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We just euthanized our cat yesterday...and man i feel destroyed right now

Tiago Rodrigues

Tiago Rodrigues

Member
The title is pretty much self-explanatory.
Our cat was 16 years old already. Had some liver and kidney issues, we tried our best for weeks.

We had to feed him the last week...until 2 or 3 days ago he refused to even let us do that. He literally used his tiny little paws to get us away from his mouth. He was in pain and giving up...so it was the most logical thing to do.

But still...taking him to the vet, making the decision... and then doing it, we felt like shit afterwards.

Our cat hated the vet in general and he was barely reactive yesterday...he could barely stand anymore since he wasn't eating and barely drinking water...but once we got to the vet he just wanted to leave...like he knew something was up.

He went out peacefully and so fast. I had no idea that shot would just...make him "fall asleep" in 2 seconds. It's an image that i'll forever have in my mind...but still...making a decision like this sucks so much.

My sister is even worse than i am...she's barely talking today. More than half of her life she had this cat. She brought him home with our mother in 2007 and since our mom died in 2015 (fuck cancer) this felt like the end of a cycle for us. Lots of mixed emotions right now.

I'm not sure why i wrote this in here. I really don't usually do this...but if you read all of this, thank you.
 
mitch1971

mitch1971

Member
Yeah, sad news. Had to put down our 16 year old dog because his body was just giving up on him a couple of years ago. It's just awful.

The vet was nice enough to put a snippet of his fur in a tiny bottle for us, and a sympathy card with his paw print on it. It was a nice touch as a keepsake.
 
DKehoe

DKehoe

Member
16 is a great age for a cat. Sounds like he had a loving family too and you guys were there for him right to the end. It’s always going to be a tough call to make but well done on having the strength to make it.
 
Kenneth Haight

Kenneth Haight

Gold Member
Hope you’re ok. It’s really hard losing a pet especially one that has been there for a big part of your life. They're no longer in pain and I’m sure you gave them everything you could even though they ask for so little. Much love
 
Cyberpunkd

Cyberpunkd

Member
Our cat came at the end of 2021, she was born in August. So it is just a little over 2 years. Kids always had her around, they know nothing else. It will hit hard in 10-15 years, but alas - such is life.
 
Liljagare

Liljagare

Member
I know the feeling. Lost my baby in August, handfed from birth due to being abandoned. Only lived 12 years, it's the black one in my profile. Her brother is still with us, but he has busted knees and arthritis, not sure how long he will hang in there.

But, despite the short time Shakira was with us, she opened up a spot for two new kitties that we adopted. She was adopted from her mom, who was taken in to be euthenized. Vets here don't put down pregnant animals, so her and her mom lived. She was only two weeks old when we emergency adopted her, so, daily hand feeding around the clock. She was special and my baby, died from thyroid issues, she pretty much burned up, it broke my heart. I always thought she would be with us for much longer.

Enzio, the brownish kitty in my profile, was abandoned in the middle of winter in a box in a alley, he was on the news, only one who survived from a litter of 8. The rest of his siblings froze to death. :/


Prior we had Ekkorre (squirrel) and Legion, that we adopted in the US actually, so they moved internationally, to Sweden, good goof balls both of them.

My child hood cats, Tusse and Sotis, got to be really old, 23 and 25 years. They were rescues too.

I think, my point is, as sad as it is, it is one story that ends when our pets pass, but it opens up a chance for a new story to begin.

Always adopt strays, you'll never forget them.

Now we have two new ones, Cobra and Emil, I hope they get good long lives with us, they were a part of a cat colony, 40 kittens needed new homes, and as my Shakira was passing, we thought, why not help two new little ones. And Enzio and Shakira had such good personalities that we wanted to try to get them to pass their good nature on to a new generation. It has actually worked as the new ones never bites, never uses their claws, and are all around just good goofies. :)

Enzio loves his new friends, and Cobra had a mom for a bit!!

