may have to have my beloved cat put to sleep on friday?

its a tough thing to go through...

i will do the sensible bit first... consider, when you are ready for another cat, to look at health insurance, i know, all very sensible.. out last one cost us £3000 in less than a year, worth it, but never again, insurance costs us very little and knowing we dont have to worry about money when they are ill is such a comfort...

as for the other thing, sadly it is something we must all go through, and its our last final way of showing love to them, by saving them from pain.. there is always the guilt, could we have left it another day, could we have left it another week, or a month, or a year, it will always be there, but we have to trust our instincts, and the judgement of our vets...

two years ago we lost the one that was closest to me in the world. he had been rescued at 4 weeks old, his brothers and sisters where dead, his mother was dying, and he was being thrown around by kids.. he came to me with his eyes still closed, and not a day went by when we wherent together.. we would chat, (yes he would talk), went through everything together and him being ill nearly destroyed me.. but when the time came it was my responsibility to him to make it as painless as i could..

eventually at 12 his kidneys failed, his thyroid stopped working, and his body started to shut down.. it started with 1 bad day a week, then two, until it got to the point that we where counting the bad days.. we made the decision on the thursday that we would have one last weekend together, took him to the vets on friday and gave him a powerful steroid injection to put some life into him for the weekend, and booked the vets for the monday morning...

the hardest thing was the effect of the steroids.. they gave him a new lease of life, and for two days we had the old archie back.. lively, talkative, full of life, eating like there was no tommoro.. we had freinds round on the sunday night and we all said out goodbyes and he got to be center of attention which he always loved..

and on monday we spent a few hours with him before we took him to the vets...

it was the hardest thing i have ever had to do.. and what made it worse was on the steroids he seemed his old self.. it was like he was better and the guilt was immeasurable.. are we putting to sleep a cat that is better... of course he wasnt better, the steroids where just masking what was really wrong...

the only consolation i can give, is when the time came it was very peaceful... he lay there in my arms in the vets and i think he almost knew what was coming and seemed very relaxed with it.. the vet waited until he was calm, and shaved a tiny bit of hair from the leg (which we then kept, the vet put it in a jar for us.. two years on it is still good as new... i recommend doing that.. ) and he slowly just fell asleep, no pain, no discomfort.. very very peaceful...

i felt guilty for days, wondering if i had done the right thing, but ultimately i knew i had, and now i have peace knowing that i did the best possible thing for him... i remember the bad days and think how awful it would have been to put him through more of those, five bad days a week, or six, or seven, and i know that what i did was the right thing...

it is a tough thing to do, but sometimes it has to be done...

what i suggest, is do what we did, if at the vets on friday you decide that you cant let him continue, see if the vet can give him something to get him through the weekend, and make a decision for monday (its no good going in friday not knowing what you will do, having to make that decision on the spot... decide now, we are taking him in friday and if its bad news we will put him to sleep on monday...) that stops you having to make a decision there and then, and gives you a couple of days together, to appreciate the cat, spend some time with it, and prepare yourself for monday.... it worked for us...

good luck... please feedback how it all goes for you...

I am so sorry you are going through this! My 16 year old cat did the exact same thing, growling and hissing. It was pretty traumatic. You just have to know that just because those were technically her last moments, doesn't mean they matter the most. If you took care of her and loved her, she'd know that, and just because she was grumping because she didn't want to be held down at that moment in time does not take away from the rest of her life. Once it was done and over, it was done and over for her. It's not like she's gone on to cat heaven being resentful of those last moments. If there is a cat heaven, she understands now! And if there's not, it's over and she is not suffering and you loved her and that is what matters. You will get through this guilt and this difficult time, don't worry. I wish you all the best.

If you really care about your cat you will take away his pain. Considering you have tried everything else, the only ultimatum is to put him down. Your being selfish, keeping him alive when he's suffering. Not only that, but your suffering as well, which isn't even necessary. Ridiculous as this sounds, I'm sure if your cat could talk it would say that it doesn't want you to suffer as well, and that it is his time to go. Remeber the times you two shared and rejoice in the end of his pain. Then find a way to move on.

It will be hard. But good luck and I hope you make the right decision.

I am so sorry to hear this. I have a cat who is 5 years old and I dread the day when he passes away. It sounds like you have been doing everything that you can do for your cat to try and help him. Besides the cost of the vets bills each month, I would base my decision on whether or not to put him to sleep on if he is suffering. If your cat has no relief from pain then I sadly think that he would be better off being put to sleep. I honestly believe that animals go to heaven when they die. I know that you would miss him terribly but if he is suffering then I think putting him to sleep is the best option for your cat.

I`ts a heartbreaking decision to make. Your pet is suffering, and does`nt understand why. It would be the kindest thing to do. The pain will only get worse for him. To put him to rest and free from his pain takes only seconds for his heart to stop. No more hurt for him, but you will feel a great sadness when he`s gone. He`s always relied on you to feed him, play with him, and look after his needs. He needs you more than ever now, don`t beat yourself up, you`ve done everything you could possibly do. He`s been lucky to have you in his life. Give him peace now.

It's the worst part of having a pet, having to make the decision when to let them go for their own sake. But it's the last kind act we can do for them if they are suffering.You have to ask yourself what your cats quality of life is like, and at 15, with his problems,I don't think your cat will be feeling very good.Cats hate going to the vets and it's quality of life which counts to them, not quantity. Your vet apparently thinks it may soon be time to let your cat go peacefully.

It's not being selfish not wanting to part with him, you've had him a long time and obviously love him very much.Yes you will miss him terribly, you never get over losing a pet but with time you get used to it and you have to think you did the right thing on their behalf.

Sorry no one can make the decision for you, your vet can guide you that's all, but I do think that you will know when the time is right to let your cat go, you just do know somehow.

Take care.

The thyroid gland is situated at the front of the throat, below the Adam’s apple. It comprises two lobes that lie on either side of the windpipe, joined in front by an isthmus. The thyroid gland secretes hormones to regulate many metabolic processes, including growth and energy expenditure. Hypothyroidism means the thyroid gland is underactive and fails to secrete enough hormones into the bloodstream. This causes the person’s metabolism to slow down.

It's a very hard decision to make. My heart goes out to you. When the time is right, you'll know it. They let you know when their ready. It's a peaceful process. You can watch the pain leave them and they go into a peaceful sleep. But let's hope the treatment is working!

From what you have said it would seem the kindest thing would be to let him go but only you can make that decision.

It is clear that he means the world to you and I am so sorry that you and he are going through this difficult time.

I hate stories like this they always make me tear up!

Kiss your cat and cuddle him if you are deciding yes. I can't decide for you but if its best for him.

Good luck bless you and your cat xxx