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We've looked after Ted for just over four years. He kind of adopted us and we've fed him and looked after him ever since. Even getting him a house in the garden. He is a proper outdoor cat though. He'll come into the kitchen for five minutes while we put his food out but then he's off.
Ten days ago we took him to the vet with what we thought was conjunctivitis. It turned out it was a corneal ulcer so we treated it with prescribed med's. It seemed to be improving and then it seemed to deteriorate. Cutting to the chase, we were told this morning that the eye must be removed.
This will cost the best part of £1k and will require him to remain indoors for ten days until the wound heals.
Ted is about 10 years old.
We're in turmoil so are turning to STW for some practical and objective advice.
The money - well we can scrape it together with a few sales of hobby stuff.
The rehab will be extremely difficult given he's an outdoor cat and we already have Button an indoor cat.
What will his quality of life be after having an eye removed? Will he be safe outside?
My question boils down to this: operation or euthanasia.
Thanks
[mod edit: bumped this link up into the OP]
euthanasia
Friend's cat had an eye removed with no issue, but it was more of a house cat. If he spends that much time outside- how many scrapes does he get into and would this hold him back. At his age which is a bit of a guess if he was feral previously this might be the start of further issues.
Our cat had been wild when he appeared at our friends (taking their 2 cat's food). They didn't want a 3rd and no signs of anyone missing a cat (he wasn't tagged or neutered) so we took him in. They live near us (he still pops over to say hello and nick food) - we kept him in for c3-4 days so he knew this was home. He didn't like it at all having been a free agent.
What are the consequences of not having it done?
What are the consequences of not having it done?
Well in the short term, continued pain. Then I guess infection and possibly sepsis and...
The eye is ruptured.
Operation
We had Charlies left eye removed about 2 1/5 yrs ago (he is now 16/17) and he has been absolutely fine. Yeah he fell off the work top a couple of times and took a few days to adjust whilst inside. But since then he's not had any other issues at all. As for quality of life. I don't see (pardon the pun) that his has changed. He still goes out all the time as he too is an outdoor cat, coming in for food and now and again into the garage to sleep. Obviously not a big fan of staying in for the rehab, but it was what it was.
We had ours done on the Insurance and think it was about £800 - £900.
From memory it was the lens that seemed to have become detached and was pressing on the Iris or some chamber. It also looked like conjunctivitis, but a specialist scan revealed otherwise.
Ten days does not seem like a very long time for an ulcer to heal. I’d consider getting a second opinion on whether it’s worth persevering with meds.
Otherwise I’m afraid I’d be with hols2, but ultimately only you can make that judgement.
You can't rehab him properly unless you literally confine him to a room in the house, which will be bedlam with a cat like that. You can barely afford 1K, by the sounds of it. This is a 10-year-old semi-feral cat who may/may not be at a big disadvantage in his territory post-op. Average lifespan of a feral cat is not much more than that.
Tough decision, but I think I know what I would do in your position.
I like cats but wouldn't spend £1k that I could barely afford on a stray. Is there a local cat/animal charity that can help? Facebook/Just giving campaign? (although I really hate that kind of thing personally!)
At that age he has a good few years left in him. Putting him down would be a terrible thing to do.
Set up a JustGiving page, I will put in some money.
Been scanned for a chip? Cats protection or rspca I would suggest. Its not really your cat to make that decision.
Euthanasia on a 10 year old cat that is otherwise in fine health seems to me somewhat cruel. I’ll put some into your just giving page
I didn't think about a charity approach. I'm humbled already.I'll get working on it. Thank you.
@daveylad - he's been declared unchipped by the vet. By default after four years I think he now falls under our responsibility.
Is there a PDSA near you who you could take him to? They often work out cheaper through being semi-charitable and treating the pets of the hard up who are paying themselves.
My dog had his eye taken out about 4 years ago and it doesnt bother him, he's 14 and still going strong
Give him a chance. I'll donate.
If he's managed a few weeks with one good eye, one bad eye and I assume excruciating pain, he'll be fine with just the one good eye.
