should a blind, deaf animal be put to sleep?

Question

we have a cat who is 16 years old. she is very fragile, and we think she has been deaf for about a year now. within the past few days, we have noticed her walking into things, and she cries all the time. she definitely can't see very well, if at all, and we are debating putting her to sleep. is it the right or wrong thing to do, and why?

Answer 1

Determining the time to say goodbye is never easy. But the biggest factor is the quality of life. The reason your cat cries could be because she can't hear or see you very well. That being the case, you should spend more time with her, petting and messaging her, and see if she stops crying. If there are no other issues like disease or freedom of movement being restricted, then let her live out her natural days. We don't cast aside humans for being deaf and blind and if your cat is truly part of the family I would hope you feel the same way about her.
When my cat, Carmen, got cancer in her mouth it affected her ability to eat because she had loose teeth due to a tumor just above the roof of her mouth. She was her normal weight of 7 lbs. in Dec. and by Feb. she was only 4 lbs. Since the cancer was affecting her quality of life I knew it was time to put her down. I sat in the hallway with her and told her that there was nothing myself or the vet could do. (I swear this cat understood everything I ever said-- if I said 'want to go to bed and cuddle?' at the end of the day, she would beat me to the bedroom- if I saw a bird outside I'd point at the window and say 'Go look out the window' and she would run right over and look out the window and see the bird-- I'd ask for her to give me a kiss and she would rub her mouth on my cheek- I called them kitty kisses--she was remarkable) But I digress. After explaining to her what was wrong and how nothing could be done I told her God would look after her until I would come to see her again. She looked directly into my eyes as I spoke which tore me up. I then said I wish there was some way that you could tell me if I'm doing the right thing....and I kid you not....she got up and gave me a kitty kiss on the cheek. I cried for days.
Unless your cat is really bad off I would say spend more time with her before the inevitable happens. If she is comfortable despite the hearing and sight loss i.e. she still eats well, still wants petting from you and can find her litter box [don't move the furniture around at this point- she's used to the traffic pattern] then I would enjoy the time you have left together to the fullest.
Have a great day and hope this helps!

Answer 2

well, this is a tough one. if the vet checks her out, and otherwise she seems to be in as of good health as possible, then id say she can still be happy blind and deaf, with a few changes. i had a blind and deaf cat, and had to keep her in my room only so she didnt get scared. eventually, shell memorize the room shes kept in, and continue to be relatively happy. however, i had a friend who came over and moved my furniture while i was in the kitchen, and my cat was running into things left and right. i yelled at him, because it was a mean thing to do. dont move your furniture. also, she may have some sight, so dont be surprised if she hisses or runs from you when youre wearing dark colors. it just means she cant see you. if that happens, put on something light, and try again. all in all, youre the best judge of when its time. if shes eating, purrs when you pet her, and seems happy more than half the time, then its worth it to keep her alive for another year, maybe two. however, shes getting older, and kidney problems and incontinency arent far away. if shes lethargic, wont eat, or just doesnt seem happy, have her checked by a vet, she might have reached the point where she no longer has a good quality of life. whatever you choose, good luck.

Answer 3

Deaf would not inevitably propose completely deaf. purely because they have bumped off his eyes does no longer mean he's gloomy. If he replaced into already 'blind' he must be used to no longer making use of his eyes besides. He probable nevertheless has some listening to and it is brilliant purely how properly some dogs can get round, he will choose an extremely expertise proprietor though assuming he's re-homed, or it must be that the employees on the safeguard provide him a lot of affection and interest so as that he regards that as his abode. little doubt beforehand they undertook the surgical treatment they could've taken under consideration how properly he can cope and how he replaced into previously. to some volume it is not any diverse to dogs ageing, they commence to pass blind with caterracts and get steadily deaf, yet they soldier on fantastically.

Answer 4

Any living creature whether it be two-legged or four-legged, becomes debilitated with age. Some lose their sight, others their hearing, again many lose their mobility. With humans, we seem to have a taboo about cutting short a person's life regardless of what the condition may be. With our four-legged friends, we at least have some room for debate. I'm not against euthanasia per se, but before taking that drastic step, we need to really ask our selves if the quality of life of the animal is compromised, or is it OUR quality of life affected by the presence of a needy animal. Some will justify the euthanasia by saying 'well, he couldn't see or hear," But is that a proper justification? We might be hard of hearing, our eyesight might fail, but if we can still share in the love and warmth of the family, we would still like to be around, I think. Same for our pets. They have given us the best years of their lives. They have loved us unconditionally. We owe them the best care when old, and only when it looks as if they're suffering too much, then take that drastic step.

Answer 5

If she is crying all the time, then yes, you probably should but I know I would not have the guts to do it myself. If she is happy and just sleeping all the time like my 20 year old dog, or you can fix this problem (is it the heat? Diabetes? What has happened in the last couple of days that makes it different?)than no, I would not. She has been giving her all to you for the past 16 years, if she just wants to sit around all day and sleep and eat, let her do it if this problem is just temporary. Good luck and I wish you the best!!

Answer 6

I don't think a blind, deaf animal should be put to sleep IF they are healthy. I had a dog that was deaf and blind for over 3 yeads before she was put to sleep due to liver failure. She adjusted.

However, you should have her examined by your vet and see if there are other issues and what he recommends.

This is a hard decision to make, it's not going to be easy, I know.

My heart goes out to you. Good luck.

Answer 7

We have a chocolate lab who is blind and has diabetes. She is the most loving dog i've ever known, and as long as she doesn't show any signs of suffering, we're going to do the best for her that we can. We know that someday she'll suffer, and then we'll have to do the unthinkable, but only if it's what is best for her. If your cat acts like it is hurting, maybe you should consider it, but if she's crying like she doesn't understand what's going on, maybe she just needs a little extra love and comfort.

Answer 8

this happened to my dog, and we decided not to put her down. But I think it may have been a bad decision on our part. She was miserable, everything scared her, because she could not hear if someone was coming up behind her. She also couldn't see where she was trying to walk or jump and would constantly miss the couch or walk into closed doors.

I think it depends on how long you think she will be living.

Answer 9

quality of life is the amswer, you must weight the pros and cons. is she still eating? is she in distress alot? can she still jump on things? if you had her life what would you want done? You have my sympathies this is one of the most hardest decisions to make in life.... usually the animals let you know if they are ready to go over the rainbow bridge. listen to your kittie, she has had a long happy life

Answer 10

as long as she is in no pain or distress then no, she will adapt to her new life as long as you never move furniture in you house as she will learn where every thing is.

many breeders will put down animals bacause they are blind or death although they can live happy lives if propley cared for.