When to put your pet down ? ** updated post 32

[mommasita]

My cat is 11.
She has always had a tendency to vomit, and is tiny. She is 6 pounds. I found it getting worse, and so we went to the vet. Fast forward blood tests, 600$ later, no official diagnosis, home with antibiotics and nausea pills. This was 3 weeks ago.

Everything seemed good, better if you will, and the treatment ended, and back to the same. My husband went with her last week, she offered to do an ultrasound, 600$, but even then she wasn’t sure she could know for sure, she “thought” she felt a tiny something. More anti-nausea pills, 150$ more, and special diet.

My husband went today as her stomach was distended, and the vet says she now feels the lump as the size of a small orange. I come home to this news, more meds, even morphine. The vet says she is not suffering, she can not say how long, weeks, months ? But we will see it. I don’t want her to suffer. I certainly don’t want to find her gone or gasping. It is beside her pancreas.

I’m so torn, this was my daughter’s cat. She chose her, adopted her, part of me just can’t let her go. I don’t know if I should just make an appointment Monday and let her go ? I’ve been crying all night.

The vet talks about quality of life. She just lies there, she still eats well, but that’s about it.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I think as long as the pet isn’t in any pain or suffering then to just enjoy the time with them. I wouldn’t end their life prematurely. You said the cat was still eating so I would hold off.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

When I had to make this decision, it was sincerely one of the hardest things I've ever done-but it was also the most loving. Our pets have no sense of mortality, but they know what it feels like to be tired. I wish for you the strength you need to make this decision, whether it's Monday, or somewhere down the road.

 

[amcnj]

It’s a tough decision to have to make. I am always afraid of waiting too long, so the animal suffers.

 

[ronandannette]

@mommasita - understanding a little about your previous loss, I can imagine how terribly hard this must be. Grace and Peace to you.

 

[Sandeep1]

What's the rush to put it down? The vet says your cat isn't suffering. So just wait a bit and see how things play out. If there comes a point when your cat appears to really be struggling, then by all means have it put down.

 

[LSUmiss]

I think as long as the pet isn’t in any pain or suffering then to just enjoy the time with them. I wouldn’t end their life prematurely. You said the cat was still eating so I would hold off.

Yes I agree especially if a cat is still eating b/c they tend to be finicky. All of my cars stopped eating when the end was near. Also what else does an older cat really do but lay there & eat sometimes .

 

[disneychrista]

It's a very tough decision. We had to have our 15yo cat euthanized this past spring. We went through tests, meds, etc to the tune of nearly $3k over several months. I finally made the decision when was "crying" one morning and nothing would soothe him.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I agonized over the decision to put our dog down a few years back. He was old and slowly slipping away. DH said we would "just know" when the time was right. And our dear Taylor did show us when it was time.

Many hugs to you....I've also read your story and understand the more complex reason this is so difficult.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I can relate. I've had to do this. You're between a rock and a hard place. I've made both decisions and no matter which one you make, there is that guilt. A couple of times I decided to wait and my pets suffered so I said if that is the case next time, I will let them go. Vet couldn't do much so it was on me to make the decision. I believe there is no wrong or right way but it was the toughest decision I've ever had to make.

 

[mommasita]

Yeah, it’s not really a rush per say. The vet just said it has grown very fast, and I guess I just fear it doubling or tripling very quickly.

Even though she is 11, she has always been stuck to me after work, in bed, cuddling, and now she isn’t at all. She is just really lying there all the time. I wonder really if she isn’t suffering, because she is not at all the same.
It’s just hard I guess, it was a tie that binds you to someone.

Thanks everyone, I am off for a few days, I will spend more time at home, and see how she is. We aren’t broke, certainly aren’t multi-millionaires either, so at one point you must decide in that aspect as well.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We had an older cat with several medical issues, some serious and some chronic. About 6 months before we let her go, I asked the vet when will we know it’s time. The dr said she’ll stop doing things she always does and mentioned things like greeting us when we came home, sitting by the window, things like that in addition to obvious things like a severe change in eating habits. She said we would know and we did...she stopped eating and hid behind the toilet When she never really went in the bathroom without us being in there.

if your cat isn’t suffering, I’d keep a close eye on her for more changes
(((Hugs))) it’s so hard.

 

[mom2rtk]

Ah, I’m so sorry @mommasita. That’s rough. Big hugs as you find the best path for your special friend.

If you trust your vet, I would ask what they would do if this was their family pet.

 

[Wayland10]

They let you know when they want to go. That’s when it’s time to be compassionate to them and set them free.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Some random thoughts. Generally they say the time is when the pleasure in life is less than the pain and/or discomfort (which speaks to quality of life), but personally, I’ve always found that kind of hard to go by and probably wait to long by many standards myself.

I am thinking that in a six pound cat a small orange is a pretty significant size lump. And tumors (and many other medical problems) in that area can be significantly painful. I know you mentioned the cost of the ultrasound being high, but it might be worth the peace of mind to know that she in fact has a tumor and it’s not something else (that may be treatable?). So I might consider doing the ultrasound.

The other thing for you to think about is that I believe that the cat will go right from your arms, into your daughter’s, when she passes. The reason I believe this is because I’ve studied a lot of near death experiences and many who’ve died and come back have reported seeing beloved pets and people there. So hopefully that knowledge will, when the time comes for you, make it easier to part with the cat, as hard as it is.

HTH. So sorry you are dealing with this.

 

[eco-muse]

Would surgery be a possibility? (And I would do the ultrasound, if that hasn't been done already). Also, ask about a biopsy (just in case).

Like others have said, she'll let you know when it's actually time. It does sound like she's dealing with some kind of serious health issue, but not to the point of needing put down, yet. Hopefully, it's something that can be easily treated/cured.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I am so sorry that you are being faced with this decision. I think trust your instincts. You will know when the time is right.

 

[belleatdisney]

duplicate

 

[belleatdisney]

This is the worst part of having a pet, it is so hard.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We struggled with this questions for years. We had a cat who was 18. She had some unresolved skin issue where she would get open sores. She had arthritis in one paw, and hadn't used it in years. She wasn't able to eat solid food anymore due to teeth issues. She confined herself to one room and meowed all the time.

She was clearly unhappy. But we didn't put her down until last week because we felt bad, and thought she would die eventually anyway. But she had no quality of life, and decided it was time.