Cat Euthanasia Guide: Information about the euthanasia process and how to determine when the time is right to make this difficult decision.
What is Euthanasia
Euthanasia is defined as the deliberate painless ending of the life of an animal that usually is old, suffering from an incurable disease or injury, intractably vicious or dangerously aggressive and untrainable. Also called “mercy killing,” “putting a pet down” or “putting an animal to sleep,” euthanasia is never an easy topic to discuss. However, for many owners, this is the process that lets them say goodbye to their beloved pets in a safe, peaceful and, for the cat, painless fashion. People without a medical background may not fully understand the euthanasia process. This can cause uncertainty, confusion and potentially unnecessary heartache for owners. While it may be uncomfortable to learn about how cats are humanely euthanized, knowing what to expect, including what could possibly go wrong, can help owners prepare themselves for this difficult, but important, event.
A quick and painless death is the overriding goal of euthanasia. Most veterinarians won’t euthanize healthy animals or pets with curable ailments. Most vets also don’t euthanize a pet without first giving it some type of pre-anesthetic sedative. The purpose of sedation is to help the animal relax, help the veterinarian insert the needle quickly and efficiently and allow the euthanasia process to proceed smoothly. Sedation also helps prevent last-minute struggling, which can be especially
Many elderly, injured, infirm or otherwise ill cats can be kept quite comfortable for months or years with just a bit more thought, attention, medication and/or tender loving care than they used to receive when they were healthier. For example, cats do quite well with one leg amputated. They also typically get along seamlessly with the loss of vision in an eye or hearing in an ear. With all the dietary options available today,