Senior Kitty passed away this evening....

[greenthumbnails]

  Sadly, my beloved (and favorite cat) passed away this evening.  It was a very painful experience....he passed away in my arms.  The Vet said that he was closing shop and had to be somewhere so we could not bring him in for euthanasia when we realized that he was having a stroke or heart attack.  He was still breathing but unable to move or blink his eyes.  The vet said that we could bring him in the moring to put him to sleep.  No compassion at all.   I think he felt pain when he passed and there was nothing we could do but be helpless and in terror while he was crying out for help or in pain.  It was a truly horrible experience....

  We will be burying him in the backyard tommorrow morning.  It is a very sad day, and has been a very bad year for us.   :'(

[ladybug]

so very sorry for your cats pain at the end, and so sorry for yours as well.  it is ok to cry, sob, even if necessary.  you loved your cat, you must now grieve.   take care of yourself.  remember your cat knew how much you loved him. 
ladybug

[Joyce]

Big, huge, grief absorbing hugs to you...  :'(

[Sonny]

I'm so sorry for your loss.   :'(

It must have been an awfully difficult experience.  But, your kitty was in your arms at the end.  Surely that was a huge comfort to him and eased his passing in some way.  I know how hard it is when you lose a furry member of your family but try to take comfort in knowing he had a wonderful life with you and that you were there with him in the end.

R.I.P.  Senior Kitty

[Kittyzee]

Oh no, I am so very sorry your darling is gone.  Remember that he is in no more pain and you were there with him through everything.  Animals understand much more than we give them credit for.  His little body is at rest and his spirit lives on.  Hugs and prayers in your grief.  :'(  :'(

[bunny56lbc]

I'm sorry for you're loss .Poor kitty ,at least he had a loved one to hold him while this went on. I think I would find another vet , one that's a little more careing .

bonnie

[Indiana Karen]

I am so, so sorry :'(

I am struggling with making a decision about our kitty, she turned 19 in July.  She seems content and happy, but has problems with finding her litter box.  I have her confined to a room and have the floor covered.  During the summer, I let her outside every morning and she enjoyed it so much.  Now that it is cold, she has to stay inside.  Not sure how much longer I can cope with all this.

Karen

[Sunbeam56]

However painful the end - that there was an end is a mercy.
Give thanks that the pain has ended, and Senior kitty is over the rainbow bridge.

[Johns]

I am not a cat lover, but cats love me.  I AM a dog lover and had had many in my life.  When the time came, I held them all as they passed, most at the vets.  All struggled and fought the inevitable and then were at peace, but I was not...  I and my wife always mourned our lost pets and still remember each one as loyal fiends, and there have been many.  It's the way of things, but there is always pain, even with understanding.  I feel compassion and sympathy for you in the loss of your friend.

[Desertponder]

I think he felt pain when he passed and there was nothing we could do but be helpless and in terror while he was crying out for help or in pain.  It was a truly horrible experience....

I'm so very sorry about your kitty. I know what you went through. I lost my one cat this spring and she died at home. It was on a Saturday and the vets office was closed.
My vet is one of these that feels that in some cases it is perfectly o.k. to allow an animal to pass on its own. I'm not sure that I agree with that after experiencing it. He did tell me if she died over the weekend that she would only feel pain in the last 20-30 minutes. I could tell that was pretty much correct as she was completely unresponsive but then about 20 minutes before she died she came around and was restless. She got up and was moving around the room and would cry. It was very rough to watch.
I also lost my dear Dobie girl in January. The stupid vet that we were going to then told us she was fine and didn't need to be euthanized. A week before New Years DH called him and told him she wasn't doing well and he thought we needed to bring her in, so he did. Again the vet said she was fine, no worries, etc. The evening of January 6th she passed away. It was rough because she hadn't been herself all day. She didn't seem to be in pain but in the last few minutes she panicked. She knew something was happening and she kept looking at me with this desperate panicked look in her eyes. I'll never forget that. :'( She passed away moments later.
I have also taken pets in to be euthanized and have not had that go well either. My old sheepdog panicked and fought like crazy. I struggled with that for along time as well but there were no options in her case.
I don't think there is ever the perfect way to let them go. Its always going to hurt and sometimes there are a few bad experiences along the way.
Try not to feel too bad over the way things happened.

[marla]

So sorry to hear of your dear cat's passing.  It is so hard to loose them whether on their own or by euthenasia, I like Shanna have had both experiences.  I'm also struggling with one of ours that is 19 and in kidney failure.  I hope you can replace the memories of the cat's passing with good ones of his life shortly, you were there with him and that I'm sure was of some comfort to him.

[greenthumbnails]

Thank you everyone for your kind words...it helps to know that we were not alone in this.  (Although we sure felt alone when it happened...)  I miss him very much, and it is hardest in the morning when he use to do his little "morning greeting" routine. 

[tracey_shafer]

We lost our oldest cat also just this last month and I feel like I have a hole in my heart, she was gone when I woke up and I feel terrible I was not there with her but I would have been heart broken to have went thru that. I also would be finding a new vet.

[miguynmkoi]

Very sorry.  You obviously loved your kitty and I'm sure he knew it.  In your arms is probably the best comfort he could have had in his last moments.  You enabled him to have a very good life.

[Desertponder]

(Although we sure felt alone when it happened...)

I know you did. The feelings we have for our beloved pets is very personal. The experiences we have with them during their lives is very personal.
So being with them when its their time to go is also very personal and often times leaves us feeling helpless. Just know that you were
there for your kitty and he had a good long life with you. He lives on in your heart and your memories.
Something that will help is to try to focus on the good things about him and your relationship with him. Try not to focus on the trauma of his loss.
Grief takes time, its a process and we all move through it at different rates. Its o.k. to feel it and the day will come when the grief becomes less and the good memories take over.

[LeeAnne151]

So sorry for your loss

http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

[KatFish]

I'm so sorry for your loss.   :'(