To ask for your advice about elderly cat needing PTS

[sadsack78]

Sorry about this everyone- it's pretty sad, and I want to make sure we do the right thing by our pet cat.

My PIL have an elderly cat- he is about 20 now- and the time has come where he is suffering and the only humane thing to do is euthanize him.

However my inlaws are concerned about the cost of having vets come out and do it and are expecting it will cost around £500 for some reason. They are wondering if doing it themselves at home with pain medication is a better choice as money is tight. I understand but the idea makes me very uneasy.

If you've gone through this recently, how much did it cost for you? I want to reassure my inlaws that using a vet is the safest option and the most ethical choice by far but they are worried about being hit with a huge bill they can't afford.

Doing it themselves?! Please do even entertain any such idea, that would be a cruel, drawn out death.
I had my cat PTS at Christmas it was £250. I am sure though if you contact the PDSA with this ludicrous (and frankly, stupid) idea they will be able to offer their services at a reduced rate.

I am pretty appalled they are considering this tbh, it could end up being a horrible prolonged death from organ failure.
If they want to do it cheaper then offer to take the cat to the vet to be pts. I do get in an ideal world the vet would come to them, we did that with our dog, but far better it goes to the vet and it’s quickly than a slow agonising death at home.

From a quick google it looks to cost around 200 to 300 for an at home visit to euthanise a cat. I know that can be a lot of money for people but omg poor cat, after twenty years to have people attempt a DIY killing!

My vet said would be £86 but Dcat died in sleep before we had chance
Ring a couple of vets near to their home for quote

This, they've had this cat 20 and this how they want it to end. I am appalled by this and it really saddens me that people think like this (and probably do carry it out) awful

We had our cat PTS recently and it was cheap, I can't remember off the top of my head.

Don't let them talk you into any scans or investigation if you can't afford it, then it quickly racks up and the answer may be PTS anyway.

Other than the age, what kind of health problems is the cat having?

We took him to the vet though, no idea on call out

Contact a few vets and ask...poor cat if your inlaws do it as a diy x

Contact a few vets and ask...poor cat if your inlaws do it as a diy x

Oh dear God I hope you’re a troll. Painkiller overdose? I may take over a week to die, a very slow painful death, unless you have some very specific and extremely strong painkillers. They owe it to their cat to give it a humane peaceful death.

What form is the medication in? Are they planning to force pills down the cat’s throat until he dies? 😿

To euthanise a cat (at the vets) and the owners take it home to bury would be in the region of £80.

Home visit, cremation and a casket for ashes would all be an additional cost.

If money is that tight that they literally can’t afford anything, then I’d advise contacting a vet or rescue centre and explaining the situation - we would perform the euthanasia for free if the alternative was owners doing it at home and potentially causing huge suffering to the cat.

Well not necessarily. Mine was £250 last month. Pricing will be different depending on area.

I paid £200

Suggest to your PIL that when the time comes you will do the same for them. I would be reporting them to the RSPCA if they did such a cruel thing to their DCat

What kind of painkillers were they planning on using? If paracetamol, the poor thing will die in hideous agony over several days as its liver fails.

Just take the cat to the vets. If they don’t care enough to have it done probably I’m sure it doesn’t mater if the cat dies at home or the vets?

I haven’t had a pet put to sleep for a while (unless a hamster counts which cost me £20), when I had my dog put to sleep it was the middle of the night so had to meet the vet at the practice, my dog was in a lot of pain so I couldn’t wait until opening time,I think I was still only charged around £150. Luckily my cat is insured so when the time comes I will do what’s best for him.

It was about £85 here for an elderly cat around four years ago. Even with inflation, it shouldn't be anything like £400.

I think there is a risk of prosecution if they cause suffering under the welfare act.

Please encourage them to talk to the vets or an animal charity if they are finding money a problem

This is insanely cruel unfortunately. Poisoning can take a very long time to kill something and can be a very painful process.

Best bet is to ring around local vets for quotes.

Insanely cruel just about sums it up.

Thank you for your replies everyone.

It would never occur to me to do anything other than ask for a vet's help, so I was dumbfounded that they would even think of doing otherwise.

I will talk to them tomorrow about the cost and put my foot down about doing the right thing. I think when they talked about it today I was so shocked and taken aback I didn't automatically say 'You're f*cking kidding, right?' Which is the only sane response.

Glad to hear this, please do the right thing and take the cat yourself if necessary.

Bloody hell. This vet comes to your home Sheffield area and charged 150
https://www.travellingvet.co.uk/pages/prices but I’ve taken my old, dying cats to the vet and buried them in the garden. It was as humane and sensitive as I could hope for, and not distressing for the cat.

it would be under £100 here for a vet trip but I second PDSA if they are in receipt of benefits or pensioners for free or low cost treatment.

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/our-services?token=9C2E65622A

Surely this cat has a vet that it has been to over the years? If the vets cannot do a home visit or it is too expensive then the cat must be taken there.

On no account should they do anything else. The vets may also let them pay in instalments - ours does.