Did My Cat Suffer During His Euthanasia?

[MarealMurr]

He was diagnosed with moderate to severe tracheal collapse. His breathing was noisy enough that it could be heard from the other side of a room if the house was quiet. Other issues he had leading up to this was seizures frequently happening at night, limping hind leg, weakness in hind legs, inability to eat due to worsening underbite and requiring to be hand fed for every meal.

Was he suffering to the point where euthanasia was the right choice in your opinion?

Was the euthanasia done right? I couldn't afford to take him to a vet for the procedure so I had to take him to an animal rescue foundation. She gave him an injection initially which was a sedative. He vocalized quite a bit but and I had to help hold him but calmed down afterwards and was allowed to sit with me while it took effect. There was no catheter placed at any point. Once he wasn't moving anymore she placed him back on the table for the second injection. She had to trim some hair off the leg to find a vein. This is the part thats bothering me the most. He's very scared of trimmers and when the lady turned them on he seemed to respond to the noise by kicking the leg that was being shaved. She said that it was a small seizure due to the effects of the sedative. I don't know if was just the worst timing or if he was conscious for the final injection but I can't stop thinking about it. The seizures he was having before didnt look like that. They were centered in his back, making him twist upwards. I dont know if this is relevant or not but his eyes never closed after the sedative. When I was petting him they would start to flinch a little but remained open. I feel horrible for not stopping it or asking more questions but was doing everything I could to stop myself from crying so I wouldn't scare him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so sorry for your loss. No one ever knows when the 'right time' is. You have to go on your 'gut' with a vet's guidance.

Every euthanasia is different, and hardly is it even remotely possible to compare them. There are just so, so many variables involved.
The eyes being open, frankly and sadly, doesn't mean much in the overall scheme of things, so I personally would not base much on that alone. Actually, with some cats the eyes will remain open because of the sedation. There is no way to prevent twitching, as sometimes, it is part of the dying process.

Bless your cat who has been freed of his woe. And bless you because for a while you will feel that woe, even though you know he is no longer.

 

[Caspers Human]

First off, it is not believed that animals like cats and dogs can conceive of their own death.
Of course, there isn't any way to know, for sure, but most scientists agree that non-primate species don't understand death the way humans do. Even among primates, it's still impossible to know what they understand about death or whether they understand it at all.

I think that the movements you saw during your cat's last moments were probably reflexes. Some of the drugs used in euthanasia can cause cause muscle spasms.

Anyhow, once the drugs take effect, the animal will be completely unaware of its surroundings. If the animal being euthanized has any muscle spasms, be they drug related or from another cause, the animal will not be aware of them. By the time the second round of drugs is injected the animal is already well on its way to passing.

Sometimes, the eyes do stay open. There are different reasons why that might happen but the simple explanation is that it's just a reflex. Even if the eyes would still be functional enough to receive visual stimuli, the brain would not be able to process them. Yes, it might seem creepy when the eyes stay open during or after death but, no, the animal can't see.

I'm sorry to hear that you had to put your cat to sleep. It makes me feel sad, too.

It's natural to have remorseful feelings and second thoughts after putting a pet to sleep. Given what you said about your cat's health: His breathing problems, his convulsions, his problems eating and other things, I think you made the right decision.

One of the key things that should go into the decision to euthanize is whether the animal can eat and go to the bathroom properly. If, as you said, your cat had to be hand fed, what would have happened if you weren't there to feed him? If his respiratory problems were so bad that he had difficulty breathing, he would have been in a lot of distress if he had continued living.

I could go on and on but, based on just those two reasons, I think you made the right decision.

If he was my cat, I would have done the same.

Our cats never really leave us. They still live on in our hearts.

Thoughts and prayers be with you!

 

[Alldara]

I believe as well that it sounds like it was time. There are many different charts to help you determine these kinds of things and you can retroactively look at them if you'd like. (Called quality of life scale). It's always an individual decision.

Eyes open is pretty normal. Both my cats had this. I could close Lily's eyes but I could not close Nobel's.

Sometimes in death their are muscle twitching and spasms. Humans often reach in to the air with one or both hands. I wonder if his upturned posture was a similar phenomena.

The process sounds pretty normal for a sickly cat. A catheter makes it a less emotional experience, but does the same job. Likely not using one is partially how they save money.

You've done your best. Now it's time to take care of you. In time, you'll think of ways to honour your pet whether making a donation (even just making some toys for foster cats or donating some old towels.), adopting another, sharing your knowledge, volunteering, cat-sitting, planting something, making a scrapbook or shadowbox... whatever helps you.

 

[Caspers Human]

Eyes open is pretty normal. Both my cats had this. I could close Lily's eyes but I could not close Nobel's.

It happens in humans too. When my father-in-law died at 90 yrs. of age, I had to help the morticians remove the body from the bedroom, carry it down the stairs, out of the house and put it into the Hearse. It had been several hours since he passed and the body was stone cold but the eyes were still open. Now, I'm a science minded guy and I know that things like this can happen but it still creeped me out! The morticians would see this kind of thing every day and they are used to it but, me? Nuh-uh!!

Point is... I understand how it feels to see someone you care about in a state that stirs your feelings like that.

 

[Alldara]

Point is... I understand how it feels to see someone you care about in a state that stirs your feelings like that.

Certainly whatever feelings around it are perfectly okay.

Knowing what death and dying looks like begins to make viewing it a little bit less traumatic. There's always going to be pain and various feelings of grief. That's enough to deal with

 

[di and bob]

I am a RN and have witnessed many deaths, and many feline deaths too since I have had so many cats in my life. I truly believe with all the problems your sweet little one was going through, it was the right time. Only you would know for sure though. It sounds like the quality of life was severely compromised, and you couldn't allow the suffering to go on. Especially with seizures and tracheal collapse, it would have only gotten worse.
All of the little ones I had euthanized were done exactly like yours, and the initial injection and then the final one. The 'flinching' was an involuntary reflex that we all have and continues even a little while after death, such as eyelid movement and pulling away from external stimuli such as shaving. I can assure you if your little one was that relaxed, he was well beyond actually perceiving anything. Eyes almost always stay open. Sometimes it is impossible to close them after death.
Please don't dwell on your precious boy's end. It brings nothing but pain. Try to think of all the special times you had in your life with him, one day you will find that gratitude for having him in your life will replace that pain. But until then it is so painful. You never get over something like this, you live through it, despite it, and will learn ways to control the grief. Please accept my condolences, I know how much this hurts. But remember your love is spiritual, so eternal, he will always have a place in your soul, always as close as your thoughts and prayers.....

 

[Mighty Orange]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is common to blame yourself for what happens when putting your sweet kitty a sleep. Don't you did the right thing for the kitty. Your heart was in the right place.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

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

It sounds as if you are very sure that you did the right thing, and are second-guessing the actual event. The information you have been given about how medications can act is all correct. What you were seeing is almost certainly that, not an expression of fear or pain. This, though, is the deepest Truth I know, that love never dies. It is translated and purified into Love, and continues on. From his home in That Place Where All Things Are Known, you baby blesses you, he knows how hard you fought for him, and he sends his Love back to you, to walk with you down through all of your days. Because Love abides, always, forever, Love abides.

 

[doomsdave]

M MarealMurr bless your heart for sharing! And sharing love with with your cat. We all love you both.