My cat was just put to sleep today; I feel sad and guilty?

Question

My cat was only 2 years old. Today we took her to the vet because she was having breathing problems and found out that her lungs were filled with fluid. The vet said it was probably a tumor and that we could drain the fluid, but it would come back. We ended up putting her to sleep. I just feel so bad because she was so young and seemed so healthy. Do you think we did the right thing?

Answer 1

I'm really sorry for your loss... I can tell you from experience that you will continue to feel like this for a while, it's raw at the moment, but after a while the pain will start to ease.. you'll still feel sad at times, but hopefully you will realise that you have absolutely NO reason to feel guilty.  You saved her from a life of suffering, you definitely did the right thing, and by doing that you've shown her that you truly love her (though you will probably feel quite the opposite).

I wish I could say all of the right words and ease your pain, but please know that you did the right thing.  Once again, I'm really sorry for your loss, and that she didn't have the long life you had planned for her.. I'm sure it was a very good one though, which is so much more than I can say for a lot of animals.. I work for an animal charity and meet good owners and bad (sometimes terrible) every day. I know a good one when I see one :)

Answer 2

My heartflelt sympathy to you on the loss of your beloved kitty.

Yes, you did the right thing freeing kitty peacefully and painlessly from her ill body.  Please don't feel guilty.  Your vet gave you good advice, these tumors and the fluid buildup around the lungs are incurable. Treatment would have been weekly trips to the vet to have the fluids removed from her lungs.  This would have been so stressful and painful to her.

I understand you are still stunned by the events of this day, but don't dwell on her death..rejoice her life and the time you had with her.  Reminisce the happy times and the joy her presence brought to you.

There are several good pet grief websites and I will attach my favorites.  They have wonderful hints to work through the grief you are experiencing, along with message boards to share your thoughts with other grieving pet owners.  You can post a memorial to her, too.

Purrs to you.

Answer 3

You saved her a lot of suffering.  She was very young but she may have had a form of feline lukemia, which is getting more and more common every day.  celebrate her life and don't feel guilty.  She feels much better!  

Answer 4

I do think you did the right thing because you didn't let her suffer. I worked at a vet and saw a lot of animals put to sleep, and have had to put one of my own asleep. I know how hard it is. You shouldn't feel guilty. If you kept her alive for yourself then you could be guilty. You did the right thing.

You may consider getting another cat. It helped me a lot.  

Answer 5

I know how you feel. I had to have my cat put to sleep because of a tumor two years ago. Trust me, you did the right thing by doing this. She would have been suffering in pain for a long time before she would have gone. It is hard to do something like that but it is better for her to be at peace then living in agony.

Answer 6

I'm so sorry for your loss.  Of course you are sad -- you lost your friend.  You kept your promise to do your best by her, and you gave her the greatest gift she could want (relief from suffering).  I admire your courage.

Answer 7

I am so sorry about your loss. If she lived, she would live in a lot of a pain and stress. It seems like you did the right thing. I am terribly sorry dear.

God bless

Answer 8

Please don't feel guilty.  You didn't do anything to give her this breathing problem.  You saved her from going through agony over and over again.  Cats will put up with a lot of pain before we know to do anything, so she was possibly suffering more than you would know.

We had a cat that contracted feline AIDS almost 20 years ago--before it was around in our area.  Our vet told us that we could treat her for the secondary infection that she had, but that each time she got ill it would be a struggle to keep her going.  We decided to have her put to sleep, also.  She was only a few years old, also.  

The main thing is to keep thinking about the time that you had with this wonderful pet.  Many people have animals, but never really make a bond with them.  It sounds like your pet had a great life with someone who really cared about her.

Answer 9

It sounds as if you made the best decision for your pet.  She would have had a very poor quality of life going through the constant pain of the procedure's and who knows she could have been in pain from the tumor.  It's a very hard decision but yes, I personally think you did the best you could.  I am so sorry for your loss.... :(

Answer 10

Yes, you saved her a lot of suffering.  Don't get down over it, we had to put our cat to sleep because he had something up with his kidneys.  Besides, chances are your cat will still visit you, ours did.  

Answer 11

I'm so sorry you had to do that, but yes you did do the right thing. You saved her a lot of suffering and pain if she wasn'tt already in it.

Answer 12

I know the feeling. I had to put my cat to sleep because he had a brain tumor, lost his vision and just looked like he gave up on life. he refused to eat.  so the best thing to do was take him out of suffering.  I felt guilty but once i talked to my vet she said that i did the right thing cause he would have just gotten worst.  so don't feel guilty your cat is in a better place now.