Can you ???

Kill your pets??
Every now and then I see posts about either a cat fixing their problems, or they are gonna put them to sleep...
Whether its peeing, or messing up the couch, etc...

I understand the very aggressive ones, but can you really go into a vets office and say, umm I dont like her no more, put her to sleep?

Its baffling my mind that they do, although why wouldnt they, you do pay them..Not bashing vets, but they do it to so many in shelters for free, just thought I would ask, because before this site, I didnt think you could until they are on their deathbed

Yes you can do that but most "truely loving pet owners wouldnt) for anything other than teminal illness or lack of quality of life

Yea I know that, I just found it puzzling, I didnt even know they would..Thats crazy

Oh wow...I could never do that if I were a vet...I guess I'd get fired

It was never even in the back of my mind when I had my microcephalic cat that suffered extremely violent mood swings and agression.

I could never, ever end the life of any living thing unless it truly was as an act of mercy.

I've met a number of people who worked in vet offices and clinics where, when someone came in with a perfectly healthy cat that they wanted PTS because they didn't like the cat any more, it didn't mesh with their lifestyle, or whatever other selfish, stupid reason they might have to kill something that had suddenly become disposable to them. The vet says "Okay," has the client sign some paperwork and pay them for the procedure, and then when the client leaves, the cat gets re-homed to someone who could actually care for it. (I've also heard this to happen when a cat requires medical treatment the owner is unwilling to pay for -- not UNABLE to pay for, just unwilling; where they just can't be bothered to deal with a sick or injured cat, and would rather pay to have the animal PTS than have the "hassle" in their lives.)

Obviously this isn't something vet clinics advertize, because it's technically fraud: the owner is paying to have their cat PTS, the vet has signed paperwork that it's been done, but instead the cat goes on to live with someone else. I wholeheartedly support this kind of fraud.

So, no, I couldn't do it. My boys are not disposable toys that I can toss in the junkpile when I'm bored with them or when their care turns out to be a bit more than I'd bargained for (and I know what I'm talking about when I say "more than I'd bargained for" -- one of my furbabies is brain-damaged). I can't understand the mindset that would enable a person to think that putting your pet to sleep (because they've become inconvenient) is an acceptable alternative to re-homing.

I know some vets in my town wont put a animal to sleep unless they are totally out of options. They will refer u to a behavior class or something else first. They wont let u just walk in and say i need to put him down.

I couldn't put an animal down unless their quality of life was terrible. I had a very very hard time putting down my ex-girlfriend's cat when he was diagnosed with FIP. He was the cutest cat. The poor guy went blind in 24 hours and had seizures.

Edit: FIP, not FIV.

I know the vet I went to was rather....backwoods. He reccommended I euthanize my Fafeena because "she is getting old". She is getting old & in tough shape, but she still runs & playes, eats, & snuggles. I now use a different vet.

The vet in the same town as the HS I volunteer at talks people out of euthanizing cats whenever he can. There was one...a 12 month old unneutered male that was suddenly aggressive. After talking with the family for an hour, he talked them into surrendering the poor guy. Turns out he has a thorn in his...ummm...behind & they were swollen & infected. He has talked a few people out of euthanizing "spraying" cats...if they have UTIs, awesome the cat can get a home...

I would never take a cat to the vet to be put down for those reasons. Only a serious medical or terminal case I'd put them down so they would not suffer.

Any other reason is a cop out IMO.

I could NEVER PTS one of my babies just because the became inconvenient. I have had to PTS several of my dogs but that was because they were suffering and there was no hope of them getting better. When I first adopted my cat, Princess, from the SPCA she became deathly ill less than a week after I brought her home. I got a call the morning after I brought her home from the foster home where she came from because one of the other kittens came down with a fever but at that point Princess was fine. A couple days later she got sick and had to spend a week in the hospital and it was very possible she wouldn't make it. She started to improve so I finally got to bring her home. I called the SPCA, like they said to do, and the SPCA told me to bring her back and they will PTS and I can take another kitten. I was like "you have got to be kidding!!!!" If she wasn't getting better and suffering that would have been one thing but she was getting better. I took her back to the vet the next day to make sure there she was getting better and even the vet was suprised. Now 11 years later she still has lots of health problems but I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I was also at my vet a few months ago when some guy brought his cat in to be PTS. He says to the receptionist, "put this cat to sleep right now or I will shoot it". I nearly fell out of my chair!!!! He was tired of it peeing on stuff. Needless to say they took the cat but they didn't put it to sleep. They checked him out and he had a UTI and once he was healthy he was put up for adoption. He stayed with one of the vet techs until he was re-homed.