One of my cats has no eyes. Colin had one removed after several botched attempts by a local vet at scraping the ulcer off. He fessed up after the last of several attempts that he might end up puncturing his eye that he should have gone to the veterinary ophthalmologist as a first option. The cat ophthalmologist agreed & the treatment options were very limited. Unfortunately it didn't heal & the first eye was removed. He made a full recovery & was no worse off apart from the scar that was left. His remaining eye followed a year later. So now completely blind.
He's lived in this house all his life & knows his way around. He's got excellent quality of life otherwise & is still the same lovely wee animal he was before. Still trudges round the garden, climbs up on things and gets completely lost.
I don't know if a 2nd opinion would help you or not but he'll adapt and will probably be completely ok. You have my fullest sympathy as it can be very distressing.
Also - you might be surprised how much less ferral he becomes when he has to stay inside after surgery. Aside from the drugs keeping keeping him woozey cats are very cynical survivors!
he’s been declared unchipped by the vet. By default after four years I think he now falls under our responsibility.
Hopefully castrated also. Yes he is your cat now then. PDSA or something like that may help? Good luck and thank you for caring.
I've seen loads of places that do this
I was about to buy something i really don't need so i removed it from the shopping basket and gave it to Teddy Oneeye.
At that age he has a good few years left in him. Putting him down would be a terrible thing to do.
Set up a JustGiving page, I will put in some money.
+1
He'll survive 10 days shut in a bedroom, he'll make a huge fuss then just go to sleep for most of it.
As for living with only one eye, he'll adapt and I doubt it will make much difference to his quality of life.
Welders gloves and a spoon?
Donated. Love cats :o)
One eyed cats are badass
Ted = official STW cat
We had to keep one of ours inside for 3 weeks last December and feed him every 2 hours via an oesophageal feeding tube, which he absolutely hated. The process generally involved me firing liquidised cat food over the carpet, sofa, bed, the cat, myself etc. Whole place stank as a result. Anyway, all back to normal now...
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50065294252_d62399f1d8.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50065294252_d62399f1d8.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jh6HJu ]Bertie and his oesophageal feeding tube[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50065294242_65c6d8a68e.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50065294242_65c6d8a68e.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jh6HJj ]Liquidised cat foot for oesophageal feeding tube[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
Ingress of dust!
Flabbergasted by your generosity folks. Really we are.
Ted is more than happy to be STW cat!
What will his quality of life be after having an eye removed? Will he be safe outside?
That's a question for the vet I'd have thought. I was in a similar situation a few years ago, I asked "if we do all this will he be OK?" to which the vet replied "no, he'll still be a very sick cat." At which point the question then became "who are we doing this for then, exactly?"
My question boils down to this: operation or euthanasia.
Objectively (ie, head rather than heart) this hinges on the above. How will he fare afterwards?
I'd hazard that he'll be fine after a bit of adjustment and 10 is really no age for a cat, they can live to be twice that. Our current kitty lost a leg when very young, she was traumatised for a while but now it's like living with Yoda - she hobbles around like an old man until she decides to run and then she's faster than greased squirrel shit.
I've bunged you a couple of quid, if you take the nuclear option I want it back.
One eyed cats are badass
Mate, that's not his eye.
The process generally involved me firing liquidised cat food over the carpet
Catapulting?
I feel your pain, I had to give Mollie antibiotics recently (there's a thread elsewhere on STW). I'd rather juggle chainsaws than do that again.
I've dropped a little in the tin for him.
Not really a fan of cats but don't like the idea of one suffering.
I love cats, so Ive donated a little bit. Hope we will get to see him looking like a badass
Of course we'll keep you informed.
Thank you STWers.
oops
Dropped some funds in to the pot, kids and the cats wish Ted all the best of luck
G
euthanasia
Another vote for this. There are far more worthy causes out there.
Operation.
Do what we can. Too big a debate and too emotional. Only to say, is this what you'd want your family to do for you.
