Precious boy PTS - Antifreeze

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My poor gorgeous boy was put to sleep last night at the age of 4. I had been in the house all morning with him, he curled up on a bin bag on the bed while I was clearing out the wardrobe. I even gave him kisses and cuddles and tickles under his chin and he was so sleepy I thought it was cute. Cut to half seven coming home and putting DD to bed he is laying in the landing, gets up and staggers away. Really staggers. Cue rush to the vet and within an hour, after blood tests, I'm holding him saying goodbye. So tiny in death. I feel I have let him down so much and have betrayed him by signing to have him PTS. Vet was very honest from the consultation, very concerned. When blood results came back she was so sweet and went through them with me, explained that his kidneys were failing, he was in renal failure. She explained the options, PTS or an alcohol type drip, and explained there was a next to no chance he would recover. He was so out of it and quiet, he didn't even look like my boy, but I was at his head whispering our love for him and kissing and stroking him, I hope he heard me. It's like a bloody nightmare. I know it will get better but this feeling of guilt and loss is overwhelming.
You lot will all be clued up on the dangers of antifreeze, symptoms but just in case someone comes across the thread who doesn't - please look it up, it could save your baby's life.

Oh I'm so sorry

Do you know how he came by the antifreeze?

Not a clue, was advised by the vet to contact SPCA to alert them and possibly ask around the neighbours. Couple of neighbours arw into their cars and are often tinkering with them so thinking it's been a horrible accident. completely devastated.

I'm so sorry. Poor little man.

Oh I'm so sorry, how dreadful :(

I don't wish to throw a nasty spanner in the works here, but there are some horrible, awful people who deliberately leave out antifreeze because they don't like cats (or dogs) in their garden (barking in the case of dogs).

I'm wondering why anyone would be leaving out antifreeze in July?

I'm sorry for your loss OP.

Thank you for your messages. Yeah we wondered that too, it seems a tad early in the year for anti freeze. We were thinking about writing a note about antifreeze and how it has killed our boy, raise our concern as there are a lot of other cats in the street and generally just raise awareness of how toxic it is - to dogs as well! However I am thinking if it was spiteful perhaps it might exacerbate the issue.

I won't lie - my boy and his brother are absolutely lovely cats but get into brawls with the others every other month. We have been here two years and I've been woken by them at night twice..

I really hope it was an accident. I dread to think the kind of person who would deliberately poison a wee creature to die in such a horrible way. Just awful.

Still in bits. Feeling so guilty.

Don't feel guilty! You did the best thing for him in horrible circumstances.

I hadn't thought of the antifreeze in summer thing. That's a worry. Can you keep his brother in for a bit?

Yes our other cat is now in for a few days until we can get notices round the neighbours. I don't want to seem as though I am blaming anyone, it's been a horrible accident but there are lots of cat and dog owners in our street and I would like to warn them to be vigilant.
Took Dh to say goodbye tonight, the wee guy could have been sleeping. So precious and gone now over such a horrible accident. We are both distraught. Luckily Dd is too young to know what is happening but she keeps shouting his name in her little singsong voice and it's lovely bit so sad at the same time.

There was a thread on here a while ago about anti-freeze poisening.. It includes screen wash so not so unusual in summer. Some people also use it in water features.

We now know to be careful, and I hadn't thought about screenwash. There is a thing doing the rounds to try and get Bitrex added to anti-freeze products as they are supposedly very attractive to cats.

Sorry for your poor boy

He could have come accross it in an open shed I guess, people gardening etc. and doors left open.
You made the decision to prevent him suffering and couldn't really do anything else under the circumstances.
I think I would let people know of the risks as it sounds like a horrible accident.

This is awful, I'm so sorry.

Can I ask, seeing as you mention the SPCA, which region of Scotland you are in? It's just that I know of someone who lost two cats to antifreeze poisoning in Scotland a few months ago and wondered if you're in the same area.

This fills me with dread as we have car mechanics all down the back of my flat. Do they all use it do you reckon? This will be the forst Winter my girls will be allowed out. Even tonight when i called her in she was sat under a car that was waiting to be repaired.

Poor little mite. Is weed killer the same? Down my friends street three have died after playing in the allotments.

Brake fluid is also lethal, yes some weed killers and also slug pellets. Cats will chew grass and ingest weed killer. And of course, lilies, not just the pollen, the entire plant.

Some people put anti-freeze in garden water features in winter