rant/question?

[MysticalShawty]

My cat's dying now, and I don't know what to do.

We have three possiblities, he either has something that's incurable and he'll end up dying, he'll have something that'll let him live for three more years, or he'll have liver problems in which we'll have to spend $2,000 on which would cancel our plans for Florida in the summer (I don't mind that at all if that's what it took).

I feel like I'm cruel, how I'm unable to help him, yet just look at him laying on the floor, not eating, just laying down all day. He hasn't eaten since Thursday, and I feel horrible because of it.

I never thought I'd feel this empty over an animal, then again, I kinda did. But it makes you wonder, even though I love my cats, some people would find it absurd to get upset over an "animal" who's not human.

We're supposed to take him to the hospital tommorow at eight in the morning. I think I'm calling in sick. They're supposed to put a tube down his throat so he'll be able to eat.


I find myself panicing at times. I'll stare at him for a few minutes to see if he's breathing, then I go back to doing whatever it is I'm doing.


Any thoughts on this?

[Semjaza]

I don't want to seem mean... but I get the impression that keeping him around with this will just be painful for both you and the cat itself. Is putting it to sleep an option?

[Kinetic]

[color=darkblue][size=1]
I have to agree with Semjaza Azazel. I recently had to put my oldest dog to sleep. She had arthritis in her hips and it had gotten so bad that the day before we put her down, she couldn't stand. It's a hard thing to do, but it's necessary. They don't even feel anything but the needle when they're put to sleep.
[/color][/size]

[Gavin]

[size=1]I would say that you should do what's best for the animal, if that means putting it to sleep well then so be it however if the cat were to be able to survive then I'd suggest another option.

If this animal means a lot to you then I would suggest that you think long and hard and then listen to what your heart tells you to do for the cat. We can only give you our advice it's you that has to choose what's best for the animal.

A few years ago my father had to have two of our dogs put-down. One was a pup because my mother rolled over it's foot and vey badly injured it (which I still haven't forgiven her for and probably won't) and it's mother by a neighbour who has so far killed 7 dogs around our area with his speeding jeep. It hurts to have to see a pet die but if it's for the best then we can't argue. [/size]

[JC Goodwin]

Dude i think it would be best to just let the cat be put to sleep cause i mean its not fair on the cat to keep it like that. Sorry to seem harsh.

[RainbowChick]

I agree. I think keeping your cat would be painful for both of you and it would be helping your cat if you put him/her to sleep. Sorry if I sound harsh. I just think you should do what's best for your pet. Goodluck with deciding.

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]My cat Lucky got sick and died a few years ago. She was my baby and I had to watch her lose all her hair and then throw up everyday until blood starting coming up. She died while I was at school in the sixth grade.

Back in January I had to watch my old Bulldog, Bridget, pass away. She was REALLY old (we've had her since 1994-1995ish) and she was fat and happy. We knew that she wasn't going to be much longer and when she quit eating ,we knew that her death was approaching. She wouldn't even eat the bowl of chicken and dumplings we gave her. She would just find a spot in the yard to lay down in and wouldn't move all day. I got to talk to her and tell her that I loved her because she was my big baby and she used to always sleep with me. She died the day I had my accident. I miss her a lot. It doesn't even feel like she's gone really...

I'd say the best thing is to put your cat down. It's never the decision that you want to make, but that way you know that the animal is not suffering. You can always get a new pet and even though it wont be the same animal, a new baby animal can always brighten your mood. Trust me. With Lacy there was Bridget. With Hercules, PeeWee, and LiLi, there was Chester. With Bridget there was Squirt. New pets are fun. ^_^[/color][/size]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=darkblue]I agree with everyone else... putting your cat to sleep is the best option. You see... a few years back we had this cat names Billy, he was very old and we had just discovered he had a huge tumor. We had been wondering what that huge lump in his side was... and we saw the vet and he said it was a tumor. Well... even though we knew his death was coming, we tried to keep his as long as we could. One day my step sister was in the basement and heard funny noises and found him struggling to breathe, rolling around on the floor. When I got to the basement, he was dead, he had suffocated. That tumor had crushed him. The guilt we had for not putting him to sleep still nags at me on ocasion.
So, I think it would be best to put the cat to sleep. It'll be a lot easier on you and the cat. Trust me, you don't want to have to go through the pain of letting it die right in front of you... and think of all the oain it has to go through.
I hope that you make the right decision, I'm sorry that you have to go through this... but everyone does when they have a pet. I have said all I can.[/color][/size]

[MarkM]

I love my cat, its the ****! its 9 years old...so I'm worrying about it...

Its not weird to care for your pets, I wish your cat the best of luck.