Our family have always had a cat. On a main road we've been through a few, starting with a huge ginger tom that we first saw silhouetted in the porch door on xmas eve, origin unknown, but became the cat of the house for the next 12 years till an overtaking car got him. All his experience of the road and he was caught out by some ****er overtaking on a suburban road. We called him Jasper , god alone knows why.
Next up was Suzi and Mindy.
Suzi was timid and lived pretty much inside all the time, that played a part in deteriorating health. Mindy was outdoor as outdoor gets and we even saw here bypassing the road by walking over the railway bridge.
She while walking on a fence fell and was impaled on one of the spikes, but made it home to safety and survived a number of operations including an open chest surgery to clean up the damage made by the spike. Not the most affectionate of cats, and more likely to scratch and bite you as well as be friendly, but she knew to come back. Survived another 8 years and in that time lost half an ear and a tail.
Unfortunately lost on the road.
Next max. Mum's alone by now and the cat a 2nd son to her(A first I sometimes wonder), but unfortunately Max didnt survive the road, and we only had him 2 years. She's reluctant to let them out, knowing the dangers and knowing young cats arent experienced enough to know the dangers, but she hates them sitting at the door, desperate to go out to explore this big new world. What can you do eh ?. Its a huge garden, but across the road must look so inviting.
No cat for a while and she is now in mid 70's
Then she receives a kitten from a neighbour, who seemingly bought them on gumtree and their heath was poor to begin with.
It was the runt of the litter and not expected to survive. Mum fed that cat a hell of a lot of chicken. More chicken than an Olympian and as a result it grew to gigantic cat proportions, but not fat.
The original breeders tried to cross a rag doll and tabby and what the result hadnt worked, hence the early problems.
After 2 years he was forced to let him out, as she's old and a constantly meowing cat is not good for her health and we all agreed and if the worst happened we'd try not to get as upset.
The ragdoll breeding left the cat will little sense of danger and the first big incident after falling as a kitten off a high table sometime during the night and breaking a rear leg, requiring the ball end of it to be amputated, still got the leg, runs funny but doesnt let that stop him.
But at some point he's come into contact with a big dog, and judging from the injuries sustained had him entirely in its jaws across the back. Massive nerve damage according to the vet and to this day the entire area is devoid of fur. His tail died as a result of the injuries.
She doesnt know where exactly this took p[lace, but it was in someones garden and he was covered in oily water, probably from the owner throwing a bucket of whatever over the dog to release him.
Theres not really a dog within 3oom, and thats one hell of a journey to make it back.
My Mother also feels we owe them a responsibility, and despite her age nursed him back to health. Vets at 8am drive, up at any time of the night.
The bottom line is each time the injured cats, as near feral as they are knew to come home to get help. You cannot deny them that.
My own story of cats is being given one by a friends sister while she went to uni. Not a loan, and adopting.
Working at that time in the meat trade the scraps were plentiful and i fed him his hearts desire, cooked ham chicken etc, but the reality of my restricted diet caused him internal blockages in the bowel.
At the end he kept coming to me and meowing as if to play but i selfishly pushed him away. By the time i realized there was a problem it was too late to make a difference though I insisted and put him through an operation the vet said was unlikely to make a difference, but it was a chance, it cost £1800, and that was 10 years ago.
I did it because i didnt see the problem at first and felt a responsibility to do whatever it took, **** the cost. It was my fault and had i acted sooner he'd have survived easily.
I've not had a cat since as i dont think im fit to be attentive to their needs and to treat them as another member of the family, albeit one who cannot speak. I do love the little furry bundles of craws and teeth. The rude house guest. But it takes responsibility.
Actually, I wouldnt instill that in the family. "Yeah, pull the plug, it would have been what dad/gramps/uncle.. would have wanted" 😆
Having been through an expensive and stressful ordeal with one of our cats who had his leg amputated, I've chipped in to help. As others have said, it's amazing how they adapt. I hope it goes well for him. Keep us updated!
Welders gloves and a spoon?
