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Pet Euthanasia And Knowing When To Let GoWe will discuss pet euthanasia, what it involves and the various aspects of the decision making process. Hopefully providing you with enough information for you to feel certain that when the time comes you will feel confident that you are doing the right thing for your cat. What is pet euthanasia?Basically pet euthanasia is a treatment administered by a vet that allows your pet to drift into unconsciousness and then stops their heart from beating. This gives them a quick and painless death, usually when no more can be done for them medically and their quality of life is diminished to a point that they may be in distress. My experience of pet euthanasiaTigger, my old ginger tom was beginning to show signs of old age and he was suffering with a thyroid problem which was becoming worse even with treatment. I didn’t want to be unprepared and so I found out all I could about pet euthanasia long before any decisions had to be made. I’m very glad I did, as the day came very unexpectedly.Tigger staggered in one day, looking like he had been in a cat fight and had come off quite badly. I had never seen him so distressed. We took him straight to the vets who after examining told us that his heart was struggling and that he was finding it hard to breath. The vet was very supportive but advised us that due to his age and general condition there would not be much that cold be done for him. All I knew was that I could not let my beloved friend suffer any more and my final gift of love for him was to put an end to his pain, quickly and painlessly. It was all over in seconds. I didn’t stay at the end but as I walked from the surgery, tears rolling down my face, I felt a great relief and a sense of calm knowing that he had gone to a better place and that I could remember him the way he use to be. A very loving cat, often found balancing on the end of the banister so that he could give us a friendly head butt as we walked by. When should you consider pet euthanasia for your cat?
Unfortunately only a small number of cats die naturally of old
age, generally they become so ill that it is kinder to ask your vet
to “put them to sleep”. However just because your cat is old and slightly
sick will not mean that the vet will suggest euthanasia straight away,
so do not be afraid to take your elderly cat for treatment.
When there is doubt as to the quality of life your cat may be leading, ask yourself these questions:
If the answer to any or some of these questions is No, than a talk with your vet may reveal that it would be kinder to let them go and consider pet euthanasia.
As I have said I was not there at the end, but many people feel that it
is important to share the last moments with your cat. Many feel that by
being their it helps them to come to terms with the loss and also lays
to rest any fears that their pet would feel alone at the end. It is an
entirely personal decision and one that should be your decision and not
someone else’s.
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Now this bit is difficult to say. I was lucky, Tigger was in such a bad way at the end that he was very quiet and calm and in fact I’m not even sure he knew where he was. But unfortunately this may not always be the case. If your cat is injured badly and in great pain, they may struggle, which makes it difficult for the vet to administer the euthanasia as it has to go into a vein. This may be very distressing to watch, so you must be prepared if you wish to stay. Remember, you are helping the cat in the long run and freeing them from more pain and discomfort. It is an act of love and kindness.
If you do not stay till the end, make sure that your vet will carry out the pet euthanasia straight away. Some surgeries have a policy where they wait till the end of the day. This is not fair to your cat.
Euthanasia is unnatural – many say that nature will decide when we die and that we should not interfere with this process. They conveniently overlook the fact that by providing treatment and medication to our pets we are extending our pets life long after their natural lifespan anyway. In fact euthanasia is a way of ending the artificial extension of life.
It is Selfish! – Many say that euthanasia is used so that we do not have the bother of looking after a sick cat or that we take the decision too soon. Many have guilty feelings of not trying hard enough to make them well. But if you feel guilty you must be the sort of person who cares and caring people do more for their pets than any one else. I say that it is more selfish to hang on to a cat that is possibly in pain and in distress just to satisfy your own needs.
My Cat will tell me when they are ready to go – many believe that your cat will give you a sign to let you know that it is alright to “put them to sleep” and that they are ready to go. Unfortunately this is a myth put around by people who want the burden of the decision to be taken away from them.
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