:(

[cirianz]

I'm sorry itsme
I know this must seem awfully trivial after recent events
But I am sad
My daughter's cat is about to die of cancer.
She was first diagnosed 3 years ago
The vet said she was riddled with it
& there was nothing they could do
But she was in no significant pain
just a bit weezy & visibly underweight (although she was eating about twice as much as the other cats)
so we decided to bring her home & let her die at home.
The vet gave her 3-5 months to live.
But she always was a tough b*tch
she was half the size of the other cats
but would beat the sh*t out of any who challenged her spot at the top
so we brought her home,
let her spend her last days lounging in the sun
you get the piccy
that was 3 years ago.
I suppose we got so used to her toughing it out
that it seemed like she would just keep on keeping on.
Gotta respect that.
Then this last week she went downhill fast,
her fur got real dull
she lost more weight fast
just a scrap of fur & bones
& then yesturday she started sneezing
fluid was coloured with blood.
I don't think she will last the day.
She's still all happy & purry when with my daughter,
so decided to let her die at home,
But am very sad

 

[ChristopherP]

Oh no thats terrible.

It saddens me to hear of animals like cats in pain they must have no understanding of what is happening.

 

[AbsoluteKevster]

Oh no thats terrible.

It saddens me to hear of animals like cats in pain they must have no understanding of what is happening.

It is terrible!
Sorry to hear about that Ciri... I know it hurts to see them suffer..but I'm sure she feels loved and taken care of...but as you say she's a fighter!!

I'm not sure that animals have the same emotions and thoughts that we do.
Of course, with their personalities, affection and somewhat dependency on us it would be easy to think they are confused.... but they are far less analytical, things are simple to them. If they hurt, they don't think why - they just try to ease the pain.

 

[cirianz]

Yes, I agree.
we tend to judge them in human terms & if they're in a lot of pain then we 'put them out of their misery'
But how do we judge quality of life?
Anyone who's lived with it knows that physical pain doesn't determine wether we're happy or not
&, as far as I can tell animals don't seem to suffer from self pity
So for them, something that would make us miserable, is simply a fact of life
Silver is very ill
but purring is a physiological response
not a self determined one
and, when she is curled up, purring, on her rug, in the lounge,
or snuggling up to my daughter, rubbing her head against Tomo's chin,
then how am I to evaluate her 'quality of life' & determine when is the right time to 'put her down'
Am I really putting her out of her misery... or me out of mine in that it is so hard to watch her die
I don't know. I haven't figured out an answer for that one yet.
Just try to figure it out as it happens.
My daughter took her off with her to her fathers for the weekend.
she knows what she will probably find on the end of her bed when she wakes up in the morning.
but she still would rather that than let silver die alone.

 

[Taffycat]

Ciri, I am so sorry to hear your news and know just what you are going through right now, because we have shared our lives with cats for the past 35 years. All were originally "strays" so their ages and states of health have varied greatly, but each has been much loved and part of the family. Several were lost to cancers, through which we nursed them, and tried to make their remaining time as comfortable and happy as possible. It is always dreadfully hard, and it's never easy to make decisions about whether to "put them out of their misery" or allow them to carry on, but instinct usually kicks in and somehow you just "know" when it ceases to be kinder not to intervene - that is what we've found anyway. Having said that, I have cried and grieved with the loss of each one. It sounds as if Silver is receiving tons of love and care from Tomo and yourselves, she sounds like a cat with a strong character and will to have survived as she has, no doubt due to the care and love she has been given. My sympathy Ciri.

