I May have to put my cat down (vanity?)

[Canedawg]

I havent had to go thru this since my dog died 20 years ago. And he went down so fast, the decision was a no-brainer.

So this kitty is 15, mostly siamese, white with blue eyes. He's been having violent seizures (six in the past 6 months)and kidny failure. I give him intravenous fluids, and the kidneys are stabilizing, but he has been losing weight, eating less, stopped sitting on my lap, and has had very flat affect the past few weeks. He's very lethargic, and so I have resisted putting him on phenobarbitol to control the seizures, but I may start that.

He doesnt seem happy, and his hind legs are going- he's wobbly and gimpy- just very fragile.

But, when I watch him resting comfortably, sleeping, and when he meets me at the door when I come home from work, the guilt pangs hit me as to why should I make a decision to take his little life away from him?

I am divorced, live alone, and dont get a lot of emotional support from any real support group to speak of.

I'm truly at a crossroads here. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[GovernmentShrinker]

AMC definitely saved my 20 year old diabetic, renal-impaired cat a few weeks ago, when he had a hypoglycemic seizure and I raced him in there (totally unannounced) at 3:30 in the morning. A vet grabbed him and ran him into the back to get a dextrose drip into him literally within 30 seconds of my running in the door yelling "he's 20 years old and diabetic and having a seizure!". I don't they'd even gotten my name yet.

[CTGOPPER]

This has been mentioned before but the vet assured me that when my German Shephard was having seizures, that they were harder on us than her. The phenobarbital
worked well and she lived 12 years - good for a shephard.

[Rabid Dog]

It is a sad but noble decision. Think of it as a final gift of love and comfort.


I have put several animals down but I have never stayed with them. And I don't regret not staying with them. I like remembering them alive. I'm telling you this so you won't feel guilty if you elect not to stay. I personally just don't have the intestinal fortitude to do so. My presence there with the vet never superceded the animals unhappiness with being in the office. I figure being there for the last visit won't make them any happier either and will certainly add exponentially to my unhappiness of the moment.

[Vicki]

I put a cat down about 10 years ago. Her back legs were giving out and it was obvious she was miserable. I think you just know when it's time. I have a cat now that is over 15 years old and was just diagnosed a diabetic. We are giving him shots twice a day, but for now I will not consider putting him down. He still seems to have a quality of life.

It is a very hard decision and I feel for you.

[tuliptree76]

I'm so sorry to hear this! It is a tough time. I had to make the decision with two of my cats. But we didn't put them down until it was *really* time for them to go. They got to the point where they couldn't move at all, and whenever they did have to move, they would cry. One's lungs were filling with fluid and she couldn't breathe because she had a bad heart. The other had cancer that spread throughout her body. At least there is some hope for your cat with the seizure medication. We knew when it was time to say goodbye, and you will know when it is truly time to say goodbye. If you aren't sure about it, sometimes it's best to wait and see what happens.

[Not A Snowbird]

Added note, I stayed with Magic Bear for the procedure, even though it was terrible for me. The vet gave us some time alone, and I talked to Bear about some of the fun memories we had and petted him. Those moments alone with him, talking to him, were special. I've never regretted my decision to stay with him.

[tuliptree76]

Oh good! I posted before I skimmed through the rest of the posts on the thread. I hope the medications work.

Prayers sent for your kitty.

[Serb5150]

No advice to offer, but prayers have been sent. I know how much it hurts to see your companion suffer, I've been through it far too many times myself.

[beyond the sea]

My sympathy to you.

Last summer I had to put my 22 year old kitty to sleep. I found myself regrettably allowing her to struggle on longer than I probably should have. There is no easy way to decide.

I pray you get through this time.

You will always be with your sweet animal, even after he is gone.

Take care and please be strong.

[devane617]

Cane, Sorry you have to make such a difficult decision. There is no easy answer, so I pray G-d be with you.

[AmericaUnite]

I'm late to read this post. God Bless you and your cat. If you take your cat to be put down, your cat wants you with him when he goes.

It's such a sad time for you. You will know when it's time to let go and let God.

One of my cats who died of feline aids could no longer eat and had to stay at the vet for fluid. The 2 things he liked most, eating and being held, he couldn't have. That was how I made that decision

Another my best ever cat friend had extensive lymphoma, legs paralysis and vets wanted to do chemo and a chest tube. He had no dignity to stand to use the litter box. That was it. And he was in pain and fear.

My 18 year old cat who had renal disease for years, finally got lymphoma that wasted her. Steroids helped for 2 weeks. When she couldn't get into the litter box without urinating as she climbed in, that was it.

Cats have dignity.

