TW: euthanasia. Do I get to decide when my cat dies?

[SlipperyFish11]

I wrote the long version here but I know most people wont read it, so to cut a long story short- if my 16yo cat is ill and I can't afford to pay more vets bills can I decide to have her euthanised without investigation? She's insured with John Lewis, but I can't afford the upfront payment and I know insurers love to decline paying out.

I'm a single parent of 3 and I have paid out £120 this month but she's seemingly getting worse now. She's lethargic and not eating or drinking much. She just asked for food, so I gave her it, and she just lay down next to it and then went back to her bed.

I have recently changed her food but I had to due to her being overweight (6.5kg). She was on Sheba, but I was worried this was making her ill so I changed it over to Felix as Good as It Looks combined with Applaws.

She is eating a mouthful or two then walking away. I dont want to lose her but I really can't afford to help her.

I am not in the catchment for RSPCA help sadly.

PDSA*

Yes, you can just book her in to be PTS. If they try to suggest further tests or treatments it is okay to say I cannot afford any further vet bills. I do think that just because vets can do XYZ, doesn’t mean they should, and they keep pets (& the NHS keeps people!) going for far longer than they should in many cases.

Shes 16, she’s had a long and happy life with you and, in all honesty, if she is getting worse, then it is the kindest thing to do.
So sorry, I know how hard it will be to lose her

Yes. It sounds like it’s time now. So sorry

Does your insurance cover euthanasia, @SlipperyFish11? Ours doesn’t, and you might want to check if yours does.

It does sound as if it is the right time for your cat - personally, I have always thought I would rather pts a week early than a day late, to be sure the animal wasn’t suffering.

At 16, there is a risk with anaesthesia which would be needed for any investigations beyond the cost of a normal vet consultation; plus being 'admitted' is distressing for a cat. With older animals you always have to weigh up the pros and cons irrespective of the financial implications and be sure you are putting the animal first, not prolonging its suffering because you can't bear to let it go.

It could be her kidneys beginning to fail and it may well be kinder to pts. So sorry.

Yes you can do this to ease suffering and burden, realistically she might live another 3 years but at what cost. I'm really sorry you are struggling with this, but it's a kindness to your cat in the end.

Treatment and procedures are imo invasive for an elderly animal and it's better for them to be pts.

I also meant to say we have has 2 elderly pets Euthsnised our vets were nothing but supportive and accepted our decision.

Call the vet and say you think it’s time to PTS as she’s not eating and seems in pain, you have no interest in keeping her going when she has no quality of life and would like to book the PTS. Being clear like that will avoid the vet talking you into more tests.

IME most vets are ok with this once you’ve made the decision, they just don’t like telling you to PTS if there’s something they’ve not tried yet.

Once you are in the consult room just tell the vet you feel her quality of life has declined and you feel you both have earaches the end of the road. I had 4 similar consults on Friday.

I had my 12 yr old cat PTS last month. She had been to the vets four times in 12 months, they couldn't establish what was wrong with her, and eventually recommended a specialist consultant and scan about 2 hours drive away - tentative cost likely to be around £2k. I said to the vet cost aside, I had real ethical issues with taking a poorly cat who can hardly cope with 2 minutes in the car to see them on a long stressful car ride for uncertain and invasive tests.

As cats get more and more elderly, the benefit of treatment becomes less and less worth the stress to them. I was so sad that she got sick, but I think our job as their people is to advocate for their best outcomes even when that outcome is refusing further treatment. Having her PTS was without a doubt less stressful for mine than commuting for treatment would have been, and it sounds like the same is true for yours.

My vet, for what it's worth, absolutely agreed with my decision.

Of course you can - it's entirely up to you. I am so sorry