I'm going with my mom to put down my first cat I've ever had down (or pet, for that matter) and I was wondering if anyone has tips for dealing with it all? I'm upset just thinking about it and I know I'll be a wreck tomorrow. She was like a family member. :(
2007-09-25 13:24:47 · 13 answers · asked by ۞ Vixen ۞ 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
Her name is Lucy and she's been not feeling so well for a bit now. Come to find out she's got horrid kidney problems and a small tumor. She used to sleep with me at night with her back to my chest tucked in the covers! I'll miss her!
2007-09-25 14:30:53 · update #1
That's very hard for you and your family. I am glad you are going with your mother as you can support one another.
Euthanasia is Greek for "beautiful death". The vet will give your cat a heavy shot of tranquillizer and you can hold the cat as it goes gently into a very deep sleep. You say goodbye and tell the cat how much it has meant to you, how you will miss it, etc.
The vet will return and give the final shot to stop the cat's heart. You and your mother might want to leave when that is given.
2007-09-25 13:32:16 · answer #1 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Purrs and prayers for you and Lucy.
Losing a furry family member is just as or more painful than losing a human family member. Let yourself grieve and don't let anyone tell you Lucy was 'just a cat'!
There are several wonderful pet grief websites and I have listed the links for you. You can add pictures and memorials online for your Lucy.
Cuddle your little Lucy tonight, talk to her and stroke her fur. Tell her you love her and will miss her, but you don't like to see her sick. Give her permission to fly free from the illness.
Clip some of her fur to keep in a memory book or wear in a locket. Make an album of pictures, write poems and stories about her and how special she was. Create a special place in your home or garden in her memory.
I lost my 17 yo kitty to kidney failure in July. These are the things I have done to ease the pain of her death. I had started reading "Surviving the Heartbreak of Choosing Death for Your Pet", to prepare myself to euthanize her. She crossed the bridge quietly and peacefully the night before I was to take her to the vet. Now I want to read the book "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates".
I love the poem the other poster listed above. Here is another that I hope will give you peace:
So this is where we part, my friend,
And you’ll run on, around the bend.
Gone from sight, but not from mind,
New pleasures there you’ll surely find.
I will go on, I will find the strength,
Life measures quality, not it’s length.
One long embrace before you leave,
Share one last look, before I grieve.
There are others, that much is true,
But they are they, and they aren’t you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,
Will remember well all you’ve taught.
Your place I’ll hold, you will be missed,
The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you journey to your final rest,
Take with you this…I loved you best.
2007-09-25 23:12:04 · answer #2 · answered by Patty O 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Loosing a family member is tuff. I actually lost a 5 week old kitten I had been bottle feeding since it's eyes were still closed... this morning! I am grieving too. It helps to talk, cry, scream at someone(I used my fiance), and basically feel your emotions. You and your lil' lady have good memories and you gave her an awesome life, in which I know she is greatful for. My baby and your's will be frolicing through a meadow, chasing butterflies for sure, giving eachother long baths, & taking their cat naps on the clouds. Hang in there honey. Celebrate her life. You've been a good momma.
2007-09-25 20:38:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am so sorry for your coming loss. When it came time for me to "lose" my 14 y/o China, I knew in my heart that I could not go with her at the end as I wanted to remember her the way she was. I went to the vet and made the arrangements, went home and gave her alot of loving, wrapped her in a towel, then my boyfriend took her there, brought her body back and buried it at the foot of a tree at the lakeside. He took me down there to show me where she was and it was a beautiful site, watching the sun go down shining on her. That was over 10 yrs ago and the memories of her life and burial site are still with me even though I now live in another state. CRY, you need to express your loss. Remember the good times. When you feel ready let another cat into your life.
2007-09-25 22:35:36 · answer #4 · answered by nashniki 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just know that your cat obviously is going through a lot of pain or suffering due to old age or suffering (don't know why your cat is being put down). Putting her down may make you sad because she no longer will be there for you anymore, but it will stop her from suffering. Also remember that the memories of her will ALWAYS live on, and she'll obviously will stay in your heart. So obviously she'll always be with you. Not in body, but in spirit as corny as that may sound. And if you believe in any sort of after life, just know that she is in a far better place. :-) Life will go on. I promise you. It just takes time and crying is totally natural. Just realize that with one thing ending, new life will surface. I promise. Maybe you can get a new kitten. She/he will never take the place of your cat, but believe me, it will make you laugh!!
2007-09-25 20:38:04 · answer #5 · answered by ck55 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Know that you are helping your kitty to rest and be free of pain. You gave her love and a good life and that is worth the world to her. I know the heartbreak you feel-I lost a precious kitty a few months ago and it still hurts. Stay with your kitty while she goes so she'll see you in her last moments.
And God asked the feline spirit
Are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul
And, as a cat, you know I am most able
To decide anything for myself.
Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel
But I must come slowly
For my human friends are troubled
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.
But don't they understand? asked God
That you'll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined. For all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just is....forever and ever and ever.
Eventually they will understand,
Replied the glorious cat
For I will whisper into their hearts
That I am always with them
I just am....forever and ever and ever.
2007-09-25 20:30:16 · answer #6 · answered by ♥Pretty♥ ♥Kitty♥ 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's OK to grieve over a pet. Just go with the feelings of loss and it will become easier in time. We all lose a pet in our lives, God knpows I have lost many beloved pets so I speak from experience.
2007-09-25 20:29:54 · answer #7 · answered by Moondog2277 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Grief is different for everyone, but I cried and cried and then put together a photo album of my cat, sometimes I still feel sad that she has gone, but if their life is painful then it is not good quality of life. Just give her lots and lots of cuddles today and tonight, and don't try to keep your grief inside you. I'm sorry that you are in this position.
2007-09-26 09:16:16 · answer #8 · answered by sparkleythings_4you 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is definatly no way to cushion the blow. its always hard to loose a family member. the first cat i had died suddenly when i was 13. i laid in bed for 6 months. its depressing. i have 7 cats right now, and one of them had kittens and we lost 4, and the vet couldn't explain it, and it was depressing as hell, but having the others there, and to see them striving to live and watch them play kinda pulls you out of it. you should get a kitten!
2007-09-25 22:16:17 · answer #9 · answered by angel v 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You'll be a wreck for at least 3 days.
Don't try to not cry. Don't try to shove everything down. You need to grieve or it'll take longer to deal with everything. It will be very hard, but you'll get through it.
2007-09-25 20:31:27 · answer #10 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