Help me accept what I did

[doubtingdaisy]

My adored 20 year old cat has been on prednisolone and ranitidine for several years. For 15 years she was fit and well. For the last few years she has been getting progressively less well though still happy, mostly eating well and always affectionate.
For the last few months she has been grooming less, some matted hair on her back which she won't let me brush, eating less, rather constipated and had to have lactulose. Each time we've been to the vet in recent months she has lost weight and the vet has suggested she might not have too long.
On Thursday She had diarrhoea. We took her to the vet who examined her. I mentioned that we were going on holiday at the end of October and the vet said Lupin wouldn't be here by then and could suddenly deteriorate. Her breathing was a bit laboured and there was some fluid build up.
We brought her home, talked about it and decided we couldn't take the chance on a sudden deterioration. The vet came to the house on Friday night and we put her to sleep.
Before the vet came she scoffed tuna, seemed quite bright and certainly not at death's door. I'm now tortured. My fear that she would suddenly suffer terribly made me take the decision.
I alternate between being glad she died before she became very ill and feeling dreadful that I may have been too hasty.

Sorry for your loss, Op.
Better a day too soon, than a day too late.
She was contented, not scared, not miserable with sudden deterioration. Now she will not suffer.
You took a difficult decision, but the right one.

Oh you poor thing. Please don't torture yourself. You did the kindest thing for her, which inevitably is distressing for you. I had a pet that I loved very much. I knew he was suffering for the last two weeks of his life. I cared for him until the end but it would have been kinder in retrospect to have him put down at least a week earlier when I knew there was no way back. Hugs to you.

I have had to make this call upwards of fifty times. The ones that still haunt me are those when I waited too long. I am at peace with all the others, even though the cats may well have lasted a little bit longer. It really is better a day too soon than a day too late.

Don't torture yourself. You did the right thing.

You did what was right for Lupin, she wasn't going to get better and would rather have had the familiar love around her than you all on hols. You needed to be there for her.

Our last cat died at home and I wish I'd had him put to sleep a the day before - he was ill and old (21) and we knew the end was coming but like Lupin had a day of scoffing tuna and being pretty active so I cancelled the vet. It was an error as he suffered some pain at the end and it still hurts me I waited too long.

It sounds like she died really happy. That is worth more that and few days or weeks or even months full of pain and suffering and quite likely fear. The kind of death she had, happy, after a good day, st the end of a good life, with no idea of what was to come, is the kind of death I wish for myself and everyone that I love. You gave her a good death. You did right by her.

No, you knew when you made the decision that you had had a string message from the vet and you wanted the best for your cat.

It was a brave decision and by far the best one. She was discomfoted with constipation, diarrhoea, laboured breathing, and with fluid build up that would have got worse, suffocating her from the inside. Imagine how frightening for her that would have been

Very sad to lose her but you were on her side and did the best thing.

You absolutely did the right thing!

I wish I'd done it when my old cat was obviously getting worse. As it happened, he seemed alright and happy enough except for the fact that he was going deaf. And because he was going deaf, he ended up being run over by a car he couldn't hear coming. I'll forever be thankful to my kindly neighbour who shot him dead with his rabbit pistol after he'd been hit as I stood by sobbing and made me a cup of tea afterwards. It was absolutely horrifying and I blame myself for the way it ended.

We had our poor old dog with cancer booked with the vet and he died that morning. I think we waited too long. The poor love must have been in pain when he died. Better a good death than a drawn out painful one. Letting go is hard but it's hard for us, not for them.

Thanks so much. It helps to hear that.

I waited a day too long for my lovely cat, so wish I'd done it a few days before. He was ok then but selfishly I wanted a few days to say goodbye. I had planned to take him back to be pts on the Monday, but had to get an emergency appt on the Sunday morning instead. He was suffering, I so didn't want him to suffer. You did the right thing

Yes you made the right decision, with the advice from your vet. Never an easy decision to make for a loyal pet. Lupin is out of pain now a loving thing to do for a loyal pet. Look after yourself, having gone through this myself a few months back, I know how terrible it is, but you mustn't doubt your decision, you made the right one. I know it doesn't make it any easier to cope with the loss.

You did the right thing. My mum's very old dog had terminal cancer and we elected to euthanize him before it became painful and destroyed his quality of life. The vet even told her afterwards he'd have done the same thing.

Thank you all so much. i feel much more at peace with our decision having read what all you like minded people have to say.

You did the right thing.

Sorry your lovely cat is no longer with you. X