Home Euthanasia for My Cat
Home euthanasia for my cat, when is the right time to euthanase my cat? The decision to euthanase is one of the most difficult and brave decisions a pet owner will face. However what is equally important is the timing of that decision. The choice to end the suffering of a loved one is one made out of pure love, and most of us are at peace with that decision. Euthanasia made in a timely manner can prevent days, weeks or even months of suffering for our beloved pets. It is the timing that most people find very difficult and to help us with this we often need to take a step back and assess our precious cat’s quality of life.
My Cat’s Health
To help with the timing it is important to establish whether your cat’s quality of life is declining due to old age or a medical illness. Old age decline is typically more gradual and they are initially likely to have good days that outnumber the bad days. Medical illness in our cat leads to a decline in health and quality of life that can be gradual or rapid. If you have a medical diagnosis of an illness in your cat, your vet can advise you about the likely timeline for the progression of the disease and what to look for. Medical intervention is often helpful at the beginning but can reach a point where it becomes ineffective at the end stage of the disease.
My Cat’s Quality of Life
How do we assess the quality of life in our cats that love to sleep 22 hours a day?
We need to assess their other behaviour:
Is your cat greeting you like it usually does?
Is it grooming itself?
Is it toileting in the appropriate places?
Is your cat content day and night or does it wander around the house vocalising?
Is your cat taking itself off to hide? We call this denning behaviour and it is often done when the cat feels unwell
And finally has your cat’s appetite declined? Appetite is often the last thing to decline in an old or terminally ill animal and ideally we shouldn’t wait for this to be our indicator that it is time to euthanase.
When our cat gradually ages, we need to keep assessing its quality of life using the above
questions. It might be helpful to keep a diary of good days vs bad days. Regular visits to the vet can help guide us.
When our cat has a terminal illness or an illness that is no longer responsive to medication then we need to be mindful that each day is going to get harder than the one before. Rather than watch this progression until your precious friend can no longer eat or move, it might be time to make the heartbreaking but kind decision to let them go with love and dignity.
I am always here to chat about your beautiful cat (or dog).
Sending love,
Amy xox
