did i euthanize my cat too early??

[stribor23]

So it all started 3 weeks ago, when we went to the vet. My cat schould have had an leg operation but the vet noticed, that our cat has in BOTH kidneys tumor.
It may already spread as it also had problems with the right eye, we werent sure. He told us that he cant help our cat and its the best we comfort our dying cat.
The last 2 weeks we cared for our cat, we gave him food which the vet said its ok, we gave him medicine. The cat was feeling okay and it went outside every day altough it could run that fast and idk where it went outside im not sure. After 2 weeks everyhintg changed. my cat stopped goung outside and didnt went outside from last friday. till saturday 5.2. it was under my bed hiding and almost didnt eat. on sunday or monday im not sure it moved to the basement where it had its toilet. i think on sunday it was near our doors of our house , but it couldnt go outside, it was just watching the door, i think it didnt have the energy. on sunday it went then in the basement and stayed there. it was hiding in a room under a shelf and it came a few times per day out of the room to eat, to go to the toilet.. on monday 6.2 it couldnt go on the toilet it had problems so i gave blankets so it could easier climb in to the toilet. the same day and the next day were pretty the same. it ate ,it did drink water more frequently and it stayed in the basement. he was or under the shelf or near the toilet. it never went upstairs. we wanted to euthanize him on 5.2 because till 5.2. it passed more than 2 days and it didnt eat, but it started eating then. and yesterday at 16:30 we euthanized him. i feel guilty and think that it was to early but i dont know. it did eat and drink and could go to the toilet but that was it. all other time it was spending laying under the shelf or sleeping, it didnt go out for 5 days. our cat usually spent his day almost outside, it came only to eat and sometimes to sleep at nights. what are your toughts? was it too early? sorry for my english, im from slovenia.

 

[di and bob]

My heart breaks for your pain.....A cat hides when there is something wrong. They are ill, dying, or hurting. You already knew that what he had was something that could not be cured, something that was only going to get worse. At times like these, listen to what your vet told you, they have seen so much. your own heart is involved, much more than your head. Now you suffer from the guilt and all those should haves, could haves that always accompany grieving. Please take comfort in knowing you saved him from a future full of nothing but pain. He knew you were near, he knew he had your love, for him that was enough. There is a saying at this site that I cling to in times like these, "better a day early than a day too late"......As one who waited a bit too long with a little one I loved, I can tell you the guilt triples when you wait too long, it's too hard to watch a loved one suffer. RIP sweet boy, you will never be forgotten, you will always have a secure place in a loving heart. May the good Lord bless and keep you, until you meet again!

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss. It is absolutely true that it is wrongheaded to think that one should wait for the exact minute when everything is finally too unbearable for the cat. Your cat had nothing to go forward to, with the exception of pain and discomfort. In an advanced case like his, there was no other intervention for you to try. You gave your cat a good life and kept him comfortable at the end. He knew that you loved him.

 

[vansX2]

So it all started 3 weeks ago, when we went to the vet. My cat schould have had an leg operation but the vet noticed, that our cat has in BOTH kidneys tumor.
It may already spread as it also had problems with the right eye, we werent sure. He told us that he cant help our cat and its the best we comfort our dying cat.
The last 2 weeks we cared for our cat, we gave him food which the vet said its ok, we gave him medicine. The cat was feeling okay and it went outside every day altough it could run that fast and idk where it went outside im not sure. After 2 weeks everyhintg changed. my cat stopped goung outside and didnt went outside from last friday. till saturday 5.2. it was under my bed hiding and almost didnt eat. on sunday or monday im not sure it moved to the basement where it had its toilet. i think on sunday it was near our doors of our house , but it couldnt go outside, it was just watching the door, i think it didnt have the energy. on sunday it went then in the basement and stayed there. it was hiding in a room under a shelf and it came a few times per day out of the room to eat, to go to the toilet.. on monday 6.2 it couldnt go on the toilet it had problems so i gave blankets so it could easier climb in to the toilet. the same day and the next day were pretty the same. it ate ,it did drink water more frequently and it stayed in the basement. he was or under the shelf or near the toilet. it never went upstairs. we wanted to euthanize him on 5.2 because till 5.2. it passed more than 2 days and it didnt eat, but it started eating then. and yesterday at 16:30 we euthanized him. i feel guilty and think that it was to early but i dont know. it did eat and drink and could go to the toilet but that was it. all other time it was spending laying under the shelf or sleeping, it didnt go out for 5 days. our cat usually spent his day almost outside, it came only to eat and sometimes to sleep at nights. what are your toughts? was it too early? sorry for my english, im from slovenia.

