I am so sorry to hear you are going through this with your cat. I have never lost a pet, so I don't know how it feels, but I know it has to be hard. We have three dogs and I couldn't even imagine losing any of them... they are all still fairly young.
Just always remember you gave her a long happy life. A great home and lots of love. You have to do what is best for HER. I have heard people say they let you know when its time. I will pray you have more time with her.
No news yet from the other vet, but she seems to be comfortable enough at the moment. Right now I'm just trying to cope with the guilt of leaving the company. Am I a horrible person for choosing a pet over a job? I feel I put them in an awful position and I regret that but I think I'd have even bigger regrets not being here for my kitty; even if she does make it another few years. Is it terribly melodramatic to feel if she died alone and scared while I was at work that I wouldn't ever want to do that line of work again?
My heart breaks for you... I'm almost at that same place with my 14 year old dog (front in the avatar). What made the company tell you to make that choice? It seems very odd but if they gave me a choice like that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel bad about it. My dogs are my kids... as pathetic as that may seem to some it's true.
I hate that it's up to me, that she can't tell me when it's time. I don't want her to suffer but I don't want to put her down before her time either...it's just not right I have to make the choice for her. This has just been a really long, awful day. To top it off I lost my job as well because of this. *sigh* Sorry for the vent/whine/complaining, but it does help to talk about it.
I had a hard time with this exactly! We put our dog down last summer; he was 17 years old. I had him for more than half my life. About a month or so before we put him down, he was cancer ridden. But still able to get around (albeit slowly), eat, etc. He was also almost blind and almost deaf.
His last two weeks of life, he quit eating. I tried everything I could to get him to eat. He had been on a prescription dog food for the past 7 years and I went and bought him different foods to see if he would eat. I made homemade dog food. Nothing. He took in water, but not much.
I finally made the decision when one day I let him outside to do his business and he didn't come back in. I found him collapsed in the yard and whimpering. I rushed him to the vet but couldn't go through with it. The vet gave him a shot for pain and I took him home to be with us for one more night. I stayed up with him all night long, just holding him. (I am crying right now as I type!) I took him back the next morning to have him euthanized. It was done and I buried him in my backyard.
Ack! Sorry to turn this into me. I wanted to say that looking back, I should have put him down at least two weeks before I did, if not a month before. It's just so hard to know! If I had done that, I might have regretted it, thinking he could have held on longer. (I knew that summer would be his last, but I had no idea if it would be June, July, August, etc. It ended up being early June.) And he might have held on as long as I asked him, but it wasn't good for him.
Not an easy place to be...sorry you have to go through this! We are thinking of you.
Aunty-I understand about pets being kids, it's not the least bit pathetic. I can't have kids and so she's the closest I'll have. She's been with me through some incredibly difficult times, so I hope I know when it's time for her. I still haven't heard from the other vet, but hopefully soon. I'd like to know if she really is not in pain at the moment and her quality of life as best as they can tell. As for the company it's a bit complicated but basically this was a very busy week for them and they really needed all the help they could get. I admit I was very rigid about it, they offered to let me work after someone else could be here but I wasn't willing to do that. She's been my cat for 14 years and I wanted to be here for her, not someone else. I also felt I wouldn't be doing my best at work if I was constantly worried about her and if I'd come home to find her gone.
1big-I am so sorry about your dog. *big hug* what a horrible experience that must have been. I hope when it comes down to it I'll have the strength to do what's best for her.
Just a few more days now, I made the appointment this morning. She's going to sleep Wednesday at 9. Today, of course she's laying in the sun rolling and even batted around a string. It's been like a roller coaster with her lately but the fact remains she is breathing really hard and can't even walk down the stairs. She wasn't down at all yesterday and when we took her food up she pigged it down. Same with the litter box, we brought it up and she used it immediately. If she's in so much discomfort she can't walk down the stairs to eat or use the litter it really is time...Just have to be strong a few days longer, not that I'm doing a very good job of it now. I feel like all I did all weekend was mope/cry.
Know that you have made the right decision, hard as it is. In my opinion, keeping a pet beyond it's comfort span is simply selfish.
Are you going to be with your darling for that final needle? It's a very hard thing to do but there is a great sense of relief when it's over and you know you've given your pet some comfort for those last minutes.
They are giving her anesthesia first, so she'll be in lala land. I'll be with her for that but I don't think I can be there to watch her last breaths, close her eyes for her, etc. Especially if she won't know I'm there. Although it might not be necessary now. I went upstairs to take laundry up and couldn't find her anywhere. She had crawled through a 4 inch hole to be under "her" bed. It's a gorgeous waterbed my dad made me when I was little and it has a sideboard. It was her bed until 2.5 years ago when I got married and she always loved to lay on/under it. I had blocked it off because I was scared she'd crawl back there and I'd have to completely disassemble the bed to get her out but she found a tiny hole to go through and is back there now. I have a feeling she went back there to be alone and at peace....I hope she does, so she doesn't have to be in pain anymore. As much as I don't want to leave her alone, I don't think she'll let go with me here so I'm going out to do my normal Monday errands and we'll see what happens. If she crawled way back where I can't reach her anyway I think she just wants to be alone.
oh man this was just so hard to read, i can't imagine what i'll be like with my kitty. we've had her for 8 years hopefully we'll have a while to go.
i just wanted to pop in and give you some support and tell you that i think you made the right decision when it comes to your job.
if they can't have any compassion for you when you're going through a hard time, why would you want to work for them? i guess it'd be different if you didn't have the support and help from your husband, but since you do... it's not worth it to work for people who are not good or understanding.
You poor thing!! I hate that you have to go through this. I've grown up around cats all my life, and said my share of heartbreaking goodbyes and it never gets easier.
Spend time with her, and just cherish each minute you have with her. Make her feel safe and loved. If putting her down is the most humane thing you can do, she trusts you to do the right thing.
I am so so sorry you are having to deal with this.
Last edited by CrystalZ10; 05-11-2010 at 12:01 AM.
Reason: I didn't realise there were two pages before I responded. Sorry
I'm almost at that same place with my 14 year old dog (front in the avatar). What made the company tell you to make that choice? It seems very odd but if they gave me a choice like that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't feel bad about it. My dogs are my kids... as pathetic as that may seem to some it's true.
