should i put my cat to sleep afternoon

[Millys Mum]

 
I know how you feel, i spent last friday thinking the exact same thoughts    you worry about regretting letting go to soon and maybe being able to help but this is better than the guilt if you leave too long.
If he fights you hun then you have to think hard, if he cant enjoy the next few days then hes really not gaining anything 
By no means hate yourself for letting him go peacefully, its not you being a murderer 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

 

I can only echo what everybody else has said - look into his eyes and I think you will know the answer, whatever it is.  Only you can know whether he is suffering and no longer has any quality of life.  It sounds as if the first vet knows him better than the second vet?  Sometimes a new vet who isn't familiar with a cat may recommend treatment, unaware of how a cat copes with frequent vet visits, taking medication etc.  What sort of prognosis has the second vet given if it was just a cold and you went ahead with radiotherapy?

It's never an easy decision and I don't envy you.  Whatever you do, enjoy the time you have with your precious boy.

[bonnielass]

This is a horrible position to be in, you want to do the best for your baby but at the same time are reluctant to let go,i can understand as i have been in this position with my bridge babe Ninja,only you can make this very very hard decision and do whats best for him,i will be thinking of you through this and no matter what we are all here for you

[tan160581]

hi everyone

on the way to my vets my cat was screeching and he never usually does that and was fighting to get out and when i got him out of the carrier he was shaking, this is a cat that usually likes the vets as he gets so much attention from the nurses - i kept thinking he knows what i am doing and he doesnt want to go yet, prob silly i know so i was in tears by fore i had even got into the vets

i went to my vet and i told him what the other vet said and he said that basically the tumour was inoperable and that i had done everything that i could, i said that the other vet thought  it was a cold, and it may clear up, he said that was highly unlikely but said as was wasnt suffering to much i could take him home and has given me some ad cans that i mix into a paste, he stressed that he didnt think that he had long, but i may be able to have him till saturday and then take him in when his working in the morning to put him to sleep, he is home now and curled up in his bed, but i just cant feed him - the vet said i would have a job to as it took 6 nurses to hold him down and that is why he didnt want to do the chemo, any advice on how to feed him i have noone to help me, i am thinking maybe i did the wrong thing now, im happy to have him home, but i wondering if i am being selfish, xx

[scattycat]

It's an awful decision to have to make - my husband and I have been through it twice in just over 2 years - and latter one (Ginny) she had a tumour under her tongue.

The vet didnt pick this up on the first couple of trips, and we'd given her the anti-biotic jabs, but on the last visit (which was about a month from the first visit) when she'd gone very thin, and very quiet, and just not herself, they found the tumour under her tongue which was inoperable. She was eating, but not as much and she just gave me 'the look' - which I know sounds stupid, but our other cat Suki gave me that look as if to say 'I know you've tried to help me, but it's just my time'

We were given the option of a steriod injection which we were told would give us another month with her, but we just couldnt 'keep her going' for our sakes knowing we'd have to have her PTS a month later, and made the decision there and then to have her PTS.

Do let us know what you decide, we are all thinking of you.

[Yvonne]

I would make a decision tomorrow if you can because the day after that is Good Friday and with the limited amount of time the Vet will be open over Easter it is likely to be very hectic which is not what you want.

I wish you the very best – I know what it is like to have a poorly puss cat – good luck.

 

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Aw, hunny! 

It's the toughest part of being a pet owner... and it's also a responsibility we have that we must set aside our own feelings and act in the pet's best interest.  Can you guarantee a course of treatment will restore him to full health or at the very least give him a quality of life that won't involve him suffering? 

It rips your heart out I know, but sometimes I feel people keep their pets going for the wrong reasons. It doesn't matter to him whether he lives 2 more hours or 12 years... what does matter is will he suffer? 

It's your cat, hunny, and you are the one best placed to know whether he's suffering and if that's likely to continue. No one here can tell you to PTS him but no one here will condemn you either. 

[moira]

None of us find the decision easy and we all wonder'what if's' . It is certainly not murder to pts if he is suffering, it is the final act of kindness we can do for them. Only you can decide if its time to let him go. I will be thinking of you this afternoon.

