When a cat is dying...

Sadly my only own experience with a dying feline is with a 4 week old.

We had adopted a small black and white female kitten called buttercup. She was a runt, but very feisty and such a cuddler. We took her home to her own room to start the assimilation process. Gave her lots of love. The next morning she awoke fine, but by lunch she seemed weak, and she did not wanted to eat, which was strange for a kitty so young. By afternoon she was wobbling and had threw n up the small amount of water that she had . We rushed her to the veterinary (in the same shelter we adopted her from), and I had to hold her while she was connected to the IV to try to hydratate her. The vet took some blood samples and told me to go home , she would call me if anything happened. We did, but we were glued to the phone. 2 hours later, the called with the bad news. Buttercup tested positive for Leukemia, probably transfered from the mother.

She told us that at that stage there was nothing she could do, to come back in the morning to say goodbye (it was 10 PM by that time and we did not have a car). We never made it, she died during the night, in the arms of the veterinary.

To this date I think that had I not adopted her, she would not have had the stress and she could have lived until her inmune system was stronger...She's buriend in my in-laws garden, and eveerytime we go visit I go to say hello. I still can't go without crying.

Losing a family pet can be devastating. I lost my LuLu girl tabby a few years ago to Cancer and I was very depressed & hysterical with grief of losing my best friend kitty cat & therefore I withdrew & cried for a long time but what helped me the most in being able to move on was by me adopting new family cats/kittens that desperately needed a new home which helped heal my devastated heartbroken heart but I will never forget by LuLu girl that adored me as much as I adored her So my heart breaks for you & your loss because I truly understand the heartbreaking pain that your experiencing & going through!

I have a fifteen year old cat who has stopped eating / drinking / eliminating. If she makes it until the morning I will take her to be put down. She is normally a very affectionate cat but as she has really worsened in the last few days she does not seem to want to be be near me. I have heard cays often go and hide to die and as she is an indoor cat, she does not have anywhere to really go and hide. Right now she has crawled into the closet and I am wondering if i should try and comfort her or if i should leave her alone? any advice would help, Thank you.

I would gently stroke her and talk to her in a soft voice without actually taking her out of the closet. It will be a comfort to both of you. This is such a very sad time for you. We've all been there and it is very hard.

If she indicates she is bothered by your presence, then you can leave her alone but I suspect she won't. When my Milo was dying, he also crawled into the closet but when I loved on him, he came out and ended up sleeping in my arms his last night.

My cat would hide upstairs while I was gone & then come & love all over me when I cam home.  Before this he would always be down stairs waiting for me.  I should havse seen this behavior change.  Pawing to get closer at night.  He was letting me know he had to leave soon. Cats are masters at hiding medical problems so much be watched closely.

It varies from cat to cat. The real problem arises when a cat who is ill, not dying, just in need of medical care, goes off somewhere quiet to die. I've had that happen, and am very glad that I made the effort to seek out the cat and get her to the vet. It's probably the reason that when she actually was dying she came to me to fix it. I've felt guilty ever since that I couldn't fix it, all I could do was ask the vet to put her to sleep. (Please note; I'm not saying that I have cause to feel guilty; I know that I did the best thing I could for her, but it hurt like hell doing it, and it still does, all of 25 years later, because it felt like a betrayal. But feelings are frequently informed by something other than reality.)

Margret

Xisare said:

To this date I think that had I not adopted her, she would not have had the stress and she could have lived until her inmune system was stronger...She's buriend in my in-laws garden, and eveerytime we go visit I go to say hello. I still can't go without crying.

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NO! No, no no! (Have I emphasized that enough?) You say Buttercup was loving and feisty. Feisty means that she was fighting her illness, and loving means that she was happy to be with you. Adopting her did not accelerate her death. She died of leukemia, not of being loved. And think what a sad world it would be if loving accelerated death. If anything, it slows it down. What you did in adopting Buttercup was to give her the best day of her young life. Be glad that she knew love before she left you.

Margret

Coral K said:

When I ask myself; "Would I want to be kept artificially alive by having a big needle stuck in my back every day?"  The answer is NO, so why would I do it to a defenceless animal.

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I've lost a cat to kidney failure, and I'm sorry to say that she was suffering. We had a vet on the site a while back who was answering questions about kidney failure. He gave us a lot of information about using a needle to inject water beneath the skin, and, while I understand your hesitation, I believe that it's not as bad as you may believe. I suggest that you search the site for "kidney failure." My husband is on dialysis (which is essentially what the subcutaneous water injections are) and has a big needle stuck in his arm and left there for hours at a time, three times a week. And I do mean big. I would also suggest that you might feel differently about this than you believe you would, if you were, indeed, suffering from kidney failure.