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My condolences.
 
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Go_Ly_Dow

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
Much love to you and my condolences. In 2014 I also lost my little guy of 16 years. Like yours it was some kind of liver/kidney problem and I took him to the vets and watched him pass on xmas eve.

It was a very painful period for me, but eventually the sadness faded and was replaced with a feeling of gratitude and love for all the love he gave me. This will come for you and your sister I'm sure.

Without you and your sis his life would have been much more difficult, so you should also both be proud of yourselves for giving him a great life filled with love and care.
 
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Winter John

Winter John

Member
That last trip to the vets is a real gut punch ain’t it. It hits hard when a pet dies. Mostly because they’re pure right. All they want is to be your bro. They’re always there for you. Always on your side. My best advice to any pet owners is not to rush out and get another. Give yourself time to grieve and get over the loss. It also helps to get a different kind of pet from what you had before.
 
Putonahappyface

Putonahappyface

Gold Member
My sincerest condolences to you and your family, you have my deepest sympathies.

I had to have my eighteen year old chinchilla euthanised on November the 27th and I stayed with him while he passed away on the veterinarians table. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my entire life, in the space of a week.

I wish no one had to feel the devastation of losing a family pet. Unfortunately that's the trade off of many years of happiness, everything eventually comes to an end.
 
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ÆMNE22A!C

ÆMNE22A!C

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Due to a undisclosed situation I've lived with my cat almost 13 years in solitary. Shit she makes it known when she took a shit ie: clean up my poop. The audacity!! Lmao.

She's a mix of Main coon and Somali. Pretty much a chonker and we have our morning routine.

She had a growth which got bigger and bigger.

I had it removed a month or 4 ago.

Couple days ago i noticed it's return.

Vetnubs didn't know what it was so i called to send the biopsy because they didn't know what it was.

Well hopefully those lab asshats know because it needs to be removed once again. Sigh.

Hopefully she'll pull through.

So much stress


Sorry OP
 
clarky

clarky

Gold Member
Tiago Rodrigues said:
The title is pretty much self-explanatory.
Our cat was 16 years old already. Had some liver and kidney issues, we tried our best for weeks.

We had to feed him the last week...until 2 or 3 days ago he refused to even let us do that. He literally used his tiny little paws to get us away from his mouth. He was in pain and giving up...so it was the most logical thing to do.

But still...taking him to the vet, making the decision... and then doing it, we felt like shit afterwards.

Our cat hated the vet in general and he was barely reactive yesterday...he could barely stand anymore since he wasn't eating and barely drinking water...but once we got to the vet he just wanted to leave...like he knew something was up.

He went out peacefully and so fast. I had no idea that shot would just...make him "fall asleep" in 2 seconds. It's an image that i'll forever have in my mind...but still...making a decision like this sucks so much.

My sister is even worse than i am...she's barely talking today. More than half of her life she had this cat. She brought him home with our mother in 2007 and since our mom died in 2015 (fuck cancer) this felt like the end of a cycle for us. Lots of mixed emotions right now.

I'm not sure why i wrote this in here. I really don't usually do this...but if you read all of this, thank you.
Click to expand...
You did the right thing my man. Holding on to him when he is at the end of his life and in pain is the easy & selfish thing to do. But you know this im sure.


Sometimes the hardest path is the right one. Things will becomes clearer over time.
 
E

edbrat

Member
FunkMiller said:
Grief is always the price we pay for love, my friend. And it’s always worth paying.
Click to expand...

I think Nick Cave expressed this well when talking about losing his son "if you have been fortunate enough to have been truly loved, in this world, you will also cause extraordinary pain to others when you leave it. That’s the covenant of life and death, and the terrible beauty of grief."
 
