Euthanizing a pet cat

Put my 14 yr old pit bull down 2 yrs ago. Came to the house, $800, cremated, a wooden engraved box, some hair, paw print, and other memorabilia .

hardest thing i ever did in my life. It was just me and her that lived in my house, so it was/is tough .

ill never get another pet.

sorry for your pal, Rocky.

 

this always get me

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXa65QAn0X/

 

Might be worth calling in to your local veterinary school just to see if they have a less expensive rate. I second ASPCA as I’ve heard good things on their pricing overall.

Very sorry you have to go through this.

 

Sorry about your loss.

For an animal that gives you damn near 2 decades of life improvements and smiles the least you can do is have a mobile vet come to the house and do it and shake off a couple days pay.

Animals do everything by smell......wheeling one into a vet under bright ass spotlights with 1000 different animal smells is major stress to them.

 

@zertrider
Rocky gave you all 17 years, he deserves a gentle transition.
If you need some financial assistance with this, please drop me a pm with paypal info.

 

+1 on the vet house call. So much easier on the pet and for your family if they want to be present. I have 4 urns on my mantle with dog collars around them. I'm sure the euthanasia for each of them was expensive, but I couldn't even tell you what the cost was, I just didn't care. Whatever the cost, it was worth it.

RIP, Rocky.

 

That is an incredible offer from a stranger. But trust me, I am not in a position where the finances part is a problem.
It is the Dutch in me that is the problem. Lol. I look at the time they are going to spend doing it just feel that vets are taking advantage of people's attachment to their pets. It really just seems like they are gouging people.
And just talked with the kids and they don't want it done at home, or to be there at the vet. So it will just be me taking him in, as the wife will be working.

 

You're missing the boat here, the pet's interests should
be front and center, and this is a good opportunity to
teach your kids one of life's hard lessons. You should
take the time to tell them how much your cat loved
them and how he now deserves their love and loyalty
at the end of his life. Yes, it will be difficult for them to
say goodbye in person but it is the right thing to do as
opposed to the easy thing to do, and seeing that difference
and choosing to do the right thing is what turns children
into adults.

And I don't believe that money is the problem here.
I'm as cheap as they come but when my cat was choking on
some plastic she swallowed last July I shelled out almost
$5k to save her without hesitation. Her companionship means
more to me than that money ever could.

This is one of those times when a lot of people take the easy
way out to avoid as much of the pain as possible. Taking the
easy way out doesn't build character, not in you, not in your
kids, and not in your kid's view of who you are when there
is something difficult to face, and facing the death of a loved
family member is one of life's worst occurrences.

Show them how to do it right rather than letting everyone
duck the issue and you'll never regret it. It will leave bitter-sweet
memories but ones where you will have no regrets and your
kids will learn what it means to have adult responsibilities
and have to fulfill them no matter how much it hurts and
that they are not the center of the universe and that how they
feel can't always be the determining factor.

When I saw your original post it looked to me like someone
who was considering a course of action that, deep down, they
didn't feel right about and was looking for someone to say
it was all right, just do it fast and cheap. I'm the opposite of
that guy and I'm willing to tell you that you need to do the
right thing for everybody involved, not the easy thing for
everyone except the cat.

When my wife was about 8 her cat got sick and her father
put him in a bag and took him to the dump and shot him and
kicked him into the ditch they were filling that day. She still
talks about it on a regular basis to this day (she just turned 69)
and she still doesn't forgive her father for handling it the way
he did.

Find the money and the time to do the right thing.
A man never regrets doing the right thing.

 

I'm glad I'm not your cat!

 

Wait till you have to deal with a funeral home after the death of a parent. They have no shame whatsoever.

 

Zert, I posted this but took it down in case it upset people during rough times… but I think it’s relevant and I don’t care what anyone thinks about me… so here it is for good…


I’ve told the story of my 12 yo malamute’s perfect goodbye with a special play day with the kids and then him coming to get me and lying in my lap to take his last breath in his favorite spot, nothing but love in his eyes. I think they happened because of the following story which had a profound effect on me and my life for a number of reasons as you’ll read… but I have no regrets and know I did the right thing and have slept well for 45 years since… mind you I had no choice but even after life changed I’d still and have done it the same way…

so when I was 7 yo my pup got hit by a car up on the paved road 1/4 mile from the Rez border where we lived… someone came and told me… I had to drive up and get him… he was a mess… broken twisted back, shattered hips, compound fractures and guts hanging out… but he was still alive looking at me like always…

He was a big malamute/Shepard mix but I still picked him up…covered myself in blood and gently put him on the tail gate and drove him out to his favorite spot in the forrest…

mind you my life was admittedly way different than most… there were shitty adults around that could have and should have helped me deal with it… but they didn’t… I was alone like usual in that respect….

