Our Cat Sad News

[superjonboy]

My wife and I got a kitten a few years ago - Suki. We then got her a companion - Jess, and a year later we got our little dog Buddy.

Last week Buddy was booked in for his castration on the Tuesday. The Monday evening we noticed Suki was not her usual self. She seemed a bit lethargic but still purred when stroked e.t.c. On Tuesday morning she was laid in the bathroom sink and we noticed she had a really foul smelling drool. It was time to take Buddy to the vets so we decided we would ask and get her booked in. It's fair to say until this point our focus really had been on Buddy and getting him through his operation.

I kept thinking Suki must have a bad tooth or adcess or something in her mouth as she wouldn't let me look but, when we got to the vets with her the vet examined her and said "She's a very poorly cat."

He said she's got a toxic smell to her breathe. It could be her kidneys... So now we were really worrying. He said she needed to go to their other surgery, have blood tests done and be on a drip. We then enquired how much treatment would be and were told blood tests £50, drip overnight £200 and she needed to go now.

I'm already in debt and I lost my full time job in Septmber 2013 and went full time. Things have been a struggle at times moneywise and one of the things we had cancelled was insurance on the cats. I quickly realised we were going to struggle to pay this. After paying out for Buddy's castration the same day too.

We took her down to the other surgery and said we needed a chat. All we really knew at this stage was she was poorly, they would do blood tests and put her on a drip. We didn't know if she would be ok after this or if she would need more treatment or what the actual diagnosis was. The 2nd vet looked on the computer and said 1st vet suspects Renal failure. She also said that the blood tests and drip were just the start and he had actually listed other treatments as well. She then said there was no guarentee this would make Suki better and that she 'didn't look very good' and that the other option was euthenisation

We didn't know what to do. I knew we didn't have the money for treatment but if there was a chance she would be ok I would find a way to get her better. I knew I could sell a few things to raise some money quickly but if the treatment went into £1000's I would really be struggling.

In the end I kind of feel the 2nd vet lead us towards having Suki put to sleep and that this was the right choice.

I just feel that Suki was put to sleep because I'm poor at the minute and that if we had paid for the treatment she would have been ok. I feel terrible about the whole thing. I should have noticed she wasnt right sooner. I should have had the insurance on them still. I should have sold some stuff to at least give her the chance of getting better. She was only 3

I really don't think we made the right decision despite all the people I know saying we did. Would the Vet have put her to sleep if they thought there was a good chance of her being ok or would they only do it if it was more likely she wouldn't make it anyway?

[nomorepanic]

Ok let me say a few things

Firstly I am so sorry you have lost your cat - I can feel the pain as I have two cats and know the loss of them would be devastating.

Secondly - my vet told me that cats hide illness very very well and only show symptoms when they are very poorly.

We have a cat with renal failure and she is really on borrowed time at the moment but we have been told she can't have any further treatment and just let her pass in her own time. This is obviously very distressing so I know how you feel.

Our pet insurance is £55 a month on this cat!! Expensive isn't it?

Don't beat yourself up ok, there is no way you could have know she was so ill and vets make decisions based on quality of life and the pain a cat could be in.

Thinking of you at this time

[yvonne_uk_98]

sorry to hear the loss of your cat, sending you some hugs:

[LucyR]

I had two black cats one died at 1 1/2 and the other died at 4 1/2. Both cats were from cats protection. Both were given some fluid hydration on drips and blood tests. I honestly don't think it matters if you spend hundreds or thousands it won't make them live if they are terminally ill.

[Dying_Swan]

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of Suki. I lost my cat Molly in December, she was 6. It is agonising to have to make this decision, and horrible to have to consider money. Ultimately though, you do have to be realistic. I don't mean to sound harsh in the least, but if she was so very poorly, it would have been futile to spend out thousands. Molly's treatment ended up costing around £6k over the two weeks she was ill. Fortunately she was insured and that covered the majority of it, but without insurance I don't know what I would have done. So you see, even if you had paid out, she may well still not have made it. Please don't blame yourself. It does sound as though Suki was very sick and the vets would not have said this if she wasn't. I totally agree with Nic that cats are very good at hiding illness until they are extremely poorly. If she was so ill with little chance of recovery, you did absolutely the kindest thing. You end their suffering to begin your own.

It is normal to feel very guilty and to question if you have done the right thing, especially when it is still so raw for you. Suki was a member of your family and you need time to grieve. I spent the first few weeks completely unsure if I'd done the right thing in having Molly put to sleep. Hardest decision ever. I still feel very sad at times but I do now believe that I did the right thing, and I am sure that when some time passes for you, you will also realise that you made the best decision for Suki. I have no doubt that she had a wonderful life with you.

Sending you lots of love, I know how hard it is xx

[superjonboy]

Thank you so much for your replies.

It really does help.

When I think about it, although she was only here for a relatively short time, she had a great time, was treated really well and really cared for.

We still have Jess and of course Buddy, so it's time to remember the happy times while we did have Suki.

[Carolclelland]

Sorry you lost your pet,I have just lost my cat of twenty years,she was very ill but looked ok,nothing you would have done would have helped,but just remember you loved her very much and she knew that

[Tessar]

Hi SJB, I'm really sorry to hear about your beloved Suki. It's so hard when you lose a trusted and familiar companion. Worse still when you have to make a decision that is difficult at the best if times but much, much harder when it comes so suddenly. But please don't be hard on yourself. It's very evident from your posts how much she meant to you and if how you feel is the way most pet owners feel at a time like this, then it will be a tough time. Sending you my positive thoughts and many warm healing hugs. Xxxx