My cat passed away yesterday in a very delicate moment. Anyone with similar stories?

[Deleted]

Hi everyone. Yesterday I lost my cat in a very dull situation.

Last year she had a breast cancer and we had to give her a cirurgical intervention. She got three of her breasts removed, including the one with the cancerous tumor. Everything went alright and she recuperated quite alright.

Sadly, ~a month ago she started coughing , something that is not normal in a cat. Something was wrong with her so we took her to the vet and the X ray detected a strange mark on her lungs. It could be a lung infection, or, in the worst case, it could be a metastasis that migrated from her previous breast tumor.

In the last few weeks she had been getting some breathing problems. The situation was clearly getting worse and medication was not helping her in any way.

Yesterday she had an incredible crysis as she could barely breathe. She even opened her mouth and that is a really bad signal, means something is incredibly bad with her breathing system. We took her to the vet in an emergency and they repeated the X ray , after roughly a month of when the problems started.

The results were shocking as we confirmed it was indeed a metastasis affecting her lungs, and things looked incredibly grim. The vet didn't give her much more then a month or two of lifetime, but with suffering and a LOT of medication envolved.

After such tragic news, me and my parents decided to commit euthanasia and let her go in peace, painlessly rather then prolong her painful life with a lot of chemicals while watching her have such immense problems with breathing (you could hear her breathing from a few metters away, that's how badly affected it was).

She was my first ever pet and I was incredibly attached to her. She was only 11 years old. Today I'm feeling incredibly bad , even worse then yesterday after she was gone. The house feels empty now, and I can't stop thinking of her and the things we used to do.....

Anyone out there that experienced a similar situation that could share their story here ? I'd like to see how people who had this happening to them eventually recuperated.
My parents are equally shocked and very sad. It's an immensely tough situation.

[Trassk]

Aww , I'm so sorry.

I know the feeling. I've had many family pets over the years, including my first cat, and my first dog. My cat lived till he was 17, and my parents had him put to sleep in peace, though they didn't want me at the vets when it happened.
Likewise, my first dog, who was only 3, was put down because he was classed as dangerous due to a mental condition meaning he could snap at any time and turn feral. My parents tried to convince me he was given to a new family, but my mum eventually told me he had to be put down, which broke me up.

My current cat, and I say my cat, because she really feels like the first pet I've owned which is mine, is 13 and she's one of my best friends. I'm always talking to her and playing, and honestly the house feels warmer with her in it. I'm gonna fear the day I'll have to do the same thing you went though, but thats the risk we take as pet owners .

All sympathies dude. The best thing you can say is you gave your cat a good long life, and thats what really matters.

[Deleted]

Hello Diogo. First of all I am very sad for your loss as animals are parts of family and the empty place they leave behind can be incredibely large. But I also think you did wonderful thing for your friend and let her die in peace and dignity. It was a great decision you and your parents did, although it can be very hard.

I myself have had same experience with few of my friends over the years (not cats, though I believe dogs are the same kind of friends). And all I can say is that it takes time to recover.
It is absolutely normal to feel the empty house, you probably still feel your cat will be behind the door when you open them or jump on your lap as she used to.
Cancer took from me my ever first dog when he was 6 years old and I remember it was one of the worst days of my life. As we didnt know what was wrong with him
I rushed him to the vet and when I got the results there was nothing left to do than put him to sleep.
I will still remember him as he slowly fell asleep in my arms and died.
What really helped me to recover after that was go through the pictures I had of him and my family with him and sort things out. Pack his toys and bowls. (not throw them out just to make sure everything was nicely packed and stored).
And then after initial pain dulled a it bit my mom and I started to think what to do with that emptiness. We couldnt pack that. So we just went to the dog shelter as we sometimes did with blankets and packs of food.
And it happened that we went out with a new dog.
It is never the same but having someone else to take care of heals you much faster.

Also I think your friend would like you to be happy and go on and giving home to another cat, perhaps some which is somewhere in a shelter and waits for a new family can help your whole family.

Just hang on there. Things will get a bit better with time. The key is to find something to do. Keep your mind going.

[snackfeat]

I'm sorry about your loss. I had a very simular experience with my dog a few years ago.

He started having trouble pooping and it seemed to be getting progressively worse. After taking him to the vet we didn't find out much, but we got some medication for him, which didn't help.

After it kept getting worse we took him to the vet again and found out it was prostate cancer. We decided to go for the expensive surgery, we felt it was worth it since he was a close part of the family.

After the surgery he was a lot less energic and just slept most of the time.
The following days it did not look like it had helped with his problem at all and he had become completely inactive, he clearly had no energy left in him.

We took him to the vet again and found out that the cancer was not gone and there was no way to cure him.

We had the same choice of letting him live a shot while longer in suffering and medication, or to end it painlessly.

We obviously did not want him to suffer so we ended it there.

I was not mentally capable of watching it happen but I did bid him farewell.
I felt extremely depressed for a long time there after but it helped to think about that he had a nice time while he was here.

[Deleted]

Thank you for sharing your stories guys, and for the kind words. It truly is a shock to lose such a beloved friend, be it a cat or a dog. We gave her 11 years of a great life, with good food, good resting, good shelter and lots of fun moments. That is the only positive thing I can think about. But it sucks when I think that I will never see her again in my whole life. She's just gone, and it was so suddenly...I hope I can overcome these feelings as quickly as possible , though it'll truly be hard.

[vickyjohn]

RIP.. Sorry about that..
I was having a cat for 1 year which i bought from my friend.I treated him as one of our family member. But it ran away with his pair (neighbour's cat)..I hate animals after this incident...

[Frozenbeef]

So sorry, all my love :*(

[F4ulty]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
I'm sure you don't want to think about this yet, but give yourself a little time and pick up a kitten.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
I'm sure you don't want to think about this yet, but give yourself a little time and pick up a kitten.