YukiOnna

YukiOnna

Member
Really sorry for your loss. It's something I can relate with since I went through the same thing a year ago with my 19 y.o. cat. I've been with him since I was 9 myself and I haven't really let go. It's not easy, but I'm certain he had a good long life with you guys.
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
I feel yah. My first dog died suddenly. First cat rapidly deteriorated, I knew she was dying and she passed under our bed in hours, not much we could do. Second cat we had to put down though, she was a skeleton but still had all her personality, that fucking crushed me. It's hard, but just the circle of life for pet ownership.
 
StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Sad to hear Tiago.

Our fam had a cat when I was a kid. We took in a stray and he lived with us for I'd say about 3 years, then we were all sad when one day he just never came back. He was a half indoor/half outdoor cat. So we'd let him out when he was itching to get out the sliding door. Who knows what he did as he'd leave our lot and then come back home to sleep and eat. He'd meow to come back and one of us would let him in. But one day he just never came back.

A friend who lived down the street claimed to had seen our cat a few blocks away in a park, but who knows if thats true since our cat was a typical grey cat who could be any cat.
 
Roufianos

Roufianos

Member
I've been there a few times dude, worst one was a 6 month old kitten who we found out was born with heart failure.

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's the most normal thing in the world to grieve. Cats are part of the family.

Eventually you'll be able to think of the kitty with a smile and be thankful for the happy long life you gave it.
 
Catphish

Catphish

Member
Tiago Rodrigues Tiago Rodrigues

I've been through it a few times in my life now, but only once was I there at the vet for the actual euthanasia.

Shpud was a good boy, a cat that would climb carpeted poles in the basement so you could pet him at eye level, and who would fetch little wooden sticks no matter where you threw them in the house, always bringing them back, like a retriever. He was elite. One day he got real sick, out of nowhere, kidney failure, around the age of 16. When we finally made the decision to put him to sleep, I was there with him when they administered the shot, and I looked into his eyes during the whole process, tears absolutely streaming down my face, as his pupils dilated, and he went still. Fucking brutal, but I couldn't have done it any other way. I like to think he saw the tears, my face, and understood how much he meant to me.

I also lost my mom in 2015. So I feel you, brother.

Rules of the game, I suppose...

:messenger_heart:
 
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kurisu_1974

kurisu_1974

Member
I lost Bingle, the cat I had for 20 years, to old age... in the end she was just looking for a spot to peacefully die in the backyard. I spent the last sunny Saturday afternoon just sitting with her, but we decided to take her to the vet and she recommended euthanasia. I felt and still feel guilty as fuck even if it was the most humane thing to do I guess.
 
Tiago Rodrigues

Tiago Rodrigues

Member
Catphish said:
Tiago Rodrigues Tiago Rodrigues

I've been through it a few times in my life now, but only once was I there at the vet for the actual euthanasia.

Shpud was a good boy, a cat that would climb carpeted poles in the basement so you could pet him at eye level, and who would fetch little wooden sticks no matter where you threw them in the house, always bringing them back, like a retriever. He was elite. One day he got real sick, out of nowhere, kidney failure, around the age of 16. When we finally made the decision to put him to sleep, I was there with him when they administered the shot, and I looked into his eyes during the whole process, tears absolutely streaming down my face, as his pupils dilated, and he went still. Fucking brutal, but I couldn't have done it any other way. I like to think he saw the tears, my face, and understood how much he meant to me.

I also lost my mom in 2015. So I feel you, brother.

Rules of the game, I suppose...

:messenger_heart:
Click to expand...
It's like reading about my life in here. So sorry for your loss / losses.

Also, incredible how most people posting here post their cats when they were 16. Seems like that's when real health issues start to hit them.
 
Dr. Suchong

Dr. Suchong

Member
Went through a similar situation with my partners cat a couple of weeks ago.
You did the right thing.
He'd of thanked you if he could.
It's actually one of the privileges animals have over humans.
The right to die a peaceful, dignified death.
Whereas we have to fight tooth and nail, eventually give up, and fly to Switzerland or something.
Sincere condolences.
 
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