Help me think through this: moving old cats long distance

[Simkie]

Ugh, this will be long. I really need some feedback and ideas about my herd of felines with the pending move. We’re going 1200 miles in about a month.

I have three old kitties, and I’m worried about their stress with this move. When we came from CO to MN two years ago, I really underestimated how it would affect the cats. I probably should not have brought Juliet with…her renal disease took a nose dive and she was hospice care fairly shortly after moving and we put her down within a year. I just don’t know if it was really fair to her. I don’t want to do that again.

There is Liz, who is 18, and was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in her mouth at a recent dental. Vet is giving her 4-12 months, I think it was, and that was about 2 months ago? We caught it very early, and she is really showing no signs at this time. She also has these plaque things on her neck and belly and side that we thought were eosinophilic granulomas, but they haven’t responded to steroids at all and they bother her. I think it’s pretty cut and dry that we put Liz down at home before we go

Then there is Portia, who is 15. She’s got IBD, which was managed forever with novel protein food. Within the last year, our control of that really slipped and she’s on z/d now. She just doesn’t eat real well anymore, so I dose her with mirtazipine to keep her appetite up, and we offer as much wet and dry as she wants. But she’s still thinner than I’d like. I fear she’s got intestinal lymphoma that seems so common in these IBD cats, but don’t know. We’ve never been able to manage her IBD with steroids, so we’ve not used them recently.

And we have Puck, my weird autistic cat. 13 years old and really pretty odd (and has been forever.) She’s leaned WAAAAAAY down in the past several months. Has been to the vet a couple times…bloodwork looks good, but this last time was edging toward hyperthyroid (but not there yet.) We’ve upper her food, cleaned her teeth (no cancer in her mouth!!) and are watching her bloodwork, but she’s still skinny and not gaining. And she is probably the WORST one on tolerating change and stress in general. I worry that there’s just something we’re missing with her, something that’s a lot more severe than her thyroid.

To make this question EVEN HARDER, funds are tight with the move (and the vet fund got tapped with Koa’s stuff earlier this year) so I can’t solve this problem by throwing gobs of money at it. Have to be smart about what I do.

Really, I just want to be FAIR to these kitties. I was blindsided by how hard the move 2 years ago was for them, and I don’t want to make that mistake again. I am worried about moving cats that have medical things going on, as that seems to make them so much more critical.

I have no idea what the answer is, but I would really appreciate your thoughts. I am afraid that the “right” thing to do is to put them all down before we go, and that sucks a lot. This is hard.

(I think goes without saying, but I am also working with my vet through all this.)

[JoZ]

I am so sorry, what a hard and harsh situation. I think I know the answer to this question, but just to be certain – these are the exact cats that had trouble with your last move? Minus the one that went into hospice and passed away? And would you say that their health was considerably better at the time of that move? If that is the case… Oh gosh, I am sobbing while I’m writing this. But in fairness to the cats, I would say that they should be put to sleep in the comfort of your current home. I am so so sorry. And will be delighted and relieved if your vet or someone on this thread can come up with a better alternative. Heartbreaking.

[red_mares]

I have to agree with JoZ. I would be considering that route seriously even if I wasn’t moving. I say that having put one down 6 months ago. It doesn’t sound like any of them are in good shape.

I went through a year -18 months of yo-yo sick kitty hell. Little cat might still be around if I hadn’t put her down. But honestly, it was easier in the long run to miss her than to deal with the constant up & downs of wondering if I kill the cat this weekend or next.

[Midwesterner]

I think it’s a personal decision that has a lot of considerations. But, based on everything you posted in your OP, if these were my cats then I would make the kind and loving decision to put them all down before the move. Hugs to you - the situation sucks big time.

[mvp]

Man, there’s “Old Cats and Stress” and then there’s old cats and known/expensive medical problems and stress.

It would be so hard to have this whole Chapter of Cats close just as your Chapter of Life in this area is closing, too. But maybe that’s the way to do it.

When I look back on making big, life changing moves, I don’t regret it, even if it’s hard at the time. But when I look back on the times I missed something with an animal and waited too long, or the animal was OK but it screwed up my life and my wallet to hang on, I do remember and regret that. That’s just the way my mind, values and emotions work; it is probably different for someone else.

OP, just know how you work and don’t set yourself up to have regrets.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=mvp;8833313]
Man, there’s “Old Cats and Stress” and then there’s old cats and known/expensive medical problems and stress.

It would be so hard to have this whole Chapter of Cats close just as your Chapter of Life in this area is closing, too. But maybe that’s the way to do it.