[tan160581]

i am still in my pjs i just cant decide what to do, i just been holding him on my lap his stomach has been rumbling and his struggling to breathe, i just cant decide what to do, i know if i put him to sleep i be thinking if only i had given him a few more days, and i dont i be thinking i am cruel making him suffer, i make up my mind to pts him and then he goes and scratches the scratch post and rubs himself on my legs and i think oh i change my mind and see how he goes in a few days and then i see him struggling for breathe and then i change it back again,

i think i go at 430 and show my vet what the chemo vet thought and his notes and then see what happens, i am not looking forward to this one bit at all - thanks everyone for all your thoughts, comment and advice so far i have realy appreciated it and i let you know what happens when i come back xx

[Gillian Harvey]

but my other vet and the lady who recommend me to the vet to get the chemo said i would be a murderer and i have to try

Just wanted to say, what a horrible thing for someone to say to you  If it turns out that pts is the best thing to do, then it is an act of kindness to prevent further suffering. Its bad enough you are going through all of this without some tactless remark like that. I hope you can decide what to do for the best. 

[Sheli_80]

I am so sorry to hear about your poor little puss and that your insurer has been putting you through the mill.

Advising on wether or not you should have him PTS is something I don't think many people could do without seeing him or any vet experience. I went through something similar with my old cat, after he was diagnosed with CRF everything went downhill and I always worried about having to make the decision, and if the vet would advise me when I didn't think it was time. The best advice I ever heard (apart from these forums of course) was from the CPL lady who fostered him before us. She told us that no-one, not even the vet could make us put him to sleep. We were the only ones who could make that decision.She went on to say that when it was his time we would know because we would see it in his face that he had enough and that the last loving act we could do as an owner was to help make his final journey. I'm not sure if that will be of any comfort but I know it was for us when it was time, it didn't make it any easier I still cried for days, but it was a comfort knowing that we had in fact seen it for ourselves that our little old man had had enough and that we had made the right decision.

Sending happy thoughts and hugs  

[Angiew]

Its a hard decision for you to have to make.
I had one of my cats pts a couple of months ago with suspected FIP - at least her belly had swollen and xrays showed her liver to be not right. She was still very active and eating etc but I had seen her nibbling at her food , little and often because her stomach was so small and she was getting uncomfortable when she was resting. It was a hard decision, I miss her terribly and suspect she may have gone on for a few months more quite happily. She was not a candidate for medication as she fought tooth and nail when we had to tablet her. Having seen the swelling progressing over a few months and knowing how uncomfortable it could be (I had endometriosis and, before a hysterectomy, was really uncomfortable at certain times) I decided to let her go peacefully.

I still plague myself with could haves, should haves and would haves, but having gone through this so many times before I can come to terms with my decision.
If one vet thinks it may be a cold then it might be worth trying for a couple of weeks as long as he isn't in too much distress, it may get him over this hurdle but if you do decide to do this then keep a close eye on him (which I'm sure you are doing) and keep evaluating his condition.

I hope you manage to choose the right decision - one you will be able to live with.

Take care.

[tan160581]

as with quallity of life he has been very sleepy and not like him as he likes to go out for walks and play with toys, which he hasnt done since jan continulously, but then he have a good day and play on the stairs and just now he was scratching his cat post and wanting a hug, so i keep thinking what if i go today at 430 and make the biggest mistake of my life, and maybe if i gave him a few days he would of got better, but then i think what if i dont go and like last time he got the nose bleeds, he was unsteady on his feet 2 days ago, but now seems a little better

[tan160581]

sorry i made no sense, but i am all in a difer

my local vets did a test but couldnt really get a big enough sample to see what the lump is, so they said they were 80% it was a tumour, they said my cat wouldnt be a good candidate for chemo as he is not a good patient gets stressed out etc so we put him on prendasone a streroid and that worked great til he got use to them, so i went back to my vets and he said radiotherapy was my only hope

i have pet insurance, and i put the claim in jan but they kept losing my letters and each new letter i said they said they had to pass over to claims and i would know in 10-14 days, well they lost 6 letters, i got a letter back the other day saying they were not going to pay out as it could be a preexisting condition and i didnt have enough evidence to support my claims even throigh i had 2 vets on my side

