My Baby Cat Is 19 Years Old, and I'm Wondering If It Is Time to Let Her Go..

Absolutely -- this cat is telling you to let her go. Sounds like you want to keep her around for you ... but what about what she is going through? Unfortunately, I think you should do what is best for her and her quality of living even though it will be very hard on you. Good luck! Had to put down a dog of 15 years that I kept around much longer (for me!) than I should have.

I've been through this twice in the last 2 years. Cliche as it sounds you will know when it is time. They will tell you. I lost my first baby in Jan 2009, he was 15. I lost my second baby March of this year, she was 1 month shy of her 15th birthday.
My oldest was terminally ill and finally one day it was obvious he couldn't go on any longer. My second was getting a little slow but one day we noticed she wasn't eating or drinking as much. A day or 2 later is when we saw the cancer tumors in her mouth. She looked at me, barely able to meow and I knew. She had a very aggressive cancer and kidney failure. The tumors literally took over in no more than a day and a half.
If you can't tell she's not ready to leave.
It is heartbreaking I know.

You'll know when it's time to let her go. She is still providing warmth and comfort to you which means she still has life in her. My cat had cancer and I let her go when she was unable to eat and just lay lethargically in one place.

You will know when she's miserable. Our vet said that when a cat hangs it's head lower than it's shoulders, it's in pain and/or very tired.

I think it's time to kennel her so that she can make it to the potty. We did that with our kitty last year before we let her go. It gave me a couple of months to watch her closer, make sure she was eating, she could have her own litter box in the house she was in, and I could get her out and spend some time with her or let her run around a little. But she wasn't peeing anyplace and in our situation she wasn't getting under a bed someplace and making us look and look for her. She seemed to improve a lot while in that kennel and I ended up having her out of the kennel living normally. She wasn't peeing everywhere either. But she developed an ulcer on her nose that would not heal or stop bleeding. That's when I decided that she was too skinny, too frail, not very happy and that it was time.

Cats purr right up until the end even if you let them linger.

She'll look at you with a distinguishable pain in her eyes when it's time for you to put her out of her misery. If she still purrs, it isnt time yet.

I think you should wait.
You'll know when the right time is when it comes.

God bless

Oh, this brings me back. I had a wonderful cat, Pearl growing up. She didn't have any specific medical situation, but kind of was in the same situation as yours. She started not being able to go up the stairs to my bedroom, and she could not control her bladder, and would have accidents. For me, I think it started when she wasn't able to control her bowels. My mother, a nurse, told me that soon, we would need to think about putting her to sleep. I knew that too. I remember going to work one day and seeing her on her chair. I looked at her and just knew that today would be the day. I got a call from my mother at work, and we went with her to the Vet. It was very peaceful. I knew it was the right thing to do, as I know she would not want to live like that anymore. Animals will let you know when it is their time. Their is a look about them, and especially when they isolate or do not want to be pet( this goes for ones that love to be around you and lay on your lap).

19 years, by the way, is very old for a cat. When I saw your post, I was amazed. She is very well taken care of, and loved. I think the decision will come in time.

I am so sorry that you are facing this decision. It is always a difficult one to make. I am one of those people very guilty of hanging on way too long. We had a dog that suffered with cancer way longer than he should have. One of our cats had a stroke and I delayed having him put down a few days longer than I should have. Both these pets suffered because of me. Recently, our old terrier mix suffered from a seizure and didn't seem to recover well. We went ahead and had her put to sleep. It was much easier and kinder for her and for us as well.

My best advice...if her personality has changed at all, then it is probably time. If she hurts it is time.

Again, I am sorry.

First, I don't think you should wait and I'm not sure you'll know when the right time is. My 16-year-old cat almost died on my kitchen floor in March because I couldn't decide. He decided for me, and I did take him in quickly and have him euthanized, but I am so sorry now that I let him suffer for so long. It was needless. And again, I couldn't decide what was the right time.

I feel your pain. I just put my 19-year-old cat down last week. She was hyper-thyroid, had it removed, it grew back and she was so skinny and her fur was matted and she had arthritis. But she could still meow, walk around, etc. I just couldn't decide.

