Is it inhumane to allow your cat to die naturally?

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kittens mom

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In 40+ years of horse ownership I've had one that died naturally of old age. One thing we fail to consider when asking a question like this is the advances in veterinary medicine and the better food and care our pets receive.  It used to be so cut and dried. Our pets got old and we made the humane decision for them because there were few if any options. Some pets respond to medication better. Some pets don't seem to mind all the fussing with them on a daily basis. Like humans pets age. They get grey hairs. Joints stiffen. Animals adjust to it just like we do.

The decision to euthanize or allow an animal to pass is one that belongs between the pet owner and their regular vet. It's the dammed if you , damned if you don't decision.

I hope you have long healed. You loved her no matter what. Understand that no matter which decision you would have made you would second guess it.

She sounds like a wonderful dog. And I hope the you have managed to put all of this in a perspective that allows you to dwell on the good.
 

mps siglos

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Let me answer you with a question, when it is your time, do you want your humans to end your life. My answer to this is no.
 

Kat0121

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Let me answer you with a question, when it is your time, do you want your humans to end your life. My answer to this is no.
This is an old thread. You may not hear back from the OP. If you want to continue to discuss the topic, you'd probably be better off starting a new thread.

Welcome to TCS!
 

learning frmu

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I have read all your thoughtful and painfully loving insights.I learned a great deal in this last hour as my aging Colby sleeps peacefully in his new spot of choice,closet on my down filled coat.I will add a small lit lamp of course and watch for more changes other than this subtle need to set some distance from me .........I think hes approaching 19 and has started to thin .Small bout with constipation but some ky on the outside only of course and a few drops of vegetable oil in a bit of his favorite kitten wet food(higher fat in kitten food) oh and a few tsps. of goats milk mixed in voila......movement the next night!! .Im not foolish enough to think that's not the beginning of things to come ,but seeing him more comfortable,well....its everything.,,,,,,

My point is you have helped me to see that our intuition is good,our pet families much better,and common sense should not be ignored .Comfort care is comfort care.So,with all of your input ,this night and whats to come has empowered me to seize the moment and try not to equate my emotions with Colbys.......but the pain of it is monumental .I wish you all the best Holidays and thank you for taking the time to share......cuddle up!!Jenn
 

JosieQ

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"And if I'm in pain, I'd rather linger in pain and have my mind"

I have a problem with this sentence... First, you've obviously never experienced what chronic physical pain feels like. If you did, you wouldn't want to live with the pain for too long without some type of intervention (drugs). Second, people aren't euthanized because it's illegal. Also they're given tons of drugs to reduce the pain. Animals are given low doses of pain drugs because we can't gauge their pain to properly give them the correct amount. Third, animals hide their pain. They don't always wail and scream if they're in pain. They hide, retreat, become lethargic, act totally different or listless. It is the humane thing to do to put down an animal who won't get back the quality of life it used to have.
I have a problem with this post.  What you're saying is that if a person felt true pain and didn't have drugs, they would always find death preferable.  The presumption of that is so ridiculous, it'd be like postulating that a random stranger must not have a clue about chronic pain.

Oh wait, you presumed that too.

Not going to go into a long diatribe about my life, but I'm in chronic pain every day and have been in the hospital more times than I can count.  Yeah and, shock, I don't take drugs and I don't long for death.

What is it that makes you say something so laughably narrow-minded?  Is it that you believe in a happy afterlife full of fluffy clouds and you're eager to get there?  Since we're making sweeping statements about each other, I'll assume that's the case.  But consider if you will that maybe I don't believe in an afterlife.  Maybe for me, this is the only life I get, and after it is over there is nothingness.  Realizing that, can you still really not conceive of the idea that maybe I might want to linger in pain, rather than just let myself die and accept not existing at all?

Also most (or is it all?) religions say that animals don't have souls and therefore don't go to heaven, so maybe you shouldn't be so eager to snuff out the one life they have eh?

So dumb.  For a stranger to say to another that just because they think an animal might be more in touch with themselves and therefore be more able to die when they want to, that they must not know pain.

Hahaha.  Ha.  Seriously.

(I know you're probably not even reading this and never will because you're long gone, but the forum didn't notify me of a reply years ago when this was still relevant (dunno why), and I can't just let it sit there.)
 

lightblue

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1st, I'd call a vet who's homeopathic or natural and consult with them

2nd I will never let a vet decide what to do with my pet again.

3rd If it's not howling & showing terrible pain, it is not in that much pain.

4th Pet it & tell it how much you love it as often as possible.

5th I do not want anyone else choosing my own death. When it's time, I'll know.