-Mark

[Artemis]

Wow. That sounds really rough. I've never completely been able to understand the emotional attachment people have to their pets. With a family of 10 kids, we really can't have pets. My brother had a beta fish for a few years. I think he was upset when it died. He didn't want anyone around him when he buried it in the backyard. Now he has a tutrle that he found in my uncle's pool. We think it's just hibernating right now, but it could be dead. *shrugs* I wasn't upset when Sapphire (the fish) died. I really didn't see it as a problem. Animals live and die. They don't have eternal souls like humans do. I realize that people develop emotional attachments to animals. I don't see a problem with that provided that those attachments do not replace human relationships.
As far as I can see, putting the poor cat to sleep seems like the best option. His condition is only causing pain for the both of you. (Not that I advocate euthansia...I shouldn't get started on that...)
I wish you the best of luck dealing with this.
~art~

[Baron Samedi]

Most people develop strong emotional attatchments to pets. It is not unusual.Depending on how things go, there isn't really too much you can do.

One- it can have surgery. If you really want to have this cat fixed, then I would advocate that. If he is a relatively young cat, then surgery would gain a good few more years out of him. If he is an old cat... maybe you should go to Florida. Maybe you're only delaying the inevitable.

If he can't be helped... put him to sleep. If he is going to be in pain, put him to sleep. If he is old, put him to sleep.

Sometimes you need to put others well-being in front of your own.

I sympathise with you. Losing pets is hard.

[Isen`tar]

Well, I'm going to try and not sound harsh/mean, but you do have an alternative to putting it to sleep. If the cat still has claws, you can do what my grandma did when she was a little girl. Drive out to the woods, leave the cat, and drive away. The cat will then have a chance to fend for itself and live out it's natural instinct of hunting, or just get 'put to sleep' quickly by nature. It's always an alternative.

[Terpischore]

[color=blue][size=1]Wow, [b]Isen`tar[/b], i would so rather put it to sleep than abandon it in the wilderness to just die alone and forgotten...I mean, think about it, if you were dying, how would you feel if your parents just drove you out to the forest and left you there? Pets do have feelings, they know what it's like to be treated wrongly, and I think that's just plain wrong. Put the cat to sleep. It's in pain. That's the easiest way to do it.[/color][/size]

[oshi]

I know exactly where you're coming from. My kitten (19 year old kitten) has been gone for about three weeks now. I'm taking this harder than when my grandfather died. He had gone into kidney failure, which meant that he wasn't retaining any water at all anymore. It got so bad that he couldn't walk or even meow. But he wasn't in pain. We took him to the vet, and that's what he said. Putting him to sleep was not an option for me. So we took him home, and he lasted about a week and a half longer. He was with us when he left.
But you sound like you don't quite know what's wrong. You must care, if you're willing to give up your vacation (no question there, right?), so find out what's wrong, and be optimistic. It might not be anything at all. One time, my cat had just eaten part of a houseplant. He gave me the biggest scare of my life, but he was okay. Have hope.
And do what feels right. It might not seem fair, and it might hurt a lot, but do what you think is the best possible solution.
If you want to talk, PM me. I can't write anymore now, I'm trying really hard not to cry.
oshi

[Isen`tar]

Actually, the cat lived and found it's way back home. However, it didn't have any sort of cancer, it just kinda drunk paint, so the chances aren't the same. But yea, if I were dying, I'd prefer to go out hunting something than with a shot of windex to the leg.

[DuoMax]

If my cat were dying, and was in pain, I'd put it to sleep. I wouldn't want it to suffer.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=violet]I'm going to go with the general concesous and say, put the cat to sleep, because it's just the humane thing to do. Yes, that's right I said euthanizing the cat is humane!

I know how it feels, I've had a few animals put to sleep in my lifetime and it really hurts.

I don't really remember the first dog we had very well, since I was a baby, but she was a dauchschund and her name was Heidi. My parents had to put her to sleep when she was five because she had slipped disks and couldn't walk very well so they put her out of her misery.

Sandy was our other dog, she kept getting benign tumors as she got older and had trouble walking. As she grew older she had trouble going outside and would deficate in the house instead. But she lived longer than Heidi and was about 14 when we put her to sleep.

Finally was Pouncer, our second cat. He had gotten into a fight and lost a lot of blood so the vet had to euthanize him too.

Another animal I was close to, but wasn't mine was this Tennessee Walker gelding named Ivan. HE was a retired police horse and was about 35 which is pretty old in horse years when he died.

So yes, you'll be sad when you have to put your cat down, but it's for the best. Sounds cruel but it's for the best. However, if you want to remember your cat, just take one of his/her toys and a picture of him/her and put it on a shelf to remind you of better times with the animal. It does help to do something like that.

Condolances,
Chibi Horsewoman[/color]

[James P. Galvatron]

That is sad to have to lose a loved member of the family. It may seem hard to not have them around the house and make you feel like crying, but you shouldn't feel sad cause you have all the fun times and joy you and your pet had together and there is nothing that could take that away. Those feelings of happiness and joy can never be taken away.