cindys wrote:

On Apr 20, 5:50 am, Eddy
wrote:
---------------
In my opinion, you make your decision on the basis of the cat's
quality of life. If medications are keeping him alive but he's
spending his whole day lying in the corner, it's time to call it a
day. OTOH, if the medications are keeping him alive, but he's spending
his day frolicking, it's too soon to call it a day. Even if you know
you may have a downturn in a week or a month. You can always call it a
day when you see the downturn.

I have a cat with very severe heart disease (although he has not
experienced the repeated episodes of fluid-buildup-induced respiratory
distress followed by periods of dehydration that you have described in
your cat). My cat ended up in the animal emergency room on December
30, 2007. His prognosis was grim. He was in respiratory distress,
every chamber of his heart was enlarged, he had leaky valves, blood
clots just asking to form. They drained his chest, prescribed some
medication and gave him "a few months at most." Our regular vet
estimated his remaining lifespan to be "maybe another month."

It's now been nearly a year and a half, and we still have the cat, and
he is still enjoying a really good quality of life, eating well
(thanks to Pepcid), going up and down the stairs, jumping onto (low)
tables, sleeping in my son's bed, etc. When the time comes, we won't
hesitate to call it a day, but that day will come only once. In the
meantime, the cat is happy, and we're appreciating every day we have
him. Every living creature is going to get sick and die someday. You
don't want to hasten that day but neither do you want to prolong the
suffering when it comes. I would say it is time to call it a day if
and when: Your cat is spending much of his day lying in a corner. He
doesn't want to eat (and you're already tried giving him Pepcid - ask
your vet for the proper dose for a cat, and don't use the extra
strength). He stops grooming. He stops using the litter box. He hides.
He's wobbly on his feet. These are all signs that he's had enough. But
if he's happy and frolicking, it's too soon. Take your cue from him.

(BTW, I saw that you wrote in another thread that you're giving your
cat aspirin - I would assume to prevent clots. You might want to think
about using Plavix (clopidogrel) instead. Our cat is taking four or
five different meds for his heart, but I believe it's the Lasix
(furosemide) and the clopidogrel that are responsible for keeping him
alive. The potential for blood clots is huge for cats with heart
disease. The medication is expensive in the USA because we only have
the brand-name available to us, but you can get it generic from a
Canadian pharmacy. I used Canada Pharmacy online. It cost me around
$80 for 100 pills. The cat takes only 1/4 pill per day, so 100 pills
are enough to last for a year and a half. In the USA, it costs $135
for 30 pills at CVS or Rite Aid.)
Good luck to you and your kitty.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Cindy, it is great to receive direct personal advice from someone else
with a cat with much the same serious conditions as ours. Thanks so
much. I'm printing out your (and Stan's) advice to keep by us during
these difficult up-and-down days.

Many thanks.

Eddy.