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.

Yes OP - you may need to take charge of this situation for the cat's sake.

Doing it with pain medication would take weeks and the cat would die in agony from liver failure. Disgusting, cruel people.

Sadly we had to do this recently- but at the vets rather than at home. Was just over £100. If affordability is an issue I’m sure a vet would be willing to do something to avoid an animal suffering.

We took ours to the vet, and it cost around £50 I think. It was a vet the cat knew. I didn’t consider a home visit.

Yes that would be insane and very cruel.

Poor cat.

Unimaginably cruel. They need to take it to the vets. Why does it have to be a home visit anyway? Even if the cat is suffering, which it obviously is, an uncomfortable trip in a carrier to its peaceful, painless euthanasia is miles better than dying in agony from DIY methods.

A vet cannot refuse emergency treatment. If the best thing is euthanasia they’ll do it even if they know they’ll never see the money. Not that I’m suggesting they don’t pay. If they go in normal hours to the vet practice and then bury at home that’ll be the cheapest option. Body disposal costs more. What they are suggest is honestly unbelievably cruel and you cannot let them do it. The cat won’t just drift off. If they’re pdsa elegible then they may not have to pay at all

As others have already pointed out this would be a totally inhumane, drawn out and painful death from toxicity. Do not do this! This would be an offence.

It would be cheaper to take the cat to the vet than have a home visit and if they have a garden they can save on cremation fees by burying at home. Ring the vets and ask for a quote, even with call out I’d be shocked if the visit and euthanasia alone would cost more than a couple of hundred unless you live down south.

Vets have a duty of care, if its suffering and they go in to the practice I’m sure the vets will help.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Don't do it yourself! OMG no.

As has been said, it would be barbaric and horrific, and a dreadfully painful death!

Cost us £110 to have our cat PTS 2 years ago. (At a local small veterinary practice.) Cost my neighbour £99 at a different vet last year! Shop around @sadsack78 Some bigger 'chain store' type vets are pricey! Try a few different ones. Smaller ones are often cheaper.

PLEASE take your cat to the vet to be PTS.

PLEASE!

/

I think mine cost about £190 including individual cremation. Your parents doing it themselves would be barbaric.

My vet doesn’t charge for euthanasia of pets whose owners are regular clients.

It cost me £240 to have my dog cremated and her ashes returned in a scatter tube the week before Christmas just gone. The euthanasia drugs and appointment are free of charge.

Yes definitely the vets. I was quoted several hundred (one quite was over £700) for it to have it done at home but when time came it was at the vets, I can't remember how much but it was less than I thought, with individual cremation (basic scatter box so i could get a box for her ashes later) Being able to hold and comfort.my cat when it was time, to know it was quick and painless was worth it, with professionals who are trained to do that and are able to explain it and offer support. I can't imagine doing anything that would prolong or even increase her suffering.

Thank you so much for looking out for this poor kitty. I agree with others that diy killing would be an rspca issue and absolutely unbearably and avoidably horrible. I had to have my Dcat PTS in January. I was there when he went and it was so quick and peaceful. Euthanasia is not expensive but I chose to have an individual cremation with ashes returned in a wooden casket with space for a photo on front (it is actually more of a photo frame than casket). This all cost me £374 at a leading vet hospital in my area (Bristol/Bath, so not cheap). Thats still nothing compared with human funeral costs of ££££s. However, the euthanasia was less than £100 of that and overall cost can be reduced by communal cremation and not having ashes returned. If they bury at home, dig deep so that foxes etc don't dig up poor puss. Good luck with your PILs.

I know times are hard, and I sympathise. But, they signed up for this animal, who has lived for so long with them, and given them so much love. Please, do the right thing, and give it a merciful death. Tell the vet of the straitened circumstances, and they will cut the costs to the bone, if they are any kind of vet.

Shocked they would consider a DIY overdose resulting in liver failure and a painful, drawn out death lasting about a week ir more.
Just so they can save a few pounds.
Wow !

Have they even phoned any vets for quotes ?

Fucking hell, what is wrong with them?

I had to have my dog PTS at 6am a few months back. No vets open apart from one that only did out of hours emergencies (and they knew how to charge). It was £900 for everything including emergency appt, PTS, cremation, casket etc. But insurance paid it all. My usual vet would have been less than £200.

Tell them to contact PDSA. Twats

Insurance won't cover non essential home visits usually. Are you certain it would be covered?

I'd point out that not only inhumane, doing it themselves that way would be illegal (causing unnecessary suffering).

As is failing to have the cat euthanised/treated.

There are ways one could legally euthanise - however those methods are hands on and upsetting for humans and only legal if you get it right first time! Get it wrong and you're causing unecessary suffering!

The bulk of the cost of having an animal put down will be the vet visit, the next spendy thing is the drugs, and then obviously optional, is cremation at a pet crem.

If they are just having the cat put to sleep at home and burying at home, it is highly likely the cost will be under £300 and may be under £250 depending on where they live and when they want it done.

2 years ago now my DS took his 18 1/2 year old unwell cat to vet and vet said nothing more they could do and cat pts there and then. Son brought him home to bury in the garden. It cost him £120. Please tell the owners they owe the cat a painless end after 20 years of love and affection. Could you offer to take the cat to vets for them and bring it back? The vet wrapped my son's cat in a towel. He was buried in a big shoebox, around 1.3 metres deep. My son put a paving slap on top afterwards to stop our dogs or foxes digging him up.

We had our large dog euthanised and cremated for less than £500.

if they are concerned about costs, speak to the vets about a payment plan prior, that may alleviate some worry.

we’ve dig holes for neighbours pets so maybe that will lessen the cost for them given it’s only a small kitty.

my heart goes out to them really. I feel lucky to have never had to worry about this

You understand that your parents would think of killing their cat with drugs? 😳 How could you even imagine for a moment that this could be right? That poor cat!

If they can't afford to pay then you should pay instead, or at least help towards the bill.

After that I hope that none of you will ever have animals again.

WTAF? Poor cat, 20 years old and they don't want to do the right thing for her at the end of her life.

Even if it costs £500 they should still be willing to pay that, and I say that as some who has had to find that sort of money to have a pet PTS unexpectedly at times when I've been very broke.

just phone the vet and find out the cost of home visit vs taking it to the vet

DIY option is outrageous.

also if they take it to the vet they can stay with it while it’s put down.

We paid £150 last January for the vet to euthanise our old cat at home, its the kindest way to do it x

No way doing it themselves, ask the vet the costs involved. Our vet came to the house (2.5miles away) with a nurse to pts our cat in August and it was £120.00. It's cheaper to go to them but our cat got terribly stressed in the car, you can also pay it off in installments the vet will help with the cost so the animal doesn't suffer.