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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I sincerely feel bad for OP. But pretending it is in the cat's interest to be put down is some extreme rationalization. [/quote]

The cat is not the only member of the family, and not even a human member of the family. Why does the cat's interest trump the family's financial well-being? $1200 a year *is* a lot of money and *is* a big deal if the family doesn't have this money to spend. What happens if the OP or her spouse loses his/her job? Would you seriously suggest that keeping this incredibly old cat alive by artificial means via an expensive diet is the OP's moral obligation even if it potentially risks a catastrophic financial situation leading to bad credit, debt, inability to pay bills, and even homelessness?

OP, you and your family have to make the decision that works for you. I find that some people on this board, no matter how well-meaning and compassionate they may be, have an absolutist moral stance that keeping an animal alive is an at-all-costs endeavor no matter what hardships or sacrifices that may entail. Quantity of life for the animal is what matters to them, not quality of life and certainly not quality of life or hardship for the human owners of the animal.

Please make a decision that works for you and your family. Whatever that decision is, whether to euthanize now or not, is your decision and no one else on this board has the right to criticize you or judge you for it. You are not a bad and evil person if you decide to euthanize now. You are also not a bad and evil person if you decide not to euthanize now but you revisit that decision in a month. You're a good person no matter what, and whatever hard decision you choose to make will be the right one for you and your family.

The only decision you cannot make is to keep your cat alive forever because that's not an option (no matter how much some people might engage in wishful thinking otherwise).[/quote]

I actually didn't say financial considerations never matter and I EXPLICITLY said I don't support keeping animals alive by artificial means or at all costs. Describing a dietary restriction as "artificial means" is incredibly strained though. There is no evidence at all that this cat is in distress. If liking an abnormal amount of sleep and not tolerating certain foods indicates a poor quality of life, I need to euthanize both my five year old and my wife.

At the end of the day, this is a pet, not a person. If OP doesn't want to or cannot continue to feed it, that's her right. I just don't think we should pretend its in the cat's best interest. OP herself acknowledges pretty much as much, both in her post title and when she says the cat is "basically in good health."

As a side note, I really think there's some diet solution that doesn't cost $100 a month. My friends had a cat of similar age who ate only boiled chicken, for example. It set her owners back more than regular cat food, but it sure wasn't $100 a month.

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