My sister-in-law, who is a vet tech, came to visit last month and saw her and said to me "why are you doing this to her? She gave you 19 great years, and you need to give her a peaceful way out. Don't let it go until she is dying on your floor and it's a crisis and she is in pain."

In fact, she convinced me she probably was in pain and uncomfortable. And who wants to live like that!

If she isn't making it to the litter and her legs give out, and she can't jump and she has arthritis, imagine how that must feel to her. Her quality of life is gone. It is up to you to help her not suffer anymore. And you can do it.

I was in the same position as you until my SIL talked some sense into me. I picked a day (that was hard) and took her in and let her peacefully go. It was the right decision. It was hard, I cried and doubted myself. But I'm SO GLAD she isn't in pain anymore and I didn't have to watch her die of heart failure or let her die alone in a corner somewhere.

You can do it. It's for her not you. You are keeping her alive for YOU. That's what I was doing. The best thing for her would be to end her suffering. Hugs to you. Such a hard decision and I wish you the best.

It isn't easy. My cat was 21 when we put her down. She had a mess of health issues, couldn't make it to the litter box, etc. What it took was the realization that with all her issues, hair loss, skin and bones, that our youngest was the only one that would even touch the cat. Plus she just looked miserable. I guess I realized we weren't keeping her alive for her it was just to make us feel better.

If you really think your cat is suffering then it is time to let her go.

Oh the average life for an indoor cat is 15 years so I don't think she has lot of time left and it is the quality of that time that you should be concerned with.

My baby love was 18 when I had to put him down a week before my first son was born. it was horrendous, but he was in complete organ failure. I would give it a little time, but if you hit the point where she really can't move herself or she stops eating, then it's time. It truly comes down to ending suffering, so let that be your guide. If she's eating and happy -great-but if not, make the decision. It's terrible and I'm sorry if you have to do it.

If she's still getting around, still eating and generally still seems happy, give yourself some time. You might find ways to make it easier for her to get up and on your bed. I managed to teach my 15yo cat to step up on the kids' step stool so she could jump up onto the bathroom counter where her water bowl is (although she uses the toilet bowl to climb up too, lol!).

You might grab a few extra small litter boxes (disposable ones?) for the incontinence issue or buy the "doggie diapers" in a size that fits her to keep her from getting the floors wet.

Really I think your decision is going to come down to how much effort, time, money can/will you spend on keeping her comfortable? It sounds like kitty's health problems are manageable with care. If you're not certain, wait. Better to let her go later when you know things are bad and too much, so you aren't second guessing yourself now.

Speak to your vet. Ask him what he personally feels her quality of life is like, does she/he think your cat is in pain... Most vets are truly animal lovers and will tell you the truth if you ask them outright.

I personally feel - from reading your post - that she is nearing the end of her life and is feeling pain, confusion of her lost function (yes ppl, animals can feel that way too) and may be starting to suffer.

I have been through this twice now, and your always afraid you will be too soon...does she act like she is in pain? Not to be morid, but it does sound like it may be soon. When she starts crying and hanging her head low it is time. She will know you love her with all you have.

I used to work at a vet's office and we saw people all the time bringing in pets who seemed to have been kept too long. I don't know if you are at that point just yet but it's good that you are thinking about this now. I don't know for sure if you will just know. But look at all the things objectively. Try to think about her as if she was a friends cat and not your baby. If you were on the outside looking in what would you do? Making the decision to end a pets life is excruciating but it's beautiful the way we can give them a peaceful ending. I am so sorry that you will be dealing with this in the next few weeks/months. If you want to PM me feel free I've had to put 4 pets down in the past 4 years (some due to non-age related issues). and I will be a sympathetic ear.

I am so sorry about your kitty. 19 years is a long time, that shows you have given her a good, healthy life. I would honestly take her to a vet that you can trust to tell you if she is in pain or if there is anything else they can do. If you take her to an honest one, you will know when they tell you if she is ok or if it is time to let her go. The loss of bladder control and her back legs giving out make me think it is almost time. Start thinking about the process to prepare yourself as much as you can and then find a professional to talk to. Good luck to you both.