OT - cat related - my first kitty is OLD

Keykat (short for Kitty Cat) is at least 16 years old. When he first went to a vet with me, vet said he was at least just over a year old. (1994 Christmas) He braved the 2 dogs I had in order to take over the whole household. He won. One dog loved cats and was very happy to meet a cat who was not afraid of him. The other would just stand rigidly shaking. He stood that way for the many years Keykat was with us and would go and rub against his legs. So funny to watch. More info than you want to know: My 2nd husband hated cats (he'd never had one) and refused to let me 'adopt' Key, or later, to take him to the vet. LOL I was feeding him outside every day and he knew it! Both of us smoked heavily (1994) We went to visit family at Christmas. When we came home after a week, we found that Key had been fighting and had a really serious bite on his shoulder. It became infected. After a couple of days, I was holding Key and walked into his office. He asked why my hand was all yellow. I looked down and saw my hand was covered in yellow pus. Key's shoulder was badly infected. He finally then said take him to the vet. Did so. Vet treated for the infection and of course ran other tests. Key's tests came back and showed he tested for FIV. I had the test done 4 times. I was told to reduce stress as much as possible for him because he would not last 5 years and that additional stress would kill him faster. As it was, they said he would not live 5 years. That day, he became an indoor only cat - and Lord he hated that for at least the first five years. But he didn't try as hard as he could to get out. I really think he knew that being with me was better for him than getting back outside. The few times he did manage to escape, he'd stop within 20 feet of the door and sit. I think he was waiting for me to come get him, which I did, before he would slowly start walking away as if he hadn't just been waiting for someone to see him!! (He'd do it still if it just didn't tire him so much!) He is a strong cat. In the past 15 years, the changes have been: Husband died of cancer. (learned to love cats beforehand, so must have gone to heaven) Moved to Mobil home I could afford. Got another stray, a kitten this time, whose mother was being abused. (had to lure kitten with food, which to this day kitten prefers to eat while being petted). Moved in with new boyfriend. We quit smoking in 2005. Moved to Georgia with boyfriend into an RV. Bought and renovated a house with boyfriend and moved in 2005. Have boyfriend's kids coming up at least a couple of times a year. Married boyfriend in 2006. Now grandkids come up 3 times a year. (Dobby hates it. Key takes it in course. He is so adjustable.) KeyKat has breathing problems. I suspect that he has (sp) emfasema (phonic spelling). He frequently makes noises while he breathes. But other than that he seems to enjoy life during the times he is awake. Like an old man, he spends alot of time asleep. However, he is very very thin. You can see every bone on his body. When I was telling my mom about him, she wanted to know why I haven't put him to sleep. My reply was that he still likes attention and purrs. The last time my grandkids saw him, one of them said, why isn't he dead yet? He looks dead! When do you know that it is the time to put a beloved pet down? Key still loves being petted and spends most of his day asleep. He does not appear to be in pain. He has problems breathing, but does not appear to be unduly struggling for breath. I don't think it is yet time to put him down, but I don't know. My question: How do you know when it is time to put down a beloved pet? KeyKat has been my constant companion through many life changes. I believe he has lived so much longer than the vets said he would because he accepts changes as a fact of life. He remains calm no matter what is happening. I wish I could remain as calm as he does when things are going array. He really is a very calm cat no matter what is happening around him. Even fireworks don't seem to bother him much. When do you know it is time to save your pet from pain? My grandkids look at him a couple of times a year and lately have started saying "is he still alive?" I understand the statement. He really is so thin that every bone is visible. But I don't know if it is time to put him down. He still purrs when I hold and pet him. He still follows me into bed and lies where his nose is close to my face. How do you know? Many of you are cat people. I've never had a cat this old. I don't know what is best for him. And I don't want to cut his life short if he still takes pleasures. I'm asking for advise about when I should ease his suffering. I don't want to cause him more suffering than he gets pleasure out of life, but don't know how to tell which is which. Most of the people who love cats that I have questioned have told me that they let their cats run loose outside and many have never come home. I hate this, as to me, it shows they did not care for their pet in todays times and traffic. None of them figured they had anything to do with when their pet died. I don't tell them, but I think that, when you let pets run loose close to a highway (like where I live or within any major city) you do not really care for your pet. I don't think that way. Key will live as long as his body functions. That doesn't mean that he is happy. He just jumped up and is sitting beside me in my lazyboy chair. He seems happy. I don't know what to do with him. Beth

---

Orignal From: OT - cat related - my first kitty is OLD