When I look back on making big, life changing moves, I don’t regret it, even if it’s hard at the time. But when I look back on the times I missed something with an animal and waited too long, or the animal was OK but it screwed up my life and my wallet to hang on, I do remember and regret that. That’s just the way my mind, values and emotions work; it is probably different for someone else.

OP, just know how you work and don’t set yourself up to have regrets.[/QUOTE]

PS— I’ll bet there will be an ample supply of cats where you are moving. If you want some geriatric and sick ones, I assure you: They can be had.

[vxf111]

This is an impossible situation and of course you’re the one who has to make a decision.

For me (and it’s ok if your tolerances differ) I would say that cats whose veterinary conditions seem to be “under control” even if not ideal (i.e. would like more weight on her but she’s getting around comfortably and doing ok) I would bring. Cats that are already clearly going downhill and/or have a limited span ahead AND hate change I would euthanize before I moved.

I don’t think moving, in the abstract, SHOULD be that hard on cats. I’ve done it many times. But you know your cats better than we do. If moving is going to send one of these into a tailspin and they’re already borderline… I wouldn’t push it. If they’re NOT borderline and it’ll be at most a minor setback for a cat who is otherwise chugging along if not perfect, I’d take the cat.

Liz seems like a clear cut case. Portia sounds like she’d probably tolerate the move ok. Skinny but still eating. Well, that might just be how she is. Puck seems like a more difficult call. Massive weight loss AND doesn’t tolerate change well.

[Darkwave]

I have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said. But…based on the discussion here, I’m confident that whatever decision you make will have been made with caring and love, and will be the right one.

[walkinthewalk]

I have moved three horses, three dogs, and one middle-aged cat cross country twice.

I read and re-read your post. I am afraid I agree with JoZ.

It is heartbreaking but the humane thing.

One thing you might consider, if you are extremely close to these kitties, would be to have them cremated and move them with you in their respective urns:)

[2tempe]

Wow, OP, my heart goes out to you. Sitting here at a distance, I’d vote with the rest of the posters, but I can’t imagine the difficulty of making the decision.
It sounds as if you know in your heart the right thing to do.

I had a cat some years back w/ IBD and in hindsight, I tried to manage her for too long - she was not a happy or healthy cat for a while before I told the vet no more…

[invinoveritas]

Old cats adjust. Take their bedding and your furniture and they will feel safe and comfortable in their new place. The alternative is putting them down before the move. Why do that when you can move them and then if they do not adjust well or get sick, then you will have tried to allow them to adjust before putting them down. And they all have been together so they will maybe comfort each other during and after the move.

I’ve moved 19 and 22 yr old cats as well as young cats. All were healthy though, so you do have to consider aggravating the illnesses of old cats.

Good luck. It is great that you’ve taken care of so many old and decrepit kitties. Old cats are great, except my one grumpy one.

[redalter]

[QUOTE=Darkwave;8833881]
I have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said. But…based on the discussion here, I’m confident that whatever decision you make will have been made with caring and love, and will be the right one.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=walkinthewalk;8834027]I have moved three horses, three dogs, and one middle-aged cat cross country twice.

I read and re-read your post. I am afraid I agree with JoZ.

It is heartbreaking but the humane thing.

One thing you might consider, if you are extremely close to these kitties, would be to have them cremated and move them with you in their respective urns:)[/QUOTE]

THis and this.

OP, I am so so sorry.
I regret to this very day, my beloved girl, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, and three days prior to my moving 20 miles from one place to another.

I was extremely careful with everything, but just the stress of that short move, accelerated her decline, and I had to put her to sleep four days later.

No matter what you choose to do, it will be the right thing. There is so much love in your post.
Hugs to you.

[findeight]

[QUOTE=invinoveritas;8834716]
Old cats adjust. Take their bedding and your furniture and they will feel safe and comfortable in their new place. The alternative is putting them down before the move. Why do that when you can move them and then if they do not adjust well or get sick, then you will have tried to allow them to adjust before putting them down. And they all have been together so they will maybe comfort each other during and after the move.

I’ve moved 19 and 22 yr old cats as well as young cats. All were healthy though, so you do have to consider aggravating the illnesses of old cats.

Good luck. It is great that you’ve taken care of so many old and decrepit kitties. Old cats are great, except my one grumpy one.[/QUOTE]

Is OP taking her furniture though? Or will it be starting over with new (at least to the cats) stuff to avoid the cost of moving the exsisting stuff 1200 miles? Plus that’s not a short drive…tough call here. Depends on each individual cats health and tolerance for change and, though not pleasant to think about, financial ability to deal with emergency care or additional deterioration due to the stress of the move. OP shares they did not handle that well 2 years ago.

Rock and a hard place here. So sorry.

