A Quality of Life Assessment is an in-depth, in-home evaluation of your cat’s physical comfort, emotional well-being, and daily functioning — designed to help you and your veterinarian understand where your cat is today and what options are available. Whether you are considering hospice, exploring treatment changes, or facing the euthanasia decision, this assessment gives you a clear, compassionate framework for the path forward.
While you are always the ultimate decision maker when it comes to your pet, a home visit may help you consider all options for your cat’s comfort, quality of life and end of life care.
A Quality of Life Assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your cat, their physical and psychological state, and how they are coping with age or disease. It also considers the care-giver’s quality of life as well.
What the Assessment Covers
Our Quality of Life Assessment is a comprehensive consultation that evaluates multiple dimensions of your cat’s well-being:
- Pain and comfort — Is your cat in pain? How severe? Can it be managed effectively?
- Mobility — Can your cat get to the litter box, food, and water without difficulty? Can they get to their favorite resting spots?
- Appetite and hydration — Is your cat eating and drinking enough to maintain their health? Are there ways to stimulate appetite or easily improve hydration?
- Hygiene — Can your cat groom themselves? Are there issues with incontinence or soiling?
- Happiness and engagement — Does your cat still respond to interaction? Do they seek out affection, play, or sunlight? Are they withdrawing or hiding?
- Good days vs. bad days — We help you track the ratio of comfortable days to difficult days, which is one of the most important indicators over time.
- Caregiver well-being — Your quality of life matters too. We consider the emotional and practical toll of caring for a seriously ill pet.
The assessment costs $220 per hour (not including the house call fee). This is not a rushed conversation — we take as much time as needed.
An assessment may help you make a decision regarding euthanasia and determine if the most loving thing you can do for them is to say good-bye peacefully in their home. A Quality of Life Assessment may also help determine if your cat may benefit from palliative or hospice care.
Our veterinarians will never recommend hospice strictly for the purpose of lengthening your pet’s life if their comfort, pain or related issues cannot be effectively managed through a hospice plan. We will always be very open and honest with you regarding your cat’s condition and whether hospice care is a reasonable option.
Sometimes a simple change in treatment plan can be made that can drastically alter the course of things — moving you away from considering hospice or euthanasia, and allowing you to enjoy much more time than you expected. When this happens, it is a joyful thing! It doesn’t happen every day, but does happen more often than you would expect. It can be a real gift to people and their pets, and is our favorite outcome!
After the Assessment
Following the assessment, our veterinarian will share their findings with you honestly and compassionately. The outcome may be one of several paths:
- Treatment adjustment — Sometimes a medication change, dietary modification, or addition of pain management can significantly improve your cat’s comfort.
- Hospice care — If your cat has weeks or months ahead but needs ongoing support, we may recommend our hospice and palliative care service.
- Euthanasia planning — If the assessment indicates that your cat’s quality of life cannot be meaningfully improved, we can help you plan a peaceful, in-home goodbye on your timeline.
- Monitoring and follow-up — In some cases, the answer is not yet clear, and we may recommend reassessing in a few days or weeks.