Margret

When my gentle was dying about six years ago she clung to me. She sat on my lapunder a ffleece all the time and if I had to get up she would call me and call and one day I heard her call mummy. Nobody will ever change my mind. I know what I heard. She'd also follow me especially to the toilet where she'd sit on my lap but she did that her whole life. She slept under the covers of my bed as close to me as she could get. Her kidneys were failing and every day I took her to the vet for rehydration. One day i said enough she wasn't getting better. She was so miserable that I took her to send to rainbow bridge. I can't remember crying so much. I soaked her poor little still body. I held her for about 15 minutes. I didn't want to let her go. I walked home crying. Her name was gentle and she was the most un gentle

i had a stray that i named george,he was i don't know.he was a scraper,lover, kind,gentle & george had aids.i loved him as long as he wanted,he stayed all winter with us.then one early spring evening he knew it was time to go.i know not where.everyday i told him that i loved very much,when he left once again i said how much i loved him always,he turned & left.i miss all the cats i have ever had.no one was easy to say good by too.

Stewball said:

When my gentle was dying about six years ago she clung to me. She sat on my lapunder a ffleece all the time and if I had to get up she would call me and call and one day I heard her call mummy. Nobody will ever change my mind. I know what I heard. She'd also follow me especially to the toilet where she'd sit on my lap but she did that her whole life. She slept under the covers of my bed as close to me as she could get. Her kidneys were failing and every day I took her to the vet for rehydration. One day i said enough she wasn't getting better. She was so miserable that I took her to send to rainbow bridge. I can't remember crying so much. I soaked her poor little still body. I held her for about 15 minutes. I didn't want to let her go. I walked home crying. Her name was gentle and she was the most un gentle

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That's the way I was with Raven. He passed at 4 in the morning lying in my arms in bed. He actually woke me up by placing a paw on my face. I also believe he said momma. It always sounded like that when he meowed. He wouldn't let me leave his sight that night. So I wrapped him up in a blanket and toted him around like a baby every where I went.

I told him it was ok to go, that George (who died in my arms after he was hit by a car) would be there to show him around. We laid there staring in each others eyes until he meowed his good-byes and passed in my arms. I laid with him until it was time for me to get up and get ready for work. I hated to let him go because he wanted to be with me during this time. It's been only a year but I will always remember the feeling of him leaving his body and me.

When my kitty was sick and passing she wanted to be alone although was normally an affectionate cat.  They will tend to hide as an instinct to get away from predators.   I know a lot of people on this site are pro euthanasia but please, whenever possible, it is best to allow the animal to die in a natural way.   One of the most beautiful and meaningful gifts we can give our beloved friends is the gift of a sacred and illumined transition from this life.  Here is a website that really helped me over the past week when my Lucky passed away peacefully with me at home: http://www.anaflora.com/grieving/beloved/beloved-2.html

kelliecheer said:

 
When my kitty was sick and passing she wanted to be alone although was normally an affectionate cat.  They will tend to hide as an instinct to get away from predators.   I know a lot of people on this site are pro euthanasia but please, whenever possible, it is best to allow the animal to die in a natural way.   One of the most beautiful and meaningful gifts we can give our beloved friends is the gift of a sacred and illumined transition from this life.  Here is a website that really helped me over the past week when my Lucky passed away peacefully with me at home: http://www.anaflora.com/grieving/beloved/beloved-2.html

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I had my dear boy Wesley euthanized at home and it was a very peaceful experience.  It also spared him days of agonizing pain.  I know for myself, if God forbid, I find myself with a terminal condition in unbearable pain, that I would wish to have a shot or two and ease my way out of this world gracefully.  We don't generally allow humans that gift however so I'll probably have to just go through the misery.  I looked at the website but despite everything it says, I still disagree with the idea that it is better for an animal to die when nature takes it, if that animal is living a miserable existence because it is so ill.  I'm glad for you that it worked out okay with Lucky, though.  I've also had pets pass away at home on their own before it was clear what pain they were in and agree that is easier to cope with.

My precious Rizzo had intestinal cancer & was  a month or so away from a natural death.  I use animal communicators & asked Rizzo if he wanted assistance in passing over.  He said yes, he did & told me what arrangements he wanted me to make.  Rizzo, although very affectionate did not want his body handled at all without his permission so I was surprised that he was willing to accept help.  Knowing that when they are sick or in pain cats want to hide I left the storage room door open for him.  I had to shut it toward the end because he started spending all his time in there.  This is instinct not a desire to die alone in pain.   He wanted to stay with me for as long as he could but this was very difficult for me.  Knowing this would be our last time together for  so many things made me just ache.  So when I was at home he would be with me & when I had to leave he would hide.