[scheherazadetbmare]

Death is permanent and irreversible.
I’d move the kitties, driving them in an suv (rent one if you don’t have one) their carriers in their beds with their own blankets, and see if they adjust in a new home.
If you put them down before moving, OP, you’ll never know if they could have lived more years. Are you going back to where you used to live? I’d take the chance by moving them, knowing that if they get sicker when I moved them that I could have the vet put them down in their new home.
If you want to put them down now, do it. I’d not ask others to make the decision for me. You’ve kept them for years, and it’s your decision. You know best how the kitties feel and how well you can cope with moving them.

[Simkie]

Oh man, guys. I haven’t even been able to open this forum for the last couple days because this is SUCH a hard topic.

No, we’re not going back. It was CO to MN two years ago, and now to CT. The move two years ago was shorter and less logistically complicated and it was HARD on all of the cats, which is why I’m asking these questions now I probably should not have moved Juliet at all, but I didn’t realize how the stress would impact her (and the others), and I 100% believe that her life would have been longer if we’d stayed in CO. I think the move really hastened her decline.

I’ve been chatting back and forth with my vet about all of this, too. We’re in agreement on Liz. Just no. Not fair. Her lifespan is limited anyway with the cancer in her mouth and the vet agrees that moving her 1200 miles to put her down within the year isn’t a good option. So we will be putting her down here.

Puck and Portia went in today. Puck is officially hyperthyroid now, so she’s starting on the methimazole for that and we will recheck in 14 days and see how she is. Decision punted to later If she stops losing weight and continues eating well, yay!! At least we have a reason for her weight loss and there is a path forward.

Portia’s bloodwork is beautiful, although the slightly dilute urine and low potassium is PERHAPS suggestive of very early renal disease. Not enough to really account for her inappetance. We discussed swapping foods (SO HARD with her IBD and protein sensitivities) and the possibility of intestinal lymphoma. We’re doing a steroid trial and will reassess.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. This is just SO HARD.

[Marshfield]

You’ve made what is a very reasonable decision for Liz and have some answers for Puck. I would be inclined to let Portia go when you let Liz go. IMHO as a veterinarian, I do think it is likely that the IBD had progressed to lymphoma. If she’s already inconsistent with eating, that’s likely to nosedive further with travel

[vxf111]

Radiocat as a possibility for Puck? Total 100% cure. I am so glad I did it for Crosby and wish I would have known it was an option when I had Cyrus (I got him and he already had been diagnosed and was doing well on the meds and no one ever told me there was an alternative). That might solve your problem with at least 1 cat, and solve it entirely.

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8833617]
This is an impossible situation and of course you’re the one who has to make a decision.

For me (and it’s ok if your tolerances differ) I would say that cats whose veterinary conditions seem to be “under control” even if not ideal (i.e. would like more weight on her but she’s getting around comfortably and doing ok) I would bring. Cats that are already clearly going downhill and/or have a limited span ahead AND hate change I would euthanize before I moved.

I don’t think moving, in the abstract, SHOULD be that hard on cats. I’ve done it many times. But you know your cats better than we do. If moving is going to send one of these into a tailspin and they’re already borderline… I wouldn’t push it. If they’re NOT borderline and it’ll be at most a minor setback for a cat who is otherwise chugging along if not perfect, I’d take the cat.

Liz seems like a clear cut case. Portia sounds like she’d probably tolerate the move ok. Skinny but still eating. Well, that might just be how she is. Puck seems like a more difficult call. Massive weight loss AND doesn’t tolerate change well.[/QUOTE]

I agree with all of this. Liz is about the only one I would be on the fence with. For your thin girls, try Iams Veterinary Formula Max Calorie. I get it from The Chewy.com. 330 calories a 6oz can. Supposedly palatable according to the reviews. My kitty Pooter had IBD, hyperthyroid and steadily lost weight due to picky eating but lived happy until 21.

[Louise]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8837843]
Radiocat as a possibility for Puck? Total 100% cure. I am so glad I did it for Crosby and wish I would have known it was an option when I had Cyrus (I got him and he already had been diagnosed and was doing well on the meds and no one ever told me there was an alternative). That might solve your problem with at least 1 cat, and solve it entirely.[/QUOTE]

Such a hard decision. I really feel for you, having to make it. I do agree that you might want to look into the radiation treatment for Puck. It worked perfectly for my cat, and gave her several more years of quality living.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=Louise;8840451]
Such a hard decision. I really feel for you, having to make it. I do agree that you might want to look into the radiation treatment for Puck. It worked perfectly for my cat, and gave her several more years of quality living.[/QUOTE]

How many times in medicine do you get a 100% complete, non-invasive cure? Not too often. Radioactive Iodine is a genuine miracle cure.