need pussy advise

[jiiimmm]

My kitty is about 20 yrs old, been a great family pet but is now arthritic, diabetic, etc. I can see she is slowly getting worse but is still going and does not appear to be in obvious pain. Problem is, I have a major cross Canada relocation and I'm afraid the stress will finish her off. She freaks on a 10 minute drive to see the vet, major shedding and diarrhea.

I've considered putting her down prior to this move but some think it's cruel. I think the stress of a 4 day drive may be worse. Having family or a friend look after her isn't really fair as she is slowly fading and it would feel like I'm dumping her on someone else.

Thoughts?

 

[james t kirk]

why not ask a vet.

Or sedate her for the journey.

 

[Gentle Ben]

It`s a tough decision . It`s hard to say "the time is up" you could have a vet check it over & advise you what to do. sounds like the time is coming tho.

Some good reading here , I still miss the old bugger too!. https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?407106-Loss-of-a-best-friend-(pet)

All the best , and it`s not an easy decision.

 

[Petzel]

20 years is considered a very long life span for cats. I've always owned cats and the kindest thing to do is put it down. You're right about the stress. One cat I had, ended up having a heart attack after having her groomed and the stress is what did it. Your cat will not survive the relocation very well.

 

[JessyTurner]

A big animal lover here who has had alot of pets over the years......

This dicision is only yours to make and it is a hard one. My heart aches just thinking about it. I have had dogs and cats fish etc. and had to deal with alot of heartaches so i no longer have any pets lol

Here is just one of my stories ... had a dog for 9 years he was my life like he was my child...so i can't imagine 20 years.... once at the park noticed he had some lump on his leg and ran to the vet freaking out. Now they tell me he has cancer, don't ask me how i fed him the best food etc. fucken cancer! I am freaking and ask what can i do? I would pay anything to have him better... they tell me they can do all types of treatments and all this crap on him but does not mean he will be ok might give him an extra month or year. So I made the decision to put him down i did not think it was fair to be greedy and keep him around just because i would miss him... didn't think it was fair to put him through so much hospital bullcrap just to keep him around for another year. thought how unfair it was that he would not know what the hell is going on he would probably think he is being punished. so i avoided him from going through all that pain and confusion.

Now you say your cat is still somewhat ok ... well my dog acted so normal and looked healthy as if nothing was wrong this is why it was extremely hard for me to do. After this i thought i was going to have to go see a shrink lol i moved from my apartment and everything.

My point is whatever decision you make think about your cat and what is best for it. Don't put it through anything that will give it any stress..pain etc.

All the best, sucks that this brings back bad memories for me but hopefully it helps you in someway and know that i know what your going through.

hugssss

 

[abv]

A question of quality of life over duration?
I hated taking my cat of 17 years to the vet for the last time.
But today is my new cats 2nd birthday. Having a 2 year old bundle of energy after a 17 year old that was not well.
It's a different world.

 

[Stoo]

I think that the mere fact you are asking the question suggests that you already know the answer. In my experience (with many dogs), the worst part of making this decision... is making the decision. I know I am guilty of keeping old friends around perhaps a little longer than I should have. Once the deed was done, I felt better knowing that my friend wasn't suffering any more.

As you know, cats don't relocate well. She's 20 years old, which is very old, and would undoubtedly not enjoy the trip at all. You know that.

None the less, it's not easy, but once it's done, I suspect you'll feel better knowing you've done the right thing.

 

[peter4025]

I'm guessing that you already know what you have to do. It's a hard decision but it's time to let her go

 

[Ridgeman08]

I'm guessing that you already know what you have to do. It's a hard decision but it's time to let her go

Thats what I was thinkin...

 

[jiiimmm]

Thats what I was thinkin...

Your both right, I have made my decision, my kids and SO don't agree. it's more emotion than logic. I will look into sedation if it's an option but I really can't just take her to the vet under their protest. Hopefully nature will runs it's course and make the decision for them.

Thanks for the input!

 

[JessyTurner]

All the best Jimmm

awwwwwww the kids this is so sad

 

[james t kirk]

Your both right, I have made my decision, my kids and SO don't agree. it's more emotion than logic. I will look into sedation if it's an option but I really can't just take her to the vet under their protest. Hopefully nature will runs it's course and make the decision for them.

