My Cat

[tsquad]

Fatman (Lyle)

My mom just took him to get put to sleep. I didn't want to go.
He has some sort of mystery virus...it all started when he got an absess on his face. We noticed it, but had arrangements that night, so we couldn't take him to the vet until the next day. I think that could've been the deciding factor, as he probably had the absess for a couple days (we were out of town). He then proceeded to pop the absess himself the night we were gone, so we took him to the vet the next day. He got rehydrated and fed through IVs, as he was dehydrated and malnourished, because he wasn't eating or drinking. They gave him some antibiotics, and that was supposed to be the end of it. So, a week went by, and he didn't look any better. I then went to camp, and came back, to my mom telling me that Lyle hasn't eaten and is 9lbs (he was 25 in that picture). We took him to the vet again, and they had him on IVs feeding him and hydrating him for a few days, doing all these tests as well. All came back negative, so we have no idea what is wrong with him. To test for cancer was another $850 or so, and then treatment was $2,000. We decided we wouldn't treat him if he had a tumor, as that is just too expensive. I considered selling my reef to pay for it but my parents said no. Anyways, we took him home for this week to see if he would get any better. He would try to eat from my hand, and try to drink when I held water out for him, but he just couldn't. It was as if he wanted to but his body wouldn't let him. He was clearly suffering, and while I want to keep my cat alive, I couldn't watch him in this condition anymore. Gaunt, not eating, not moving, dying. We decided to put him out of his misery. I feel really horrible right now, and I hope I did the right thing.

RIP Fatman

Edit: I think it is ridiculous that the vet thinks it is cancer. He was not sick until he got the absess. It's WAY too coincidental for him to have gotten cancer. I feel as though they just want money now. What do you guys think was wrong with him? What I think is that since I didn't take him to the vet when he had the absess, the infection spread, and probably got into his brain...

[griss]

Sorry to hear about your cat

[Don_Gnomio]

dude i noe what ur goin thru.....

sorry to hear about it thou

-Victor-

[inthemix]

I don't think there is anything wrong with what you did. I symphatize and can relate to what you are going through.

I hope you decide to get another cat down the road, as many people don't after going through such things.

Good luck

[clavery]

You did the right thing for your cat - it was in pain and should be able to die without needless suffering. It sounds like your cat was dearly loved and lived a good life, so you can rest assured that your cat died a well-loved cat.

Cheryl

[finding nemo]

Oh Dear TS, I am so sorry to read about your beloved cat.
You did the right thing by letting him go and not to be in pain.
He is not in your life now but will always be in your heart.
Remember him by saving a little furball at your local pound, its a wonderful way to honor his memory.
I am so sorry.
Wish I could give you a hug. I know your hurting.
R.I.P Fatman. You were love allot

[dinoman]

Sorry to hear about your kitty. I went through the same thing last year, lost a buddy of 18 years. Just kept getting skinnier and skinnier and refused to eat anything. Stay stong, it'll get better, you did the best you could. Let yourself "heal" for a while and when you're ready go up to you're local shelter and look at the kittys.

[tsquad]

We still have another cat, she's almost 12, and we rescued her, she was a stray. She's had a 3 kittens, and now she is queen of the house again
She never really liked Lyle, she'd hiss whenever he came around; probably the stray in her. I could tell she knew he was dying though, she was very nice to him these past weeks...they even slept next to each other once

[BTTRFLYGRL]

I am so sorry about your kitty. you did the right thing. I have a a 11 year old Golden w/ bad legs and I know her body will give out before long and I will have to do the same. I will stay until she is asleep. I cry just thinking about it.
Don't ever dought the decision you made, I am sure your kitty is thanking you right now

[emilye2]

I'm so sorry you had to lose a friend. It's never easy to make that decision, but sometimes it is the last kind loving thing we can do for them....

I'm no vet (Hopefully Catdoc can provide some insight) but the abscess may have been a symptom of the cancer. Especially if his immune system was down already. Seems a rediculous question but did the vet check his teeth/mouth carefully? My kitty lost a ton of weight and when I checked her teeth they were terrible. A dental and an extraction later and she's put on all her weight again.

