conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans
Making a decision about whether it’s time to let a beloved cat go is one of the hardest things any cat parent will have to go through. The fact that most cats get so stressed when having to go to the vet clinic makes the decision even harder. Having the euthanasia performed in the comfort of your home can make saying goodbye a more peaceful experience for both cat and human.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
Losing a pet is devastating at any time, but several factors come together to make it particularly painful during this COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us are already feeling the stress of physical distancing, and for many, a companion animal may be the only living being we’re allowed to touch right now (I’m in that situation). To have to let go at a time when all of us want to hold on is an unthinkable situation.Continue Reading
Making a decision about whether or when the time is right for euthanasia is one of the hardest things a cat parent will ever go through. Unlike human medicine, veterinary medicine offers the option of gently ending suffering when there seems to be no hope for recovery. However, making this decision for a beloved cat can be agonizing.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
For several days after the vet gently stopped my 20-year-old cat Hedda’s heart, I couldn’t get past the feeling that Hedda didn’t want to die, or at least, she wanted it to happen in her own time, naturally.Continue Reading
Making a decision about whether it’s time to let a beloved pet go is one of the hardest things anyone loving a cat will have to go through. What can compound the difficulty of the decision is that most cats don’t like going to the vet’s. Having the euthanasia performed in the comfort of your home, perhaps even in one of your cat’s favorite spots, can help make saying goodbye a more peaceful experience for both cat and human.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
This is the third post in a three-part series. Sarah Chauncey is the author of an upcoming book for adults grieving the loss of their cat. We featured part one, Facing the Possibility of Euthanasia, two weeks ago, part two, Making the Euthanasia Decision, last week.
Euthanasia is one of the most excruciating decisions a cat guardian will ever have to make. Part of what makes it so difficult is that our culture has no rituals to mark this transition, nor to grieve the end of a relationship that holds a unique place in our hearts and lives.
In my experience, creating a ritual to say goodbye before euthanasia made a significant difference in my ability to process grief.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
This is the second post in a three-part series. Sarah Chauncey is the author of an upcoming book for adults grieving the loss of their cat. We featured part one, Facing the Possibility of Euthanasia, last week. We will feature part three, Creating an End of Life Ritual, next week.
Over the years, I’d been told to “prepare myself” more times than I could count. On two occasions in the previous four years, different vets had given Hedda “weeks to months.” Secretly, I’d started believing that maybe she was immortal.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
This is the first post in a three-part series. Sarah Chauncey is the author of an upcoming book for adults grieving the loss of their cat. We will feature part two, Making the Euthanasia Decision, next week, and part three, Creating an End of Life Ritual, the following week.
In the wee hours of a winter Friday morning in 2016, I had a nightmare: My 20-year-old black cat, Hedda, was having a seizure. Diarrhea was flying everywhere. Her green eyes stared at me, terrified, as her body convulsed. I was powerless to help her.
I was awakened by the usual 6am swat to the mouth that indicated Hedda wanted her medicine and breakfast. I rubbed a dose of transdermal painkillers on the inside of her ears, got up to put out fresh food and water, then went back to bed.Continue Reading
Few things are more upsetting to cat parents than the thought of a beloved cat having to spend the night, or even several days, in the hospital. Not only do we worry about their health, we worry about how they’ll cope with being in a strange, scary place, away from human loved ones and fellow animal companions. Knowing ahead of time what to expect can help ease the stress of a hospitalization for you and your cat.Continue Reading
In the past, euthanasia was often the only option for cats with terminal illnesses. Today, hospice or palliative care is a very real alternative.
Hospice involves providing supportive care to cats in the final stages of their lives so that when the time comes, they can pass naturally and peacefully. The primary goal is to keep the cat comfortable and free of pain, with a focus on quality of life.
Palliative care should not be considered a last resort. It is not about dying, but rather, about finding ways to help the cat live comfortably with a terminal illness.Continue Reading
Guest post by Elizabeth Colleran, DVM
The software we use in my practices will color code appointments by “reason for visit.” The one for euthanasia is, as one would expect, a very dark color. A few weeks ago, I came to work. As usual, I looked at the schedule before rounds to see any issues that needed to be covered before we convened. My heart sank. The first two appointments of the day were euthanasias.
While in many respects, I think of euthanasia as a privilege to perform when suffering is the alternative, nevertheless, Continue Reading
