Had to put my cat down today

[Deleted]

God, I feel like such a rat bastard.

My cat recently was developing kidney failure, which I felt was a side effect of feline diabetes, and the problem just accelerated at an alarming rate.  When I took him for blood testing, they told me that, during the test, he was having pain in his left side during the process, and they were wanting to look at a body scan to see a potential problem later on.  However, less than a week after, he just degenerated, where he got all confused and disoriented, growled and hissed at random objects, urinated on the floor instead of the litter box, went into convulsions, and other unpleasant things.  My mother was what you would call a "crazy cat lady" and while she loved animals, her heart was bigger than her brain (not to mention, we were dirt poor, which did not justify having animals), so growing up, I was all too familiar with seeing animals suffer before passing away.

Regardless, I didn't want to have to do this because it just feels terrible.  He at least got to eat one last meal and I kept him as warm as possible on the trip all the while telling him how much I loved him.  My brother, who is special needs, is still beyond hysterics about this, and it's bringing up PTSD flashbacks to things that happened years prior when we lost family members.  It's hard for him to process loss.  We're at least keeping his ashes to remember him by.

I have known this cat since the day he was born, so it's quite surreal for me to have experienced the pet's entire lifespan.  I know I did the best I could, but I just hate myself right now.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

All of my sincerest condolences, dude.

Don’t beat up on yourself. It sounds like you and your cat had a loving relationship and they were deeply cared for. Losing a pet is like losing family, I totally understand.

[SmashTV]

First of all, my condolences to you and yours. It’s horrible saying goodbye to our furry family, and I’m sorry you’re going through this. However, you’ve done nothing wrong so please don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve given your cat a great life, and although you might not think it now, you’ve done the right thing. Your cat is at peace now, and not suffering anymore. Please try and take some comfort in that.

All good wishes, bud. Hang in there.

[Deleted]

I'm with you. I lost my dog sort of out of the blue. He had something wrong with him I didn't know about and then one day he just collapsed and couldn't walk anymore and I had to out him down. One day is just another normal day with him, and the next day he collapses and I have to put him down.

Stay strong. Make sure you always hava at least one decent picture of the cat in a frame to say hi to everyday. It helps.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

As a guy whose lives through 3 of my cats dying of old age, there's few things more painful than the loss of a pet. The important thing to remember is that he was always happy with you and lived a good life

[Deleted]

I'm so sorry, JDogindy. My cat died a couple weeks ago and it broke my heart, so I know what you're going through. Wishing you and everyone else here who's lost a pet recently all the best.

[edgestar]

I had one dog, who died naturally. I still break down, because I miss him. Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of his passing.

Another dog we had, had to be put down. He was almost 17, and showing signs of dementia. Sometimes, he would be about 10 feet away from me, then snap at me. It got scary.

My littlest just turned 10, and has been with me through my health issues. It will break my heart, when his time comes. I love to give him snuggles.

PLEASE know that you did the right thing. Your cat seems to have had an amazing life, and you should not feel guilt for ending his pain. I offer you my sincerest condolences.

[Rolent Tex]

Nothing to feel like a bastard about at all. I had to do the same thing to my cat a few years back due to kidney failure. You did the right thing in the end. It’s better to do it than to prolong their suffering in the end. It doesn’t help ease the pain but put it this way…I didn’t put her sister down when she had FIP. If I had the choice again I’d have let her go peacefully instead of dying after having a seizure in my arms.

[SmashTV]

One thing I always like about this group; for all of the nonsense and silly stuff posted on these pages, whenever someone is going through a hard time people always come out in waves of support.

Good work, people.

[Terry McConkey]

Not to hijack your thread, I also had to put my 16 year old cat down earlier. He had cancer and fluid around his heart.

[edgestar]

Mar 11, 2022 18:30:41 GMT -5 Terry McConkey said:

Not to hijack your thread, I also had to put my 16 year old cat down earlier. He had cancer and fluid around his heart.

Oh, my.. I'm so sorry to hear that. You have my condolences, as well.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Mar 11, 2022 12:31:03 GMT -5 @jdogindy said:

God, I feel like such a rat bastard.

