Hoping I did the right thing...

[bbaggins]

A few months back, my cat seemed listless and was walking with a limp so I took him to the vet. They took his temp, and it was 104. So, they did x-rays, blood tests, urine tests, fecal tests, the whole nine yards. Tests came back that he had an infection and some sort of calcium growth on his paw (the combination of the two was the cause of the limp). But, the doctor also mentioned that his ketones, BUN, creatinines and BGL were all high. All were indicative of renal failure and diabetes. Additionally, they found a "mass" in his chest behind his heart. She gave us some anti-biotics for the infection, but, sadly, she said with his age (15 at the time of the visit) and all of the other issues there wasn't much they could do beyond that. They never offered any other meds or any other advice to help with his other issues.

Since then, he was doing better but had been losing weight. Not a lot, but he was getting skinnier. He was eating, but still losing weight. He was also peeing more than he had before and drinking a lot of water. Recently, he was easily going through a litter pan every few days.

The past few weeks, however, he started going downhill pretty fast. He started having breathing problems, lost quite a bit of weight, started walking into walls and doors. He stopped eating several days ago (wouldn't even touch his favorite treats), but was still drinking (but not peeing as much). However, his breathing problems were getting worse (he was breathing rapidly all the time, having trouble breathing sometimes, was shifting around a lot to try to get comfortable when he was laying down), if he moved around, he would stop every few feet to rest. He tried his best to do things, but the energy just wasn't there.

So I took him to the ER vet last night, and told them his history and what had been happening the past few weeks. They did a basic check on him (his temp was below normal, his eyes were dilated and sunken, his breathing was still bad) and they basically said that they can clear any fluid out of his lungs, but all it would be doing is prolonging the inevitable. The other "humane" option, they said, was to put him down.

Watching him suffer as he had the past few weeks, I decided the best option was to put him to sleep. And so they did. However, I feel really bad for doing it.

Did I do the right thing?

[Piparskeggr]

We always sort over the woulda, shoulda coulda thoughts in these times...my wife and I beat ourselves up for a couple of months after we made the Final Decision for our sweet Kessie last June.

However, we do what is right because it is hard, and because we do come to love these little creatures...  What you did was sad and hard, but it is an act of love.

[bbaggins]

Yeah, I keep going over it in my head...What if I had done this? What if I had done that? What if they gave him IV's instead? What if I had taken him to the vet that originally diagnosed him sooner? There's a lot of "What if's".

But the more I think about it, the more I ask myself...how much longer would I have been able to give him? A few months? A few weeks? And would it have been "quality" time for him? While I would like to say yes, I think the answer would have been no.

He was a rescue we got in 1997 and was 16 years old when he passed. I think we gave him a very good life. Just wish we could have given him more...

[opus88]

hi and welcome, its always our minds and our hearts second guessing these hard final decisions we make...we play it back over and over just wondering if possible we gave up just a little too soon on our beloved friend.
Its now a mixture of missing them so badly and guilt that letting them go was our call...
I've been there too, you are looking for reassurances today, to ease your pain just a little.
Yes my friend, you did the right thing....kitty was slowly loosing all quality of life...he was ill and wasn't enjoying himself any longer, even if they had reduced the fluid on his lungs..it would just have relieved a small part of his discomfort..and the fluid would build up again quickly aftrwards.
You did what you needed to do for a good friend, a buddy..you put his best interests above your own. You said goodbye and ended his suffering. I ws read a quote that said "grief is the price we pay for love".....the love is well worth the grief IMO. hold onto your memories and the keep him forever in your heart.
RIP dear little kitty, you were loved, safe journey♥