Thread: Overwhelming Sadness

Originally Posted by Northman

Thats what i hated when i did it. Bastice acted just fine, she purred, played when she could, and acted normal. But the cancer had surrounded her stomach and so she was not able to keep food down and vomited everytime she at. She lost so much weight going from 18 lbs to 9 lbs before she died. I just couldnt watch her suffer anymore.

So your cat did the same thing? That's what's eating at me is I am really scared that I did it too early even though the vet said it was going to be downhill from there. If your cat acted the same way at the time, maybe it's just something cats do.

The vet said that eventually the tumor would eat through Porter's jaw and it would disclocate and that would cause a lot of pain. With as much blood as we saw the day before, it appears we were very close to that point. Plus we had to give Porter medicine every day and that made his mouth bleed too. We were afraid that continuing to give him medicine would just cause more bleeding and it seemed like it was bad enough already.

Originally Posted by Northman

Definitely understand that man. When i had to Bastice down because of Cancer i was really emotional. I do envy the fact though that you had at least 15 years with Porter. I only got 8 with Bastice and i still think about her despite having 4 cats now. I made this vid shortly after she was put down and even now its hard to watch it. It does get better as time goes on but there are still those times when i think about her.

In the video, the second pic of her she is fetching a bottle cap which was something i had never seen before. But, our young male Azrael does it now as well. You also see her with Abigail, our tuxedo mane coon. Obviously, i threw in some references to Egyptian Mythology because i have a little interest in that. Either way, sorry for your loss Spike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OTq1t58Ta0

Thank you very much, my friend.

North, about that picture of Bastice and the other cat behind the shoes at about 1:28 of the video and the subsequent pics - that other cat looks VERY much like my Porter.

Put down my cat of 15 years almost 5 years ago and it still breaks my heart. The only thing our pets ask of us is to not let them suffer. Sorry for your loss.

I swore I'd never get another cat, and I currently have a 3 year old stray next to me that I rescued at 9 weeks old. He will never replace my other cat, but its nice to have a new friend.

Originally Posted by spikerman

So your cat did the same thing? That's what's eating at me is I am really scared that I did it too early even though the vet said it was going to be downhill from there. If your cat acted the same way at the time, maybe it's just something cats do.

The vet said that eventually the tumor would eat through Porter's jaw and it would disclocate and that would cause a lot of pain. With as much blood as we saw the day before, it appears we were very close to that point. Plus we had to give Porter medicine every day and that made his mouth bleed too. We were afraid that continuing to give him medicine would just cause more bleeding and it seemed like it was bad enough already.

Yea, when i first talked to the vet she said there was two ways i could go about it. The first being i could just let her die on her own but that it was really just making her suffer. The other of course was to make the decision to put her down. I think we can always try and second guess ourselves of when the best time to do it is but in reality you just have to do whats best for the animal at that point. In that video i posted there is a picture of Bastice putting her head on my hand while im using the mouse for the computer. She was very close to me but deep down i knew she was telling me it was time. It was the hardest thing ive ever had to do in my lifetime thus far and i go from being angry about it too total sadness.

I watched as my mother's cat lived to be 23 so it stings me to know i only got 8 years with her. Although its always a guarantee that an animal will live that long i just feel cheapened by it all. Like you though, i stayed with her when they put her down and it was very weird because they gave her a numbing shot before the lethal one and i could see her eyes get glossy and her nose drip from the lack of control she had and when the final shot was given she just stiffened up. It happened so fast that i almost begged them to reverse it which i know couldnt of happened. I just sat there for a while and petted her knowing she was gone with tears rolling down my face. I cant even type this without getting misty eyed recalling that day. My only point to all this is i think you did the right thing. Its natural to want to keep them as long as possible but rather than make them suffer you chose to do the humane thing which puts them at ease. Now, Bastice rests in my urn next to me. In that respect she will always be with me.

Originally Posted by Northman

Yea, when i first talked to the vet she said there was two ways i could go about it. The first being i could just let her die on her own but that it was really just making her suffer. The other of course was to make the decision to put her down. I think we can always try and second guess ourselves of when the best time to do it is but in reality you just have to do whats best for the animal at that point. In that video i posted there is a picture of Bastice putting her head on my hand while im using the mouse for the computer. She was very close to me but deep down i knew she was telling me it was time. It was the hardest thing ive ever had to do in my lifetime thus far and i go from being angry about it too total sadness.

I watched as my mother's cat lived to be 23 so it stings me to know i only got 8 years with her. Although its always a guarantee that an animal will live that long i just feel cheapened by it all. Like you though, i stayed with her when they put her down and it was very weird because they gave her a numbing shot before the lethal one and i could see her eyes get glossy and her nose drip from the lack of control she had and when the final shot was given she just stiffened up. It happened so fast that i almost begged them to reverse it which i know couldnt of happened. I just sat there for a while and petted her knowing she was gone with tears rolling down my face. I cant even type this without getting misty eyed recalling that day. My only point to all this is i think you did the right thing. Its natural to want to keep them as long as possible but rather than make them suffer you chose to do the humane thing which puts them at ease. Now, Bastice rests in my urn next to me. In that respect she will always be with me.

You just summed up what I'm feeling perfectly. Though Porter's passing was very peaceful, his eyes didn't ever close and that kind of haunts me. We were petting him as he went limp and he never outwardly reacted to the final "medicine".

I put his urn up in the window where he liked to lay.

Originally Posted by MasterShake

I swore I'd never get another cat, and I currently have a 3 year old stray next to me that I rescued at 9 weeks old.