My cat recently was developing kidney failure, which I felt was a side effect of feline diabetes, and the problem just accelerated at an alarming rate.  When I took him for blood testing, they told me that, during the test, he was having pain in his left side during the process, and they were wanting to look at a body scan to see a potential problem later on.  However, less than a week after, he just degenerated, where he got all confused and disoriented, growled and hissed at random objects, urinated on the floor instead of the litter box, went into convulsions, and other unpleasant things.  My mother was what you would call a "crazy cat lady" and while she loved animals, her heart was bigger than her brain (not to mention, we were dirt poor, which did not justify having animals), so growing up, I was all too familiar with seeing animals suffer before passing away.

Regardless, I didn't want to have to do this because it just feels terrible.  He at least got to eat one last meal and I kept him as warm as possible on the trip all the while telling him how much I loved him.  My brother, who is special needs, is still beyond hysterics about this, and it's bringing up PTSD flashbacks to things that happened years prior when we lost family members.  It's hard for him to process loss.  We're at least keeping his ashes to remember him by.

I have known this cat since the day he was born, so it's quite surreal for me to have experienced the pet's entire lifespan.  I know I did the best I could, but I just hate myself right now.

I can sympathize. We had a cat who just degenerated in the span of one week like that. We kept holding our hope that we could treat his seizures and get him back to normal. We wound up making the choice we should have made a week earlier. I regret not being strong enough to do the loving thing when we needed to. Don’t feel bad that you did.

[Ben Wyatt]

Sorry for your loss.

I've had to put down several pets in my lifetime. It absolutely sucks. But doing so, instead of letting them suffer when you know that their time is limited is the most noble, humane act of love you could make for your furry friend.

[Timeless Hayterade]

My condolences to you.

[marvelocity]

We had to put our cat down today as well, 17 years old. She was older than three of our kids. We lost her brother about 5 years ago, at least they will be together again.

[The Spelunker!]

Sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is just terrible.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

My cat passed away over seven years ago, but to this day, I still miss the little guy. He died at home after having a rough final month, where he temporarily lost the use of his back legs, then seemed to be better, then deteriorated again, before dying on what I still call the worst day of my life. Told him I loved him before going to work, knowing in my heart it would the last time I said it. Had an awful day at work, with a lunch outing straight from hell, then when I got back, my mom told me he had died a few hours earlier.

Don't beat yourself up over any of this. It's a testament to you that, rather than let him suffer any longer, you allowed him the peace he deserves. We all handle loss and process grief differently. In my situation, I felt bad because our cat had to go through the process of dying naturally, but my mother put in perspective: he hated being put in his kitty carrier and was terrified of cars. Bringing him to a vet would've only made things worse for him. At least he was able to die at home, with people who loved him at his side. But that was what was right for us and for our cat. Based on your situation, you did the most humane thing for him and should feel absolutely no regret.

[Deleted]

Mar 11, 2022 18:30:41 GMT -5 Terry McConkey said:

Not to hijack your thread, I also had to put my 16 year old cat down earlier. He had cancer and fluid around his heart.

I'm sorry to hear that.  It's not fun going through it, but ultimately, it's always the best decision.

Animals aren't exactly able to tell us "I'm not feeling so good" beyond explicit examples so we have to be vigilant to know what is happening to them.  You do everything you can for them.

[Terry McConkey]

Mar 13, 2022 0:17:24 GMT -5 @jdogindy said:

Mar 11, 2022 18:30:41 GMT -5 Terry McConkey said:

Not to hijack your thread, I also had to put my 16 year old cat down earlier. He had cancer and fluid around his heart.

I'm sorry to hear that.  It's not fun going through it, but ultimately, it's always the best decision.

Animals aren't exactly able to tell us "I'm not feeling so good" beyond explicit examples so we have to be vigilant to know what is happening to them.  You do everything you can for them.

It's heartbreaking. I normally don't discuss my personal life on here but I've gotten so used to dealing with loss in the past few years after my mom passed. I know that I will love another cat someday but I just need a break. 

[Mecca]

This is always hard, I have a cat with diabetes I give shots to everyday.

My parents have dealt with so much of this, we had a cat that got bone cancer, one that lived to be 20, another that out of nowhere had a seizure and died, and one that died in the operating table as we tried to save him.

It's all just so hard, condolences man, typing this out just makes me emotional and I'm that person that gets way more choked up over animals than people.