Hugs, Andrea

 

[cirianz]

Thank you Andea
yes, I have found the same thing,
but each time it's hard
& each time is different.
Some animals I've had put down
others have been able to die peacefully at home
Always it's about trying to evaluate quality of life
in a being that can't tell you it'self
only once have i though I've made the wrong decision,
years & years ago, a kitten that had a head injury
the vet had to give her two lots of the injection because she wouldn't die
he was rather ****ed off & perhaps a little perfunctory when he checked for her heartbeat & proclaimed her dead.
I had bought a box to take her home in,
but decided to carry her on my lap instead.
it makes me sick to think that if I'd taken her home in the box I would've buried her alive.
She lived another 2 hours after that.
But I've always wondered if maybe I made a mistake,
made an assumption because it was a head injury.
If she fought that hard to stay alive despite 2 lethal injections.

Needless to say I changed my vet.
my current vet is very good
She tells me the situation, & what she thinks.
but doesn't try to push a decision on me.
& when I've taken injured wild animals in to her she will help me fight to save them
Even when the guy from DOC has said to kill it
& if it's needed, she doesn't charge me when a wild animal needs to be put down

Since then I've had to make decisions either way
& each time is hard & has to depend on the character of the animal, as much as physical considerations.
& silver adores Tomo,
When she was younger she wouldn't even let anyone else pick her up,
& as long as Tomo is around, it takes very little for her to be happy & contented.
But with blood in her mucus, her lungs are obviously failing.
She is very weak &
hopefully she will just die peacefully over the weekend.
if not,
if it looks like she will take a long time to die,
then I think I will have to take her in to the vet.
the inability to breathe is a universal terror
if her heart just gives out is one thing.
but if not, I cannot leave her to drown

 

[BigJay]

Ciri, not a cat man, dogs have always been in my life.

I had my 'Zinzan', a 18 month old Welsh Border Collie, from a rescue centre( he had been very badly beaten and treated by his pervious owners), diagnosed with cancer in July 2004.

He was 9 by this time.

The vet said to us "take him home, and you will know when it's time"
He came home to us, and did ok utill Christmas 2005, when he started to realy go down hill.

That was a tough Christmas.
We had to decide, just when we were going to 'kill' him. I know that sounds harsh, but that was the way I saw it.

We had him put to sleep, Dec 28th 2004.

The day he went to the vet, to be put down, I couldn't take him. I asked my partner to take him. I couldn't take, my 'Zinny', to be 'killed'. Even knowing it was for the best.

I'm a 36 year old, 6 foot, 21 stone 'tough' rugby player, who still finds it 'tough' to come to terms with.

That is the joy and pain, that pet's, bring to our lives.
But the joys far outweight the pains.

They are not just animals..they become part of the family, another loved one.

The fact that after a bad start to his life, we managed to to make his adult years, untill his final sleep, nothing but fun, makes me smile.

It's been over two years now, but I still miss him.

Take care, Jason

 

[floppybootstomp]

I've always preferred cats to dogs, we're all different, we all have our own preferences.

I basically like cats cos they're selfish and see through all our b*****t

Sad to hear of your cat's condition Ciri, truly sad

 

[floppybootstomp]

I've just remembered.

When I was about 11 or 12, I had a couple of pet tortoises, Fred & Barney. They were kept in a fenced enclosure on the lawn in our back garden.

Come winter, we would put the tortoises in a box full of straw into the shed, to hibernate.

One winter, Barney wasn't there.

My Dad dug the garden in February with a very sharp spade, ready to plant stuff.

And in doing so, neatly chopped Barney in half cos he'd hibernated below ground in the vegetable patch.

Now don't laugh, I loved that tortoise

**** happens

 

[Taffycat]

We too had a "bad vet" experience which I still find unbearably upsetting to think about, two years later...and yes, we too changed our vet to a really good and kind man who treats our cats with care and respect (we will always regret not finding him earlier though.) I can identify completely with your thoughts Ciri, having gone through exactly the same torments whenever the situation has arisen here. So many concerns, emotions and doubts... But I think most true animal-lovers share similar feelings at such times, everyone who has posted here bears that out so you are most certainly not alone.

I hope, just as I always have whenever we have been nursing a terminally ill animal, that Silver will pass peacefully and naturally when her time comes. She and your daughter Tomo sound as if they have a really wonderful bond.

