Putting my cat to sleep

[Slightyamusedandsilly]

My cat has been ill for 2 days. Pancreatitis and diabetes. But he's so so ill. The vets keep saying there is more they can try, but I can't bear to see his suffering. He's so ill he didn't even acknowledge me when I went to see him.

Am I unkind to give it until the morning and then have him PTS?

My heart is breaking.

I'm so sorry, it's just awful. We had to have our beautiful tom pts last year as we knew he had no quality of life after years of treatment for kidney disease. He was happy, then suddenly he wasn't. We couldn't watch him go on in pain and distress. Yes it's heartbreaking but, for us at least, it was the right thing to do and while it still hurts, we have no regrets.
I hope you find what is right for you and yours x

I'm so sorry that your cat is ill. How old is he?

No , I don’t think you’re unkind doing as you propose. I had my adored cat PTS many years ago. Absolutely heartbreaking but the right thing to do

He's only 10. He's a house cat so I thought he'd have a longer life. He is just such a lovely cuddly boy. A total softie and it nearly killed me today seeing his suffering.

The vet was talking about trying other things but he just looked like had given up and was waiting to die because he felt so ill.

I don't know if it's too soon or if maybe I should have got them to PTS today. The only thing I do know is I don't want him to suffer.

Thank you @BunchOfFlours @Goodmorningeveryone26 @Pause4thoughts for answering. I feel so alone in having to make this heart breaking choice.

What treatment does the vet want to try?

Poor you and your poor cat. I had to do this earlier this summer with my lovely cat and it was awful. The vet told me he could do more tests, but even if he had found the exact cause of my cat's suffering, it was clear he wouldn't be able to treat her effectively.

I think your instincts are probably right.

Pancreatitis is awful in a cat, my previous (no longer with us) got pancreatitis at the age of 12, which was the first time I’d heard of it. He had one overnight stay and did recover, but the treatment was rest and rehydration and hope for the best from what I remember.
at the time our boy was in remission for cancer, and we regularly changed his foods as he was always going off of food and the important thing was for him to keep the weight on. That may have been a factor In him developing pancreatitis, but we’ll never know.

he had to be put to sleep a month later due to developing a secondary type of cancer, but after he returned from his overnight stay with pancreatitis, he didn’t play with his toys anymore 😢. Could have been either the pancreatitis recovery being painful, or, the secondary type of cancer developing, again we will never know.

Give him till the morning if he is currently getting pancreatitis treatment, and then talk to as many vets there for a second, third opinion etc, really push for an honest assessment, if he is not enjoying himself anymore and in a lot of pain, then you’ll know. Hoping for the best for you op, but I do understand how hard it is knowing when it’s time xx

(((HUG)))

it's very brave of you to be considering this, it takes a lot of strength & courage.

Without knowing exactly what the vet has said three other tests and treatment, it's very hard to know what the best thing is to do.

However, I think the thing is that it is you that will suffer either way. If you PTS he won't know anything about it. He'll just go to sleep and not wake up. If you don't he could potentially go through a lot of pain with tests and treatment or potentially have a few more years of a happy life unfortunately you're the only one speaking to the Vet so you're the only one that can make this decision and I don't envy you there at all.

Just sending lots of love and a handhold for tomorrow🤗🥰

Just had to do a dash to the vet. The night vet seems to be nicer than the day vet and phoned me to say he was suffering and it wasn't fair to leave him like that.

He was given a big dose of methadone before I got there so we were able to have a proper goodbye. Broken hearted though. He was the sweetest boy.

Ah @Slightyamusedandsilly im so sorry for your loss

you absolutely did the right thing by him, what ever option or treatments were suggested/offered and he will know that

glad you had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye

The day vet mentioned putting a feeding tube in, but he was distressed enough with the fluids in the drip. I really didn't want the feeding tube for him. They never managed to get on top of his nausea and he clearly felt so sick.

I'm really sad I couldn't bring him home to be PTS but the vet is about a 30 minute drive away and it was 10pmish so it would have to wait until tomorrow, and he was suffering. I took a blanket in that my other cat had been sleeping on so it smelt familiar to him.

My lovely boy. I'll never forget him. 😭

Ah no you did the right thing taking him to the vets and getting him put on the good drugs as soon as possible! And you were there with him so all was good for him

I'm so sorry for your loss. You were right yesterday. You knew your cat better than anyone. He was lucky to have been so loved. Would it help to post a photo of him? Xx

Thank you everyone. There is a little relief to know that he isn't suffering now, which was causing huge anxiety. But of course, that has been replaced by grief. I keep crying and even my other cat can tell I'm distressed although she isn't particulary visibly affected by his absence herself.

@Slightyamusedandsilly I have had to have two of my cats PTS within the past couple of months. Each time the vet said they could try more tests but when I asked, they said my cats would be suffering and there was no guarantee that the treatment or tests would help in the long run. I made the decision each time to PTS as I felt it wasn't fair to make them suffer just so I could feel better. I do sometimes think "but what if..." but I know deep down that I did the right thing.

Someone on here once said that cats (well, all pets) have no concept of the future so to them, they're unhappy now and then just go to sleep. That did help as my gorgeous Frankie and Ghostie wouldn't have known what was happening, just that they felt better as they fell asleep.

Sorry, I meant to also say that you did the right thing and the grief will ease.xx

My dog died a few months ago so I know what you are going through. You were a good owner. Please take comfort that you prevented his suffering. I wish I could say the same.

My dog was incredibly old, struggling to walk and needing a lot of assistance. He just eat and slept. We all said goodbye and I took him to the vet to be PTS. The vet looked at me like I was mad and gave anti-inflammatories. A few weeks later, I woke up to find he had died in his sleep in his bed beside me.

On top of the grief, I feel immense guilt that I let him go on for far too long and let him suffer. I should have taken him to a different vet (it was a chain with a high turnover of vets and you never see the same one twice).

Poor lovely kitty. You have her best interests at heart and you know you don't want her to have a limited quality of life or be in pain.

I have to say, the night vets where he was during his final hours were lovely. But the day vet was horrible. My boy was in his cage, clearly suffering, drooling, with huge nausea. I probably should have had him PTS then, but I didn't want that vet going near him. The night one who did it was lovely.