Cat Euthanasia - Putting your Cat to Sleep - Decisions to make (kitten, male)
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We had this situation last fall..for our dear Beau. Honestly, if money could have saved him...I probably would have seriously considered going into debt. But, he was sick. He had always had health problems...no doubt due to his tenuous start in life, he was rescued as a kitten, almost dead. But, it was time for him...he lived a good life...and now, he is waiting for us on the other side of the rainbow.
Its been a few yrs or so since i had one of my cats euthanized (bootsy/age-15). It looks like ill be making a trip soon to the humane society of san bernardino to have my 16 yr old male cat put to sleep. He had 3 teeth pulled a month ago & he has never recovered. The vet said its a tumor & its only a matter of time before he dies. Ill miss buddy dearly but i refuse to let him suffer & have a poor quality of life. Hes been with me a lil over 14 yrs (10/98) & has had a good life. In the past 10 yrs i have had 4 of my cats euthanized (ages 12, 12, 13 & 15).
Haven't been through this with a cat (she's 3 yrs old) but I did go through this with my beloved golden retriever. The thing I decided when she was but a wee pup was that I would never make her live beyond what she would and her health would dictate everything. I made a pledge to her that I would give her the best life I could, the best healthcare, and put her needs first. And when the time came I would give her a loving passage and never ask her to "hold on." I kept my promise, she was just 3 weeks shy of her 11th birthday and while she wasn't at "the end," I could see she didn't feel well and it was only going to go downhill from there. I didn't want her to have another bad day, so I let her go.
Animals do not care about longevity. As long as they feel good, life is good. And when they don't feel well and there isn't anything that can make them better (really better, not just for a day or a week), then the most loving thing to do is allow them to exit a body that is no longer working. It's the one thing we can control and do for them and I will do the same for my cat when her time comes.
Its been 4 yrs since my last cat was put to sleep. Had he survived he would be 19. It was tough seeing him go from a healthy, vibrant cat to skin & bones. He was quite a loving cat just like my other 3 were who died before him. People who have never had pets or hate animals dont look at our pets like we do. I dont plan to get anymore cats. The last one was over 6 yrs ago (5/06).
I've had to do this 3 times in my adult life. Unfortunaly all 3 happened within 6 years of each other but that's what happens when you have a bunch of cats. We had 4 "original family cats" that my kids grew up with and one by one they faded away until I was left with no choice but to have them put down. The first one was the most tramatic but after I came to grips with it I felt better making the decision with the next two. The final "original" is 14 now, he was the youngest and I hope he sticks around for many more years. I also have a "new" cat (4 years old now) to keep him company. I think 2 is just right for me now and will probably always try to have a couple cats in my life.
My very special cat (buddy) passed away on 12.27.12. I miss him dearly & think about him daily. Hes buried in my back yard under a nice tree. I currently have 4 cats ages 6-16. RIP Buddy.
I've seen both far ends of the spectrum. Animals that were kept alive far past the point where they had no quality of life, and animals that were euthanized for very treatable conditions. Both were terrible in my eyes, but there were cases with the former that involved so much terrible suffering. It is never an easy decision and I always advise people to listen to their pet. Not their own feelings about life and death (in truth, I personally would want to be kept alive even if I were in a coma, which is very different from most peoples' feelings.) In the many animals I've seen toward the end, almost all of them had 'look' to their eye. They'd moved on, the body just hadn't quite yet. And if an owner chooses to euthanize before that look appears, I can't possibly judge them for it.
My very special cat (buddy) passed away on 12.27.12. I miss him dearly & think about him daily. Hes buried in my back yard under a nice tree. I currently have 4 cats ages 6-16. RIP Buddy.
Oh my, that was recently. I am sorry that you lost your little friend - and I know you miss him. We lost two last year and we have another who is dealing with renal failure - I think about Callie and Boobert and I still miss them every day. It's hard, isn't it?
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