You May Want to Consider Euthanizing Your Cat for These 6 Reasons
If you are a cat owner, then you might have to confront euthanizing them sooner or later. Unfortunately, cats tend to deteriorate very quickly when disease rears its ugly head. Cats very rarely die quietly, of natural causes. If your cat has started showing the signs of disease or is very old, then you might need to consider euthanizing them. However, before you go ahead with your cat’s euthanasia, you need to consider a few things. This post will tell you about six of them so that you can make a more informed decision about your cat’s life:
Advanced Disease
If your cat suffers from some kind of disease and it is in its advanced stages, then the best option is usually to have them euthanized. Your cat does not have the mental capacity for reasoning, so when their disease causes them to experience pain and discomfort, they are unable to rationalize and explain their pain to themselves. Instead, they just feel excruciating and agonizing pain. The decision to euthanize one’s pet can be very difficult to make because, for most people, their pets are their companions. A very comfortable way of euthanizing one’s pets (for both the pet and the pet owner), is home euthanasia. You can hire an independent veterinarian or organization that offers home euthanasia for cats services to come into your home, and put them down in their bed, where they feel safe. Advanced disease is one of the best reasons to euthanize a pet.
Inability To Eat
If your pet suffers from some kind of condition that’s impacting their ability to eat, then you have no other option but to euthanize them. It is very cruel to keep an animal alive if they cannot feed themselves. The reason for this is that cats do not have the ability to vocalize their desires. When they are hungry, they are hungry. If they are unable to get up and get their own food then they might not be able to eat when they want to, which will negatively impact their quality of life. You should explore your options before jumping to euthanasia first though. There could be a cure for your cat’s inability to eat.
Breathing Difficulty
If your pet is beginning to show signs of experiencing breathing difficulty, then euthanasia is very important. Your veterinarian will likely advise that you have your pet euthanized when they begin to experience breathing difficulty and there’s no possible cure for their condition. Simple conditions like cat asthma can be resolved, but if there are more serious diseases or underlying causes causing their breathing issues, then euthanasia is the best option. Euthanasia will allow them to pass away peacefully.
Mobility Issues
As has already been mentioned, cats are unable to reason and vocalize their problems. Instead, they just feel. If your cat is experiencing mobility issues due to advanced disease or some kind of health condition, then euthanasia is nearly always the best option. When pets aren’t able to move around freely, they can become very distressed and uncomfortable. Euthanasia is especially important for your pet if they have not had mobility issues for the majority of their life, because the sudden inability to move around will inevitably cause them a significant amount of distress.
Extreme Pain
If your pet suffers from a condition that causes them to experience a lot of pain, then it is a very good idea to have them euthanized. Cats simply feel pain, they can’t rationalize it. Extreme pain that is impacting your cat’s ability to move around and enjoy their lives should be addressed with euthanasia, provided that there aren’t any other treatments available to them. It is very important for you and your pet’s sake that you discuss treatments with your pet’s veterinarian, before jumping straight away to euthanasia. Sometimes there are other options available. Euthanasia should be your last option.
Frequent Discomfort
Lastly, if your pet is experiencing frequent discomfort and distress because of advanced age or disease, then euthanasia might be something to consider. It’s natural to not want to let your pet go, but if they are experiencing discomfort because of health issues, then the kindest thing to do is to have them euthanized. With that said, you should only have your pet euthanized if their discomfort isn’t ever going to go away. If their health problems are going to resolve or there is a form of treatment that will make them feel better, then this is always the better option.
If you are a cat owner who’s concerned with your cat’s ability to live a happy and healthy life, then euthanasia is something you might want to consider. As has been mentioned abundantly throughout this article, you should always explore what your cat’s other options are before jumping to euthanasia.