# Molly is poorly, but there's plenty of life left in her



## TruffsPoodle (Jan 1, 2019)

Molly is our much-loved family pet. We rescued her from the RSPA in York (where we live) about 5.5 years ago, after her previous family "moved away". We now need to find her a new loving home, with somebody who has the knowledge and/or skills to care for her.

I believe she's a Calico coloured American Short Hair. She's very pretty and quite small at her normal 3.4kg. A couple of vets have said she's likely to be somewhere between 8 and 10 years old, but there's no way of knowing for sure.

I've lived with cats most of my life - mostly Persian - which I've always found to be aloof and only want attention on their terms. Molly is a totally different to all of them. She's more like a dog trapped in a cat's body.

Molly comes when called, regardless of where she is in the house. She follows us around the house like a shadow and has become a master of diving through small gaps in doors to be with us, while we're trying to close her on the other side of it.

Looking at her, you would never know she had kidney disease. She's still quick, light on her feet, stealthy and often plays with cat toys like a kitten. Wrapping presents while she's in the room is near impossible, as she's all over the sellotape.

She only ever wants to sit in the lap of me, my partner Claire or our four year old Jamie and can be relentless in her pursuit of attention, diving at our hands to get us to stroke her. My regular evening routine is to lie down on the sofa, which is her signal to jump on my chest and curl up a few inches from my face while purring at 100 decibels.

She gives high fives on demand (most of the time) and often gives impromptu face-fives too, i.e. she taps us on the cheek with her paw if we're not looking at her. She has zero problem with being picked up or having her legs/paws held, which means we've been able to clip her claws (fuss free) every two weeks to prevent carpet/furniture scratching. She even follows us out of the house and to the end of the road - to the point where we've repeatedly had to carry her back home again as she was getting too far away.

She's never scratched or bitten us, as its just not in her personality. She is the most daft, docile, affectionate creature I've ever come across and I will miss her sorely. Despite our four year old boy's best efforts while growing up, she has remained calm and even stood still without care while he has chased her, tried to pick her up, etc.

We've got to give her up for adoption because she's poorly, so needs somebody who recognises the signs when she's not well and can give her the medical care she needs. I'm ideally looking for a veterinary practitioner, nurse or somebody who lives/works with such professionals and has access to low cost medical care.

To summarise:

- 2014 ... gallstones. Apparently extremely rare for a cat. Had to be operated on to remove, as her biliary duct was blocked, grew an abscess and stuck to her liver.

- 2015/2016 ... suspected infection every year. We're not sure what it was, but a couple of days overnight in the local vet's hospitality on a drip with some antibiotics resolved each time. NB: we live on the back of a farmers arable field, so its very possible she's been eating something she shouldn't, as she's only ever ill during the summer.

- Jan 2017 ... early renal failure spotted. Bloods showed a figure was very slightly below acceptable level for a cat, so technically renal failure, but ok. Put onto a diet solely consisting of Royal Canin Renal dry food.

- Early 2018 ... vet check up shows she's doing remarkably well and her levels have barely changed since initial renal diagnosis.

- Dec 2018 ... urinary tract infection nearly killed her, but after a week of antibiotics, she's infection free and getting back to her normal self, albeit on a diet of tuna to get her weight back up.

The vet has said she's now kidney disease stage two. We didn't spot the signs of the urinary tract infection until the middle of December, but looking back she may have had it for several weeks before she suddenly and very visibly became extremely ill. The vet said she was within a couple of days of death, but miraculously she the antibiotics kicked in and she started eating after 4 days of not. Having now fed her tuna for two weeks to get her weight back up, she's more or less acting completely normally.

She's been ill in the past and needed hospital care, but I've never been so concerned and sick to the stomach as this latest infection caused me to be. Our inability to spot something was wrong had allowed the infection to take hold for so long that it made her very ill. The infection has probably led to the worsening of her kidney issues, which worries me, as the same may happen again and next time it might be too late.

We want somebody who has the skills and/or knowledge to spot any symptoms early on, so that the correct care and drugs can be administered. The vet has said she should be getting Laurobolin and B12 shots every month from now on, which is likely to cause us some financial strain, given we're both self employed and currently business isn't great.

So many people have said "Why don't you just get her put down?", which I find an incredibly callous question. Molly is an amazing cat and potentially still has a couple of years or more left in her with the right care. I'm sure if you asked her, she wouldn't want to die right now. She still has a good quality of life ahead of her and she is worth every minute and penny spent on her.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi and welcome. I had a cat with chronic kidney disease so can empathise with your concerns.

Have you visited Tanya's CKD site. It has lots of very helpful information. There is also a facebook page if you are on facebook. Quite a few members on here have had a cat with CKD so know what you are going through.

https://www.felinecrf.org/


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Surely this is no reason reason for "giving her up". Cats with chronic health issues need their own humans and own home more than ever. Change is very hard on cats in general and even harder on a sick cat. Many of us care for currently, and have cared for in the past, cats who need special care, medications and treatments. This is when they need us most.

I have cared for cats with CKD and cancer and seizure disorders and many other conditions. Currently I have a cat with cancer and one with IBD. It would never occur to me to "rehome" them.

