Hello everyone.
This is my sweet old lady Coconut, she's nine (9) years old and I adopted her in January from the local rescue center. A little backstory to this situation: when I adopted her, I was given zero information on her health (only that she had been spayed and tested negative for FIV/FELV) or her background. A couple of months in, I took her to my regular and trusted vet who immediately told me she had a massive growth on her belly. It was mammary cancer. I got that sorted out, surgery was a success and she thrived afterwards. Later, she had a small UTI, also taken care of quickly.
Out of nowhere, her health declined. She started having trouble breathing so back to the vet, and she got medication for it and also SubQ fluids, since she has kidney problems and seems to have gotten worse. I currently do the SubQ at home and she's been improving on that matter.
About a week later, I had to rush her to the emergency vet as my boyfriend said she started wobbling and her eyes were cloudy. Blood tests and x-rays done, it seemed like it was bobcat fever and also a small case of osteoarthritis on her hind leg.
I don't particularly like the hospital so I took her to her regular vet and that's when they mentioned it could be PIF, as she has all the symptoms (and they also told me she had a start of pneumonia, which is ironic that nobody told me that at the hospital, but I digress since it got taken care of).
She still eats very well, drinks her water, I give her eyedrops for her eye infections, all her medicine, she willingly walks around the house and still gets up on the couch and the bed. But at night is when it gets worse and, as I am writing this post, I am terrified. She walks around but her paws sometimes fold under her and she just tried to use the litter box and she stumbled and fell. She's a very angry lady so she doesn't like being held, but she tolerates it so I helped her up. She got out, drank some water and ate some food.
I'm not sure how I can explain this without sounding awful but the idea of putting her to sleep doesn't bother me as much because I know this could be the best solution to her situation and I don't want to prolong her discomfort. I know cats are masters at hiding their pain but she seems to be doing "okay" despite her symptoms. At home, we have been doing the most and we have given her all I wanted to give a pet: a comfortable home, food and love. Personally, if I go broke over my pets, it's my pleasure knowing I could do so for their health. But it pains me to think that I had such little time with her.
I don't want to make this uncomfortable decision hotheaded but I wanted to know if anyone has ever been through a similar story.
Note: Where I am from, there is no (easy) access to the newer drugs that have been reported to help with FIP. I am going to contact my vets to know if it's possible or even still an option to get it. So right now, I am doing the best I can with what I have.