Tuesday, March 25, 2008

So Beside Myself

You all know how much I love beloved kitty. I love, love, love him and then I love him some more.

But. How much more should I tolerate him peeing on me? He jumps up on the bed and pees on me. Night after night. At 1:00 a.m. At 3:00 a.m. At 6:00 a.m. And every time in between.

It doesn't matter what the time, I still have to jump up and change sheets and spray everything.

I am beyond exhausted.

Never-mind the exhaustion for now.

It's costing me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on sheets and pillow cases and vet bills and is currently looking at costing me thousands upon thousands on duvets/covers, vet bills and, most economically important, ruined mattresses.

Kitty is 16 years old and senile. He is costing me thousands of dollars. Yet he still purrs whenever he lays eyes on me. And I cherish each and every last purr.

This is a really, really horrible place to be.

Because I have reached the point of thinking of putting him down, despite the purrs and despite knowing how completely empty my life will be without him being senile and peeing all over me.

11 comments:

Cathy said...

I'm so sorry for kitty and for you. I think you know what you need to do. I know what I would do and it's the same thing you are considering. Only us cat lovers know how hard it is to do that. In honesty, I can only Pray that my kitty does not ever have this type urinary issues, becuase my husband would not put up with it.

I will be thinking and Praying for you. I wish I had some words to make it better but I just don't.

Bardiac said...

/comfort

It's so hard when a pet gets old, senile, pained, and so on.

Is it possible to limit his movement some without making him really miserable?

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh...I completely understand how you feel. We have an 18 year old male that has a very similar problem except his is vomit. Literally, until recently, we were cleaning up 4-8 piles a day. The vet was finally able to perscrible something that has helped but the same thoughts run through my mind. We certainly cannot afford the multiple vet bills and I often ask myself how much is too much?
He still acts completely normal and looks happy and healthy...which doesn't seem right to me. We have banned him from all carpeted areas and have removed our area rugs. We also live with sheets and towels draped over beds and couches. He is also banned from our bedroom at night since he tends to have his problem on our bed. We then contend with meowing at 2am. If the vet can't come up with anything I guess you have the option you are thinking about and then the possibility of banning him from your room at night. It's really hard to do, especially if you have a cuddler but it is better in the end.

Good luck...I wish you the best.

chartreuse said...

Aw, so sad. But a google search finds lots of companies out there that sell cat diapers, maybe that's worth a try?

Dr. K said...

Thank you so very much for your supportive comments. I felt really horrible for actually putting into words that I have started to think of putting him to sleep and your comments have helped me accept that such thoughts are understandable and natural.

That said, such thoughts are not ones that I am taking lightly by any means, nor is such a decision one that I will rush into.

Poor little kitty is simply pushing me to the end of my rope through no fault of his own. The little guy is simply old and is jumping up on the bed in search of love ... he can't help it that that now involves peeing on me. But he deserves me tying a knot into the bottom of said rope and hanging on for as long as possible.

Petersdigest: I can't thank you enough for sharing your story. It's so very comforting to know that others have similar problems and that others have similar thoughts, even though we are loathe to act on those thoughts.

Charteuse: wow! I had no idea that there were such things as kitty diapers! Thanks for sharing that information as it may be worth looking into. (P.S. I took a look at your blog: good on you! I will be following your blog for certain.)

Cathy: the words you wrote did make it better; you don't need to find any other words. Thank you, my friend.

Bardiac: I wish I knew how to limit his life in the bedroom. However, the bedroom *is* his life these days and if one closes the door (even when I am outside of the bedroom with him) it causes him so much distress that it's heart-breaking to watch.

The Little Medic said...

Never was there such a sad tale. Almost enough to make a grown man cry, as i'm sure you know.

I'd investigate the kitty diapers if I were you.

You need to consider what is best for you, and what is best for kitty.

Heres hoping for a good solution.

Pieces of Mind said...

A friend of mine had to have his dog euthanized a couple of weeks ago. Riley was only 5 years old but he had constant seizures and nothing worked, at least not for very long. A co-worker is dealing right now with an aging dog who has irritable bowel disease and has to be taken outdoors every couple of hours... including throughout the night.

I can remember when one of my own cats developed a urinary blockage. The vet put him on a prescription diet to dissolve the crystals in his bladder, but in the meantime my cat was peeing and dribbling everywhere. It was truly awful; I had to roll up all the area rugs and drape towels on all the furniture and keep him confined while I was at work. We weathered it, but it was rough.

All of this is to say it's very, very hard to have an animal who's sick or aging or incontinent. And very, very hard to know what the right thing is to do.

I don't think it's awful for the thought of euthanasia to cross your mind. You're just being honest about the situation and starting to weigh the options.

I think that when the time comes, you will know it. I think that when any of us is strongly bonded to an animal, we'll know when that animal is telling us it's time to go.

On a practical note: I second the idea of kitty diapers. And I'm wondering if an industrial-strength plastic covering might help protect your mattress? You might be able to find one at a home medical equipment retail store.

When my cat was having his bladder problems, I bought an extra litter pan and kept it in the living room. I also moved one of the litter pans into the bathroom. The theory being that with quick and easy access to his choice of litter pans, he would go there instead of on the floor or the furniture. It was not ideal from the standpoint of having guests, but at the time it was what he needed.

Anyway, I feel for you. I know how hard it is. Sending hugs and support to you.

Midwife with a Knife said...

I'm so sorry.

Dreaming again said...

So very sorry. We had to do this with our beloved Beagle, Cinnamon.
Same reason.

Hers was from an injury from previous owner who'd thrown her from a moving vehicle on the freeway moving at 70 mph.

We felt terrible about it, but also could not afford the damage being done to our house, nor the vet bills that would incur. The vet told us while I was trying to argue with my husband about it ..she was in severe pain as well. "urogenic bladder" was just the start of it ... terribly painful for her. It was humane he said. Didn't make it less painful.

It just made me less angry at hubby.

Surgeon In My Dreams said...

I too am so sorry. We "animal people" understand between which rock and hard place you stand.

Hugs....

Sage said...

Dr Kat,

I lost my dog, he was 17 years, two months and 20 days old, last October to old age..

For the last 6 months of his life he dribbled urine and although it was coped with by a combination of waking him up and taking him outside to have a pee at regular intervals, he had to have a towel and plastic sheeting under his bedding for the odd accident.

I still miss him, he told me when he was ready to leave as he took no notice of anyone at the vets and he was such a people lover; nothing would do that except for giving up on life.

Hope you and Kitty survive this difficult time and your lasting memories of him are happy ones when the time does come; he will leave a very big hole in your heart.

Sage