Instead I would suggest you stick around this forum, and get help and support in caring for Molly so she can stay home where she belongs.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

TruffsPoodle said:


> Having now fed her tuna for two weeks to get her weight back up, she's more or less acting completely normally.


PS you most definitely want to get her OFF the tuna. Tuna is very bad for cats, especially if you are feeding the human variety. If you are feeding human tuna it is very high in salt which is bad for her kidneys, it is not balanced, and also depletes thiamine which will soon create a deficiency in her. Even if you are feeding made for cats tuna food - tuna in general is just not a good thing for cats to eat on a regular basis, especially cats with CKD,as it is high in minerals, high in heavy metals and high in histamines.

Your immediate step should be to get her back on a good quality canned diet. No dry kibble. Ever.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

Are you wanting to give her up because you cannot afford the vet bills? I suspect you are going to struggle finding anyone to take her on, because in all likelihood other people may not be able to afford it either. Many of us have our pets insured in the event they become unwell, but it is too late to insure a cat who already has chronic health issues. She needs you now more than she did when she was healthy. Maybe you can come to some agreement with your vet about a payment plan.


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## Polly G (Apr 30, 2013)

I can't believe that you are looking to rehome Molly when she is poorly and needs you more than ever. I hope that this is a knee jerk reaction and that when you read posts on this forum you will see how much we all care for our pets and that a lot of us have been faced with similar situations and found a way through them. Molly is beautiful and I hope you will reconsider.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

TruffsPoodle said:


> Our inability to spot something was wrong had allowed the infection to take hold for so long that it made her very ill.


I've been rereading your post to see if there was more I could help with in a general way and will address this as well. Cats are masters at hiding illness, it is instinctive behavior in them. Cats do not show pain or illness unless it is extremely severe,. This is because as prey animals, they instinctively hide any sign of vulnerability.

I say this so you can stop blaming yourself for missing signs of illness in your Molly. Urinary tract infections often present as a cat avoiding the litter box, but a cat who goes outside to toilet, this could be easily missed. Kidney disease...well even in blood work the disease doesn't show up until 75% of function is gone.

The important things to hold onto is that you did get her treatment and she is okay now, and in her loving home where she belongs.

Don't see yourselves as incapable, see yourselves as you are, her loving family who can learn to care for her in any way she needs it. I'll give myself as an example, my cat was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. She first had a bacterial infection, but after the infection was cleared up her symptoms didn't improve, and that was when I had to take her to the specialist for further diagnostics.

Up until then, as closely as I watch my cats, and as experienced as I am in caring for special needs cats and assessing pain and illness, I did not know Jennie was in any discomfort. It wasn't until I put her on the pain meds the specialist prescribed, and saw the difference in her with _absence of pain_, that I realized.

The point is, you have to let the past bit go, and concentrate on taking care of Molly now. You will learn what to watch for, you will learn to give medications and the B-12 injections and fluids if she needs them. This is what is best for Molly, staying in her own home with her own family and being cared for by them. xx

And if you don't already have them, be sure to get some litter boxes in the house.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@TruffsPoodle - I am sorry to be responding late to your thread. Molly is a very pretty little cat, with gorgeous eyes, and from your description she has an endearing personality too, bless her. 

I really do hope you can find a way to keep Molly for the rest of her life. It would be very sad for her to be re-homed when she has chronic health problems. She has put her trust in you, and needs you more than ever.

Rehoming an adult cat is always stressful for them, and if they are unwell, as Molly is, any stress could make the illness far worse. Bear in mind she may never fully settle in a new home.

Some years ago I adopted a senior cat with Chronic Kidney Disease, because his owner had died. I was told the cat had been very close to his owner, and it was evident to me from the start that, as far as the cat was concerned, my OH and I were a poor replacement for the previous owner. The cat spent the final 2 years of his life with us, being well cared for and loved, but never showed any sign of feeling bonded with either of us. i felt sorry for him, losing his loved owner, but in his case it could not be avoided because the owner had died.

As kittih suggested, if you join Tanya's CKD Support Group you will get loads of good advice and friendly help. I found her Support Group and the website of enormous help when I have had cats with CKD in the past. Here is a link to the Support Group:

https://tanyackd.groups.io/g/support

I have had quite a few cats with CKD over the years and have never found that caring for one turned out to be expensive in vet fees. Being on a suitable wet food renal diet, and getting plenty of fluids in the diet is always the most important part of managing feline CKD. None of my cats were given Laurabolin, and from what I have read it is not certain that this drug is always helpful with CKD. It is also very expensive. Tanya's website lists all the drugs she regards as "essential" in CKD and I don't see Laurabolin included in her list.

https://www.felinecrf.org/treatments_essential.htm

As for spotting signs early that Molly has a UTI, it may be advisable to give Molly several litter trays indoors, spread around the home and to keep her shut indoors in future from evenings to next day, so you can keep an eye on her litter tray behaviour. If she goes frequently to the tray and does not pass much urine then she may have a UTI and will need antibiotic therapy. Cats with CKD are prone to UTI's because their urine is dilute giving less protection against bacteria.

Please I beg you.....keep her with you.


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