Whether you did or you didn't, the deed is done. Obviously you made the decision for a reason. Now your just beating yourself up.

 

[neely]

Add me to the list of members who sympathize with you. We have all been there at one time or another and understand what you are going through. Please know that you gave your cat it's forever home and they loved you dearly for it. RIP sweet angel.

 

[dinkythecat]

It’s always a hard decision and there’s always doubt. I let my two late cats suffer far too long because I deluded myself, kept throwing new products at them hoping they’d make a magical reversal, and just couldn’t pull the trigger. It’s hard, unbearably hard, to say goodbye, especially the first times, who are likely pieces of your childhood, and you can hardly remember a time without them. That “perfect moment” did come, and all I realized then is that I had let my poor little friends suffer for much too long, because that’s what’s required to see that “perfect moment.” The reality is that cats hide pain and discomfort, even severe, quite well — that’s why so many serious health problems are diagnosed when the cat was only showing lethargy and declining appetite at that point.

I don’t see this as appallingly early or anything. I think you have reason to remember fondly that you did your cat a solid and spared him much pain and suffering.

 

[catmom2wires]

Cats can go downhill so incredibly fast. They fight and live their lives until their little tanks are empty. All three of my cats that I lost in the last year went downhill SO FAST. All three of them were released from life within 2 weeks of their first symptom.

Your baby was showing signs of approaching the inevitable end. You lovingly relieved him of the burden of suffering. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Mozapt]

So it all started 3 weeks ago, when we went to the vet. My cat schould have had an leg operation but the vet noticed, that our cat has in BOTH kidneys tumor.
It may already spread as it also had problems with the right eye, we werent sure. He told us that he cant help our cat and its the best we comfort our dying cat.
The last 2 weeks we cared for our cat, we gave him food which the vet said its ok, we gave him medicine. The cat was feeling okay and it went outside every day altough it could run that fast and idk where it went outside im not sure. After 2 weeks everyhintg changed. my cat stopped goung outside and didnt went outside from last friday. till saturday 5.2. it was under my bed hiding and almost didnt eat. on sunday or monday im not sure it moved to the basement where it had its toilet. i think on sunday it was near our doors of our house , but it couldnt go outside, it was just watching the door, i think it didnt have the energy. on sunday it went then in the basement and stayed there. it was hiding in a room under a shelf and it came a few times per day out of the room to eat, to go to the toilet.. on monday 6.2 it couldnt go on the toilet it had problems so i gave blankets so it could easier climb in to the toilet. the same day and the next day were pretty the same. it ate ,it did drink water more frequently and it stayed in the basement. he was or under the shelf or near the toilet. it never went upstairs. we wanted to euthanize him on 5.2 because till 5.2. it passed more than 2 days and it didnt eat, but it started eating then. and yesterday at 16:30 we euthanized him. i feel guilty and think that it was to early but i dont know. it did eat and drink and could go to the toilet but that was it. all other time it was spending laying under the shelf or sleeping, it didnt go out for 5 days. our cat usually spent his day almost outside, it came only to eat and sometimes to sleep at nights. what are your toughts? was it too early? sorry for my english, im from slovenia.

I know it hurts a lot but if his life had degraded to that point, you did right. It’s not right to keep them suffering to that degree. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Another here who thinks you made the right choice. Grief is full of ifs and buts unfortunately. You stopped your cat's pain, and broke your own heart doing that. Please be kind to yourself and remember that cat's hide pain. It seems to me the hiding and not going out were signs of much worse to come. I'm sure your cat would be grateful for the love you showed.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Rest you gentle, Sweet Friend, dream you deep. Your pawprints are on someone's heart forever.

