I just put my cat down

me ^ | 4/4/09 | self

[Califreak]

She was very sick. I don't know if I did the right thing.

I'm pro-life, but I feel like such a hypocrite.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

I’m so sorry for your loss of your little friend and family member. I’m glad you were there with her, comforting her. I’m sure it was so very hard. Please post a picture of her for us here if you can, ok?

[1_Rain_Drop]

You did the right thing.

It was an act of LOVE. You may not believe this, but it is true.
Letting go of a pet is extremely difficult.
Concentrate on the good positive moments you've had with your cat. That's the way your cat would want to be remembered.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

When it’s your turn to cross over I’m sure the cat will be waiting for you to say thanks.

Yours is one of the nicest sentiments I seen posted on this site in the ten years I have been around.

[briarbey b]

Wasn’t she so very lucky to have someone who loved her that much??!! You aren’t a hypocrite...you were compassionate, it hurt you MUCH MORE than it hurt her.

[Petronski]

I recommend Mark Levin's Rescuing Sprite or the new DVD out this week Marley and Me.

I once read that the mourning on the loss of a loved-one is the shadow of all the love they gave while alive, so focus not on the shadow, but the memory of that love.

[Rushmore Rocks]

We’ve had to do the same with two much loved dogs. We buried both of them in our back yard....and planted rose bushes on their graves. It hurt us, but we made sure that they didn’t hurt anymore. You did the right thing. At some point, suffering has to end.

[Excellence]

You gave your kitty all the love she could ever need while she lived and even as her life ended. That is all that matters.

[KansasGirl]

Very sorry about your cat.

The loss of a much loved pet is very hard.

[martin_fierro]

[sibb1213]

I am so sorry but you did the right thing. I too am pro-life but do not want an animal to suffer needlessly. God bless you.

[moondoggie]

Why let your cat suffer? You absolutely did the right thing. Please don't feel bad.

My cat has melanoma and I'll be in your shoes in another month or two.

[snippy_about_it]

I’m sorry for your loss.

I remember the first time I had to put one of my pets down, a cat, the vet shared with me that in his opinion, keeping a suffering animal alive was selfish on our part and that he thought it more humane of us to give them rest from their suffering.

He told me the clue to when to put them to sleep should be when the animal cannot enjoying it’s life because of suffering. Of course we don’t know everything but they are put here for us to take care of and seeing their end comes with as little suffering as possible is one of our responsibilities when we decide to care for them in the first place.

It’s hard enough without feeling the added guilt but I’m sure all of us who have over the years had to do this for our animals can say it is never easy.

I’m sure you and your vet came to the right conclusion for your cat. It’s so very hard and very sad but better to have cared for them to the end.

Godspeed in your healing.

[TCats]

We are going through the same thing with our Cat, Daisy. She is like one of the family, a truly amazing animal. (And I was most definitely NOT a Cat lover until living with her)

I'm dreading the inevitability of the day you just went through. Thank God for the memories and the time you were allowed to spend with your friend, a completely innocent and unconditionally loving being.

I think at most times I much prefer their company to that of most Human Beings I know or have heard about.

[reagan_fanatic]

I know how you feel. I had a Calico cat for ten years that ended up with cancer. I had no choice but to put him down. My Wife drove us to the clinic while I held him in my arms and hugged him the whole way there. I told him just how grateful I was to have had him as a pet and what he had meant to me and my family.

When we got to the clinic, I hugged him one more time, told him I loved him and gave him to my Wife to take inside.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, so I know what you are going through. You did the right and humane thing.

[dforest]

Four years ago we had to put down our Jonathan. He was a big beautiful Norwegian Forest cat. He was such a sweet loving guy.

He started to bleed from the bowel. We did all we could, but he was so sick and had wasted.

I still cry for him, but we did the right thing.

Okay, now I am crying. So I know how you feel.

[PureSolace]

I recommend this book:

Here's what Amazon says:

Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish

Product Description A STUNNINGLY INTIMATE LOOK AT THE LOVE BETWEEN A FAMILY AND A DOG WHICH MOVINGLY SHOWS THAT "IN THE END, WE HUMANS ARE THE LUCKY ONES."

Although Mark Levin is known as a constitutional lawyer and a nationally syndicated broadcaster, he is, first and foremost, a dog lover. In 1998, he and his family welcomed a half-Border Collie/half-Cocker Spaniel they named Pepsi into their lives. Six years later, his wife and son persuaded him to adopt a dog from the local shelter, a Spaniel mix. It turned out he was older than originally thought, and he was the most beautiful dog they'd ever seen. They named him Sprite. Their lives would never be the same.

During the next two years, Sprite and Pepsi were inseparable. And Sprite's bond with the Levin family deepened. Friends, neighbors, and even Mark's radio audience came to know and love Sprite. But Sprite's health deteriorated -- even as his spirits remained high and his beauty and grace continued to inspire. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2006, the Levin family said their emotional final good-bye. Crushed and consumed with grief, Mark turned to family, friends, and fans for help. But new hope came when the Levins least expected it. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

I always hear Mark Levin recommend it on the radio to those who've lost our loved pets.

May you find Peace, and Trust in God!

[mass55th]

I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your cat. I had to put my favorite cat to sleep 3 years ago, and I still miss the little guy. Rest assured you did the right thing. She isn’t suffering anymore.

[LiberConservative]

The absolute hardest thing I've ever done in my life was to put down my beloved “Smidge” a few years ago. She was 13. And I probably let her suffer a week or two longer than she should have. You did the right thing. Trust me.

[FlJoePa]

Cat lovers (and dog lovers) know when it is time. I had to put down two cats (Simon and Samantha) in a span of 10 months and they were two of the toughest days of my life.

I saw it in their eyes and I knew it - down to the hour - when I had to make that trip to the vet.

I’ll never forget Simon and Samantha, but I know that I did all I could and have no regrets. They made my life better and I did all I could to make their’s better as well. It is a partnership.

I now have two cats that I love like there is no tomorrow. Canoe and Lilly. The cycle starts all over again.

[TruthHound]

When my cat goes, I’ve decided to give him a full-on Viking funeral. I’ll put his body on a wooden palette, soak it in diesel, strike a match and send it floating in the L.A. Harbor. I’ll probably get arrested for it.