Should I have put my cat to sleep?

Question

Last week my cat became ill. I woke up in the morning to find that he had vomited all over the floor. He didn't eat anything all day. He kept wanting me to hold him and I noticed that he had a foul odor and that he could not keep his balance. Sitting still he would sway back and forth. Later on that day he had saliva all over him mouth and chin. He was stumbling everywhere and meowing. I took him to the animal emergency hospital that evening. They did testing for feline leukemia and other infectious diseases. Everything came back negative. He didn't even have a fever. Although his white blood count was very low. Our neighbor cat died about a month earlier after he had gotten really sick. I thought that my 7 month old kitty had caught the other cat's sickness. I told the vet about it. He didn't know what was wrong, but he assumed that my cat had the same thing that my neighbor cat did. He suggested that we put him to sleep. My husband and I were going on vacation to Mexico the next day. So because of that I decided to put my cat to sleep right then. If we were not going out of town, I probably would have held out. The vet assured me that it was the right thing to do and that he probably would have died within a few days anyways. The whole time I had a bad feeling...like he was just trying to get my money. My cat had current shots..so why would he have caught an infectious disease? I used most of our vacation money on this visit and he made me pay that night. Throughout the evening at the vet, my pet seemed to get weaker, and in more pain. It seemed like he had some difficulty breathing. I felt like it was the right thing to do until yesterday. I talked to my neighbor about her cat and she said that their symptoms were different. She didn't think they had the same thing. Then I talked to another neighbor. He said that his cat's had been sick and vomiting, but had pulled through and were alright. Did I do the right thing? Would my cat have pulled through? I can't seem to find anything online that explains my cat's symptoms. Does anyone know what he may have had? I am really hoping to find some answers.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Oh my gosh i'm so sorry for u. I bet your very sad. I have no idea what happened to yur cat but you could google it or check out www.castletopdolls.net and click on health.

Answer 2

I had a white persian "kitten"

and he one morning started doing the same thing- "as you stated above" and he did not live to see the next morning.

when we called the vet the next day she said it was probably genetics or bad bredding since he was soo young..

Answer 3

I had a cat with pretty much the same symptoms you describe. It's kidney's were shutting down amongst other things. The vet gave me a slim hope that she might pull through, so I clung to that. I wish I hadn't. She didn't last the night and was so miserable throughout that night that it would have been much kinder to just have put her to sleep.

You can never know for certain if you did the right thing or not, what the outcome would have been had you waited. All you know if the results of the actions you did take. If you honestly felt that despite anything else you were concerned about your cats ultimate well-being, then you did the right thing as far as I'm concerned.

Answer 4

Making a decision to euthanize a beloved pet is always one of the most difficult ones we have to make. Guilt and the "what ifs" often accompany us after we make the decision to give our beloved pets the final gift to end suffering.

From personal experience I so often wonder if something else could have been done, but if I consider my pet's quality of life in the forefront, most of the time I do realise that I did the right thing.

Hindsight is always 20-20. It is just torture to go back and second-guess ourselves. You did what you thought was the best thing, upon the advice of your present vet.

If your veterinarian was "out to get your money", he certainly would not have recommended euthanasia. He must have considered the quality of life of your cat and what life ahead may have been for your cat.

Cats get into dangerous things that are toxic to them. There are so many poisonous things that are dangerous to kitties. I am surprised that your vet did not recommend a necropsy to ascertain the cause of his illness.

As a grief counselor for people who have lost their pets, I don't recommend getting another cat immediately. If there was some kind of bacterial or viral infection, it would not be wise to bring a new cat into your home for awhile. Talk to your vet about that. We need to take time to grieve and to be able to let go.

If I were you, also, I would look for a feline practitioner who seems a lot more compassionate than what you are describing.  

Deep condolences to for your loss.

Troublesniffer

Owned by cats for over 40 years

Former Siamese and Oriental Shorthair breeder

Answer 5

You should not feel guilty.  Your kitty  was quite ill, and although it could have been any of a number of things, given that you were going out of the country, euthnasia was the best decision.

In the future, I would find another vet, as the first thing a feline practitioner would have done was start some fluids on the cat before making any decisions.  Get another cat NOW - the pound should have one of the same age - to fill your heart with love again.

Answer 6

I have such a huge problem with this post. Parts of it says you care but this really got me

This is what you wrote

My husband and I were going on vacation to Mexico the next day. So because of that I decided to put my cat to sleep right then. If we were not going out of town, I probably would have held out

I cannot get by this statement  so if it is true then you already know the answer.

The rest of the post shows you care and i wonder if the vet painted a different scenario if you would have forgone the vacation and treated

There was no infectious disease and nothing you have written makes me think this was terminal or that the vet should have recommend pts especially if he didnt know what was wrong. Also pts isn't the best way for a vet to make money so as for the rest,I just do not know. dehydration is common and easily treated. Poison? bad infvection? Serious but treatable