Cat mortality

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Just got the news that my cat (Tori) who I've had for 12 years has three tumors, one of them in her lung. So not only am I about to lose her but now I also can't stop thinking that my other cat's are 13 and 14 years old and probably won't be far behind .

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. Domestic cats with homes generally have a life span of 15-20 years. I had a cat who lived to be 20. At that age, they usually ultimately die of kidney failure so as they enter their senior years, which your cats have started to enter, it's a good idea to have their kidneys checked once a year. Chronic kidney failure can be easily treated and managed and can frequently extend the life of the cat relatively significantly with a reasonable quality of life.

I'm really sorry--that's awful. I have two cats, and they're my best friends and the only family that's always been there for me.

I know it's hard to do, but I encourage you to try not to worry about your other cats--I did the same thing (worry incessantly about my other cats) when one of my childhood cats died when he (the cat) was nine. I've known more than three cats (my aunt's and my grandparent's) who lived to 20, 21, and 22, respectively. It's not unlikely that you have many more years with your cats!

Don't lose hope . My last cat lived to 21 and even then refused to give up without a fight! I miss her .

Just give your girl as much love and treats as you can - it's hard, but her purrs will be with you always .

So far, my brown cat "Zelli" is around 10 and still as healthy as a kitten.

Mellow on, girl. Mellow on. :manlytears:

I had a cat named Ashes for twenty years. (My family got her when I was three.) She passed away on November first of 2010. The thing I remember most from that was when she was not moving (except for twitches here and there) and she stood up. I called for my mom and asked if what the cat was doing was from muscle twitching. The cat looked at me, took two steps towards me and went back to her lifeless state before ultimately dying a few minutes later.

It's been eight months since the cat died and I miss her terribly. The things I miss the most are hearing her meow every morning, being able to pet her every so often and laughing at how crazy she went over food. (She ate like a pig, but didn't show it.) I've thought about getting another cat, but I can't since I have a dog to take care of and I don't have a job to support any more animals.

Sorry for everything that's going on with your cat. It's hard to lose something you've had for so long.

I am really sorry. I have two cats and I love them dearly. Last year one of them developed a lump and we thought he had a tumor, we took him to the vets & they said they don't think he has long left.

I am unfortunetely cat free atm and it stinks but I've had to put 2 down in the last ~ year and half and dont want to again. One was barely a year old but he was real sick from the time I got him with kidney problems and just didnt make it so had to put him down.
The other was my sister's cat who I took when she moved into a new apartment. She ended up with jaw cancer and it was tough. She was 16 so not a young cat at all, but the cancer was real rapid. I saw her one day kinda making a wierd motion with her mouth like she was trying to bite the air sideways and figured she had a bad tooth so took her to vet. They did an x-ray to see which tooth it was and saw it was a cancerous growth on her jawbone. They said there was nothing we could do short of spending thousands and removing the jaw so really only option was to keep her as comfortable as possible for the next few weeks. After a week it was the size of a pea, then next week a small grape and she had stopped eating and drinking so it was time =/.

So sorry to hear about your cat

Try not to worry about the others though. My grandparents had a cat who lived to the age of about 22-23. It's sad how quickly they die but the best thing is to make sure they have wonderful lives and always remember them.

all we can do for our companion animals is to love them and give them the best care we can. you have done that. i treasure each day i have with sara and k2, two dsh cats, and with louie the wonder dog. louie is 15 or 16 and is very fragile. his veterinarians see him weekly and say he's doing ok to be so ancient.

with a little luck, inside only cats can live to mid 20's, as other posters have said. late teens is considered to be old age, so at that age, they slow down quite a bit.

your cats are lucky to have found you as you are to have found them.

Thanks everyone.

The tumors grew quite fast, she went from having a limp to having an elephant man leg and was obviously quite uncomfortable, so she was put down Friday morning. I don't know if cats have cannabinoid receptors, but on her last night I gave her some cannabis. Afterwards she stopped chewing on her bedding, ate a little bit, and was acting a lot like her old self for a while

Now my other cats are looking around the house for her .

That sounds like Tori, she'd eat all the time and beg for treats constantly, but not get fat. Also even if there was cat food in the bowl she would flip out if there was no food in the cupboard, it was like the end of the world for her to not know she had a vast supply of food available at all times. I don't think I'll exactly miss hearing her open the cupboards to do her daily food checks and whining if there isn't several bags. The thing I'll miss most is she would hang onto my shirt while I was walking around so I could pace back and forth while petting her, she wouldn't allow anyone else to pick her up let alone hang on them.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Busillis. Tori sounds like she was a wonderful cat, and did well in life to be in a family with you. My cat, Man Ray, is 14 and was recently diagnosed with overactive thyroid, which has damaged his heart. We are moving overseas in six months and the vet says she cannot approve him for that kind of travel. Now we are faced with trying to find a good home for him, with someone who is willing to give him a pill every day, and also knowing that it really is just a matter of time before he probably will die of a heart attack or kidney failure. Ever since we got the news, every day with him is precious to us. Again, I'm so sorry about the loss of your dear cat.

My condolences , it's always rough.. nothing you can do. Best to get your mind off things.

No cats, but I have three dogs. They range from 1 to 6..my girl, my best friend, is the oldest. Her muzzle is already gray. Sometimes I think it's better not to have animals that can become attached to you, because it's reciprocated.