How do you know?

[Kay and Penny]

it is a blessing when they pass without pain or suffering, though it sure as hell doesn't feel like it at the time

I am so sorry for your losses

[Liz]

So sorry for you loss, he chose his time and you will cry buckets and there will be more tears before the fog begins to lift and you can looks at photo's and remember the good times

 :hug:I lost 4 last month so my heart goes out to you and yours, he was loved wanted and will be missed forever one of the lucky ones

Only ever borrowed never owned but always a pawprint in your heart

[sheilarose]

Liz, I'm so sorry about Dillon. You have been wonderfully strong for him, and poor Tom 

RIP Dillon, loved so much but you were too poorly to stay here feller. Go find Tom and Digby, all together again at the Bridge xxx
Look for Teresa, sweetie. She's there and she'll give ya's a lovely cuddle when you need one. 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Very sorry to hear this Liz  It's such an agonising decision to make but when made out of love it's always the right one 

RIP Dillon, safe and sound at the Bridge by now xx

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am so sorry for your loss and such a very hard thing to do but think it was the kindess thing you could do 

RIP Dillon just in time for the party on the bridge, a purr left in your meowmys heart

[lizfraser]

Dillon was helped to the bridge just before 5:00 this evening.  He went very peacefully.  I am dehydrated from crying so much, but feel content to have been able to hold it together long enough not to stress him out

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I feel very much as the others and am still grieving for little man Ducha and I knew he was slowly going down hill but suddenly he lost all his weight overnight and refused to eat.

He was still very much the Ducha I knew but with no life to do anything except to physically remove himself from food and that must have  been such an effort.

I took him to see Gareth because in my heart I felt that Ducha wanted to be with his brother and Gareth said he was very dehydrated despite him drinking and always having water in his food and Gareth said they could put him on a drip but the effects would last 4 days at the most. There was nothing else they could do for him.

It was with such a heavy heart I allowed my little purrboy to go to the Bridge 

Sending you loads of these  cos its such a hard thing to do for your little best friend

[Tigerlily (Allison)]

I have no useful advice to offer Liz but I'd like to send you a few of these 

[lizfraser]

Thank you everyone.  What has made all this even harder is that I got the news about Dillon exactly a week after my other cat got helped to The Bridge, and near enough the 2 year anniversary of saying goodbye to his brother Digby?  I was, and still am, missing Tom Tom so much, but Dillon has always seemed invincible, getting through numerous surgeries for injuries, and even survived being shot. Looking at him now he is like one of those Tatty Teddy soft toys, all ruffled round the edges but huge soulful eyes. He has become extremely clingy which I am taking as a compliment to his trust for me to do the right thing, but it hurts like hell. I won't let him down x

[sheilarose]

Forgot to mention, because Chubby's lump is intestinal, my vet has instructed me to watch out for diarrhea or vomiting as signs of worsening.

I would take some advice from your vet as to what symptoms to be ready for which might give you the signal you're waiting for.

I had a couple of really difficult days after the vet gave me the bad news, and although I know it is going to be a dreadful time for us both, I'm more at peace with my own feelings having cried my heart right out on here. 

It's about him now, and because I've now got that squarely in the front of my mind, Chubby's passing will be easier for me to accept and hopefully I will not be blinded by my own feelings.

[tab]

Its such a hard thing to do. I know with Mogs I got told she could live but would need a lot of medical help and knowing her I knew that was the wrong thing to do. Even up to the moment I was hoping for a cure but sometimes we have to make the decision of what is life for them and what isnt. I think thats part of adopting a pet. Mogs had reached the point where she would still eat coley fish but needed her tray and her bed and food near each other and that wasnt her.
I felt awful but it was the right decision for her
love
Tab

[sheilarose]

I'm waiting for the moment Chubby no longer wants his cooked chicken from the fridge. 

He too has a lump, and several other issues which are conspiring to take the meat from his poor wee bones.

Once I get that message, we're off to the vet.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I think this is such a hard decision and I really feel for you    I am not yet where you are but I know that day with Jaffa is not so far away 

I think in your heart of hearts you know when it's time.  when he's no longer the cat he was and the negatives outweigh the positives.  I always remember Desley years ago on here saying it was better to let them go a week too soon than a day too late, and I think that is very true.  I hope I can have the courage to do that when the time arrives.  I really don't know what the answer is re Dillon - do you think he still gets pleasure out of life?  Does he still enjoy a cuddle or a morsel of his favourite food?  Or has life become a burden?  I think that deep down you will know when it's time to let him go 

[Tiggy's Mum]

This is such a personal thing and something that only you can decide on, some people say that you'll know when it's time as they will show you but it doesn't always work like that and sometimes it does but you don't want to see the signs 

For me it was when it became difficult/virtually impossible to get Tiggy to eat, I was at my wits end trying to tempt her with things and think it hit me that I was doing it for me as she had given up but I didn't want her to have given up  The one thing I would say is that it is better to make the decision a day too soon rather than a minute too late 

[lizfraser]

I am just after some advice really, Dillon was given a few days by the vets over a month ago as he has a huge mass on liver.  He has done so well, and been on 2 injections a week and appetite improvement tablet. He has been so brave but has gone from 5.5 kg to 3.4 and is really losing interest. He will still purr when stroked and roll to have tummy tickled but will not give head kisses anymore.  He is eating very little, and only if I feed him by hand, and he will only drink if I hold a bowl to his nose.  He is nearly 15 and it breaks my heart to see my strong, feisty little man like this.  So, how do I know when it is his time to say goodbye? Vet says"have I still got Dillon?" and I honestly do not know anymore I am carrying him up and downstairs, and he has little control over back legs as has lost all muscle tone. I just do not know what to do for the best. Every day is so precious, but I do not want him to suffer.