so i went to this other vet who is 2hours away from me and he said that it would buy my cat some time so i could fight petplan and try and get them to say yes to radiotherapy, so he has been on this chemo tab for 5 weeks now and again back to my cay that i know and love, what makes it harder is that he is only 5, not that any age is easier, but also i rescued him and he had a real bad start in life so i think really he hasnt had much of a life at all and i want him to live til his old and grey with me, so i keep trying,

well yesterday my vet told me that yes i should put him to sleep as we have tried everything but i had to see what the vet said that gave me chemo thought as i guess i didnt like my vets answer, and he said for 10 days try him on some apetite booster tablets and a steroid injection which he had last night, but his still the same, breathing with diffulcity, his hungry as his begging me for food, but cause he cant smell he wont eat and his tummy keeps grumbling, and not his usual self and his become very clingy and i keep thinking is he asking me to hold on and try or let him rest and sleep, i dont know what to do, my family say i am being cruel and let him sleep, but my other vet and the lady who recommend me to the vet to get the chemo said i would be a murderer and i have to try as he may just have a very bad cold and see what happens, but i hate seeing my cat like this esp when he was such a piggy with food i hope this makes more sense xxx

[Liz]

If there is no quality of life then I'm afraid that PTS would be the kindest thing also the hardest thing for both of you

[clarenmax]

This sounds like a terrible situation.

I can only echo what the others have said so far, but it must be terribly confusing having 2 different vets telling you different things.

I can't offer any advice I'm afraid, other than looking at your cat's quality of life etc, just wanted to say that we're all here for you, whatever you decide you have to do.

[MrsR]

Oh hunnie I really feel for you I so do.

I have to agree with Gill - is your cat suffering and does your cat have quality of life.   It is these questions I would base my final decision on but I so understand how you are feeling as I have recently had 2 of my cats put to sleep.   It is one of the hardest decisions you will have to make as I know for me it was mine.   

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

What a terrible situation and feel so sory for you.

Its really impossible for us to advise you because we are not vets and do not know your cat.

However as a cat owner can so understand your situation and my only advice is to look at your cats situation, is he suffering, is he in pain, what quality of life does he have and is there anything you can do to change any of this. If you can do something will his quality of life improve and how much distress will it cause to him and how much longer will he be able to carry on.

Bearing all this in mind you have to make the decision that is best for your cat to give him the best quality of life and then if this is to let him go to the Bridge peacefully, may he rest in peace 

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

Very confusing 

I dont really know as I have been in this situation myself, one vet saying one thing, another vet saying another. Does he actually have a tumour or is it just what the vet thinks he has?

I know your very confused but the first post didnt make much sense to me. 

[sheryl]

Oh Hun what an awful situation to be in.  I cant really offer any advice just a huge big  for you and your boy.

You have to do what you think is right for him and for you - all I can say is dont do anything until you are sure xxx

[tan160581]

hi
i really need your advice i had a appointment yesterday with the vets but i just couldnt go, my cat is 5 and at xmas he was disgonsed as having a tumour behind his nose and he was in the vets as he wasnt eating lost half his body weight and wasnt the same, anyway after they took the tests they gave him some steroids and they seemed to work and he was back to being my cat and eating and put back his weight and more besides, now the results were never conclusive as they couldnt take enough samples and he did actually die on the operating table but managed to bring him back to life, they were testing for a polp or a tumour but my vet thought it was a tumour, anyway my pet insururers wont pay up this is on this forum but under general if you want to read as to why and i am going to take them to court, anyway he started to get used to the steroids, so my said my cat wasnt a good candidate for chemo as he wouldnt like the bloodtests etc, so i found another vet 2 hours from me that would try out this new tablet and for 7 weeks it worked but yesterday i woke up and his nose was all blocked up and a funny smell from his throat and not eating, i was scared and i rung my vets and he said that i have done all i could and to let him go, i am broke now and i have used all my 2000 savings on him, not that i mind i jsut wish i could have saved him, but anyway i wanted a second opinon so i went to the other vet and he said he was fine and he may have a cold, but i know how last time it started and how he went down hill, the nosebleeds will the be the next stage, but the other vet gave him some pills to make him hungry, and said give it 10 days and force feed him and see what happens then, so i have one vet telling me not to, one vet telling me to do so plus all my family and friends saying its time to let go, he had a appointment at my vets at 430 and i could really do with some advice as i am at breaking point xx