Pet death

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My cat is getting quite old now and it is starting to dawn upon me that sooner or later he will die or be put down. I am worried about that and I'm not sure what it will feel like. I've had him since I was a child and he has been my first pet. Has any one lost a pet? What does it feel like and how quickly do you get over it or suffer unhappiness from its death?

I honestly felt worse when my pets were dying than once they had passed b/c once they were gone, I knew they were no longer in pain. Though when my last dog died (family pet) her death seemed very sudden & their was this air that kinda made it seem like she wasn't ready to die when she did that made the pain last longer than expected cause I usually go numb .

It is different for each person. When it happens, you will be sad. But it will lesson with time. Try not to dwell on it now, just enjoy being with him. You may want to take some pictures and put them in a photo album. That way you can look at the pictures when you want to and remember all the good times you shared.

Yeah, I had to put a beloved pet down. It was one of the tougher things I've had to do. Like Peko said, I think I mourned more over the deaths of pets than some family members. You can use logic to tell yourself it is a natural progression and you gave your pet a long, good life. But, it does hurt.

I had pet dogs and ferrets that had to be put down, it always hurts to have a sick pet, but its part of being a responsible pet owner, you need to looking out for
their well being, and if they are in pain or suffering its only fair to them that you never hold on to any faint hope of recovery, as it is cruel to prolong a life in agony.

My cat had to be put to sleep. I had her for 17 years. I had the vet come to my house so it would at least feel safer for my cat. For me, it was a lot worse than I anticipated it would be. I had never lost a pet before. I suffered very deeply for two years before it began to subside, and only did gradually after that. These things are very individual, some people take it harder than others. I only hope the next time it will go easier.

i hope you read all that meadow had to say. she is exactly right. death has an individual meaning for each of us. my pal mr. louie is very old, just had a stroke, and i think i might go with him when it is his time. we've taken care of each other for a long time. he's my only friend.

i've worked with humans who had companion animals die and would throw them away. would go out the next day and 'buy' another one. move right own. i cannot understand that.

other than what meadow had to say, i would suggest you visit.....rainbowbridge.org...when you do, be prepared to cry. if a website can transfer emotion, this one can. it's devoted to lost animal friends and how much they were loved by their human caregivers.

Oh boy, I feel your pain.. Pretty much in the same situation.

Whatever happens try to remember all the good times you have had with your pet. I lost three of my pet rabbits at ridiculously young ages and I was devestated, however my current rabbit is 7 1/2 so is possibly nearing the end of her life. I no longer panic about her death, I take each day as it comes and give her lots of cuddles and attention. I can't say for certain how I will react when she does go. ((cuddles))

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

The death of a beloved pet is always tragic and sad.

A couple years ago the first pet I ever had, a 16 year old dachshund, had to be put down. I was very sad but I had watched her health decline for many years before that including a few times when her death seemed certain. It was very sad taking her to the vet but after she passed away peacefully I was relieved that she wouldnt suffer any more. Watching her hobble around with poor vision and an aching body was much worse.

I wanted my cat to be put to sleep sooner than the Vet thought necessary. He had her on pills and pain medications, which only caused her to suffer more. It wasn't too much longer, but it did cause my cat to suffer more than she would have. I was none too happy with my Vet, after that.

If I hadn't asked for the pain med, it wouldn't have happened, in an attempt to go along with what the Vet recommended. He also said cats should be restricted to dry food alone and "anyway it's better for their teeth". That is just sheer stupidity. I'd like every Vet who has this rationale to be forced to live on a diet of fortified crackers and water and see how their stomachs and digestive tract feels, and just how long they could live on such a diet.

How much you suffer depends on how attached you are, and how well you can let go. My 14 y/o dog was euthanized Tuesday afternoon. I don't know how to say what it was like for me. It hurt. He was terrified when we arrived at the vet. He was hyperventilating and shaking and his eyes were darting wildly between my mother and me. He was crying and begging us to take him home. It was painful to see him that way. With all the people coming to visit him throughout the day, and so much crying, he must have known that something was wrong. We should have had the vet come to the house. I didn't know it would be like that. He was normally so serene and with the pain medicine he was on I thought he would be relaxed. My mother signed some forms and they injected him in the thigh with a benzodiazepine sedative. I was shaking, my mother was sobbing, and my brother appeared to be texting... He was relaxed after the sedative, still conscious. I just wanted to take him home. I kept thinking it's not too late to tell them to stop. He was really pretty healthy apart from losing the use of his hind legs. The vet left us alone with him for about 10 minutes, then came in and shaved his leg at the injection site. She injected him with a large syringe filled with a pink fluid (sodium thiopental mixed with potassium chloride) in his right foreleg. He was facing me, looking into my eyes. My head was about ½ meter away from his. He closed his mouth, his eyes widened, then they started to close, then they relaxed open and remained open and he was still.

When I heard that my dad had to put our first family dog, Taffy down I've felt sad and empty, for a couple of weeks. The empty feeling lasted until the end of the year. That happened when I was 20 going on 21. That was 15 years ago.

When my dog died, I didn't really feel that sad, but I never really got attached to the dog and didn't like her that much. It was sad though. When my cats die someday long from now, I will be crushed, I hope it's not as hard as I think it will be.