did we do the right thing?

Today, we had our 12 year old Persian, Festra, put to sleep. She had been losing weight, eating a lot but was still severely dehydrated. The vet said shehad lymphoma and that her mouth was becoming infected as her immune system was not functioning and he could feel masses of timours around her kidneys. He said there was nothing that could be done for her and the only way to make her more comfortable was to put her on a drip but that, as soon as she was off the drip, she would continue to deteriorate. We agreed to have her put to sleep and stayed with her during the injection and brought her home to bury her in our garden. We are both devastated and in shock as I was expecting she maybe had some sort of kidney problem that could be treated, at least for a while. I came home and started reading about lymphoma in cats and various sites are saying there can be chemo and some cats do recover. We are wondering if we did the right thing for Festra. She was a delight to be with and will be sorely missed. I do not think it has really sunk in yet. We will never foregt her.

I'm so sorry

From the way you've described Festras condition it sounded very advanced So i would say yes, you did the right thing because she would only suffer more in the long run

Run fast across the bridge Festra, your new friends are waiting for you

________________________________________

thank you for your kind words. Everything happened so quickly that we were wondering if we should have fought for Festra more but we know her and she has a look in her eyes that suggested to us that she it was her time to go. We feel so bad that we went away for 10 days over Christmas but she did seem to get a lot worse in the last couple of days. The catsitter noticed she was eating mroe than usual but nothing else so we hang onto thinking that she waited until we came back so she could have a proper goodbye with us.

I am so sorry for your loss. I know the pain yo are going through. I had to have my cat, Ryan, put to sleep 3 months ago. I will keep you in my prayers.

My Ryan will look after your precious Festra.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Two years ago tommorrow we had my Persian Rebby PTS, I still miss him so much. You did the right thing,your cat is no longer in pain. Rest in Peace Festra.

I know what your going thur...I had to do the same a few months ago....Its rough when its not expected....I'm sorry for your loss.....

Nancy

I opted to treat my Scooter with chemo when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The expense, which was considerable, was secondary. Looking back, I only prolonged his suffering in the hope that I could give him a few extra months of quality life. If I had it to do over, I should have let him go. Don't beat yourself up, you most likely did the right thing. Festra would thank you.

Sorry about your cat.
Jan 11 will be 1 year since Yoshi was pts.
He was still alert but would not eat or drink at all.
I still wonder if it was to soon.

It seems like we all question whether we did the right thing when we've had to put a cat to sleep. It always comes too soon, and nothing anyone can say will make us feel good about it.

But it's a pretty safe bet that most of us have waited too long, at least once. I know we did with Wickett.

There is no "right" or "wrong" choice when dealing with anyone's life....all you can do is judge what they have left for quality of life...and if there is little to none left let them go. I think you did what was in Festra's best interest. She is now playing happily over the Rainbow Bridge.

It is never an easy choice to make, even when you know beyond doubt that it is the right thing to do.

Just know that your Festra is at peace now and free of pain

I`m so very sorry for your loss but I think you did the right thing for her

Rest In Peace sweetie

Originally Posted by Cinder

I opted to treat my Scooter with chemo when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The expense, which was considerable, was secondary. Looking back, I only prolonged his suffering in the hope that I could give him a few extra months of quality life. If I had it to do over, I should have let him go. Don't beat yourself up, you most likely did the right thing. Festra would thank you.

Click to expand...

This is such a powerful testament and brave thing to share, Cinder, and Tara, I am so sorry for your loss of Festra. I'm sure she was waiting just for you and she wanted to tell you it was ok - she was good to go. She was.
I lost my beloved Sasha, the great and elder statesman of our household and stoic coyote-clubber in the same way. He started to lose weight so rapidly at age 14 and then six weeks after the diagnosis, it was his time. He really started to suffer. The vet had given us chemo options, but it would've just prolonged it. And why? For us, not for him. It would've been so slefish in his case. He had a wonderful kitty life, the best. So he is totally at pace on the RB with his little brother Freddie , and mother SiSi . His little headstone wtih a smiling kitty on it, is right beside our deck steps, we see it every day.

You are wonderful to have shared her life and cared for her.... you obvioously did so wonderfully well-- or she wouldn't have waited for you.

Peace & Light to you~
Namaste
Elizabeth

I'm sorry to hear about your Persian baby.

RIP Festra.

Condolences on losing Festra. You were so brave and unselfish in giving her a release from her miseries. She was given the gift of a painless, peaceful passing & that is one of the greatest gifts of all. Try to think of her happily romping over RB with all of our other RB kitties - and someday you will be reunited with her, this time forever

So sorry for your loss. There is never a "right" or "wrong" way at a time like this so don't beat yourself up and second guess a choice you made out of love. You know your baby like no one else and you made the best choice you could for her and her situation. RIP peace little one.

I would like to say a really big thank you to all of you who replied to my post. Your messages have given me a lot of comfort and reassurance at a time when my grief was overwhelming me and making it hard for me to see that I really did act out of love. Festra will never be forgotten. Missing her hurts but we are trying to take comfort in remembering what a wonderful life she had and how much she was loved and cared for. It was wonderful to have so understanding and supportive a group of people to turn to when I really didn't know what else to do. We here on the forum seem to be able to share and feel each other's pain as we have all lost dearly loved animals. Thank you all again.

I am sorry to hear of your loss, but I do think you made the right decision. While some cats respond well to chemo, not all cats do - I personally wouldnt put any of my cats through it, and my vet knows that. It isn't an easy decision, and guilt is part of the grieving process. RIP little one, and do send a message down to show you arrived their safely