6th In the last 10 years I've had 7 cats put down by vets. 4 young & healthy, but had a blockage or an infection. Now that I've done so much research, I ache for them. I could have helped them, but didn't realize it then.

7th Who knows better when it's time to pass? You or your animal? If they're in horrible pain, they have a horrible yowl. You can see them trying to sleep, but they keep getting up & moving. I give them 4 days to self heal. If I do not see progress I go to 3 different vets. Chemical, Natural, & Holistic. Then, we talk, me and the beautiful animal I hold dear.

8th I will always try to let them pass natural from now on.

Blessings and love
@star2000dancer, If it makes you feel any better about those with blockages that the vet had you put down, I had a 17-month old boy with a blockage while living abroad on an isolated island with no real vet care, and because we couldn't get him good treatment, he died in a lot of pain.  Nothing has ever been as crushingly heartbreaking and traumatizing as trying to hold and comfort my sweet little boy as he thrashed around in pain in his last moments, all the while blaming and hating myself for not living in a place where he might have been helped.  I would have given an arm and a leg for a vet that could have put him down peacefully.  I don't mean to be depressing, just saying that in the case of males with blockages, putting them down really can be the right way to go and can save them from an awful painful death.

@ Kelsky, What a gift that you've had 19 years with your baby.  My two cents is, if she is actually suffering or in pain, putting her down would be a kind thing to do.  But at that age, if she has grown sick and is dying but isn't in real pain, you and her both may be happier to just stay together, being loving/affectionate/close, until she decides to wander off some place quiet and private to finally go to sleep.
 
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Jim1960

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YES! It is inhumane after what I went through. Don't make the mistake I did. To let your pet die naturally is heartless! With the choice we have now and days, do the right thing. Kitty was 6 years old dying of cancer. My fault for not having her yearly check up and not noticing her weight lose. After finding out it took her about three week to pass on. I notice she was starting to isolate herself hiding under future and under the bed. Then I notice she was limping and found a lump on her rear leg. Dr. found a very large tumor near her stomach. I wanted to give her life as long as I could.
After about three weeks she quit eating. At this point I should of made the decision to put her down right then. It was a Friday then Saturday morning came and I new the vet closed at noon but she seemed content and relaxed. I new the vet would be closed on Sunday. But I decided to give her till Monday morning and take her in to be put to sleep. Horrifying mistake! That Sunday evening around 8 pm I head her (cry out), finding her trying to crawl out from under the bed. I put her on the bed and it took her a horrifying 45 minutes to pass on. Her head reaching back touching her tail, breathing hard, panting, eyes wide open, crying and kicking. I was heartbreaking! I will never forgive myself for not taking her to the vet that Saturday morning.
In my life I've lost 4 cats. One of kidney failure and three of old age, all of which I had put to sleep. Exactly the way it sounds, they just go to sleep with no pain. Please don't be heartless or Lord forbid try and save money. Put your love one to sleep....Forgive me Kitty....RIP.
 

Alldara

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This is a very difficult decision. I did not read all the replies, I'll only post my opinion. When people say they will "tell you", it's just a feeling that comes over a person about it being the right time. I don't think everyone experiences this. I certainly don't.

You do have the option of keeping her home, medicated from pain and letting her pass naturally like we do for humans in many places. However, unlike a human, a pet can't tell you if there is enough pain medication or not. Cats also hide pain very well, so we can really only guess at best. However, I have some family members who think this is best, they call this dying with dignity.

Personally, I agree with medically assisted death for humans who want it and it is legal in my country. I have had a family member who chose this, and a family member who did not qualify for this and went to hospice. I call this dying with dignity.

Since I agree with medically assisted death (MAD) for terminal issues, I choose to try and base my choice on that. I think, based on my cat's personality how much care they might like to receive and what measures they can't tolerate. I listed to a woman speak about how for brain cancer, she had to choose MAD earlier than she would have liked and that was still preferable. She got to enjoy things during her last time, and say her goodbyes.

That's what I chose for my latest cat. We booked his date and gave him his favourite things and loved him extra every day. I have no regrets about this. During COVID quarentine we lost another pet, and I had to wait during closures. Her suffering was great. For me, that touch too early was a better decision. I'll never know if it was or wasn't too early truly, but it's the best I can do.

Sometimes, your best is the only thing you can go and you have to offer yourself grace.
 

betsygee

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MOD NOTE: This thread is quite old and the original poster hasn’t been around for years so we’ll lock this thread now.

J Jim1960 On behalf of the TCS Moderating Team, we offer our condolences for the loss of your kitty and we invite you to post a tribute to her in our Crossing the Bridge thread.
 
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