I don’t think all of us can automatically rely in our natural ability to make the right judgement when the time comes to euthanize our cat. There are too many pressures to delay it or to do it too soon.
These pressures come from within us. Our love for our cat and obvious unwillingness to say goodbye might delay euthanasia to a point where our cat’s welfare is no longer paramount.
Perhaps something as simple as a lack of sufficient funding might hasten euthanasia as the veterinary bill is too much. Or you have struggled with your cat’s health for a long time and can no longer cope with the emotion of it. These are head games that we need to remove so that we can make an objective, sound decision.
The key to making the correct decision is that, at this critically difficult time, a cat caretaker must have an experienced and compassionate vet who understands cats.
I believe the best sort of vet will be female and with at least 15 years experience. The years of experience are important and there is no substitute in this instance for it. A cat caretaker needs to be guided by such a vet. The final decision in in the hands of the cat’s owner. It is a joint effort.
The decision to euthanise must be based exclusively on the cat’s welfare. The person’s needs must come a distant second.
Putting aside for a minute the complications presented by the question as to whether the cat owner can afford more treatment (if this is a factor), the decision to euthanise must turn on the vet’s prognosis. How serious is the illness? How long will she live? How does she feel? Does she appear to be in pain and discomfort? What is the quality of her life?
The ultimate question is:
What will be the quality of the cat’s life for the remainder of her life and how long will she live?
Based on the vet’s input on medical issues and their treatment combined with the intimate knowledge of her cat that a concerned caretaker has, the above question can be answered with reasonable certainty as the cat’s welfare is the paramount concern.
The quality of the cat’s life is okay (just) and she has a year to live – don’t euthanize. The quality of her life is very poor and she is dying – euthanise in a day or two to say your goodbyes.
There are no absolutely right and wrong decisions because this is not mathematics (math). The decision when made should be accepted and never rehashed. A person who has gone through the experience will be better able to make a correct decision. Vets go through these experiences routinely which is why their input is so valuable.
P.S. these are my thoughts on a tricky subject. I am not necessarily correct. I accept that. If you disagree please tell me in a comment. If you have a story to tell, please tell it in the input panel below:
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Michael, I’m definitely influenced by past experiences, but the situation with each cat is different, so I try not to let one bad experience cloud my judgement.
So sorry about Sophie, Michele.
Sadly, liver cancer, in humans too, is insidious until near end stage.
At her earlier checkup, unless the vet performed specific liver blood tests, it could be easily missed. And, without symptoms, the vet had no reason to perform those tests.
If the liver was the primary site of the cancer, without metastases, it may be of some comfort to know that the pain was minimal. There are no nerve endings within the liver itself, only on the outer covering.
I knew Sophie wasn’t feeling good when she suddenly stopped eating, so I took her to the vet the following morning. He immediately recognised there was a problem with her liver, but Sophie was too fractious for them to perform x-rays and ultrasound that day. Due to her condition, sedation was considered too risky, so they kept her in for the day and stabilised her with fluids and antibiotics. I took her home that evening and managed to persuade her to eat a little and she seemed to perk up a little.
I dropped her off at the vet the next morning for testing, hopeful they would be able to treat her once they’d been able to accurately diagnose the problem. When I returned several hours later to collect her, it had been a busy Saturday morning at the clinic with 2 emergency cases brought in. Sophie had not yet been tested. The vet warned me that he was very concerned about her and invited me to remain with her while they carried out the x-rays and ultrasound. As soon as I saw her, my heart sank. She was laying lifeless on the consulting table and when the vet explained they had not sedated her, I knew it was not looking good. She did perk up when she heard me say her name, and managed to crawl across the table to greet me. My once feisty girl, put up no resistance as they shaved her belly and carried out the tests. As I stroked her she continued to purr, but I felt her body temperature dropping rapidly and I knew then she was dying. (It just seemed that her body was shutting down.) The ultrasound revealed massive tumours in her liver. The vet agreed with me that euthanasia was the only option to prevent further suffering. I’m grateful that he allowed me remain with Sophie while he worked. I’ll always be thankful that I got to spend her final hours with her and she knew I had not abandoned her.
She was only 10 and had appeared in good health (was physically active) right up until the day she stopped eating, so her sudden, rapid decline was completely unexpected. She’d undergone a routine health check just 3 months earlier and nothing unusual had been noted. I like to think I know my cats very well and I always take them to the vets at the first sign of anything not quite right about them, but it troubles me how well Sophie hid her illness. As she’d shown none of the classic symptoms such as vomiting, weight loss etc., I’m hoping that she did not begin to feel unwell until near the very end.
Are you letting your personal emotions about a difficult past experience affect you decision making for the future? I know what you mean though. I still have a sense of guilt in not acting earlier in euthanising my cat Binnie. I think I waited too long. This can push us in the other direction.
Agreed but you need a good vet to provide information about the seriousness of any illness and the prognosis. These aspects are in the decision making equation. Also even the best cat caretaker cannot be certain about the degree of suffering. Knowing the illness and the prognosis helps in assessing how much pain the cat is in.
You have a good vet who understands cats and you. This is vitally important in decisions on euthanasia.
You make an interesting remark: you know when you cat has given up the fight. I wonder whether you’d like to expand on that, Michele.