The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Putting a cat to sleep
FyreWulff
YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
So.. we've had a cat that we've known/had since around 1992.
And now it's got a gigantic tumor on it's leg and literally has no meat on her bones. She eats like a king, but nothing's sticking. So I volunteered to take her to the vet Saturday to have her put to sleep.
This will be the first time I have done this, the actual act of taking the pet there. This is about the fifth pet to die, so this isn't my first tragic time although I'll probably still be choked up on the walk back.
The thing I'm asking is.. should I hand her over and leave? Or stay for some reason until I know it's been done? I know they have a examination before they do it, and I'd like to stick around for that.
tl;dr unfamiliar situation, what to expect?
And now it's got a gigantic tumor on it's leg and literally has no meat on her bones. She eats like a king, but nothing's sticking. So I volunteered to take her to the vet Saturday to have her put to sleep.
This will be the first time I have done this, the actual act of taking the pet there. This is about the fifth pet to die, so this isn't my first tragic time although I'll probably still be choked up on the walk back.
The thing I'm asking is.. should I hand her over and leave? Or stay for some reason until I know it's been done? I know they have a examination before they do it, and I'd like to stick around for that.
tl;dr unfamiliar situation, what to expect?
FyreWulff on
0
Posts
then yes, stay with the cat the entire time if you can.
Think of how bad it must be to just be left to die by your owner of 16 years.
did the others die from other reasons that are not being put down?
I'd stay until the final word.
My cat developed a tumour in the roof of her mouth and eventually she couldn't eat anymore. At the time I was about 15ish and we decided it was better to have her put down. So I went with my Nan to the vets but she insisted that we shouldn't stay and forced me to leave.
That's something I wholeheartedly regret doing.
*Thanks Thanatos!
It might be unsettling to see the first time. There is no pain though, for what it's worth.
STEAM
I guess what I'm saying is that you might regret it if you just leave right away.
My Backloggery
Better to leave it and not be scarred by the ordeal.
I have done it both ways, and leaving it is far, far better.
To me, if you take a cat in to be put to sleep, and you just dump it on the table and walk right out, you are disrespecting the memory of a companion. You're saying "this creature has served its purpose to me; just get rid of it now, and toss the corpse in the dumpster when you're done." That's no way to treat a good pet.
Stay with it until it's gone, then if you can, take it home and give it a proper burial.
Uh, this is why you're getting mixed answers -- it's entirely dependent on how you view death. My *grandpa* died and I skipped out on the viewing/eulogy, while my family went. We were all together, mind; I just stayed at the hotel. I didn't want to see him dead and I'm happier for it. He was cremated, too, and we all loved him very much.
If it was my pet, I'd ask a friend to take my cat to the vet to have him put to sleep, and ask for the vet to cremate the pet for me. I don't want to see my family member dead. I want to remember them as they were alive.
I stayed when my fourteen year old dog was put to sleep, though, and I'm glad I did. I was able to take her body home and bury her. I didn't want her to be thrown out like trash.
My Backloggery
It seems that there's no standard practice for how vets handle this, so if you'd like something done with the remains, it may be best to ask in advance.
I would definatley have to be there the whole way through, no matter how hard it was. I'd want my cat to know I was there for him before he went, and be able to take his ashes afterwards to scatter. I love that cat so much... he's getting hugs when I get home.
But Fyrewullf, do whatever you feel you should do really... listen to what people have said here and make a decision. Theres a lot to consider, and it comes down to how you view your cat and death. Let us know how it goes. Really sorry she has to be put down.
*Thanks Thanatos!
Well yeah, it's sad, but there's no "right way" to do it. My main suggestion is that FyreWulff can decide how he would like to have it done with his pet, and then he should call beforehand to make sure that what he wants to do is OK with the vet. Some do them "in a group" and do not let people stick around. Others have a room for it and will be happy to give you some last moments with your pet. But it's not universal, and it's good to decide what you want and then call the vet to make sure that you can do it. It's emotional enough without someone telling you "no, you can't do that."
I agree. That sounds like the best plan of action.
*Thanks Thanatos!
I am going to ask the vet if she's recoverable with antibiotics (aka, easy recovery), otherwise I will have her euthanized, because it would be selfish to keep her around for the sake of having her around. If you looked at the cat right now you'd probably wonder how the hell she is still alive; she literally has no meat on her bones,you can see her breathe, her meow is now very shaky and quiet, and she has a massive hard -thing- on her left leg that makes it look like it's broken. And all of this has happened over the past week.
Since she stopped eating last night I have moved the visit up to today, so I'm getting ready now to go do this. Thanks for the advice, people, it has helped a lot.
to the person that asked why this is new to me if it's the fifth pet, this is the first time somebody not my stepdad has taken the cat up there.
dramatime: although we got the cat in 92/93 we had to leave her behind at my uncle/grandma's house in 94/95. Between then and now my grandma died and my uncle let the house go to shit, including the cat, but we couldn't do anything about it because social services wouldn't help/animal services couldn't touch him. He fed her only human food so she went blind, and when my mom finally got her after his house got foreclosed and he couldn't take cats to his new home in government housing, she and all of us figured she was on borrowed time back in 2005.
I will update this thread with what happened after I go up there.
I'll stop the story there, because the rest isn't terribly relevant, but my point is to see how do you feel about your cat. Do believe she has attachment or feeling toward you, or that your presence would make her feel more comfortable? If the answer is yes, then I would stay with her for as long as possible. I didn't go, because I didn't feel I could handle it. Same with my dad. But we had decided that someone needed to stay with our dog because we knew she had feelings about us and would have been scared and uncomfortable in her last moments otherwise. So again, it depends if you believe that animal have the attachment and feelings that people tend to associate them with to decide whether you should stay or not.
My boo-hoo story:
I held my German Shepherd during the whole thing and petted him and cried the whole time and told him goodbye and what a good dog he had been and what a good friend he had been to me. I certainly do not regret it in the least; it was the least I could have done for him. I grew up with him. We all treated him as "one of the boys", as did my parents. I think we got him when I was in the 3rd grade, and we put him to sleep after my 2nd year at college.
Probably not for everybody, but it's an option. Anyway, it's good to be prepared for the possibility, but maybe she can still get better. You don't know till you try.
Well, I had her put to sleep. The vet looked her over, she had about 4-5 tumors. Big one on the leg, two on the hips, one near the stomach and one right under her ribcage. Vet said the best they could do was keep her going for another week or days, so I signed the papers and there she went.
They administrated a sedative first to knock her out. I stayed with her until she closed her eyes, then I had to go outside.
I had three die in an eight-month stretch once. Two were old and getting to the point where we knew they had months instead of years left, and the middle one had a heart attack because of a heart condition.
But no matter how bad it was, all three of them left surrounded by familiar sights, sounds, and things. Being there at the end was a way of being able to thank them for their time with me and my family. You were the last thing your cat saw, and I'm very sure that made them very happy. You'll cry, you'll mourn, but always remember: you'll always have dreams.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Hang in there.
PSN: Broichan
Pokeymanz: 4081 1995 6825 (If you add me, let me know!
And I would totally stay in your scenario.