Hi, I hope I'm posting this in the correct area?
My cat died on Wednesday morning. He had been perfectly fine that evening and after a spot of food he went out to pee. This was about 11.30. A few minutes later he was struggling to get back in through the cat flap and thats when I discovered he was struggling to walk, well he couldn't his back end was paralysed. I called the vet and rushed him in. He was panting and wild eyed, scared. It wasn't trauma, he had been outside for all of 3 minutes so it was a blood clot that had come from his heart. I knew it was bad, he couldn't walk, his feet were cold, his tail limp. This wasn't good at all and I knew I was going to lose him. He hadn't been treated for a heart problem but had been coughing recently although he had been treated for asthma and he seemed to respond to treatment. The vet said she thought it was a blood clot from and really there wasn't any coming back from that. She told me she would give him a painkiller and diuretics and to take him back in the morning. I asked if he could die overnight and she said no. At home he seemed less frightened, and wasn't panting or open mouthed but he kept trying to walk and failing, kind of twisting around. Stroking him seemed to soothe him but this went on for a few hours. He also kept making this noise, like he was straining and his heart was beating rapidly, well fluttering all over the place. I knew he was dying and I was in bits, holding him, trying to soothe him. I regret not trusting my gut and ignoring my head saying 'it's 3 in the morning, you can't call the vet again'. I was so stupid not to call, not to ring her regardless of the time of night to have hm put to sleep. He struggled on for another two hours. Eventually he died and I was and still am distraught. The speed of it and my raging guilt at not having him put to sleep, either when I first took him to the vet, or at 3 in the morning. Was he in a lot of pain? He knew he was going and the way he looked at me.
So my question is even after the painkiller she gave him, would he have been in a lot of pain? looking online I saw that a blood clot/heart failure is painful and a vet would euthanise a cat that had this. Should she have said that really he should be put down, to save the hours it took for him to pass? Should I have called her at 3 in the morning? My guilt is indescribable. I loved him so much and can't believe what happened and how I failed him when he really needed me. All I did was stoke him and talk to him as died when Should have been phoning the vet and taking him in to spare him any more pain.
My cat died on Wednesday morning. He had been perfectly fine that evening and after a spot of food he went out to pee. This was about 11.30. A few minutes later he was struggling to get back in through the cat flap and thats when I discovered he was struggling to walk, well he couldn't his back end was paralysed. I called the vet and rushed him in. He was panting and wild eyed, scared. It wasn't trauma, he had been outside for all of 3 minutes so it was a blood clot that had come from his heart. I knew it was bad, he couldn't walk, his feet were cold, his tail limp. This wasn't good at all and I knew I was going to lose him. He hadn't been treated for a heart problem but had been coughing recently although he had been treated for asthma and he seemed to respond to treatment. The vet said she thought it was a blood clot from and really there wasn't any coming back from that. She told me she would give him a painkiller and diuretics and to take him back in the morning. I asked if he could die overnight and she said no. At home he seemed less frightened, and wasn't panting or open mouthed but he kept trying to walk and failing, kind of twisting around. Stroking him seemed to soothe him but this went on for a few hours. He also kept making this noise, like he was straining and his heart was beating rapidly, well fluttering all over the place. I knew he was dying and I was in bits, holding him, trying to soothe him. I regret not trusting my gut and ignoring my head saying 'it's 3 in the morning, you can't call the vet again'. I was so stupid not to call, not to ring her regardless of the time of night to have hm put to sleep. He struggled on for another two hours. Eventually he died and I was and still am distraught. The speed of it and my raging guilt at not having him put to sleep, either when I first took him to the vet, or at 3 in the morning. Was he in a lot of pain? He knew he was going and the way he looked at me.
So my question is even after the painkiller she gave him, would he have been in a lot of pain? looking online I saw that a blood clot/heart failure is painful and a vet would euthanise a cat that had this. Should she have said that really he should be put down, to save the hours it took for him to pass? Should I have called her at 3 in the morning? My guilt is indescribable. I loved him so much and can't believe what happened and how I failed him when he really needed me. All I did was stoke him and talk to him as died when Should have been phoning the vet and taking him in to spare him any more pain.