old kitty not eating; wasting away

Question
Our 14 year old Burmese, Stuart isn't eating and hasn't been eating well at all for about a month now. Picking him up is like picking up a bag of feathers. We kept thinking he would get better. We haven't taken him to the vet because they would want to do hundreds of dollars worth of tests only to finally tell us he needs to be put to sleep. We aren't ready for that yet because he still enjoys looking out the window and sleeping and being petted and talked to. We think. Should I continue syringe feeding him? We love him but feel guilty about all of this. Help?

Answer
Hi Joanne,
I know exactly what you are facing. I have had several cats that were in same condition in the past. I lost mine due to kidney failure.  I agree with you on not taking him to the Vet. If he were younger, it would be a whole different story.  I think you will know when it's time to put him down.  There will come a point when you are no longer keeping him alive for HIM, but for yourself. That is when the humane thing to do is let him go.  I have had to do this and let me tell you , it broke my heart.  I still sometimes grieve over them.  Older cats will often succomb to kidney failure, so to give you an idea what to look for, they will lose a considerable amount of weight in a short period of time and will strain at the litter box but cannot urinate. When your pet is in this type of distress, it's time to let them go.  In my opinion, as long as Stuart is not distressed or in pain, then I would make him as comfortable as possible and let him enjoy looking out the window.  If you feel that him not eating is the only real problem, then I think I would continue to syringe feed him, but only if it doesn't stress him out real bad. If you have to fight with him and he is about to have a heart attack every time you feed, then I would re-think the whole thing and consider letting him go.  I know this is very hard and I feel really bad for you , but unfortunately we set ourselves up for heartache when we get a pet. We know they won't live as long as humans, but we do it anyway.  But it's worth it, don't you think?  They give us such joy.  Just remember, that to keep him alive just so that you feel better is not being very kind to him, not that I am suggesting that you are doing that.   My best to you and Stuart.

God Bless,
Becky