It's so hard trying to figure out what to do with our sickly kitty. He is in kidney failure. We are giving him subq fluids and pills twice a day. He doesn't really want to be petted or picked up--just to be left alone. He is growing incontinent and barely eats. However, he seems comfortable and in no pain. He basically stays in one place all day and dozes.

We want to make the decision that is best for him, not for our convenience or because it makes us sad to see him decline. But it's so hard.

That is hard, Scrappy. Poor kitty. I'm glad to hear he's comfortable, though in a way it makes the decision making harder.

Scrappy, in your shoes I would have a serious talk with the cat, asking what he wants, and asking that he give a clear sign. I know Harvey would try to hang on until we were ready to let him go, which in so many ways will never happen. So we would have to find some eay to communicate that it is ok for him to go. But every cat is different, and no two animal/human relationships are the same.

My line for the kitties has been - are they eating.If special foods make him eat - ok. but if he really isn't into food, it might be time .

but it is very hard

There are very conservative annual and lifetime limits on the amount of exposure people working with radioactive materials are allowed to receive. On the unlikely event he reaches his yearly limit, he'll be pulled out of there and not allowed to work anywhere he could be exposed.

Thanks Ginger, that's very reassuring.

I'm so grateful I never had to make that decision, our cats have expired on their own, at home where they were comfortable. But I knew on Koogie's last night that it was time, that I would need to make a phone call when morning came.

Feline Quality of Life scale: [link]

Linking here because I'm going to need to consult it myself sooner or later.

I'm sorry Scrappy, that's hard. Has he always been a "please don't pet me" kind of cat? Or is that new?

He's always been a Lovey. Never a lap he doesn't want to be on. He purrs if you just look at him, let alone petting him. His favorite spot was on your chest, staring into your eyes and often reaching out one paw to touch your face. He slept on my pillow, wrapped around my head, every night. Now he's almost stopped purring and doesn't want to be petted at all. He was a big one for licking hands and faces and that's also stopped altogether. Poor guy.

Do you think it might hurt when he's petted? Is he very thin?

I'm sorry.