[ErnestTU]

Dude, it's just a cat.

[wonceinee]

I've lost two labs, and one cat.

For us it was just time. The last one my black lab, he just lay down in barn during the fall and wouldn't get up. He passed away after she called me so I got to be with him.

My mom wanted him put down the year before and we argued over it. I thought it wasn't quite time and he would tell us when he wanted to go.

That's all I would say here. Just watch her, make sure she's loved and let her decide when her time is up. You'll just know Guynemer.

More difficult has been talking to mom about her plans now that Dad has passed away. I try to be as practical as possible, asking where all her things are so in case something does happen I know where it all is.

[Trercakaressy]

Srsly, jus' tellz her she's gon to a better place in the ceiling.

[banditorfv]

Dude, it's just a cat.

QFT.

[appletango]

Losing my cats was the worst thing that I've ever experienced. I still have trouble with it to this day. Euthanizing only compounded this by creating a feeling about doubt and regret.

Good luck!

[irridgita]

My mom agonized over putting to sleep the cat we'd had for 19 years. She was undergoing kidney failure, and was mostly blind by that point, too. We all said it was probably for the best to euthanize her, but mom couldn't do it. The cat died rather suddenly one day, and my mom was fairly relieved that she didn't have to make the decision, and honestly it didn't seem like the cat was suffering in pain, so maybe it was best to just let nature take its course.

[gWhya5ct]

I could tell our cat was suffering, actually she was probably in less pain the closer she got to dying. She couldn't stay still for long, something was driving her to constantly get up and walk around

[NarunapyCalry]

...of lymphoma. The treatment was just too stressful on the poor thing; we've now got her on weekly subcutaneous injections of steroids and she seems happier.

However, she is getting palpable, hard lymph nodes in more than one area, and is losing weight despite, for her, a good appetite. She pretty clearly doesn't have a lot of time left, but isn't suffering at all right now.

Despite years in of the country's best medical schools, and subsequent years in one of the country's top pediatric hosptials, I don't really know how to talk to my loved ones about death. I can talk to patients and families, but my own loved ones? Christ. I had the same experience earlier this year with my dad; I heard from his doctor just what he had, I knew it was Capital B Bad, but I didn't really know how to break that to my parents. Luckily, he went quickly. I can only hope that the cat follows suit, passing quietly in her sleep.

So how do you folks talk about the coming death of a loved one with your other loved ones?

And those of you who have euthanized a pet, how did you decide the time was right? (I know this one will come down to me, and she'll be far too upset to decide.)

3 years ago, one of our family's two cats died (he was 15). It was cancer as well, he just stopped eating and in general became too weak and lethargic. He clearly wasn't enjoying life, we couldn't tell if he was in pain but he was looking way too thin and just...ready. My mom and dad took him to the vet to get his opinion, and he agreed that it was time.

So my mom held him in her arms (he was very much her cat, always cuddling with her) and the vet gave him the shot. He was looking at my mom and his eyes slowly closed, just like in a movie cliche. My mom bawled the rest of the night but she was always insistent she was glad she was there and holding him as he died and knowing he wasn't in any pain at the time.

Our other cat is now 18, but two years ago her liver (? or kidneys, I'm no biologist) failed. The vet gave her a month or two, but she just passed the two year mark of the diagnosis. She gets a subcutaneous injection every two days like clockwork, but other than that she's just a normal cat. It's pretty amazing.

Despite this, her time is approaching. My parents are wrestling with the same decision. Right now, a couple times a month she'll seize. She'll just move to the center of the room, knowingly. She'll then look like she looses balance and falls on her side and seizes violently for a good 30 seconds until she stops. She's then completely out of it for a few minutes, then wanders off to sleep or cuddle.

My parents have agreed if it happens a couple times a week they'll have the conversation with the vet. For now, they still enjoy her company. As she's gotten close to death she's become very, very needy in terms of attention. She'll constantly be underfoot and wanting to snuggle, and it's hard to say no.

[qQVXpYM6]

[Lydiaswingert]

Is your manhood threatened?

I knew it was time when my 18 year old cat was hurting so bad (and quite blind) and would cry in the middle of the kitchen until someone would carry her to her litter box so she could puke. The only time she seemed not hurting was when she was curled up with me on the couch. Working full time limited this activity. We stayed with her holding her through the procedure. It was heart wrenching, but the hurting was finally over.

[Imiweevierm]

[rhybrisee]

That was my experience with a cat that caught distemper when I was a kid.

About three days, but didn't require euthenasia. By the time we realised he needed a vet, he was only a few hours from exiting on his own. Boy that was rough.

[highattainlet]

Cats are SO STUPID. They cannot even keep track of a single word. All of you are an embarrassment to what it means to be a man, which isn't surprising since half of you play Dragon Age: Origins. Nut up, shoot the thing in the head, and let's watch some football. Can the Saints be stopped?

[Sxedlawb]

Korean, PH.

[DeilMikina]

Quote:
Cats are SO STUPID. They cannot even keep track of a single word. All of you are an embarrassment to what it means to be a man, which isn't surprising since half of you play Dragon Age: Origins. Nut up, shoot the thing in the head, and let's watch some football. Can the Saints be stopped?

Surprised Kitty @ Yahoo! Video

ACK!

[Bigroza]

I want to put my computer in a burlap sack and then throw it in a lake.

[Obsententicab]

They say that anti-social personalities can be predicted by their reactions to animals.

[Beriilosal]

Then it's obvious why you don't have a clue about it.

[dumadegg]

I'm hearing the sounds of a small dog yapping.

[Sakkola]

Life is tough at the top of the food chain. I had to put down my cats, about one year apart. Heart-wrenching. And it did not get easier. I still flash back to it on occasion, and it was about 10 yrs ago.

And yes, Galnemer will know when it's time. My condolences.