The same symptoms happened to my 80-year-old mother. We took her to the ER, where at first they couldn't find anything particularly wrong other than her usual old-lady complaints. It turned out to be a UTI. UTIs cause all kinds of symptoms in the elderly that are different from what happens to younger people. She's fine now, after a course of antibiotics -- or as fine as she ever gets. Her appetite has returned, and digestion is okay. Hospice would have been premature for her.

I am so sorry that your old girl is having such problems. Unfortunately, it does sound like she is very near to the end. Her combination of diagnoses is very difficult, because strategies used to treat one issue can make another issue worse. For instance, the cornerstone of management for kidney disease is keeping the cat well hydrated with fluids. However, supplemental fluids can be very dangerous for a cat in congestive heart failure. Also, the Lasix that is being used to treat the congestive heart failure can also be very hard on the kidneys. So the treatments your cat is receiving have the potential to do both good and harm to your cat's overall condition. When a cat reaches the point where several major body systems are failing, as is the case with your girl, sometimes medicine ends up doing more harm than good. Both anemia and kidney disease can cause a cat to lose her appetite. Anemia may be temporarily treatable, but kidney disease is progressive, as is congestive heart failure. If your girl is only walking a little and sleeping most of the time, the anemia and heart failure have probably weakened her substantially. Not eating is weakening her further. You could try bringing her home and assist feeding her (feeding her by mouth with a needleless syringe or eyedropper), but that wouldn't do anything to cure her underlying illnesses. I am so sorry that you are in this position. I, too, have a cat in the last stage of life who I will need to be helping to pass on very soon. In fact, he's lying on the chair next to me, sleeping peacefully, but losing ground quickly. I, too, dread making that final decision, but I know it is my last responsibility to him. Imminent heartbreak is never an easy thing to accept. Laurie

Spanish, I am so glad you got to the bottom of your issues. You are the perfect example of why we all need to be our own advocates. Mistakes are made. A CVS made an error on one of my DD's prescription when she was very young. That is when I started using my local family run pharmacy exclusively. But still, we need to check everything. The local pharmacy is also a compounding center. Handmade specific meds for the individual can be so very important. Do not get stressed out about exercising. Your priority is your physical well being first. I think that walking would be the best exercise for you at this point. Keep us posted!

Long ago, there used to be an idea that it was unhealthy to have plants and flowers in your room at night. In hospitals, nurses would have to take flowers out of patient rooms at night. You can sometimes notice this in old books and movies. This was based on the actually true fact that plants respire and use oxygen, while they are not producing oxygen at night - however, the amount they use is tiny, so it was a giant misconception that plant respiration possibly lower the oxygen concentration in a room. Perhaps your mom is remembering being told something like this by her elders.