I put my cat down, - did I do the right thing ?

Wow, - this is Soooo hard.

Mokie was 18, had uncontrollable diarrhea for a long long time, but seemed to get really bad lately where he wasn't making the box, and sometimes having blowouts every 2-4 hours, with some of them pink with blood. He lost 3 Lbs since July, and the Vets said that his temperature was really really low.

His history was that he had hyperthroidism about 10 years ago, and I did that expensive radiation treatment, and it worked like a charm! - I had a brand new cat!

I took Mokie to the vets about the diarrhea last July, and all said his blood test was all normal, and just sent me home with pink moxycillin.

I recently found an extensive white paper that says it's not good to do that without positive proof of infection. So I question that one lady vet doctor.

Anyways, the vet thought it was the right thing to do, but looking back on it now (and reading this lengthy White Paper), I think I might have been able to fix his diarrhea in a different way other then what I was trying to do with the concocksions I was brewing up.

So maybe these feelings are normal feelings, but I feel like I jumped the gun. This will be the first night without Mokie sleeping in my arms. He used to suck my ear lobe, lick my face, and curl up in my arms as I fall asleep each night.

In memory of Mokie: (His eyes were startling blue in real life, - this is just a bad pic)


MM3

I am so sorry for your loss... Your cat had a long life with you... He was 18 He knows you loved him very much, and you did whatever you could to give him the best life possible...
You are right about your vet though... Amoxycillin is NOT used to treat diarrhea, furthermore one of the most common side effects of it IS diarrhea. My cat has awful diarrhea whenever he is on it...
The antibiotics used for diarrhea is Metronidazole... This one is great for it.
Anyway, if you do have another pets, please do look for another vet...
I am very very sorry once again for your loss...

Originally Posted by Carolina

I am so sorry for your loss...

Your cat had a long life with you... He was 18

He knows you loved him very much, and you did whatever you could to give him the best life possible...
You are right about your vet though... Amoxycillin is NOT used to treat diarrhea, furthermore one of the most common side effects of it IS diarrhea. My cat has awful diarrhea whenever he is on it...
The antibiotics used for diarrhea is Metronidazole... This one is great for it.
Anyway, if you do have another pets, please do look for another vet...
I am very very sorry once again for your loss...

Click to expand...

Thank you very much for this, it really means a lot to know that someone can relate to my loss. You'd have to know what we and Mokie had together to really understand, but I think you can.

MM3

Oh honey, we know...
You know, I have no family here in the US, so my kitties ARE my family... They are my North and my South... East and West... They are the most precious thing to me... They are family...
Hang in there.... We are all here to support you

My heart aches for your loss. Our bonds with our babies are priceless. We let them go because we love them and many times we second guess ourselves. Please don't beat yourself up. He is in a better place but still in your heart--forever. I would see about getting another vet. I had to change vets when Bella was misdiagnosed with cancer. I almost had her put to sleep until something told me to get a second opinion. Remember you did this out of love and that is what will keep his spirit with you until you can hold him again. Many prayers...Bella and me

We have all had the pain of losing one of our cats. I have never had a cat who died a natural death. I always had to make that dreaded decision. Everytime it has been terrible and left me second guessing all I tried to do for the cat, most recently Speedboat. He was 14 and we lost him in January. So yes, we have all cried and we understand where you are right now. We have to keep telling ourselves how much we loved them and how well they were taken care of. I am sure your cat had a blessed life with you loving and taking care of him. I pray that your memories will bring you much comfort. Hugs and peace to you. May your cat rest in peace now.

I believe when the vets diagnose our cats and prescribe medicines, we need to do our research just like we do for ourselves before we take pills. If I were you I would have to call or see that vet and express my concerns ab out the amoxycillian.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved Mokie. It's natural to second guess yourself but try not to drive yourself crazy with it. 18 years is a good long life for a cat, and a testimony to your love and care of him. Mokie was absolutely beautiful!

Letting them go is the hardest thing, but it is the most loving gift of all, to end their suffering when they are ready.

You're still in shock now, a devastating loss like this takes time to absorb. You are in good company here with us, we all understand, and Mokie is in good company over at the Rainbow Bridge. I have asked my Ootay to watch out for him especially.

I'm so sorry for your loss - and I think your feelings are natural and normal - but try to remember you acted from love, and on all the information availabe to you at the time. Mokie was beautiful, and so loved - you were thinking of how he felt being so ill and uncomfortable, rather than how you would feel without him. No one could be better loved.

It is inevitable that we feel guilty and angry whenever we have to make that hard decision, and we all have to, sooner or later. But all we can do is do right by our cats as we see it at the time, acting in good faith under professional opinion. You did the right thing by Mokie, you prevented him from suffering any more, and you will see it like that in time. Meanwhile I know how hard it is.

Reading your post brought tears to my eyes. March 21st will be the one year anniversary of the day I had to put my beloved cat Harold to sleep. It's been almost a full year and I still have days where I think back and wish I had done something differently. I don't know if the pain and guilt will ever completely go away, even though I know in my heart that I did everything I could for him...I still think back to his last day, if I had only moved his litter box closer to his bed, he wouldn't have collapsed trying to walk so far to get to it. But, thinking that way doesn't do anything but cause us to hurt more. Guilt doesn't bring them back to us. Remember that your boy lived 18 long, wonderful, loved years and that is a testament to what a fantastic parent you were.

Big hugs to you. It will get better with time. Take comfort knowing that even though you've lost him for now, you gained so much more by having him in your life for 18 years.

You gave him many good years. He was sick, and it was probably just his time to go.

I've always heard that lightly salted water or salty broth was the best thing to give a diarrhea patient unless you're really sure about what's causing it and can directly treat the cause. (The liquid because they need it to replace what they're losing, the salt to make them thirsty so they'll drink more.) But of course you would do what your vet said when there was also blood.

This thread brought tears to my eyes too. Mokie is a gorgeous boy and I hope you can find comfort in knowing that he is happy and has lots of friends over the rainbow bridge.

As others have said, 18 years is a good long life for a cat. You clearly love him very much, and he knows it. Not only that, but it sounds like you got a good long second chance with him after his thyroid diagnosis!!

I understand second guessing yourself after making such a difficult decision, but your second guessing yourself just further proves how important Mokie is to you. When we have such a connection with our furry little loved ones, we know when it's time to let them go. It was a difficult decision you had to make, but you have done everything you could. My thoughts are with you, sweetie...

I, too, am crying as I read this, and I feel your heartbreak, as I have had my heart broken many times from wondering if I did the right thing over the years with my furbabies. I am just glad that we CAN do this for our beloved animals, rather than make them suffer longer than necessary. I once kept putting off the inevitable, and was shocked when I finally did at how much weight he had lost, poor baby. I hope he forgives me for waiting so long.

So, try not to beat yourself up.