pleural effusion

Question
Hello. I am in turmoil at present i have just had my 16yrold male cat put to sleep 2 days ago and i am heart broke. he went off his food then breathing went very bad. i took him to the vets and he had pleural eefusion after xray vet rang me and was not optimistic she said she could attempt to drain the fluid but there were no guarantee and she may only have given him 1-2 mths to live anyway. I made the very hard decision as we spoke going off what she had told me. i loved him and did not want to see him suffer with pushing pills down his neck etc... and knowing he had a short tim left, since i been told some cats can survive and its left me questioning my decision. Please help me Have I done the right thing. I am heartbroken. thank youx

Answer
Hi Clair,

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. I know that no matter what knowledge you gain on the subject, it won't make your loss easier, and you will always wish you could have done something to save him. However, I agree with your decision 100%. Pleural effusion is never a simple condition to deal with. A very serious terminal condition is almost always the underlying cause. Most often, cancer is to blame. At other times, severe cardiac problems are present. Sometimes a bad infection is the cause, but antibiotics are very seldom effective against this. Even cats with no apparent underlying cause have a very guarded prognosis. They don't respond to diuretics as well as dogs do.

I have had chest taps done on cats, and I would say giving a survival time of 1-2 months was extremely optimistic. Of the cats I've treated, survival time ranged from only hours to about a week. The underlying cause can influence this, but I think the age of your kitty would significantly affect his survival time, as well.

I really think you made the kindest decision here. I have never had a cat survive a bout with pleural effusion, and sometimes it's not just about what's possible, but what's right. It was right not to make him suffer through this.

Best regards,
Jessica