so I started digging… he was there watching me and I talked to him the entire time about all the fun we’d had doing puppy and his boy things… he was still alive and hanging on my words like always breathing roughly and I was hoping that he’d just tell me bye and stop… but he didn’t… I got the hole deep enough and held him and tried to ease his pain and mine…

I wasn’t sure how much he hurt and how much was numb, again… I was 7 years old… but there was no way he’d have lived with any help… and hell us kids had never seen a doctor let alone an animal seeing a vet… I don’t even know there were animal doctors…

so I told him that I loved him and that he’d always be my boy and that I’d see him again someday… he seemed to like that and I felt that he was ok… I showed him the carvings of woods and deer and rabbits and asked him “ready boy?! Ok! Go get ‘em!” And pulled the trigger… I still look at that 410 stock from time to time and remember my pup and the great times we had and how I made that transition as painless as possible for him…

that day changed me for sure… and even with money not an issue you can’t put a price on telling your pet how you feel and helping it walk on…

no vet is going to do it better and it’s instantaneous and it’s only a body… the spirit, animal and human, is not the same as the body… anyone that has been around death can tell that… don’t get me started on the evil fucks charging whatever they want as they know you’ll pay just to feel better about it and or for some not to have to be there… I’ve been there… I’ve done it(way more than just this first time)… it’s way better to do it yourself… take your family out for a fun remembrance with the money you save… you said it’ll just be you anyway…

good luck man… you can do it

 

Thank you @27. This is the kind of thought that keeps going through my head.
One movie that always left a mark on me was "Of Mice and Men". Never read the book. But there is a line in there from the one old guy who's old dog was shot by someone else. And he responded with something to the effect of "I should have shot that dog myself and not let someone else do it".
That line always kind of stuck in my head. That you need to take care of this by yourself. Not have someone do it for you.
And what you just stated above it the part I was struggling with honestly. Taking him somewhere to get someone else to end his life does seem like the easy way out. Or having someone come here and do it. I have the property and means to help him leave this world without going somewhere. I just need to find a way in my heart to do it. Rocky has never been fond of strangers, so no need to introduce him to one at that point in his life

 

you’re welcome and like I said, you can do it… my 7 yo me would’ve liked some emotional support or help digging or moving him but no way in hell was anyone but me helping him walk on… nobody… sounds like you have support at home and you have us here…

once you get the emotional side covered with the goodbyes and closure the rest is fast and simple and real compassion. Cats are like rabbits too and a nice neck rub and stretch turned into a snap may be much less traumatic for you…

And he’s your cat and only you know what he’d want so go with your gut and good luck man.

 

Sorry for your loss. It’s amazing how big of a part of your family pets get to be. My wife’s a SAHM and our family dog was with her pretty much 24/7. She cried for a week non stop when we had to put the ole girl down.

it seems like a lot of money, but maybe ask what’s included in the service. For our local vet it was $250-300 at their clinic, but that also included cremation, they gave us the ashes in a nice box and did a plaster paw impression. And we got to sit with her and pet her through the process. It was very quick and peaceful. Much better than letting the cancer eat her up. I’ve never regretted spending that money for a minute.

 

They give us so much during their lives. I feel all of your stories. Peace man

 

I don't think money is zert's problem at all. If I'm not mistaken he has done really well for himself, and basically retired early.

It's a philosophical thing. It goes to what works for you.

I paid $250 for them to cremate my daughter's guinea pig. The piggie died at home on her own, so no vet. My daughter picked her up not knowing she had passed, as we were about to give the piggie her medicine. That was a big girl moment for sure. We all said our goodbyes to her after, many tears later, and then I had to put the piggie in the downstairs freezer for two days till I could take her to the crematorium as it was a Saturday.

I tell you being a Dad put you into some interesting situations. I wanted to show them that they could handle the pain of it as it's just the body, and sometimes we need to do things we don't want to, like putting her in the freezer, picking up the body, etc, but also take care of the body as best as we can as they traveled over the rainbow bridge.

 

None of my business but since you made this public: what are you going to tell the twins about it? Will you have them participate?

 

Bingo. I don't mind spending money at all. I just hate the idea being taken advantage of.

 

We have discussed at length the options. They are well aware that his time has come. And they have shed some tears over that realization. And they have watched me as I have shot raccoons that were obviously sick and wandering around the house, so the sound of a gunshot is nothing new. They just want to be able to bury him and mark the spot with something.

 

I wasn't saying that they might be afraid of guns or anything. Just curious how they feel about shooting their own cat. It's a bit different than some strange raccoon.