Put cat to sleep or wait?

[Soir]

Not sure why I'm posting this on a car forum, but would like peoples thoughts on what they would do.

Our cat is 14yrs old (we have another cat & they dont get on..been together 10 yrs) The 14yr old is very independent (being outside all day etc.. Had an operation to remove a tumor so she has a massive cut across her back with lots of stiches and neck/head collar on.
The collar has restricted her to being inside all the time.

found out tumor is malignant and no idea when she will start to deteriorate (too old for chemo) so we know its best to put her to sleep...but when?

she's fine in herself, but cannot go outside for few weeks which she hates and could deteriorate at at time. My inital thoughts were to put her to sleep asap (today) and get it over with but then I feel I'm robbing her of some time. We could wait but then it's like counting down a death sentence..

what would you do?

[Davel]

I think that you will know when it's the right and kindest thing for her.

We have had the same with both a cat and a dog in recent years.

You just know that the quality of life isn't there anymore or that they are suffering.

Good luck!

[Mubby]

awww what a horribe situation, I would say if you think the cat is suffering in any way then maybe it is time... Its just so hard to know what to do, but if in your heart you feel she would be better PTS then do it, im sure after all this time you can tell is she is suffering, good luck

[SmokinV8]

when the eating starts to struggle, not using the litter tray, unable to move unaided, thats the time to make the phone call.

[Stevenj214]

I would tend towards sooner rather than later. If she successfully recovers from the operation it would be unfair not to let her outside again. My fear would be that the deterioration, when it comes, occurs away from home where you are unable to see and take the decision to euthanise.

[MissMarple]

As mentioned before, when she stops eating or it looks like shes having a hard time eating then thats when she has to go.

[Soir]

Stevenj214 said:

I would tend towards sooner rather than later. If she successfully recovers from the operation it would be unfair not to let her outside again. My fear would be that the deterioration, when it comes, occurs away from home where you are unable to see and take the decision to euthanise.

Thanks for all the replies...I'm leaning towards this above

[y2blade]

I;'m sure deep down you know the answer.

tough call...but only you can make it

[bexVN]

If she can start going out again once healed then give her the chance to do this. Cats don't always follow the rules when it comes to things like this and she may have more time than you'd expect, however if she is not healing or she starts to show any other signs suggesting that she will not be able to live her normal life again then maybe euthanasia would the kindest option.

Is she on any meds for the tumour (I'm thinking steroid tablets)

[Big Al.]

It's all down to quality of life, you'll know when the time is right to make that decision.

It's never an easy decision to make, and the loss won't be any less to you regardless of whether it's sooner or later.

Don't let it suffer it's not fair on either of you.

Posted by a cat lover that has had many many years of friendship from these furry little things and a lot of tears over their loss.

[Soir]

It's done, rest in peace

Thanks for the replies & good weekend all

[Mubby]

Soir said:

It's done, rest in peace

Thanks for the replies & good weekend all

R.I.P pain free little purry cat xx


http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

[Munter]

Soir said:

It's done, rest in peace

Thanks for the replies & good weekend all

You have made a good decision.

Now who's chopping onions in here.

[Superficial]

Completely respect the OP's decision even though admittedly it has made me quite sad. Just wanted to say for the reference of others really that the recommended guidelines the vets give you can sometimes be right off. Our Border Collie had a cancerous tumour removed, we were told every day after that was a bonus, he lived another 2 years after that and only tragically succumbed to a totally different illness (ironically a different, unrelated type of cancer) after we had so much more quality time together.

Ultimately, you will know when the time is right but animals can often surprise us with their resilience. In my opinion, if they still have a fighting chance and the will to live, then the time isn't right.

[bexVN]

I'm happy for you that your collie did so well but I don't see anywhere in your post that explains how the vets were right off.

As with anything re nature and life we can only give our best educated opinion based on experience and type of illness being dealt with, there will always be some that don't follow the expected path which as you've said the vets count as a bonus and we are always very happy about that. Op did not make a wrong decision for them.

[Soir]

Only writing this because I've just noticed a bump on the thread.

Vets called me last night to say crematorium got paperwork mixed up and our cat was cremated along with other animals and ashes scattered in their grounds. Not done individually and ashes returned to us as we requested.

Not that this is a monetary thing but we spend £650 with tests and treatments to find out it was a tumour (did the test first but no bad cells in test because so much puss in the growth so we had it lanced 3 times and then removed then another cancer test...all could have been done if 1st test done properly.

Vet manager calling me this morning, not sure what I want to say? (can't bring her back)

[bexVN]

That is awful. I have no doubt that if it was the vets error they will be genuinely gutted, it is one of our worst nightmares that final wishes are not carried out. My hope is they will rectify whatever caused the errors to try and avoid it happening again.

You should get money back. An individual cremation would've been more expensive.

Re the diagnosis, sadly initial tests are not always conclusive which is why re tests are done if response isn't as it should be with first results. Cancer cells can be fewer in numbers than the cells they're mixed with so hard to find until whole lesion sent away.

So sorry for all of this, I hope something is sorted that will give you some peace of mind.

[saf]

I had to face this last night. Ty had been diagnosed with CRF on Monday her blood results when received on Tuesday were off the scale. Tried IV overnight but sadly she did not respond as they'd hoped. Whilst she was eating and drinking her rear legs could not support her, and all she seemed to want to do was sleep. This is/was a cat who loved being outdoors during the day, was a right chatterbox, and loved fuss and attention. The Vet was excellent putting up with all the questions I threw at her. But Tys quality of life was very restricted and the last thing I wanted was to see her suffer. She was about 13years of age (we had her for 8 years after adopting her locally)

RIP my little cat , maybe we'll meet again.

saf

[Superficial]

bexVN said:

I'm happy for you that your collie did so well but I don't see anywhere in your post that explains how the vets were right off.

As with anything re nature and life we can only give our best educated opinion based on experience and type of illness being dealt with, there will always be some that don't follow the expected path which as you've said the vets count as a bonus and we are always very happy about that. Op did not make a wrong decision for them.

Maybe I didn't go into enough detail when I said they were right off; we were told we would be lucky to have him for a further 6 months, if that. Clearly, he defied that really well and if it weren't for the blasted other type of cancer he had he may still be here today.

Of course there will be animals who defy predictions made about them, however I remember from my personal experience it was extremely hard at the time to realise that. Obviously when the vets give you such a damning report on your pets likelihood to survive much longer the thought wonders through your mind whether you would be better to get it over with sooner. The reason for my post was to highlight to anyone else who was going through the same predicament that the vets estimation isn't always accurate.

I don't see anywhere in my post the suggestion that the OP's choice was wrong, contrary to that I said I respected it completely.

Soir said:

Only writing this because I've just noticed a bump on the thread.

Vets called me last night to say crematorium got paperwork mixed up and our cat was cremated along with other animals and ashes scattered in their grounds. Not done individually and ashes returned to us as we requested.

Not that this is a monetary thing but we spend £650 with tests and treatments to find out it was a tumour (did the test first but no bad cells in test because so much puss in the growth so we had it lanced 3 times and then removed then another cancer test...all could have been done if 1st test done properly.

Vet manager calling me this morning, not sure what I want to say? (can't bring her back)

That is awful, so sorry to hear they have let you down.

Like you say, nothing can bring her back so not sure what you can say except make a formal complaint. Personally, I wouldn't be able to trust the same vet again and would move practices.