[Canedawg]

"your cat wants you with him when he goes."

I will definitely be there to comfort him.
The voice he last hears, the touch he last feels, will be mine.

[Canedawg]

[maxwell]

Best of luck to you, Canedawg. Not a cat person here, but when my current dogs' numbers are up, I'll put them to rest knowing we had our good times, and start checking the local listings for the hundreds of other dogs that need a good home.

[sissyjane]

Happy to read that your Kitty is better!!

[sweetliberty]

I feel you pain. I had to put my Nermal down just a few months ago. He was 18 years old. And he still met me when I came home from work, too. He had been apparently fine just a few weeks before when my grandson was visiting. He was cuddling in bed with him when we read bedtime stories and getting up to the table with him attempting to appropriate some bacon. He had been losing weight and couldn't eat a lot, but I chalked it up to his bad teeth. It got to the point where he was crying a lot, like when he's hungry and when I'd feed him, he wouldn't eat...or would start to eat and then start crying again. He was getting very weak. When I finally took him to the vet, he told me that Nermal had a tumorous blockage in his intestines and that he was suffering terribly. The vet told me that that he wouldn't live more than a few more days. I felt it would be selfish to prolong his suffering.

It was over very quickly, but it was one of the hardest things I'd had to do in a long time. I brought him home and buried him in the back yard and that was comforting. I felt that way I was keeping him close to me and in surroundings familiar to him. For the longest time I would come in from work, expecting to hear his voice and I couldn't open a can of tuna without half expecting him to come looking for a handout. I still miss him very much. I want to get another cat, but just haven't gotten there yet.

I wish you peace with whatever decision you make. I know how hard it is. *Hugs*

[Double Tap]

I'm very sorry to hear this. I'm going through much the same thing. My best buddy has cancer. He is a seven year old Boston Terrier. His name is Scout.

It tears me up to think what is coming, but I know I have to do what is right by him.

[Sally'sConcerns]

I made the decision to have one of my cats put down the early part of January. It was a hard decision but I have no regrets.

Starting last summer she would stake out a small area and wouldn't venture more than a few feet away. After we realized what she was doing, we began to accomodate her by moving her litter box and feeding bowl to each area she'd stake out. For the three months prior to having her put down, I moved her into my study where she wouldn't be alone.

While she never was a fat kitty, she did weigh around 9 lbs and felt quite solid. After she developed her "kitty altzheimers" she lost quite a bit of her weight. She didn't look emaciated but when I'd pick her up she felt light as a feather and had no substance.

I made the decision to have her put to sleep after she quit eating and would gag frequently (this started about 3 days before I had her put to sleep). Thankfully she had led a long life so it wasn't near as devastating to me as it would have been if she was younger.

There are times when I still expect her to be here and I still miss her but I believe I did the best thing for her.

Having a beloved pet put to sleep is different than euthanizing people. With pets we can't always make them comfortable and they don't deserve to live in pain.

Whatever your decision is, I wish you well.

[IrishRainy]

OMG! I just stumbled on this thread and had to respond since I'm going through the same thing with my cat. He's almost 16 and has been going downhill for the last 2 years. Some days I want to have him put to sleep, since he's obviously not happy and just not "Midnight" anymore. Then other days he seems like he's still "there," and I change my mind. It's so hard to let him go...

[StoneColdGOP]

Our recent painful experience:

January 23 we made the decision to let our little boy cat Moses go. He was diagnosed with FIP a week a before after exploratory surgery to investigate a mass which showed up in anultrasound the week before that. He began to slowly eat less and lose weight noticeably in November but we thought it was only a little sickness. Before his exploratory, we first we feared a tumor, or leukemia, but it was not.

He weighed 13 or 14 pounds back then. When he left us, he weighed maybe 7. I cannot believe how quickly he deteriorated. We don't even know how, or when, or why he got and developed the disease.

As little as a week prior, he was still eating (just a tiny bit compared to his voracious appetite before) and I anticipated the vet fixing him up and sending him home with us.

The vet told us he wasn't in pain as we'd think of it, but discomforted the way you would be if you hadn't been eating, which he wasn't doing at all. So we decided not to keep him unhappy and uncomfortable as he was.

He went quickly and painlessly, in ours arms. The only hurt left was ours. Neither of us has ever had to do that before, and I don't EVER want to do that again. But the way we love animals it certainly won't be the last. I look at our dog and kitten and know that one day the time will come.

So all I can say is keep in mind: Is he in pain? Is he comfortable? Is his quality of life what he had before? Are you keeping him alive for yourself rather than letting him go for him?

When the time is right, you will just know. May God bless.