Our old family cat has just been left in the vets to be put to sleep. :-(

[Pinkchampagne]

He was about 16, and it was to be expecyed as he has been looking very thin for a while, but today when ex H went to feed them (parents are away), he was laying there like a rug. Ex H thought he had died & picked him up, but he let out a miaow. Vets were phoned & I have just had to sit in the car with the boys (who know nothing yet & loved that cat), while ex H took him in. He has been left there now & is going to be put out of his misery shortly. Haven't stopped crying since I got back in. The boys will be devastated when they find out.

Commisserations.

I had to do this with our cat, I held him as they injected, absolutely horrid - still miss him!

OMG i am in tears reading that, so sorry to hear about your cat... sounds like it is probably for the best and you wouldnt want the cat to suffer

I to have a very precious cat. she is 13, but recently has gone very down hill. not leaving the garden etc.. and she doesnt look that well....

could you do something with the boys the remember the cat?

I will try to think of something, CS. My youngest son (5) takes death badly. My Nan died 16 months ago & he can still burst into tears saying he misses her. It will really upset them when they find out. both boys kept saying "why is Billy in the vets, mummy?"

CarGirl - that must have been so hard.

Our 3 little ones were very matter of fact whilst dd1, dh and I were sobbing our hearts out. We're forunate as he disappeared for a whole day but came back refusing to eat so at least I didn't have to go around the neighbourhood asking if I could check their gardens for our dead cat.

He was old & had cancer, it was hard that we couldn't have a few hours with him at home first because there's no peace with 3 young dc around.

could you say that Billy is very very sick and the vet is going to see if he can help him, but he's so sick there might not be anything they can do in which case he will die.
You won't have to say anything else until you break the news later that he has gone.

I am so sorry for you all- it's the worst decision to have to make for a family pet.

So sorry to hear this. It's awful to lose a much loved pet, no matter how old they are.

Maybe you could plant a tree or similar to remember him by.

So sorry to hear this. I have had to do this twice with my two cats, one aged 14 and one aged 19. I had to have a period of mourning after the last one before I would consider adopting another.

There is a book in the Mog series by Judith Kerr called Goodbye Mog, might be for very young children, but helps them to cope with the loss. I had to stop reading it before I started sobbing in the bookshop!!!

I collated photos of my old cats into an album which I still look at now and again. Perhaps if there are any photos of the cat the boys could have one, especially if photographed with them?

I had to have my cat put to sleep two weeks ago. I took her to the vet hoping they would be able to treat her, but the vet said the kindest thing would be to put her down as she was 19 and suffering from kidney failure. DH and the children were outside in the car so I called them in and the vet left us alone for a few minutes while we said goodbye to her and then they went into the waiting room and I held her while she had her injection. It was over in a second, poor thing, she was so old and tired. We took her home and made her a beautiful coffin out of a shoebox and buried her with her blanket and toys and a card the children made for her. I think it really helped them understand what had happened.

Oh pink so sorry for to hear this and to others who have had to have their cat's put to sleep. I was in the same boat three years ago. Mac lived to 13. I was heartbroken.

Sometimes it's hard for some people to comprehend how much a pet means to us. When for people like us that pet was very much a part of our family.

Again sorry for the loss of Billy. (((pink)))