Thanks for the input!

I think you're making the right decision.

Sure, the cat is older and not 100%, but she's not dead yet either. Clearly there is a huge emotional attachment on the part of all members of the family, so give it a shot. You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

She might only last another year or two, but in the end, you will be able to say that you tried your best.

You don't want to be wearing that cross that says you put your cat down because she wasn't convenient.

 

[Aardvark154]

Your both right, I have made my decision, my kids and SO don't agree. it's more emotion than logic.

Ah, that adds a whole different dimension to things.

 

[justfor]

A big animal lover here who has had alot of pets over the years......

All the best, sucks that this brings back bad memories for me but hopefully it helps you in someway and know that i know what your going through.

hugssss

For me too. When we decided to finally put our dog ( our second dog) down, we both cried like babies. Since then, I adamantly refuse to have anymore pets - it is so hard to take since we know we will outlive them.

 

[jackson11]

Check if sedation is an option.

Or try giving her lots of cat nip and risk the trip. My old cat loved the stuff. Always made her quiet and put her to sleep (deeper sleep than the usual cat sleep) You don't know if the cat will make it or not on the trip The cat may make it and the kids would be thankful for it if it did make it. If the cat does pass away on route then at least the family knows you made the effort and tried. If you put the cat to sleep there may always be that linger doubt if it could have made the trip or not, if you did the right thing etc.

 

[james t kirk]

For me too. When we decided to finally put our dog ( our second dog) down, we both cried like babies. Since then, I adamantly refuse to have anymore pets - it is so hard to take since we know we will outlive them.

They say owning a pet is owning a tragedy waiting to happen.

But my pets have brought me a lot of joy and companionship over the years and I feel that they help to take the nasty edge off a bit.

Not to get all philosophical and all, but you cannot have joy without sorrow. You need one to appreciate the other.

A dog will live as long as a dog will live whether you adopt one or not, but by adopting a dog, you hopefully give him a good life during his or her relatively short life span.

 

[JessyTurner]

They say owning a pet is owning a tragedy waiting to happen.

But my pets have brought me a lot of joy and companionship over the years and I feel that they help to take the nasty edge off a bit.

Not to get all philosophical and all, but you cannot have joy without sorrow. You need one to appreciate the other.

A dog will live as long as a dog will live whether you adopt one or not, but by adopting a dog, you hopefully give him a good life during his or her relatively short life span.

I agree with you on that... makes me want to go adopt again after reading this...... but then i think of how mental i get when they do pass away it's a messed up situation ... i have not had any pets in forever

 

[2 stroke]

My kitty is about 20 yrs old, been a great family pet but is now arthritic, diabetic, etc. I can see she is slowly getting worse but is still going and does not appear to be in obvious pain. Problem is, I have a major cross Canada relocation and I'm afraid the stress will finish her off. She freaks on a 10 minute drive to see the vet, major shedding and diarrhea.

I've considered putting her down prior to this move but some think it's cruel. I think the stress of a 4 day drive may be worse. Having family or a friend look after her isn't really fair as she is slowly fading and it would feel like I'm dumping her on someone else.

Thoughts?

She freaks on the 10 minute drive to the vet because she knows she's going to the vet!! Take her out in the car and don't go to the vet. See how she reacts. She might get all bent out of shape the first couple of times but she'll learn that that not every car ride is to the vet!!

 

[justfor]

There's no doubt that pets bring a lot of joys and happiness to one's life. I feel though, the stress, worries, and heartache during their last few months, and how devastated we were making that final decision, it may not be worthwhile to have another pet.

 

[oldjones]

There's no doubt that pets bring a lot of joys and happiness to one's life. I feel though, the stress, worries, and heartache during their last few months, and how devastated we were making that final decision, it may not be worthwhile to have another pet.

I've had a constant three cats for a decade and have had as many die over the years. I still weep when a memory of any one of them comes to mind.

Everything dies.

It would be foolish and self defeating never to have kids because they might die before you, or because you'd never want them to experience the pain of losing a parent. The idea that the pain of watching someone you love die should be so overwhelming that you would choose not to have the joy of life with them is a as morbid a sort of shortsighted anti-life childishness as I can conceive of.

Life is hard, and death is always a part of it. Sharing life and love with pets who will die before you is one of the many ways they teach us to become adults.