Feeling guilt is a sign of just how much you cared about your pet. Guilt is our brain's way of protecting us feeling the full weight of our grief and sadness over something like loss.
People often struggle with overwhelming feelings of grief, loss, and guilt after choosing to put their pets to sleep. These strong feelings that accompany euthanizing a pet come as the result of their roles in our lives and the strong bonds we are capable of developing with animals.
Euthanasia is a brave and final act of love, compassion, and caring. In choosing to let your cat go, you are not depriving them of life but releasing them from untreatable pain and suffering.
Its blood circulation will cease, its brain will stop functioning and it will stop breathing. “In virtually all cases, the pet will lose consciousness and simply drift peacefully and painlessly away within a very short time, a matter of seconds,” says Dr. Scott.
More Bad Days Than Good Days
One simple measure that you can use to help you decide when to put down a dog or cat is to determine whether your pet is having more good days or bad days. If your pet is down but still happy overall, then it's probably not time.
Immediately After the Euthanasia Procedure
You should never feel rushed to leave the clinic afterward. If you have arranged to take your pet home, the veterinary staff will carefully wrap your pet in blankets or place them in their crate and will have staff members help carry your pet out to your car for you.
Indoor cats typically live longer than outdoor cats and have a life expectancy of about 10 to 15 years. However, that number may vary a bit if your cat spends a lot of time outside as well. There are several factors that determine how long your cat will live, including how often you take them to the vet for a checkup.
You may wish to overly spoil your pet with his or her favorite food or toy if he or she feels up to it. Other pet owners may elect to snuggle with their pets and take a final nap together before meeting with the veterinarian for the euthanasia.
Caregivers can hold their cats as they pass, honoring the human-animal bond. Respiratory and cardiac arrest occurs quickly (less than 30 seconds). Death typically occurs within one minute when the injection is properly positioned in the renal cortex or medullary tissue.
Humans develop a lasting attachment with their pets, which breaks at the loss of the pet. Regardless of the manner of death, a pet owner may perceive the death as traumatic and experience distress or exhibit posttraumatic stress symptoms.
People who are traumatized by the euthanasia of a pet sometimes fall into serious depression and even have suicidal thoughts. And this distress goes largely unacknowledged, so that people suffer without social support or professional help.
Many people find it helpful to tell their pets what it is they feel guilty about and to ask their pets for forgiveness. This also can be done by writing a letter to your pet. Some find it helpful to take this a step beyond their own feelings and to write themselves a response from their pet.
You will usually have decided with the vet prior to the euthanasia to either take your cat home with you (for instance, if you are planning on doing a home burial). Or you leave your cat in the capable hands of the vet team. If the latter, the team will prepare your cat to be sent to a pet cremation service.
The doctor will listen carefully to your pet's heart to ensure it has stopped before pronouncing him or her gone. After that, there is no danger of your pet waking up. This is a very common fear for pet owners.
What happens after euthanasia? Most people opt for cremation arranged by the vet. Usually, this is communal cremation with other dogs but you can arrange for individual ashes to be returned, although this may be expensive.
Research suggests that when people are in anguish over the loss of a pet, disenfranchised grief makes it more difficult for them to find solace, post-traumatic growth, and healing. Disenfranchised grief seems to restrain emotional expression in a way that makes it harder to process.
Our cats are our companions, and a constant presence in our daily lives. We experience the love they provide, delight in their behavior, and share life events. It's no surprise that when they are no longer with us, we are often left with a significant void that can impact our daily life.
You may feel empty and numb. That's a common reaction at first. It's a sign that your body may be protecting you for awhile, until you are more ready to process all that has occurred.
Some cats bemoan a disappeared owner, others delight in the rare glimmer of freedom. Keep reading for a thorough breakdown of what your cat truly thinks about when you're gone. Cats prefer human company nine times out of ten – they may not act like it, but when you leave, they miss you!
Regardless of their reputation, cats do get lonely when they are left unattended for long periods of time. Research proves that cats are social beings that form strong bonds with their owners. Do cats get sad when you leave? Short answer: yes.
Like dogs with the same condition, cats may cry and become upset as you prepare to leave. More often, they don't react to your departure. They wait to “act out” once left alone, and urinate, spray urine, and defecate on owner-scented objects—most typically the bed.
Most vets had received such requests at least once; only about 7% had never received them. Almost 45% said it caused them or their staff a moderate amount of distress and 18.7% reported it caused them or their staff severe distress. Just over 75% said they never or only rarely carried out “inappropriate” euthanasia.