our cat was just over 20 years old, seemed to weigh all of 3 pounds these last few months. Had a good life.

Was on occasion missing the litter box with the feces, less often with the urine. But seemed to be mentally all there.

Also, this cat, in her 20 years, rarely meowed. So when she made a noise, it meant that she was somewhere where she couldn't find her "daddy" (me), or "trapped" (occasional trips into attached garage).

So, 1am on a Saturday morning, I woke to the sounds of her crying. I found her behind a piece of furniture (not unusual) lying like she was tangled in an electrical cord. I picked her up, and she couldn't move; panting heavily. No more sounds out of her.

I held her until her breathing relaxed, and she finally got the strength to stand and walk on her own.

I went to get dressed to take her to the 24-hour vet (to be euthanized), because I couldn't stand to see her go through another (what I believed was) seizure. Mrs. ZBDent insisted that she come with me, but due to physical limitations, it would be a while before Mrs. ZBD would be ready to go. She suggested I wait until morning.

(I found out later that Mrs. ZBD was hoping that the cat would pass in the night).

In the morning, I found the cat walking in straight lines until she sensed she was about to run into something. Mrs. said "Hold her! She's probably looking for her Daddy." I held her, and she stopped trying to resist.

We took her that morning, and prevented her from having another seizure. I still think I see her around the house, even though I know she's gone.

My point ...

Do not give up on her yet. She probably is still okay, still loves you. Yes, there might be something wrong with her, but it's hard to tell (unless you have some tests done).

She might have a few years left, as long as she seems mentally there.

Good luck ... I feel your concern (literally).

She's still mentally there- knows to avoid the male cat in the house (he's literally been trying to kill her since my man and I combined households in 2005), pops the "little" one if she gets too rambunctious, knows when Daddy comes home and comes out to greet him. I guess I'm just being hyper alert because of her age and appearance. You're right- I think she's got a year or two left. And she's a fighter- bitchiest cat I've ever met.
And sorry to hear about your kitty....

His fur seems to be all spikey. He's much thinner. He's hidden away for a few days from time to time. But he just keeps on keepin' on. They've been on "death watch" for maybe 18 months, now, but the cat just defies all appearances. He still even chases the dog from time to time.

I can't imagine judging "that time" based only on appearances, particularly with cats. The nine lives legend has to have some basis in fact!

she probably wants to live. I had a skinny guy like that who lived for 3 or so years. I knew when it was over. He quit eating and would not lie down in a relaxed way. He lay sitting up like the sphinx. I waited several days for him to die naturally then took him to the vet.

It is possible that the only thing wrong with her is hyperthyroidism, and that is easy to treat. A cat that continues to lose weight while still eating often has a hyperthyroid. I can be treated with daily medications. There may be other issues that may be just as easy to treat, so don't give up, but do find out what is causing this.

.. but I would think that kitties are much the same in this regard. When they stop eating and especially drinking, it's likely things are nearing "that time." I would also recommend a vet visit, as it may well be something easily solvable and at least you'll have the comfort of accurate information with which to base your decisions.

the loss of weight could be attributable to a variety of things, such as hyperthyroidism or chronic renal failure. At 15, CRF is a real possibility.

As to knowing when to let her go, my philosophy has always been based on quality of life. If she is eating/drinking/going to litter box and not in pain, then she has some years left. When those things decline to the point when she is no longer enjoying her life, then that time has come. I have a 20 year old cat. Sammy was just diagnosed with two tumors, one in her bladder and the other in her stomach. We will treat with a medication that helps to reduce the tumor and pain, but when she is no longer enjoying life, eating/drinking, etc., then we will let her go. I don't believe in having a cat/dog suffer just so that I can keep them with me. I wish you luck in treating your princess.

My dear Old Kitty is gone now. She was almost 18.

She died of hyperthyroidism and also had a severe case of feline herpes in her eyes (they were bleeding towards the end days requiring them to be bathed with warm water and organic cotton balls up to 10X a day).

We did all we could and then began the moaning, the crying, etc.

I found some pictures I took of her not long before her death and OMG I am almost angry at myself for letting it go for so very long.

She weighed not much at death and her time had come.

Still the old tomcat Flame is in mourning and sleeps in the closet where he spent many days with Old Kitty.

Sad sad sad it is but OMG don't do what I did which was drag it out for too long until it turned into a nightmare from hell.

You know what the right thing is to do but just finding the nerve to do it is where the problem can be at times.

But physical appearance probably means something that could be important. It's not so much how the animal looks being thin, it's what may be causing that thinness. Though she seems relatively fine otherwise appearance is often an indicator that something may be wrong. Perhaps a trip to the vet is in order to see if there's something going on that needs to be dealt with and to put your mind at ease... better the devil you know. I know I've always felt a LOT better just knowing if there was a problem and what it was and what to do about it rather than plaguing myself with "what if's".