The Hardest Thing about Owning a Pet

When we got back from Sicily we were surprised to realize that Fetcher had suddenly turned into a house cat.  Instead of spending his time outdoors hunting mice and visiting with all the people that walk by our house, he preferred to stay inside.  He spent most of his time curled up sleeping on the sofa or wherever he could make a cozy nest.   He didn't eat or drink much, a result, we thought, of the new food the vet had prescribed for the kidney troubles that were beginning to show as he aged.   

At the end of October he had some dental work and while he was in we went ahead and had some x-rays taken.  They revealed a growth of some kind at the back of Fetcher's lungs, in a hard to see or treat location.  His weight had also taken a big drop down to 7.12 from the 9.10 he weighed when we moved here in June of 2014.  We discussed next steps with the vet and decided to watch and wait. 

Over the past month Fetcher became even less active, basically just going out for brief bathroom visits and spending a lot of time curled up on Ben's chest or on his lap.  The dental work was successful but he wasn't any more inclined to eat or drink. 

On Tuesday we took him in for a checkup and were shocked to find that he had lost a pound in the last five weeks.  He's down to 6.12 pounds and still has little appetite or energy.  He doesn't want much interaction with us and hasn't slept in bed with us for several days.  He walks very slowly the few times a day when he moves around.  He seems to be failing quickly and we are considering end-of-life scenarios for him. 

As all pet owners know, deciding when an animal should be euthanized is incredibly difficult.  I think Fetcher is the sixth cat that Ben and I have owned since we married and we also have had three dogs.  We euthanized all but two of these much-loved creatures.  (Molly McQuire, a beautiful tom cat, simply disappeared one day and lovely Priscilla was hit by a car.)  

Having been through this so many times we have a good idea of how we want things to go.  We've learned that waiting until the bitter end is not good for the animal or for us.  A vet told us that most people wait too long; the pet is ready well before their people are.  We know how important it is to schedule with a vet who knows Fetcher and us.  We've learned that scheduling at the end of the day when the office isn't so busy allows for a more peaceful and private appointment.  We've learned that a  calm and caring environment makes it possible to hold and love our kitty as he leaves us.  

We know that making the hard decision and planning for the best experience is that last gift we can give our pet.    

But we also know that no matter well we plan, it will be brutally hard to say goodbye to our wonderful Fetcher cat.