Please know this...from everything you said, your cat had reached the point that there was no more joy in life, he was barely doing the most necessary things. He was letting go of his life, bit by bit, as his pain grew. You saved him from a long period of misery. And now, from That Place Where All Things Are Known, he blesses you for that. He knows that you broke your own heart to save him from pain. And that is a very brave thing to do.

 

[stribor23]

im just always sad when i remember that he was just laying and sleeping but the time we took him into the car, he knew hes going to the vet and wanted to escape and i just wonder how he had the energy to stand and look through the window car, if he was in pain. and he even hissed when the first injection came. unfortunately the vet couldnt come home so we needed to take him. hopefully he will understand this. did your cat also resisted going to the vet the last time or it didnt have any energy??

 

[di and bob]

They can find an extraordinary amount of strength at the end, cats are so good at trying to hide any kind of pain or weakness. I only had one cat that didn't resist, and he was too weak to stand.....

 

[Tik cat's mum]

I've had a dog that resisted and my cat did try to resist but was so weak it wasn't really a fight. Like di and bob said they can display strength near the end. Especially cat's who hide their pain so we'll.

 

[fionasmom]

It is so true that they resist, or possibly just have a final adrenalin burst near the end, and I have experienced it more than once with desperately ill animals. My previous GSD had degenerative myelopathy and it had reached his front legs, which meant that all that was left for him was to die in a final seizure as the paralysis continued up his spinal column. I had a home vet come to the house, and the last thing he did was to lift his head off the floor and bark at her. My cat Milo, who had survived intestinal lymphoma for about a year and was clearly at the end, limp and weak, actually stood up and tried to shake the needle out of his front let as the vet inserted it.

I have never thought that this meant that they had more time or that I should have reconsidered.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I believe that it is possible that your cat did not want to go to the vet, and that at the same time, there was no joy left in his life. He didn't realize that the vet would be helping him pass from this adventure to his Next Great Adventure. Where he is now, he's probably telling his new friends how great the vet was, and how brave you are.

 

[stribor23]

im sorry if im again writing but im just so heart broken. i feel so guilty. we also left for a short trip because my mother wanted to go, so our cat stayed at home with my sister, she was taking care of him.thank god the cat wasnt alone, i wouldtn let him alone and i dont know why i didnt insist of staying at home, i would kill myself how stupid i was.i didnt even enjoyed the trip so much because i was always thinking about my cat.that was so wrong and i just cant believe it why i didnt stayed at home. my mother wanted to get me in a better mood i guess, but i dont know why i didnt insisted to stay with our cat. im so much sorry and sometimes still cant believe it how we were all happy and we tought our cat would be going to have a leg operation , but then we found about the cancer and everything changed.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

Please don't apologise we are here, and understand the pain you feel. Please don't beat yourself up. You did nothing wrong. As you said your cat wasn't alone. He was with your sister being cared for. You staying at home wouldn't of changed anything. Grief is full of ifs and buts unfortunately what happened was completely unexpected, nobody can see the future. Try to be kind to yourself and remember all the good times your cat brought you. I know right now it's hard to believe but one day even though you will never forget, you will smile at the memories and the pain will ease.

 

[Krienze]

If it comforts you at all, I truly believe it's better to put down a few days early than even seconds late. You did what you thought was best for your baby and that's all any of us can do.

I'm so sorry for your loss, but you did good.

Thinking of you.

 

[Mozapt]

Hi. Please don’t apologize. I have been through this pain and doubt so many times. You obviously love your kitty very much. Every cat we’ve had melted my heart and euthanasia always broke it. Just know that you did everything you could. Especially giving kitty a good home and love. Besides my disabled wife, my two are my best and only friends. It’s obvious that you love your cat very much. I’ve been where you are so many times. The memories become less painful and more precious over time and I’m sorry that you are enduring mourning for your baby. Things will get better especially with support from understanding people on the forum. I have left the vet in tears many times. I know it hurts but will ease up with time. You may not see it now but a new kitten, when you’re ready, helps a lot. New focus, new love and things somehow return to normal. I still remember and love each and every fur baby we have had over 30+ years. We’re all pulling for you. You did the right thing. Don’t blame yourself.

 

[stribor23]

did anyone know someone or anyone had a cat, that had cancer 3cm in both kidneys and survived?