When Putting a Cat Down

Hi all, I'm new to this board. I have a 17 year old with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease. I'm getting ready to do the fluids and the vet also wants to introduce K/D wet cat food which Im fine with, but I have a question unrelated.....

When it comes to putting my cat down, I honestly don't think I can be in the same room when they do it...I get traumatized easily, and I'm afraid that seeing my cat lying there after he's passed would be too traumatic.....My question is, has anyone else ever not been able to be in the same room while they were puttiing your animal down? I do plan to be with my cat for awhile and soothe it and talk to it and say my goodbyes before they take him from my arms.....

From what I understand the animal passes very quickly,

Anyway, should I feel horribly guilty if I can't be in the same room when they give the lethal injection.
Thanks everyone, great group of people here...

I don't think you should feel guilty at all. Making the decision and saying good-bye to a beloved pet is very difficult. It is never easy, not the first time you have to do it, or any other time either.

Just try and remember the life that you gave to your cat and the love that she returned to you.

I am so sorry you are going through this and I will keep you in my prayers.

You shouldn't feel guilty about not being with him. Everyone is different and handles things differently. There is no right or wrong. For those of us that really love our pets it's never easy.

Hi Catsforlife, I just wanted to give my experience when I had to make this decision with my best friend Ginger (she was a canine/doggie). I did not think at the time that I could be there when the time came, but.. I WANTED to be there at the time of her passing, and I was SO GLAD I was, it was very peaceful, and I owed it to her, all of the love she gave me while she was living, I wanted to be there at her end, on earth here, it was the least I could do/give back...to "usher her in" to the next plane/level.. I was so glad I witnessed her passing and was there holding her while she passed.

This is from a veterinarian

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-euthanasia.htm

Yes, I've been there - for me, I had to be there.
My experience has been is that they are gone in the blink of an eye. There's no appearance of suffering, they just go to sleep very quickly.

The last animal I had to say goodbye to was my 13 year-old Dobie.

The vet was so tender.
We were on the floor with Babe, as I held her head in my lap and was stroking her long beautiful nose she gently went to sleep. Finally she was at peace. The vet left me to be with her for a few minutes, then she brought me a blanket to wrap Babe in, and then they helped me get her 85 pounds into my car. My dad knew we were coming and he prepared a grave for her as I was driving (one hour) to reach his home.

For me, I wouldn't have it any other way - but, we each know what the right decision is for us.

BTW, I've never left an animal at the vets - they've all been brought home for a proper burial.

Originally Posted by Violet

This is from a veterinarian

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-euthanasia.htm

Click to expand...

A very good link, thanks so much!

Thanks everyone for all your replies.

Maybe I can compromise and just pet him while I'm in the room and then keep my eyes closed while I keep petting them as they are giving him the shot, and and then after they give him the shot, and he passes, I can walk out of the room.

At least that way, my presence is still in the room with him, but my eyes are closed, so that I don't have to see him pass or see him after he's passed.

The first time I had to go through this I felt the same way. When it came to it I explained my feelings to the vet and she told me she understood, many people feel the same way, and that I could leave at any time. I held Sheba while the vet prepared her and then somehow I couldn't leave, I just held her till it was over. And it was quick and peaceful. I think you will know whether you can stay or not when the time comes, but whatever you do, don't feel bad about it, you have given your cat a long and good life and she loves you for it and that is what matters.

I'm sorry your cat is sick

I can't answer your question. I never had to put a cat to sleep. My cat Lynxx died at home last November.

Originally Posted by CatsForLife

....When it comes to putting my cat down, I honestly don't think I can be in the same room when they do it...I get traumatized easily, and I'm afraid that seeing my cat lying there after he's passed would be too traumatic.....My question is, has anyone else ever not been able to be in the same room while they were puttiing your animal down?