Sadly I'm mostly thinking the other way around. Specially because my parents don't want a new one either, but even when I get to live alone, which is relatively close, I don't plan on having another pet. It's lovely to be around one for 10-15 years ~ but the immense pain one gets after losing such an important friend is quite destructive, at least it's how I'm feeling so far.

I get way too attached to pets because I simply love them. And if I live with one for a lot of years, it's even worse.

[Frozenbeef]

Sadly I'm mostly thinking the other way around. Specially because my parents don't want a new one either, but even when I get to live alone, which is relatively close, I don't plan on having another pet. It's lovely to be around one for 10-15 years ~ but the immense pain one gets after losing such an important friend is quite destructive, at least it's how I'm feeling so far.

I get way too attached to pets because I simply love them. And if I live with one for a lot of years, it's even worse.

better to have loved and lost

[Barcasaur]

It sounds like she had an amazing owner that cared for her immensely, I am sure it was 11 great years of life for her being treated so well.

do yourself and another cat a favor and get a new one when you can! without you it might not get a home =O

[Raelbo]

I am saddened to hear of your loss. Losing a pet is a very traumatic event for most people.

The first pet I lost was our family dog who ran out into the street when I was 6 years old and got run over by a car. It happened right in front of me. My cat had to be euthanased a few years later. I have susbsequently lost 4 dogs.

Sadly, learning to cope with such loss is part of life. The only way to avoid the pain of loss is to avoid the pleasure of forming emotional connections, whether it be with pets or people, and simply put, a life without such connections is an even sadder life.

Time will heal your wounds and things will get better. Take your time to grieve as you feel appropriate - it is part of the healing process - and trust that you will get past this and be able to love other pets again in the future.

PS: It's ok to talk about it as well. It really helps

- - - Updated - - -

Sadly I'm mostly thinking the other way around. Specially because my parents don't want a new one either, but even when I get to live alone, which is relatively close, I don't plan on having another pet. It's lovely to be around one for 10-15 years ~ but the immense pain one gets after losing such an important friend is quite destructive, at least it's how I'm feeling so far.

It is understandable that you feel this way now. Although there is no guarantee of this, it is quite likely that in the future you will feel differently.

[Deleted]

better to have loved and lost

What do you mean ? Sorry I didn't get it

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear about your cat :'(
but you made the right decision to ease her suffering. Give it time and you may want to get a new pet, at which point I would suggest that you go to the animal shelter or rescue center and find one that you can give a home to.

[Keristrasza]

I'm so very sorry for your loss, I lost my cat a few months ago. I had him since he was 5 weeks old, he lived to be 14 years old before he passed away do to an infection in his lungs. Did every thing I could, vet gave him medication but sadly, didn't help.

It still stings, but each day it gets a little easier. Time really does heal all wounds, just some wounds take a little longer than others.

[Anium]

So sorry, you'll never forget her, but the pain will ease with time. So hard losing a member of the family (in animal form )

Cyber hug!

[Frozenbeef]

What do you mean ? Sorry I didn't get it

It's a popular saying, It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all...basically the pain you are experiencing now is worth it for all the years of love you gave/ received from your cat.

[Revi]

So sorry for your loss :/

Lost my dog that I grew up with in a similar way. Took her to the vet because she couldn't keep food down, and it turns out her body was shutting down from an infection (not sure what it's called in English), and he said she only had a few days left. To avoid more pain, we decided to put her down the same day, was very sudden.

Like all loss, the only thing that really helps is time.

[Senka]

Well, I have a story to share, something that happened years ago and fairly similar to this.

My first cat had been with me for almost my entire life (I think since I was 1 year old or 9 months). We were close in age, with him about a half year older than me. He felt just like a brother, and it felt like he would have a human lifespan even if I knew that was impossible. After all, 21 years old is very old for a cat.
But... just a couple months before I reached 21 years old, he was found near death extremely suddenly. We're not sure how, but he was an indoor/outdoor cat. The vet and my parents suspect it was a raccoon that either attacked him or just scared him into having a heart attack. The worst part is that it could have happened right in the middle of the night for all we know. My mom just found him in the yard not dead yet but well past any hope of being able to save him. I will never forget what I can only describe as death wails.

I know you won't understand or agree with this right now, but: You are fortunate to have been there when it all went down and to the end. I was completely unable to bring myself to go to the vet when they had to... release him.

However, I can tell you it is possible to move on. I can't tell you things will ever feel the same. They haven't for me. But life can still feel good and worth living. There are no set guidelines to the healing process, but... hmm, I'm not sure what to say here, but I guess it's just about living day to day, then to weeks and months until you're able to not completely fall apart into pieces whenever you think or talk about her.
I am a sensitive type, so it took me 1 1/2 years to finally move past it. By that, I mean I got another cat at that time, and while I'll miss my first cat for the rest of my life, I'm able to enjoy my time with this cat. In fact, I think I appreciate my time with her more than I wish I did with my first cat.

In other words, don't hastily get a "new" cat to try to fill a void. Only get one when you feel you're ready.

P.S. New is in quotes because I hate using that word even though I know what people mean by it and even th ough I'm not sure what other word to use anyway. But it bugs me because it's not a "new" cat as if you're replacing a broken toaster! It'll simply be the next chapter of your life living with a cat.

[Deleted]

It's a popular saying, It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all...basically the pain you are experiencing now is worth it for all the years of love you gave/ received from your cat.

Oh alright, and that is true, I agree! Wish I could eliminate the pain I'm feeling. I know she had a great life, I did my best to make her the most comfortable and happy possible. The 'only' horrible thing is not seeing her ever again , but that's life! One day, I won't be here either. Hopefully I'll move on soon enough.