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Original poster

My husband's accidentally killed our cat [sad]

152 replies

sadspringday · 20/04/2020 11:32

Our cat is likely going to be put down today Sad.

She is quite an anxious kitty and had had a couple of bouts of FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis) which she can get when particularly stressed which she took metacam for. She got locked in a garage for a whole day last week which set off another episode so we called the vets who prescribed the metacam. Husband gets up earliest so he usually does the food in the morning and had been doing the medicine alongside it.

A few days later she doesn't have her breakfast- not normal but not totally strange (although she does love her food). That night she was upstairs without us knowing- we usually shut them in the kitchen at night to prevent 3am kitty goo demands! The fact that she hadn't woken us and had no interest in breakfast once we found her rung major alarm bells for me and I just knew she wasn't right..

We called the vet who said bring her in immediately and blood tests showed her kidneys to be not working so they had her in over the weekend on a drip and although she's in good spirits they've not recovered so she's got 24-48h left if we leave her (I'm of the opinion that we let her go today Sad )

Turns out husband had been massively overdosing her without realising as he read the box wrong.. It's so so hard not to be so angry at him and I know we're all human and make mistakes but... I'm just so sad that she's died because someone she trusted failed her...

I guess I'm posting here because I can't tell anyone IRL that this is why she's going to die- it's not fair on husband, he already feels terrible.

I'm so sad Sad

OP posts:
MashedPotatoBrainz · 20/04/2020 11:41

That's incredibly sad. Be kind to your husband, he must feel absolutely awful. Sad

RogersVideo · 20/04/2020 11:42

I'm so sorry. I would be devastated. My cat just finished a round of metacam, how did your husband get it so wrong? It was really straightforward, the one we had.

tiredanddangerous · 20/04/2020 11:43

Oh gosh I’m so sorry op. I would find it really hard not to be angry with my husband.

Glacierminty · 20/04/2020 11:47

I’m so sorry for you and your cat.
I shall think about you x

Original poster
sadspringday · 20/04/2020 11:51

he saw the 15ml on the printed label and thought the dose was 15 (it should be 4 for a 4kg cat and so on).. It's so hard not to be furious with him and cross with myself that I didn't check.

She's such a sweet kitty once she trusts you and even though she was anxious she loved being around people and followed you from room to room... She's a real homebody.

My husband's accidentally killed our cat [sad]
My husband's accidentally killed our cat [sad]
OP posts:
GertrudeCB · 20/04/2020 11:54

How incredibly sad for you all Flowers

bobstersmum · 20/04/2020 11:58

He sounds totally dumb why did he not read!

CatTangle · 20/04/2020 12:01

This is a horrible situation and so sad, OP - I am so sorry about your cat :(

Sending you all love xx

mrsbyers · 20/04/2020 12:02

My mum always said if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing

I’m sorry this has happened

Imboredinthehouse · 20/04/2020 12:05

Oh that is so sad Flowers

caz114 · 20/04/2020 12:10

Oh, I'm so sorry. Your husband will never forgive himself, so be kind to him.

I bet your wee cat had a great life and was very loved.

SedentaryCat · 20/04/2020 12:13

That's really sad OP. I'm so sorry. Your OH must be devastated.

I really don't like giving metacam to our cat, I worry that I'm going to get the dose wrong. (Same with Calpol for the kids, TBH).

Be kind to yourselves.

hadtojoin · 20/04/2020 12:14

So sorry this has happened but there is no point in making him feel worse than he already does. It is always sad when something like this happens but it was a genuine mistake and he was obviously trying to do the best for your dear cat.

Isadora2007 · 20/04/2020 12:16

I’d actually be quite annoyed it said 15ml on a label- if the dose was 4ml... why did it say 15ml anywhere?
I’m so sorry for your situation but accidents can and do happen. I felt awful that I got annoyed at my cat the day he died- he woke me up early and I put him out without breakfast as he’d woken too early. He went across the busy road and got killed just a few hours later. I kept thinking if I’d given him breakfast he’d have probably not been where he was at the time he was and would have lived. But these things happen sadly.

Francesthemute · 20/04/2020 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fluffycloudland77 · 20/04/2020 12:19

It probably said 15mg per ml or something @Isadora2007.

I know it’s an accident but I think I’d find it difficult to come to terms with this.

Isadora2007 · 20/04/2020 12:19

Actually. Has your vet previously checked the cats kidney function before prescribing this? If not they could well be to blame rather than your husband. @sadspringday

My husband's accidentally killed our cat [sad]
IdblowJonSnow · 20/04/2020 12:21

What a horrible thing to happen. Im a terrible grudge bearer and would be furious as well as devastated but I can say that it's not brought me good things over the years.
Is your DH devastated too?
I can see how it would happen.
So sorry for you and your lovely cat. Thinking of you. Flowers

ComeTheFuck0nBridget · 20/04/2020 12:23

I'm so so sorry about your cat OP, losing a pet is so awful. I can imagine how angry you are but try to be kind to your husband, it sounds like he will be feeling bad enough as it is, and he didn't do it on purpose Thanks

rosiepony · 20/04/2020 12:24

Oh god, how terrible. I’d really struggle with this, I’m so sorry Flowers

SorryDidISayThatOutLoud · 20/04/2020 12:24

This has made me so sad for you. I just told me DH (we are big animal lovers) and he said the same as me, that your husband must feel so bad. But he gave the medication because he loved and cared for the kitty, so remember that. Hugs to you both.

Kittykat93 · 20/04/2020 12:25

Gosh that's awful op. So sorry about your cat. Yes accidents happen but I'd still be furious. What a horrible thing to happen :(

Labracadabra · 20/04/2020 12:26

Wow Isadora2007, you seem determined to blame the vets in both your posts. You don't know the situation. Unhelpful and also sounds like you have a bit of a vendetta.

Veterinari · 20/04/2020 12:26

The dose isn't 4ml it's a 4kg dose which is much smaller than 4 ml. The syringes are specifically designed and labelled so that you dose by the weight of the animal rather than in mls as the dose for a cat is so small.

15ml would be the total amount of liquid in the bottle so it should be fairly clear that wasn't a daily dose.
The syringe would be labelled with a kg dose and the box label would have been printed with 'give a 4kg dose once daily with food' or similar.

@Isadora2007 It's a legal requirement that all drugs dispensed in the UK are labelled with the amount and concentration e.g 15ml metacam 1.5mg/ml
It's clear this isn't an instruction but a description of the medication, and the dosing instructions as described above would also be given. This information is strictly regulated.

@Francesthemute Out of interest how did your instructions differ?

Additionally in most practices the nurse or receptionist goes through accurate dosing with the owner to ensure it's clear.

Veterinari · 20/04/2020 12:30

@Isadora2007

I've just seen your next post.

So now it's the vets fault for complying with prescribing legislation and the vets fault the cat died despite being given a dose for a 15kg animal. Tbh the pre-existing kidney function is irrelevant in this case. Even the healthiest kidneys are unlikely to withstand long term dosing at 4x the maximum daily dose - so what exactly is your point?

Additionally the research actually shows that cats with chronic renal I sufficiency live longer on NSAIDs than those without.

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