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I was not in the room when the first cat I ever owned was put down. As a veterinarian technician I have seen it many times and can handle it, but I know I could not with my own animal. So if you feel you can not handle it that is fine in my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by CatsForLife

I do plan to be with my cat for awhile and soothe it and talk to it and say my goodbyes before they take him from my arms.....

From what I understand the animal passes very quickly,

Anyway, should I feel horribly guilty if I can't be in the same room when they give the lethal injection.
Thanks everyone, great group of people here...

Click to expand...

No you should not feel guilty at all. You just need to do what is best for you. Yes, in most cases the animal passes away very quickly.

I have not yet had to put one of my pets down.but as a vet tech, I have seen it many times, with and without the owner. They say it gets easier but for me, it is getting harder. However, if you feel it would be too traumatic for you, I don't think you should feel guilty if you don't watch.her pass. Some people don't want to remember their beloved pet that way. It is quick and painless (it's actually an overdose if anesthetic so they don't feel anything). Some people don't stay in the room but stay in the reception room while it's being done. They just want to know their pet has passed peacefully.

Whatever you decide, I am sure your cat will be at peace with.

Closing your eyes and meditating while petting your cat sounds lovely! You could then choose to turn around and walk out of the room without looking or spend some quiet moments sitting with your cat's body and reminiscing. Take a blankie/towel or ask for one to wrap the kitty in to make it cozier.

I am sorry you will be facing that. All of us who love our kitties have or will be in the same position eventually.

I was in the room when Sibohan was put down she was my Angel and I needed to be there with her. She developed "Crooked Kitty Syndrome" (Feline vestibular Syndrome) and was unable to stand, walk or even Urinate on her own without falling over. The disease makes the animal almost look as if they are drunk, the back end and the front end don't work in harmony anymore.

I had her wrapped in a blanket on the table when the vet came in and gave her the injection. The vet warned me that she may loose control of her bladder when she went so she was on the table with me scratching her under the chin while she passed. Telling her it was alright. I cried my eyes out when she stopped breathing and all the way home.

Do I regret it, No.

She needed me to be there and I was, I was her person from the moment I adopted her at the shelter to the moment her little heart stopped beating. It was the hardest thing I rememver ever doing in my life but I think I would regret not being there.

It is an absolutely valid option for you. I think that it might almost be easier on your cat if you weren't there, than if you were there but you couldn't stop crying. Your cat cares about you and would be more distressed by your being upset than by being alone with a vet.

Cats aren't like humans; when they know they are dying, they will naturally seek out a quiet place where they can be by themselves. I think maybe cats must like having privacy for such a thing, though they probably don't mind having the company of a clan-mate like a friendly human. For a cat, I think it is easier than for a human not to have any company during those last moments.

Cats are not obligatorily social animals, like humans are; they socialize when they choose to, when they are calm and happy--for a cat, socializing is a nice extra to life, not an absolute necessity like it is for humans. That's why it's such an honor when a cat seeks you out--you know the cat is looking to socialize with you because it wants to, because it likes you, not because it has an inborn need to have company.

She is a cat, after all, not a furry human. She doesn't have the existential anxiety we have when we know we will die. For a cat, life is not lived in the shadow of death like it is for us. I am almost jealous of them for that.

Originally Posted by CatsForLife

Hi all, I'm new to this board. I have a 17 year old with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease. I'm getting ready to do the fluids and the vet also wants to introduce K/D wet cat food which Im fine with, but I have a question unrelated.....

When it comes to putting my cat down, I honestly don't think I can be in the same room when they do it...I get traumatized easily, and I'm afraid that seeing my cat lying there after he's passed would be too traumatic.....My question is, has anyone else ever not been able to be in the same room while they were puttiing your animal down? I do plan to be with my cat for awhile and soothe it and talk to it and say my goodbyes before they take him from my arms.....

From what I understand the animal passes very quickly,

Anyway, should I feel horribly guilty if I can't be in the same room when they give the lethal injection.
Thanks everyone, great group of people here...

Click to expand...

You will know when the time comes. I am sorry for what you are going through.