Home at Last, From What Could Be Baby Cat’s Last Road Trip

Hi, I’m Nicole! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my distinguished Burmese, Mr. Baby Cat.

We had such a lovely partial-family holiday at Baby Cat’s holiday home at my in-laws, but I think it is safe to say we won’t be taking him on many more holidays with us. While Baby Cat was happy and chill when we arrived, his mood slowly deteriorated. We’re not entirely sure what all of this means just yet, does it mean we forfeit adventures with him, or does it mean that we get housesitters and leave him behind when we go places, or does it mean that he won’t be with us for much longer?

All of these thoughts are not only running through my head but are discussion topics between my husband and I when Baby Cat is asleep. We involve our daughter in them in appropriate ways, just preparing her for the inevitable, and she seems to understand on a level that we don’t, which is calming in and of itself.

When to Euthanize?

While sitting around the lounge one evening on our holiday, we had the chat with our friends who were with us. They were also the friends who cared for Baby Cat for a year while we traveled, so we call him their nephew, and they love him as a son.

I came right out and asked them without hesitation, “would you euthanize him at this point?”

One of them said yes, and the other said no. Which didn’t help, because both answers were how both my husband and I were feeling.

We aren’t ready to visit the vet for euthanasia because Baby is still walking, climbing into bed with us at night, waking up in the morning, sitting by his food bowl, using the litter box, etc. But he is also becoming a much pickier eater and losing weight. And his energy levels are by far the lowest they’ve ever been.

We’re also a bit worried that our vet will recommend an insanely invasive surgery that would not be reasonable at his age. I know that vets put their patients first, but this is new territory to us so we don’t know exactly what to do.

It’s hard to tell when cats are in pain because they mask it quite well, though it’s no secret that he is still really loving spending time with all of us, being cuddled, and is eating enough to get by. But I’d be lying if I said that I think he will make it to Christmas.

How to Help Him Stay Comfortable

While our little man absolutely loved the new treats we shared with him on our holiday, his dwindling appetite is leading to more weight loss, which contributes to energy loss.

After getting some super helpful advice from Dr. Luqman at PangoVet, we added some chia seeds to his raw meat diet to help his kidneys, which he has surprisingly been enjoying. (Please contact PangoVet or your own vet for nutritional advice pertaining to your cat’s exact situation). So, for now, he is eating and comfortable, and we are home.

He can snuggle us and sleep in his Hepper Nest by the fire. We will feed him every moment he asks for food, give him treats, and give him the subcutaneous fluids to help keep him hydrated.

Our lives right now are about keeping our little man as comfortable and happy as he can be. We’re not ready to make the call because he still smiles at us and enjoys being around all of his crazy siblings. We have another road trip planned, just a quick overnight in Auckland, in four weeks and we got a pet-friendly hotel so hopefully he doesn’t get too mad at us about having to come for another trip. He used to be fine being left alone for a night but I don’t think he would enjoy that right now. We will look into sitters, but it might also be stressful for him to have to get to know someone new for just a night. We will see, a lot can happen in four weeks.