I read an awful story on cnn.com a couple months ago about an upstate NY family who had a dog with epilepsy. They could not cope with it so they asked their vet to have it put to sleep. The dog was 3 years old and in good health otherwise, so the vet tried to talk them out of it. Not liking his reply they went to the only other vet in town and made the same demands. The two vets agreed to have a friend take the dog, but they told the owners that he was being put to sleep. The vet even provided the family with the dog's "ashes". The dog was placed with a friend who had experience and understanding of epileptic dogs. The dog did very well with his new owner.

A year later a vet tech employee of the vet left their job very disgruntled about something so out of spite they went to the dog's original owners and told them about how their dog was really still alive. The former owners are now suing the vet because of this. It's completely ridiculous and sad how they were not at all happy that the dog was doing well with the new owner.

Originally Posted by crazy4cats28

I was also at my vet a few months ago when some guy brought his cat in to be PTS. He says to the receptionist, "put this cat to sleep right now or I will shoot it".

I nearly fell out of my chair!!!! He was tired of it peeing on stuff. Needless to say they took the cat but they didn't put it to sleep. They checked him out and he had a UTI and once he was healthy he was put up for adoption. He stayed with one of the vet techs until he was re-homed.

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That is so sad. At least the cat had a happy ending.

Originally Posted by Jenny82

That is so sad. At least the cat had a happy ending.

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I couldn't believe it. I'm glad that the kitty found a good home. He was absolutely adorable!! If I didn't already have 5 cats I would have taken him in a minute.

hi all,
i'm new here so i'd like to introduce myself. i'm distol and i'm unpaid staff to 5 gorgeous felines: Sunny, Chloe, Lilly, Rikki and Elly. i'm also at the mercy of one adorable chinchilla, Daisy, and one handsome hamster, Junior.

so now i'd like to rant...

there are quite a few vets where i live that WILL NOT put down a healthy animal. unfortunately, there are just as many that will. the only reason i know that is because one of my friends had to go to 6 different vets before she found one that killed her cat. she of course didn't tell me she was putting down her cat until after the fact, which was incredibly STUPID of her because i would have found a home for him. needless to say she got a severe verbal beating from me.

how anyone can put down an animal for any reason other than to end suffering is beyond me. when i adopted, or rather WAS ADOPTED BY, my babies, it was for life. not till i didn't feel like it anymore...or i bought new furniture and they might wreck it...or any of the other stupid reasons people have. they're stuck with me!

I once saw a cat available for adoption at Petco and read the cat's story. The cat needed to go on a special diet for a medical condition and even though the diet was available at an affordable price, the owner said, "I'm not going to purchase a special diet. Put the cat to sleep." The vet refused to put him to sleep and had the cat put up for adoption by The Rescue House at Petco with the requirement that anyone adopting this cat be willing to provide proper veterinary care for the cat's medical condition.

I believe there are many caring vets who would rather have the owner sign the cat or dog over to the vet than put the animal to sleep. Most people who just don't want to deal with the animal anymore will agree to this.

i just don't understand how people think sometimes. if you adopt an animal, it should be for the natural life of that animal! it sickens me to know that there are animals out there that are discarded like so much litter if they don't live up to some silly expectation. all animals have distinct personalities and won't fit into some stupid shoebox ideal. if some of these people had to go through what they put their pets through, maybe they'd sing a different song.

I take on oldies, so have lost quite a few, and it is hard enough taking them knowing they are sick and it is the kindest thing to do for them. Fortunately, both my vet and the vet the rescue I foster for use will try and talk the people into surrendering the cat so they can be rehomed - that is how I ended up with Thomas. And I have been asked to help 3 times this year - sadly, only one time out of the three the cat was healthy enough to be rehomed, but at least that one got a happy ending.

I don't know how someone could simply put the animal to sleep, unless it was very severaly sick. I had to put my 3 month old kitten to sleep, because Quizno had heart diease and a heart mummurer. The vet checked everything out and decided it was best to put her to sleep. I balled my eyes out for months. My animals are my best friends, they listen, they give affection back, they of course complain if something isn't their way. They are my children.

Quizno now has a grave in my backyard with a very pretty plant, planted on her grave. And a hand made grave marker.

We found a cat that was very sickly under my car one day. Human Society was packed and couldn't take her. So we had to go to a shelter. We were standing at the counter, when this guy came in with a cat. The worker asked if it bit anyone, the guy said it looked like it was going to. The worker said it would be put to sleep. My bf had a FIT when we got the car. He's like someone could of teased, pulled on the tail, or harassed it till it couldn't handle it. He's like that cat has no right to be killed because it LOOKED like it was going to bite.

So, once again I am unsure how anyone could kill an animal just because.

You can always find a vet who will do it, sadly. My neighbour in London had his beautiful ginger cat ( who used to play with my cat) PTS after he came back from holiday, because he said the cat was angry with him for going away and wouldn't look at him! I was so horrified I never spoke to him again.