People have so many notions on how one should die.  For me & I believe for animals, when the cause is lost why hang around for a painful end.  Cats do not have any rituals or religious issues to cloud there feelings.  For me the greatest gift was being able to ask  him, when or if he wanted assistance with death. 

Some of us are kinder to animals than people suffering terrible pain. I agree euthanasia is needed sometimes.

kelliecheer said:

When my kitty was sick and passing she wanted to be alone although was normally an affectionate cat.  They will tend to hide as an instinct to get away from predators.   I know a lot of people on this site are pro euthanasia but please, whenever possible, it is best to allow the animal to die in a natural way.   One of the most beautiful and meaningful gifts we can give our beloved friends is the gift of a sacred and illumined transition from this life.  Here is a website that really helped me over the past week when my Lucky passed away peacefully with me at home: http://www.anaflora.com/grieving/beloved/beloved-2.html

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Condolences on your loss.

Quoting from the website you linked to: "For most animal souls the experience of a beautiful transition is the piece that is missing from their many lifetimes of experience."

1. I don't know that anyone, including cats, reincarnates. This is a religious belief, not a fact.
2. Dying "naturally," in great pain, is not my idea of a beautiful transition. Since you believe that a natural death is better, I'm very glad that your Lucky was apparently not in pain at the end, and I'm glad that this website consoles you. It would not console me. When my Pretzel was dying of cancer, she was in great pain. The pain meds had stopped working for her (and please note that as long as they did work we did not euthanize her), so we gave her the best and most peaceful transition we could. The vet came to our house and Pretzel lay on both our laps while we stroked her and talked about what a good kitty she was. When she felt loved, peaceful, and unafraid, the vet walked over and gave her the shot. She fell asleep in our laps, loved and unafraid, and, at the end, finally out of pain. You will never convince me that this was anything but an act of love, or that she would have preferred to be allowed to die naturally, in ever growing pain.

I have lost two friends to suicide. In both cases it was because they were in unbearable pain. I grieve for them. I wish that the pain had been avoidable, but it was not, and their decisions were rational. Dolphins who are captured will sometimes drown themselves rather than live in captivity. Humans and dolphins are able to make these choices for ourselves, but cats are not. They have only us to help them through their final illnesses, and I believe it is a serious mistake to allow a philosophy or religious belief to make those decisions for us, and for them.

Margret

kelliecheer said:

 
When my kitty was sick and passing she wanted to be alone although was normally an affectionate cat.  They will tend to hide as an instinct to get away from predators.   I know a lot of people on this site are pro euthanasia but please, whenever possible, it is best to allow the animal to die in a natural way.   One of the most beautiful and meaningful gifts we can give our beloved friends is the gift of a sacred and illumined transition from this life.  Here is a website that really helped me over the past week when my Lucky passed away peacefully with me at home: http://www.anaflora.com/grieving/beloved/beloved-2.html

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We had two cats die at home. One we never knew was sick. She was just suddenly dead in our yard at the age of thirteen. The other, my most recent rainbow kitty, died at home after a lot of kidney problems over the years. She had been given a shot by vets to take away pain, but I know that she was in pain and very upset. She died while we were gone during the day. If I had it to do again, we would have taken her to a vet to euthanize. Her death surely wasn't pleasant or peaceful as it could have been with euthanasia.

Thank god its still open...I'm currently going through a hard time with my 12 year old tabby cat Tigger. He has been a good healthy cat and was an outside cat until a few days ago. He came inside and I then noticed as I got sick there was a death like smell coming from him. Then I noticed he wasn't eating at all but was able to drink two small bowls of milk, then he stopped drinking all together. He has some creamy stuff forming over his mouth. I suppose that means he's close to death. But it hurts to see him struggling to stay alive as if he doesn't want to go because he sees us crying over his future passing and he's gone to hid. I do believe it's his time to go. I don't know anymore.

MoonSpirit94 said:

Thank god its still open...I'm currently going through a hard time with my 12 year old tabby cat Tigger. He has been a good healthy cat and was an outside cat until a few days ago. He came inside and I then noticed as I got sick there was a death like smell coming from him. Then I noticed he wasn't eating at all but was able to drink two small bowls of milk, then he stopped drinking all together. He has some creamy stuff forming over his mouth. I suppose that means he's close to death. But it hurts to see him struggling to stay alive as if he doesn't want to go because he sees us crying over his future passing and he's gone to hid. I do believe it's his time to go. I don't know anymore.

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Have you taken him to the vet?  Or can you get a mobile vet to come to you?  It is so hard to watch our beloved friends die.  it sounds like he might have been poisoned. 

We've tried and they said it sounds like he's just old. We were going to have him put down. But the only place that does that is $200 just to be put down