Quality of Life for Cats

Caregivers, please use this Quality of Life Scale to assess your cat’s quality of life and guide decision making for Pawspice care. Use numbers from 1 to 10 (10 being ideal) to score your pet’s condition.

HURT - Adequate pain control, including breathing ability, is the first and foremost consideration. Is the cat's pain successfully managed? Is oxygen necessary? *

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HUNGER - Is the cat eating enough? Does hand feeding help? Does the cat require a feeding tube? *

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HYDRATION - Is the cat dehydrated? For cats not drinking or eating foods containing enough water, use subcutaneous fluids once or twice daily to supplement fluid intake. *

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HYGIENE - The cat should be kept brushed and cleaned. This is paramount for cats with oral cancer. Check the body for soiling after elimination. Avoid pressure sores and keep all wounds clean. *

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HAPPINESS - Does the cat express joy and interest? Is the cat responsive to things around him (family, toys, etc)? Does the cat purr when scratched or petted? Is the cat depressed, lonely, anxious, bored, afraid? Can the cat's bed be near the kitchen and moved near family activities so as not to be isolated? *

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MOBILITY - Can the cat get up without help? Is the cat having seizures or stumbling? Some caregivers feel euthanasia is preferable to a definitive surgery, yet cats are resilient. Cats with limited mobility may still be alert and responsive and can have a good quality of life if the family is committed to providing quality care. *

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MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD – When bad days outnumber good days, quality of life for the dying cat might be too compromised. When a healthy human-animal bond is no longer possible, Caregivers must be made aware that their duty is to protect their cat from pain by making the final call for euthanasia. The decision needs to be made if the cat has unresponsive suffering. If death comes peacefully and painlessly at home, that is okay. *

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Created by Villalobos and adapted for Feline Internal Medicine with permission from Willey-Blackwell Publishing, Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond, Table 10.1, January 2007 and Quality of Life Scale Helps Make Final Call, Oncology Outlook, VPN, 09/2004

Alice Villalobos, DVM, DPNAP, a renowned veterinary oncologist, introduced “Pawspice,” a quality of life program based on a Quality of Life Scale for companion animals with terminal disease. Pawspice (rhymes with hospice) starts at diagnosis of a life-limiting condition. It addresses cancer with kinder gentler standard care, embraces palliative management for uncomfortable symptoms, and transitions into hospice (more intensive care) as the patient declines toward death. The HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale provides a scoring system of 1 to 10 for family members and veterinary teams to assess a pet’s condition during Pawspice. The Acronym’s five H’s stand for: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, and Happiness. The two M’s stand for Mobility and More good days than bad days. The QoL scale is also a decision-making tool for family to face their responsibilities and prevent suffering with the gift of euthanasia to assure that their sick animal has a peaceful and painless passing.

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