Verge: Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat

[LiberalArkie]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/23/8069825/everything-i-know-about-a-good-death-i-learned-from-my-cat


My cat has been dying for the last two years. It is normal to me now — it is simply the state of affairs. There's a rhythm to her medication: prednisone and urosodiol in the morning, urosodiol again in the evening, chemo every other day, a vitamin B shot once a week. And now, toward the end, painkillers. Over these last two years, I've come to suspect that my cat has gotten better, more comprehensive planning around her eventual death than most people do.

Dorothy Parker — Dottie, to her friends — is a cat I adopted in Brooklyn from a local vet; she made the cross-country hop with me to Oakland with minimal fuss. Her attitude, most of the time, is that of a 14-year-old Marxist in a Che Guevara T-shirt. One of her favorite moods is murder. She likes cuddling, hates strangers, and goes crazy for ice cream. She steals cheese. I live with a tiny, vicious alien, and I love her.

When Dottie was first diagnosed with leukemia in January 2013, I panicked. But my vet helped me through it; we had to have a conversation about cost of care versus benefit of care. We kept diagnostic tests to a minimum, in part because they’re costly, but also to spare her trauma — she hates the vet and has to be sedated to be examined. Usually, she shits herself in her carrier on the way there, out of what I presume is terror.
We were lucky; she had an indolent leukemia — a slow-growing blood cancer. It responded well first to prednisone, then to chemotherapy when the prednisone alone was no longer enough. She’s clawed out two years; I’d like longer, but that’s not in the cards.

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[procon]

1. Poor kitty, but know that you did good by her. You'll take comfort in that forever. nt

[djean111]

2. And what a fine person she shares her life with!

I feel this way about my cats = "I live with a tiny, vicious alien, and I love her. ". Perfectly stated.
Wishing you both the best possible.

[spinbaby]

3. We have a dying cat, too

He had surgery to remove the tumor once. After a discussion with our vet, we decided not to go for a second surgery when the tumor returned, but rather just keep him on prednisone for the best quality of life in the time he has left. No chemo because it's minimally effective for his kind of tumor. So far, he seems to feel okay and we give him plenty if kitty cuddles. When the time comes, we'll know.

[RiverLover]

4. Really great writing. Thanks for sharing this bitter sweet article. nt