Has Al moved onto veterinary surgery now?
Chipped in
I had a cat that got caught in a snare when she was about 18 months she managed to free her self after being missing for about 3 days. the snare was round her head and she lost an eye.
It didn't make any difference to her, she adjusted and spent the next 17 years decimating the local rabbit population.
I won't say what happened to the **** that set the snares.
One of our cats spent 6 weeks or so with her eye stitched shut after it came out of its socket. I was genuinely astounded at how little it seemed to bother her. She healed fine in the end, but behaved basically as normal during the time it was shut.
Our cat cost a bit to sort out a kidney problem, but at the end of the day he is a part of the family and was worth the money (i never thought that before though, i just thought you purr for food)!
I didn't think my first post world be about a one eyed pussy, and how it got saved by crowd funding 🐈, only £10 to go!
If it's desperate to be outside afterwards, my girlfriend takes her cat outside once per day on a lead and harness. At first i thought it was ridiculous, but since he's accident prone and has already been run over once before and had its tail removed, this was the best solution to stop him having to stay indoors all day every day.
He loves wearing it, might be worth a thought for the rehabilitation part as you can be in control of it outside.
It's just a cat. You can have one of ours for nothing if you want. You can always give the £1k to the local pet rescue if you feel guilty about it.
Our cats have donated their dreamies for the next couple of weeks to help 🙂
bad news fella, you’ve just been outvoted 😀
hols2
Membereuthanasia
Small donation made. Cats are great. If it was 15,16,17 years old perhaps not but an otherwise healthy 10 year old cat has another 10 years with a bit of luck.
We had a dog that lost an eye at 3 years old. Lived happily to 15.
I think it’s easier for dogs as they’re not as independent. When I’m walking our dog we quite often meet a dog that’s had both eyes removed. He can follow his owner & brother no problem, even walking around objects on the track.
Our cat (the eponymous Hamish, who is alas, no more) had this op when he was about 15, recovered fine and lived well for another 2.5 years. He was an outdoor/indoor cat and we had to keep him in for a couple of weeks and then all was fine. Was about 3.5 years ago. I think the OP needs a different vet though as it cost us less than £300. Maybe rural Devon is just cheap for vets.
Chipped in too. Cats are great.
When I’m walking our dog we quite often meet a dog that’s had both eyes removed.
Please tell me its owner is a Guide.
Good on you. Chipped in. And good luck Ted.
There’s another tenner for Ted. Good luck
Good work chap. Just put a little in, in honour of our first rescue Bilbo who himself had to have an eye removed. It didn't stop him or hinder him at all.
Donated
I just checked the page, we have saved Ted! To all the "it's just a cat" people I am sorry but you are wrong. Pets are members of our family, well mine is. I hope he lives a happy life with you. Well done singletrack world another small victory for a caring society.
Give the wee man a chance. I’ll donate too.
Good luck Ted; and well done STW.
I first had a cat when I was 12. She was integral to my life, part of the family, from that age until I passed 30. Think about that for a moment: she was my pet and companion from aged 12 into my 30s.
At the end of her tenure I had to make That Decision on an eighteen year old kitty due to her rapidly declining health and she died in my arms following a lethal injection that I'd commissioned. It was the right thing to do but was the hardest thing I've ever done and I wailed "what have I done?!" as soon as it'd happened. Over the years since, I've shed more tears over my little Brandy than over any human. I'm tearing up typing this now.
To all the “it’s just a cat” people I am sorry but you are wrong.
I'd challenge anyone to say "it's just a cat" to my face rather than via the medium of hammering keys on an Internet forum. Not to be threatening but rather just to see if anyone actually had the stones and catastrophic lack of empathy to say it in person.
I like cats, but most feral cats have miserable lives and die horribly after a few years. They don't live to be 15 or 20 years old like indoor cats. Spending 1K that you can't really afford on a 10-year old feral cat is objectively not a smart move. That 1K would do much more good for cats if it was spent on neutering strays so that more kittens don't starve. Of course, people don't make cold, objective decisions, that's fine, but the OP was asking for advice and the objectively best thing to do if you like cats is to euthanize that one and spend the money helping other cats.
