 months of "treatment" involving blood draws twice a week, meds 6 times a day (4 times a day of eye ointment, antibiotics twice a day) Cornea could (and probably will) rupture at any time. Which would mean removal of eye ball. Eye ball removal $300, two months of treatment, about 250. Said 11 year old cat has horrible arthritis and chronic ear infections. You're broke and don't want her to go through two months of this eye pain, then probably recovery from eye removal. Thoughts?

Answers:

Aww, I feel so bad for you.

No matter what anyone else says or thinks, you are the one responsible for your cat's well-being, and only you can be the best judge of how she is feeling. If you decided that she was suffering too much then you did the right thing.

I see too many people in my clinic who spend prodigious amounts of money to keep their animals alive. I have seen cats that are literally furry skeletons, still hanging in there because their owners want to keep them around. And I don't blame them, but at the same time, does that animal really want to suffer any longer? Animals don't fear death like humans do. They simply close their eyes and drift off, free of pain at last.

They only know what they feel right now. They can't look into the future and think, "Well, it hurts now, but in a few months I'll be fine." All they know is that they hurt. If we, as their caretakers, know for a fact that they will heal and be fine, then perhaps we are willing to let them suffer for a short time because we know that it will be worth it. But if we aren't sure.or if we know that they have a painful incurable condition (such as your kitty's arthritis) then we have the responsibility to keep them free of pain in whatever manner we have to do it.