Thanks, Jesse. Sammie has always been so healthy. Fourteen years, and in all this time, aside from the routine annual stuff, occassional dental cleanings, and kitten stuff like earmites, deworming, and spay, this was only her second time needing to go to the vet. About eight years ago she had another urinary tract infection. And since being treated with the antibiotic this time, her energy level bounced right back.

Well that's no fun, Dana.

Poor Sammie. I'm kind of with Jesse on how to proceed.

WindSparrow - another question for the vet would be how traumatic would the treatment be for Sammie. Even when I had the money there have been times when I just wouldn't put a frail cat through a rough regimen. Good luck to both you and Sammie.

WindSparrow, if I couldn't afford curative treatment, I'd only spend the money if the diagnosis affected the efficacy of the palliative treatment. If either way it's pain pills and hydration, then there it is. I'm sorry you and Sammy have to go through this.

I just had to go on the hunt for Miss Kitty. She normally is downstairs while I work, competing with Jack for attention. When she is missing, it usually means she slipped out the back door when Jack goes outside but she wasn't out there. I did find her on my bed upstairs.

She has arthritis in her hips, legs, and possibly lower spine. She still struggles to keep her food down but now it is only once or twice a week I find that she threw up. I've tried giving her wet food - different types - and she turns up her nose. Same with some human food that is ok for cats. Though, she would eat her weight in cheese given the chance.

But I worry about her. Every day I worry that it will be THE DAY I need to make the decision to say goodbye.

Every day I worry that it will be THE DAY I need to make the decision to say goodbye.

Kato has seemed a lot more...elderly since we got back from vacation. He does okay -- he eats all his food almost every day, and he walks around fine, but he's very slow, and he does struggle to get up from lying down, and he seems to be having some cognitive decline. After losing Toke unexpectedly, I can't bear the thought of losing either Kato or Slinky, but I think at least one of them won't make it to 2017. Maybe both.

I've always been grateful that Koogie was able to slip quietly away while snuggled next to me.

I've always wished the pets would pass peacefully so we don't have to make that decision, like we did with Chloe the dalmatian. But Toke was traumatic, because I just didn't expect it. At all. I still miss her so much.

With Kato and Slinky (especially ancient Highlander kitty Slinky), we've been kind of braced for it, so it won't be the shock that it was with Toke, but it's still going to hurt so much.

I've never had to handle that decision before. With past pets, my mom was the one who took them for that final vet visit. I would have taken our dog Honey, but there were extenuating circumstances and she was available and willing.