If it's relevant, I have a couple of young cats that were rescued as stray kittens. The woman who rescued them has been trying to catch the mother, but shes' too canny and they can't catch her, so every few months they have another litter to try and place. That's the ones they can get to in time, most of them starve to death before they can catch them. I know I'm going to outrage everyone, but having that mother cat executed would be doing a favour to all her kittens that keep dying a horrible death due to starvation.
Well. The target has been smashed. Ickle Ted will be booked in for the operation.
We have been stunned by the generosity demonstrated by the good folk of STW. Honestly, I was expecting £100 at the most. This morning the total has exceeded £700 and we're totally
flibberpoopledibbed (<made that one up).
Thank you so, so much for all your words of support and your incredibly generous donations towards Ted's treatment.
We will keep you informed of his progress.
N&M
GWS, Ted.
Donated
Just stuck something in the kitty too.
<RSPCA enters chat>
OP- sorry to hear about Ted's woes, and that the meds etc haven't worked. Our pug had a corneal ulcer, from insufficient teardrop production; she then ran into a protruding door hinge and ruptured the eyeball(!!). In hindsight it was all fairly horrendous, but at the time we just kinda pulled through; she refused to open her eyelid in the immediate aftermath, so at least some eyeball integrity was retained. And we're bloody-minded enough that we refused to allow the vet to remove her eye though, and kept at 3 times a day with plasma and 2-3 types of meds, and now her eyeball's in pretty good shape.
Appreciating that cats are different (more difficult to administer meds to, for starters):
- I'd talk to the vet more. Why does the eye "need" to be removed? What would be needed in order to keep it? Corneal ulcers do heal with suitable medication, patience etc - how practical is that in this case?
- if the eye has to be removed, Ted will in the long-term adjust and be OK. His distance perception may be reduced, but they're amazingly versatile and adaptable animals. I'd be more concerned about the short term, like the immediate 1-3 months after surgery. He'll need a lot of care, which may be difficult with him being an outdoor cat.
Donated as know how much pets mean to people - a few years ago we had 2 male cats who were brothers and not insured, one had an over-active thyroid and was losing weight rapidly and the medication (about £90 a month and very difficult to administer the pills orally) wasn't working so after about a year so we opted for radiotherapy thyroid op which meant he was away for about 4 weeks, successfully cured him and he lasted another 5 years, cost around £2k. Soon after his return we discovered his brother had same thyroid issue and was also diagnosed as having Feline HIV (expected to have been picked up from fighting as was neutered) so rather than waste time on meds he had the op too, and lived another 4 years. We were fortunate to have the £5k in savings, but was worth every penny. The replacement cats we got are insured although reading the t&cs it doesn't actually cover much if they had similar thyroid issues.
Just stuck something in the kitty too.
Bet he didn't see that coming.
We have a one eyed HH who visits the garden....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/49875132368/in/photostream
Has Al moved onto veterinary surgery now?
It wasn't a spoon 🧐
That should be the title of your memoirs!
but most feral cats have miserable lives and die horribly after a few years. They don’t live to be 15 or 20 years old like indoor cats
But Ted isn't like most ferals. As per our ex feral Eddy, they've adopted a human/food slave to give them food and a shelter.
Hard as nails are cats. Our old cat can't see and has arthritis, but she's still pottering around the garden and house. In the last week she's managed to somehow scramble up the conservatory to get out the window, and into our 'cat run' - (the other 4 cats are indoor - 3 pedigrees and a rescue with cat flu), and then somehow negotiate the various climbing platforms to get into it (there are big gaps between the platforms).
Do you still need donations? Happy to put some money in if you do
Can someone supply a link to the page and I'll throw in some 'recovery treats and toys' money.
I copied it into the OP.
Payment for recovery sweets and toys made. 😀
Donated, hope he makes a quick recovery!
So,, how's Ted?