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My 14-year-old cat has multi-organ failure. What are her options?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 13 years and 6 months old | 12 lbs

We got some results back from a trip to the emergency vet for fast shallow breathing of our 14 year old cat. I am hoping to get some clarification on what it means for her and how we should plan. The bedside manner was really terrible and they weren't helpful with our questions. We understand that this is the beginning of the end, but how long? Are the interventions such that she can be comfortable if we take steps to prolong things? Should we be focused on treatment or palative care?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 31st, 2017

I am sorry you didn't have much useful explanation of your pets condition. These results are indeed unfavorable. So your pet Amelle has congestive heart failure, kidney insufficiency (the kidney isn't functioning properly) and liver enlargement (a sequela of the heart failure). So when a pet goes into heart failure that means that there is a defect in the heart that has overcome what the heart can correct for. The heart is unable to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body, leaving fluid to build up in the lungs and also to lead to congestion in the liver. The pet will also have a low blood pressure, because again the heart can't pump effectively, leading to poor perfusion through the kidneys and subsequent kidney dysfunction as well. SO basically your pet Amelle has heart failure and multi-organ failures occurring as a result of the heart. You can try heart medication and diuretics, along with fluid therapy for few days to help the kidneys hopefully return to normal function. The fact that the CREA and PHOS levels are normal means the kidneys have a chance to correct themselves if they get proper perfusion. The liver congestion should improve if the heart improves, however the medications can only do so much to help manage heart failure. We will essentially be buying Amelle more time with an incurable disease process. That is why we call this type of treatment, heart failure management and not cure. It is worth a shot, especially if she is eating well and still has a will to survive. I wish you all the best in getting Amelle to a more stable state. Best wishes moving forward with her care. Take care.
Here is a website link on heart failure meds for more information. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A
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