Losing a pet-pretty hard on this one.

[IEATV8S]

My wife and I do cat rescue and have been involved with over 300 cats now. Putting them down is one of the hardest things we have to go through. I certainly do feel your pain. Can't believe how many have feline leukemia and feline aids that we rescue, besides the injured and abused ones!

Most folks put these anmals down, but we've got a second home where we have them separated and they can live out their lives, warm, with plenty of food and lots of love. When they finally start to show symptoms of their diseases, we put them down at our vet by being with each as they pass. I swear some of them look at us as they go and seem to understand that we did our best to give them the best life they could have had, as virtually no one will adopt these animals.

Always tears shed for each one, and like to think there is something after this life that will be better for each of these little animals souls.

 

[disco stu]

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm right there with you. I just called the vet to make an appointment to put my dog down. I can't stop crying. I've had her for 15 years. She was a rescue dog I got from some mexican gangster bastard in a parking lot. I just could not bear to leave her with them. A year ago, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her spleen. I took her in because her belly looked abnormally large. They gave her a 10% chance of making it through the surgery. It did not seem to be painful for her, so I decided to let her go as long as possible. And except for having to assist her onto furniture and into the car she has done pretty well.

Last night I think she had a stroke. Today, I watched her fall over twice. She just looked dazed, like she did not know whats going on. This was the realization point I was expecting before I could bring myself to this. I can hardly bear to type this. I am going to miss her so much. Best of luck to you and your family thoughout your loss. Pets are family, and it's hard to lose that unconditional love.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Here's the plaque Kevin made up for me. Laser engraved on a piece of stainless. Sorry for the shadow over the picture of her, no matter where I moved it I kept getting it in the picture!

 

[BLACK6PACK]

I went through this about 3 years ago. Sounds like your son was stronger than me. I had my brother take the cat (buddy) to the vet to get him put down. He was given about a month after I spent $1500 on him. A month later, I woke up to him panting on the tile floor in the kitchen. My brother drove him a mile to the vet while I went to work. He didn't even make it to the vet, and he fought me when I put him in the carrier. I think he knew it was his last trip. I even had to have my brother bury him. I couldn't take it. About 2 years later, I come home and see a black cat on top of my car and said "buddy is that you", was kinda creepy. He hasn't left since. Point is, don't wait to get another, and do adopt.

"Big Dog" has since adopted "lil'dog". Big Dog is 16lbs of pure muscle. Kinda has the Yoda/Gremlin look going on, but follows me everywhere.

 

[GNeric]

I would venture to say, get used to this. My sister in Albuquerque has gone thru this every day for the last 10 years. He walks up and down the hallway and chatters when it is time to sleep. When sitting in the living room in the recliners, we can feel him walk underneath and brush his tail against our legs. He has even jumped up on me and scared the crap out of me. They do stick around. They know where their families are. :smile:

Quote: "Still keep seeing her around the house and expect her to greet us at the door when coming home."

 

[turbofish38]

Yeah that is hard decision to make. But you know what is really harder. Waking up the day after Christmas and finding your cat was hit by a car, and lying dead in front of your house. Thats what happened to my Kitty. She died on 12-25-2007. What was hard on me was that I had raised her since she was a couple of days old. The roughest night I ever had was when I buried her in the backyard a few days later. She was a feral cat and mama cat had her litter in the stack of bedliners out behind the parts dept back on the week before 9-11. Mine was the only girl out of the litter of five. The runt of the litter so to speak. Any way I bottle fed her and if it wasn't for 9-11 I probably would have lost her because I used that time to sneak home for a 2 hour lunch just so she wouldn't have to go 10 hours without food. My favorite memory was when I held her over the sink rubbing her butt with a wet Q-tip so she would pee because the muscles in her hind legs weren't strong enough yet.Plenty of stories about her getting into trouble that envolve her and a black Buick parked in the garage too. And she was a smart cat. After she discovered the outside world it wasn't long before she gave up the cat box and was house trained. She learned how to put her paws on the door knob of the door she wanted to go out of. Also how to stand on the nightstand and turn the lights on in the middle of the night. Which was probably the reason she got hit by a car. She loved the outdoors and spent the hot days sleeping inside and the nights prowling around the neighborhood. Here's one of a few pics that I have where she wasn't hiding from the camera.

 

[GNeric]

One of our cats was brought to us maybe a few hours old. Still had the umbilical cord and was wet. Raised her from day one and our ChowChows raised her. Did the same as you taking turns with the wife feeding her. The Chows would help out in making her pee so we didn't have to use the Q-tip trick. :smile:

Yeah that is hard decision to make. But you know what is really harder. Waking up the day after Christmas and finding your cat was hit by a car, and lying dead in front of your house. Thats what happened to my Kitty. She died on 12-25-2007. What was hard on me was that I had raised her since she was a couple of days old. The roughest night I ever had was when I buried her in the backyard a few days later. She was a feral cat and mama cat had her litter in the stack of bedliners out behind the parts dept back on the week before 9-11. Mine was the only girl out of the litter of five. The runt of the litter so to speak. Any way I bottle fed her and if it wasn't for 9-11 I probably would have lost her because I used that time to sneak home for a 2 hour lunch just so she wouldn't have to go 10 hours without food. My favorite memory was when I held her over the sink rubbing her butt with a wet Q-tip so she would pee because the muscles in her hind legs weren't strong enough yet.Plenty of stories about her getting into trouble that envolve her and a black Buick parked in the garage too. And she was a smart cat. After she discovered the outside world it wasn't long before she gave up the cat box and was house trained. She learned how to put her paws on the door knob of the door she wanted to go out of. Also how to stand on the nightstand and turn the lights on in the middle of the night. Which was probably the reason she got hit by a car. She loved the outdoors and spent the hot days sleeping inside and the nights prowling around the neighborhood. Here's one of a few pics that I have where she wasn't hiding from the camera.

 

[BLACK6PACK]

Be careful of the feral cats or this may be what you come home to... (lil'dog is a dragon slayer )

 

[2QUIK6]

Be careful of the feral cats or this may be what you come home to... (lil'dog is a dragon slayer )

Ah yeah, think of that, but a big black bird destroyed and bloody all over your bed...that's what our cat did to show us the love....you know cats bring you things, trophies, cause they love you That crazy cat would bring in birds that wouldn't hardly fit thru the cat door... My wife would always say, the cat must have told the bird "You go in first then I'll be right behind you" because they both couldn't have fit thru the door at the same time....Birds, snakes, lizards, crawdads, mice, and a rabbit have all been brought in by our late Big Man.
Here's our late Big Man that died last week and our Standard Poodle which we had put down last year..they were best friends.