Making the decision to pts

[ForgotThatIWasFine]

My lovely boy is 12 years old, we've had him for just over six years, the children have always had him around.

For the last two years he has had a benign growth on his philtrum, it started off very small but has grown larger and larger, to the point where he now struggles to breathe through his nose. When.he eats the lump gets irritated and he rubs it until it bleeds, he is wheezy and sneezy a lot of the time and I feel like it's time to say goodbye.

He has tried every treatment I can afford and has also had two biopsies to try and work out exactly what the growth is. The only thing that seems certain is that it isn't cancerous.

I have booked an appointment to have him pts next week but have cancelled and rearranged the appointment at least 4 times already.

I feel like the time is right, but then I look at him when he is having a good day and it feels so wrong to end his life.

The only thing that I'm sure of is that he isn't going to get any better, I feel that I want to end it now before he gets much worse and before all of our final memories are of him being in pain and distressed.

Did you just 'know' when the time was right? I'm feeling so torn.

[sparkysparkysparky]

We went through this in March. Our lovely old girl had days with bits of play but mostly quiet days on our bed in the sun. Her kidneys were failing and we knew she had little time left. But how long? I kept asking myself this. On last day it was clear she no longer enjoyed being a cat (my "test"). If I could have spared her that last day, I would have done.
The vet was very kind and sedated her first. It was very gently done.
The mantra on here is "better a month early than day late". From recent personal experience, I agree.
It is your last act of kindness where there is no hope of recovery.

[sparkysparkysparky]

You mention your dc. This will hit them hard and there is useful info on the Cats Protection website to help you with this aspect ( sorry can't link).
I did what I could to clear up beds, bowls, toys on the same day as we took our old girl to the vets. I let my Dd cry and say what she wanted. She saw me shed a tear but not bawl my head off. I didnâ??t say "put to sleep " to her incase it messed with her head about sleep.

[sparkysparkysparky]

In case it's not clear, I did the clearing away when dd wasn't there. I also didn't take her to the vets with me.

[fenneltea]

I recently had my old cat euthanised, I probably let him go sooner than needed, but I knew the ending for him was inevitable, and he was such a dignified chap he deserved better than that. It was also stressful watching him decline slowly.

I have no regrets about the decision, although for me I will get the other cats done at home when the time comes as I feel it is easier. (he was at the surgery)

If he is struggling to breathe it must be distressing for him and things that bleed are usually sore, so I do think you are doing the right thing for him.

[ForgotThatIWasFine]

Thanks for the replies, I have just told the children, they knew it would be happening soon but it was still a shock to them.

I have deliberately avoided saying that he is being put to sleep, I think my youngest would find that particularly confusing and possibly scary.

I will make sure I tidy away his bowl before the children come.back from school. We have other pets so I'm hoping they will provide us with some comfort and help the children have someone else to focus on if that makes sense?

The children will be at school when I take him to be pts, I'm going to collect his ashes so we can scatter them by the tree he used to climb.

He seems quite content at the moment, very wheezy but curled up happily on my bed lots of pampering and cuddles for the next few days.

[sparkysparkysparky]

Best wishes to you. It will be the right thing to do.

[Dansak]

It's heartbreaking, we went through it last year. We were told on the Fri he was very ill with cancer and to not leave being pts too long, I thought we had a week but by the Sunday he had gone downhill a lot and we had an emergency appt for him to be pts then.

I wish he hadn't had that morning of being so poorly, but glad I got those couple of days knowing that we were saying goodbye.

It sounds like you know the time is right, spoil him rotten until your appt.

Best wishes.

[thunderbird69]

So sorry to hear about your cat, I am in a similar situation. hope you don't mind if I share it here.
Our cat is 17yrs old and has been a bit doddery for the past couple of years; deaf, arthritic and a bit senile. but she has been perfectly happy and content.
Took her to the vets a couple of weeks ago due to incontinence in her sleep and they found a tumour in her bladder. She has had antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to keep her comfortable, but the incontinence has got worse since yesterday and she is passing blood. It is hard to make the decision, but we feel that she is probably now experiencing some pain and discomfort so we're going to take her in tomorrow to be pts.

[sparkysparkysparky]

Be strong, thunderbird, you are doing the right thing.

[thunderbird69]

Thanks sparky

[ForgotThatIWasFine]

thunderbird no of course I don't mind you sharing so sorry you are going through something similar (and sorry for others who have shared their stories), sounds like it's also the right time for your girl, best of luck for tomorrow

I've accepted now that the time is right for my boy, we're all going to miss him so much but yes, it's undoubtedly better to let him go now rather than having to watch him deteriorate further and him having to suffer.