[dc]

So sorry. Most of us have been there, it's very hard.

If the vet just wanted money, they would have offered him treatments.

[Raki04]

Sorry for your loss I had a kitten of 8 months suddenly pass about a year and a half ago . It is still hard when i see kittens that look like him, but in a way he did lead me to the rescue of another kittten, that turned out to be the most loveing cat I ever owned.
Don't try to second guess your self about what could have caused the illness just know that you did do the right thing by ending the suffering.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I'm so sorry about your loss. It is indeed a very difficult decision. One that I will have to be making within the next year probably for my 13 year old crippled black lab.

[catdoc]

My deepest sympathy on your loss, I know how difficult that decision can be. I just had to euthanize a cat I'd been treating for 2 weeks b/c we couldn't get his abcesses to heal (he kept sprouting new ones as fast as the old ones would heal...he had something really nasty in there and we just couldn't gain any ground).

We do sometimes see tumors that start out looking like abcesses. We've also seen cancer start out looking like a loose tooth, only to find that the reason it's loose is because the bone around the root has been dissolved by the tumor. Unless your vet is a really shady character (which I doubt), he's not just trying to take you for all he can. After all, how good does it make a vet look to tell someone their pet has cancer? We much prefer to have a treatable, curable disease and dread diagnosing cancer almost as much as you dread hearing that your pet has it.

Another thing I wonder about is if your cat had hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver). Obese cats will develop this condition when under severe stress or anorexic episodes. It can be very difficult to correct this condition without placing a feeding tube surgically, another expensive procedure but often life-saving.

You and your family loved him very much and did what you believed to be the kindest, humane thing. Whatever the final diagnosis was, he wasn't improving and he was suffering. You did a very loving thing for him.

You are in my thoughts,

[Unome]

Sorry to hear about your cat. We lost one of ours back on May 2. It was due to renal failure(due to his age). From symptoms you described, this might have also been problem with yours.

[Nina51]

so sorry for your loss. i do believe you did the right thing. ending the suffering of a beloved pet is the last act of love and kindness we, as humans, can do.

i've been down this road more times than i care to remember. but i can look back, as you will some day, and remember the happy times. our pets, past and present, are forever in our hearts.

[CrystalAZ]

I am REALLY sorry to hear about your kitty. I lost mine earlier this year and it is really hard.

He knew you loved him and you did the best you could for him.

Crystal

[Scuba_Dave]

Sorry to hear that...I've lost a few pets thru the years. It doesn't matter what the reason is, it's always painful. To allow your cat to be at peace is the best thing you could do.
My cat has had problems the past year since we moved. It's the 1st time I've had to bring a cat to the vet...and worry if he will come home.
Remember the good times, and know that you did the right thing

[pnosko]

Wow, so sorry, but I think you did the best you could. I've been through some tough times with one of mine recently (posted about it a few weeks ago). I think you did the right thing.

[waterlily]

So sorry to hear about your kitty.

We lost our 15 year old cat last summer. She just went under the deck and died...no sign before that anything was wrong. We got a kitten that had one leg amputated from a rescue organization. A month later she had seizures and we had to put her down. She had feline infectious peritonitis. The rescue place let us pick out another cat. It was tough to deal with all of that, but we are very happy with the cat, who's name is "S'mores". We call her 'baby kitty'. She is probaby a year old now, but she is the sweetest kitty we've ever had. We have two other cats, but S'mores is our favorite.

Hang in there.

[Instant Karma]

So sorry to hear about your buddy

I lost one of mine last July, it was awful... I have cats and they are like my children. I held Kane while they put him to sleep, I told him he would have to let me know when he was ready to go and he did. I knew I did the right thing for him.

You will probably always second guess yourself, but you did the right thing by him to end his suffering. This is something that all animal lovers must learn to do... our best friends have much shorter lifespans and we know that we will eventually have to make that judgement. So we have to give them the best life we can for the short time they are here. Sounds like you did just that and know now that you have a fuzzy little angel on your shoulder- all 25lbs of him!

[llpoolej]

I am so sorry for the loss of your cat. Losing a pet is always hard. Deciding what is best for them is even harder. You made the right decision. He is at peace and out of pain.