 

[cirianz]

Ciri, not a cat man, dogs have always been in my life.

I had my 'Zinzan', a 18 month old Welsh Border Collie, from a rescue centre( he had been very badly beaten and treated by his pervious owners), diagnosed with cancer in July 2004.

He was 9 by this time.

The vet said to us "take him home, and you will know when it's time"
He came home to us, and did ok utill Christmas 2005, when he started to realy go down hill.

That was a tough Christmas.
We had to decide, just when we were going to 'kill' him. I know that sounds harsh, but that was the way I saw it.

We had him put to sleep, Dec 28th 2004.

The day he went to the vet, to be put down, I couldn't take him. I asked my partner to take him. I couldn't take, my 'Zinny', to be 'killed'. Even knowing it was for the best.

I'm a 36 year old, 6 foot, 21 stone 'tough' rugby player, who still finds it 'tough' to come to terms with.

That is the joy and pain, that pet's, bring to our lives.
But the joys far outweight the pains.

They are not just animals..they become part of the family, another loved one.

The fact that after a bad start to his life, we managed to to make his adult years, untill his final sleep, nothing but fun, makes me smile.

It's been over two years now, but I still miss him.

Take care, Jason

Thank you Jason,
I can't say how much it means to me that you have told this to me.
And I agree with what you say.
I have never been able to clothe, for myself, that, I am killing an animal when I get it 'put down'
I hate making that decision
but if I have to do it, I will take full responsibility for what I do.

I have looked after abused animals before, my dog is from the spca & like zinny had been badly abused.
when I got her it took me 3 days of sitting quietly & 'humming unthreateningly' before she would even come up to me enough to let me touch her.
looking after an animal that has been abused has it's own special challenges,
but I have always found it worth the trouble.
Your Zinny sounds like a very special dog for you to have loved him so much,
And as you said,
The most important thing is not the length of time, but the quality
And for the time that you had Zinny you obviously gave him a very happy & loving home.
Thank you,
Debbie

 

[cirianz]

I've just remembered.

When I was about 11 or 12, I had a couple of pet tortoises, Fred & Barney. They were kept in a fenced enclosure on the lawn in our back garden.

Come winter, we would put the tortoises in a box full of straw into the shed, to hibernate.

One winter, Barney wasn't there.

My Dad dug the garden in February with a very sharp spade, ready to plant stuff.

And in doing so, neatly chopped Barney in half cos he'd hibernated below ground in the vegetable patch.

Now don't laugh, I loved that tortoise

**** happens

Thank you Tony,
I could never laugh at that,
It must've been horrifying for both you & your father

The kitten that had a head injury
she had been playing over by the wall
I was getting dressed & stepped back just as she dashed after something or another
I will never ever forget the physical feeling of her skull cracking beneath my heel.
So fragile.
Even to think of it makes me feel physically ill.
I still had most of my weight on my toes so I was able to throw myself sideways
but I still felt that bone crack
And there was nothing I could do to 'undo' it.

I wouldn't ever laugh.
That sense of horror & helplessness is something that cuts to your soul.

 

[cirianz]

We too had a "bad vet" experience which I still find unbearably upsetting to think about, two years later...and yes, we too changed our vet to a really good and kind man who treats our cats with care and respect (we will always regret not finding him earlier though.) I can identify completely with your thoughts Ciri, having gone through exactly the same torments whenever the situation has arisen here. So many concerns, emotions and doubts... But I think most true animal-lovers share similar feelings at such times, everyone who has posted here bears that out so you are most certainly not alone.

I hope, just as I always have whenever we have been nursing a terminally ill animal, that Silver will pass peacefully and naturally when her time comes. She and your daughter Tomo sound as if they have a really wonderful bond.

Thank you Andrea,
The love that you have for your animals has shown through to me every time I've heard you talk about them. I don't doubt at all that you know just how i am feeling & I love you for the sympathy & support you are giving me. Thank you