I have a cat in renal failure. When it is his time to go to kitty heaven, how do I let his 2 girl ki

Best Answers

• Lisa Davers SacramentoMember Posts: 3,642

  27 February, 2009 Accepted Answer

  I've just invited Charlie to the Olde Furts group which is for senior kitties and I think you'll be able to get some good advice from other members who've gone through similar experiences. Sorry to hear that Charlie has CRF. Hopefully he still has months or years more but when the time comes one option you should consider is to arrange for your vet to come to your house to do the euthanasia. This would be less stressful for Charlie and also you could let your other cats see him so they don't just see him go to the vet and never come back.

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• Valerie Durham Member Posts: 8,724 ✭

  28 February, 2009 Accepted Answer

  I really feel for you and Charlie. My Kitty died of CRF a decade ago. It's hard to make any judgment without knowing more details, but we live in Japan where euthanasia is not that common. Kitty started going into a coma on Saturday and was totally out of it until she died on Tuesday. My mother died of lung cancer, but actual "cause" of death was probably the moment her kidneys failed her. You get an inbalance of electrolytes, and the heart simply stops as if a plug has been pulled. When my mother died, the people at the hospice said it was an ideal way to pass away. This all sounds morbid and cruel, but you may not need to consider euthanasia at all. Take other people's advice too---but as horrible as it sounds, CRF can lead to a fairly painless death. Again, my prayers are with you.

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• Joy Walters Member Posts: 9,276 ✭

  28 February, 2009 Accepted Answer

  You have my absolute heartfelt sympathy for what you are going through right now. I went through it with my Shizzie, my first cat. When this happens to an animal who can't communicate by words, we have to trust that we know our kitty well enough to read the signs that he no longer has any quality of life. With Shizzie, it was that he hid in my closet and stopped eating. I called my vet immediately and took him in. I trust my vet explicitly to know for sure when my animals have no chance of recovery. As for taking your girls in with you, I wouldn't. This is the time for Charlie and you. They will be at home when you get there and the three of you will mourn together and recover together. You will instinctively know what the girls need from you and they will know what you need from them. It's a process that takes time. There is no "wrong" or "right" way to do it. Please don't hesitate to post to Catster (The Forums ARE an excellent place to go) for help and comfort whenever you need us!

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• Maggie Bradshaw Member Posts: 506

  28 February, 2009 Accepted Answer

  My old Terri passed away this october of CRF. She has many other health problems leading to it but she seemed to be doing ok. The other catster posted excellent advice. It maybe painless for charlie to pass on his own suddenly, but if it starts to drag on and you can see he is loosing his will the thrive, you may want to take it upon yourself to help him. My old Terri stopped eating and would just sleep all the time. My mother, who was taking care of her since I havent lived at home for year jsut knew in her heart Terri was saying she had to go and mom took her to the vet. Now terri is still with us in an urn in the office, her favorite place to hang out with my mom. If Charlie is still eating and drinking and going to the bathroom normal, he might still have some time to be with you.

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• Kerri Zimmerman WinnipegMember Posts: 448

  28 February, 2009 Accepted Answer

  Is Charlie in any kind of pain right now? I have heard of many cats living many many years with CRF. I sometimes wonder what I am going to do when it is time for one of my cats to go to kitty heaven. I think it will be hard for all of us because we are all very close. Have you visited the following website for the vast info regarding Feline CRF http://www.felinecrf.com/ Here are a few Feline CRF support groups you may want to join for support http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FelineCRF/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=2 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-crf-info/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1

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• Nicole Carmicle Member Posts: 3

  9 November, 2009 Accepted Answer

  Don't take the other cats there, it'd be too stressfull for them and you. If the vet lets you bring the dead animal home, (I don't know, I live in poverty, and when our cats are terminal, we put them down ourselves.) then allow for a 'viewing' of sorts. This is what we did for our dead cats. If you don't then it is possible that they'll run around, meowing and looking for him, like my cat Tayor did after his twin sister, Ginger, died of pyometra. Eventually, they'll get it that he's dead, but it'll be a lot more painfull that way. Trust me, I've had 57 pet cats in my life, I know these things. I'm sorry if this answer is a little coarse, I'm a coarse, blunt person.

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