Same here, but that didnt last long. I got another tortie like Bastice from the shelter and ironically she jumps up on my desk like Bastice does and lays in my arms. Out of all the cats in the house she is the only one who does that so i often wonder if Bastice's spirit is there somewhere. Not plausible i know but fun to think about.

Originally Posted by MasterShake

Put down my cat of 15 years almost 5 years ago and it still breaks my heart. The only thing our pets ask of us is to not let them suffer. Sorry for your loss.

I swore I'd never get another cat, and I currently have a 3 year old stray next to me that I rescued at 9 weeks old. He will never replace my other cat, but its nice to have a new friend.

Thanks Shake. One thing we can definitely say is that we did not let him suffer. We always wanted to make sure of that. After talking to the vet we really felt like we were on that fine line. I've always thought in my mind that it would be better to take him a day or two early than to let him suffer. His primary vet was nice enough to call back later in the day to tell us that he thought it was the right time.

Man you guys, I'm reading this thread with tears pouring down my cheeks.

My Jasper went from a fat cat of 14 pounds to a frail 7 pounds in a matter of weeks. He was throwing up what he tried to eat, and drank very little water. Frequently I gave the cats "wet food" (the canned stuff) as a night time treat. Every time a dish clanked, Jasper would be at the kitchen looking at me in anticipation for the wet food. Even in his last days, and though he wouldn't eat any, he would be in the kitchen waiting for it. Because he came running, the other two cats did too. I have a tuxedo cat named Bob who does this. It always makes me think of Jasper. It's like Bob wanted to continue the tradition. The day before Jasper died, Jasper was on the foot of my bed. Bob jumped on the bed and laid right next to him. This was very unusual for Bob. It's not that the cats didn't get along, but that Bob isn't the cat that goes to you or to the other cats, we go to him. It was then I knew that Jasper knew.

What we guessed happened was Jasper had eaten some sewing thread. It had gotten stuck in his GI tract and was rotting away the insides. If he had been strong enough, the vet could have done exploratory surgery to see where this string was. But by the time it was discovered that was the problem, it was too late. As to where he could have gotten the string, who knows? My only guess was from a closet or under a bed.

I've decided it's easiest when the cat runs away and never comes back. It's easier not knowing, because there is hope that they're still out there somewhere.

Originally Posted by gnomeflinger

Man you guys, I'm reading this thread with tears pouring down my cheeks.

My Jasper went from a fat cat of 14 pounds to a frail 7 pounds in a matter of weeks. He was throwing up what he tried to eat, and drank very little water. Frequently I gave the cats "wet food" (the canned stuff) as a night time treat. Every time a dish clanked, Jasper would be at the kitchen looking at me in anticipation for the wet food. Even in his last days, and though he wouldn't eat any, he would be in the kitchen waiting for it. Because he came running, the other two cats did too. I have a tuxedo cat named Bob who does this. It always makes me think of Jasper. It's like Bob wanted to continue the tradition. The day before Jasper died, Jasper was on the foot of my bed. Bob jumped on the bed and laid right next to him. This was very unusual for Bob. It's not that the cats didn't get along, but that Bob isn't the cat that goes to you or to the other cats, we go to him. It was then I knew that Jasper knew.

What we guessed happened was Jasper had eaten some sewing thread. It had gotten stuck in his GI tract and was rotting away the insides. If he had been strong enough, the vet could have done exploratory surgery to see where this string was. But by the time it was discovered that was the problem, it was too late. As to where he could have gotten the string, who knows? My only guess was from a closet or under a bed.

I've decided it's easiest when the cat runs away and never comes back. It's easier not knowing, because there is hope that they're still out there somewhere.

I'm really sorry it's making you sad. That wasn't my intent. It is comforting to know, though, that there are others out there who have experienced what I'm going through. I'm really sorry about Jasper, but he isn't in pain anymore.

Originally Posted by spikerman

I'm really sorry it's making you sad. That wasn't my intent. It is comforting to know, though, that there are others out there who have experienced what I'm going through. I'm really sorry about Jasper, but he isn't in pain anymore.

I'm okay, spiker. It's not really sadness, but reflection. I'm just a sensitive soul.

This is the group therapy thread for those of us who have lost our feline friends.

Originally Posted by spikerman

Thanks Shake. One thing we can definitely say is that we did not let him suffer. We always wanted to make sure of that. After talking to the vet we really felt like we were on that fine line. I've always thought in my mind that it would be better to take him a day or two early than to let him suffer. His primary vet was nice enough to call back later in the day to tell us that he thought it was the right time.

It makes it somewhat easier when it's not "just business" to the vet.

Originally Posted by gnomeflinger

It makes it somewhat easier when it's not "just business" to the vet.

Our vet was terrific. They never made it seem like it was "just business." They always seemed to truly care about his care and in fact, when his vet called me that night his main intent was to give me his condolences. His main technician gave us her home number in case we had any questions during his treatment, etc. They were great. They gave us four months that we weren't sure we were going to have.

These last two weeks we spoiled Porter. He deserved it though.

Atwater, do vets exist to provide you free cat killing?

Originally Posted by BeefStew25

Atwater, do vets exist to provide you free cat killing?

i don't want free euthanization. I just can't stand vets, they charge soooo much, and it is not like there is a legal alternative. Hell, I'd do it myself if they'd let me, but if I did it myself now I'd have like a 10,000 dollar fine and /or imprisonment if someone found out. $100 to stick a needle into an animal is too much money. Especially after they tried to fleece me for $800 minutes before. I don't even spend $800 all year on myself (yet)

Well, I just got home from the terrific weekend and game to learn that my 12 year old cat passed away on Friday night. My wife didn't want to ruin my good time by telling me. That was really sweet of her, but it's still tough to hear.