Really need some medical advice for a cat

[pawsforthought]

Hey guys, would really appreciate some (informed) advice please

I've been staying with a friend of mine for a while and during this time her cat, Mickey, has been on and off having diarrhoea and vomiting. He's quite old (around 14-15) and has lost a lot of weight and muscle. He had a blood test and had his thyroid checked. Both came back normal, his white blood cell count was great etc. The vet said for his age he was in great health.

However since he has continued to be ill, he had another visit to the vet. He has some sort of injection (we didn't go that time so don't know what for) and is on 3ml of Pro kolin a day. The thing I need advice about though is that the vet wants to x-ray him to look for any abnormalities (he felt around and couldn't feel anything wrong.) The trouble is, not only is Mickey an old guy he also has a mild heart murmur that is noticeable by listening through a stethoscope, and we're worried that this x-ray (going under anaesthetic) could be putting him at unnecessary risk. What do you think? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[kian]

He is a old cat and there are risks of course, honestly at that age I would just make his life comfy rather than put him through the stress. Is he eating and drinking normal? If he did the xray and found something then he may need surgery right then and that could put alot of stress on him. It's a hard call to make

[nezza]

I agree with Kian. Having been a tech for a number of years, i have seen it all. And, in every case, when the pet is that old...it's best to just make their last days comfortable and stress free. At his age, even if they found anything in the xray, he is WAY too old to undergo surgery. His little body could not withstand the anesthesia and so forth. The vomiting/diarrhea tends to happen when they get that old. It's hard to take, but, it is part of the process of dying. Make this little cat as comfortable as possible and let him have some peace. Stop taking him back and forth to the vet...it's only stressing him out. Let his last days be peaceful.

[pawsforthought]

I really appreciate the replies guys, it's looking like we're probably not going to take him as he seems to be improving after a course of Pro-kolin and looks like he's putting a bit more weight on etc. I'm happy to say he's also seeming a bit perkier and taking himself outside (even though it's FREEZING!)

I think you may have misunderstood my meaning a bit I'm sorry. Although he is old, he's in fantastic health and was only a bit poorly, certainly not dying! But we agree that for his age and with a heart murmur it's probably just not worth the stress and risk to him having x-rays etc.

Thanks for the replies, I trust you guys and value your opinions, so you've been a great help (if anything, confirming our thoughts that it just isn't worth the risk)

[nezza]

I'm so happy to hear that kitty is doing better. I have always had cats and dogs in the house. I wouldn't have it any other way, actually. They each offer us something unique and different from the other. 14/15 years old is pretty old for a kitty cat. We had a cat that came regularly to the animal hospital that was 19!!!!

[kian]

Great news!!