Vacation next week and elderly cat not well

[Anonymous]

My cat is almost 16 (will be this summer). He's had various health issues for a long time but has miraculously kept on going and enjoying life.

I recently brought him to the vet because he's been getting skinnier/bony and hasn't really been grooming himself (I chalked it up to arthritis, which he's had for a while. I was shocked to learn that he's lost nearly 5 lbs in 9 months and now only weighs about 8 lbs. He also has a firm growth in his chest wall that might be a tumor. The vet is suggesting palliative care considering his age, and other health issues that complicate his care.

It's very possible that he's dying, but he still has an appetite, comes for cuddles, follows me around - so there's quality of life and it's not yet "time" to make a difficult decision. It's also possible that he'll live for months and isn't quite at the end.

So here's the thing. We have had this vacation to the beach planned for a year - it's my kids' spring break and we are going to North Carolina with my DH's family. This will be five nights away, and I hired our regular cat sitter to come each day for half an hour. But the idea of my cat (who definitely gets lonely by himself and is attached to me) being alone for days when he's somewhat frail and in poor health makes me so sad. On the other hand, sending my family off on vacation without me for 6 nights makes me very sad, too.

I could ask the sitter to come twice a day instead - once in the morning and once in the evening. But I'm worried I'll come home to find an even frailer cat and that I'll be worried the whole time we're away about him having a hard time without us (and me in particular).

Wondering what others would do in my position - especially if you are like me and are very concerned about your pet.

[Anonymous]

Op here with a correction - we will be gone 6 nights, not 5.

[Anonymous]

And one more thing - he's definitely not himself. So we would be leaving an ill cat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And one more thing - he's definitely not himself. So we would be leaving an ill cat.

I would not leave an ill cat for a week.

[Anonymous]

I would find a sitter who could stay at my house.

[Anonymous]

Is there anyone you know who could stay in your house with him? My parents cat died last summer (his kidneys finally gave out) and they had to euthanize him the day after coming home from vacation - it was terrible for them, but not entirely unexpected because he was 20 and hadn't been doing very well. The neighbors watched him during the vacation and spent ALOT of time at my parents house while they were away though, the neighbors had been babysitting the cat for years and loved him.

[Anonymous]

We have this situation for a dog although we have cats also and use a petsitter for them. My solution has been boarding at a vet hospital where she will be regularly checked and medicated. Does your vet do boarding? If not other vet hospitals might board him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have this situation for a dog although we have cats also and use a petsitter for them. My solution has been boarding at a vet hospital where she will be regularly checked and medicated. Does your vet do boarding? If not other vet hospitals might board him.

They do boarding but my cat hates the vet so much and would be very stressed away from home.

I don't have anyone who can stay at my house - my mom is also on vacation that week. And my closest neighbor friend will be in Ocean Cuty.
My regular cat sitter has a family if her own and probably can't sleep at my house - and if she did, it would probably cost a fortune.

It's so hard. My kids are very sad thinking they will go away without me, but I just can't imagine leaving my cat mostly alone.
I don't necessarily think he's about to die, but he's not feeling well, for sure. And his days are numbered.

[Anonymous]

Ask around. You can find someone to stay at your house. Ask your vet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would find a sitter who could stay at my house.

This. Check your neighborhood listserv. There's probably some college student who'd be happy to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find a sitter who could stay at my house.

This. Check your neighborhood listserv. There's probably some college student who'd be happy to do it.

I will look into this but feel a bit uneasy with someone I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Try Nextdoor. You might find a neighbor who can help.

[Anonymous]

I just saw on cat sitter website that they do "almost overnight" care - two hours in the evening and then an hour the next morning. It's $75 a day. I can see if my sitter can do that.

[Anonymous]

OP, you are looking for permission to stay with your little old friend as he approaches his last days. You need no permission. You know that staying with him is the right thing to do.

[Anonymous]

You ought to be more concerned re: your cat sitter. Is this a mature person who can handle the experience of the cat dying while you are away? Op, at 16 your cat is going to die soon. I do not think the answer is for you to no go on vacation - seems too dramatic and I love animals. If you want the animal to be kept alive until you come home, there would be animal hospitals which would take care of it until you get home.