Putting a Pet down

[Lush]

On Thursday September 6th I had to put my cat Angel to sleep because he was really sick.
He was battling kidney failure for two years but in the last two months we just watched him start to disappear. He became really thin and eventually couldn't eat because of the ulcers in his throat.
Still he would get up and greet us at the door despite the fact that he could barely walk and he'd try to purr everytime we'd pet him.
It was the most heartbreaking thing i've ever experienced, he was a significant part of our family and an amazing cat.

When we took him to the vet we held him while he was being put to sleep, I literally felt the life drain out of him and his heart stop beating. I was hysterical and sobbing uncontrollably, I ran outside the office and threw up on the sidewalk right after it happened. My mom was convinced he was still alive so she stayed in the room with him for another 18 minutes.

The whole experience has completely shook me to my core, I think i'm a different person now as a result, but I have to ask - when does it get better?
I know i'll never get over this but it's something I can't even accept yet. How does it get more tolerable? When does it get more tolerable?

I'm getting a tattoo designed that's going to be a tribute piece to him - a lotus with wind and his name in kanji in a scroll. I'm hoping that perhaps that will give me some closure but i'm just really torn on how to cope with this.

R.I.P little man

[b0ld]

:sad2: :( :cry:

Pets are family, So to lose a pet its only natural for your feelings the way they are right now. Time will heal your hurt, keep in mind that it was probably in the best interest to put him down if he was that sick and essentially it wasn't cureable. W

Stay in there!!

[Clayton.]

I went through the exact same thing with my dog Zach on friday august 3, i had him for almost 15 years which is most of my life. Saddest day of my life, it's gotten easier and i'm glad he's not in pain but thinking about it still makes a tear come to my eye and probably always will.

I kept his ashes and they sit beside me in my room with a picture and his leash. He always loved to be around me.

Really sorry for your loss.

I made this for my dog right after he passed away.:cry:

[stabmyhead]

This is really sad to read... I'm sincerely sorry for your loss. When there is so much love for a pet, it's only natural to hurt equally as much when they pass away. I still can't watch dog movies (like Fluke, All Dogs Go to Heaven, etc) without crying.

It's never about having to get over something like this. When my dog passed away, the most cruel thing for someone to say was just that, "Leslie, your dog is dead, get over it." It's more about taking all the experiences you had and learning from them. It's obvious that this cat was an amazing addition to your family and brought your family together a lot closer... despite how horrible this experience is, good can come out of it. It can motivate you, inspire you to create, you can start to re-evaluate your life, learn to appreciate, etc. Take care of yourself.

PS: I think the tattoo idea is great.

[dj outrayjus]

awee 5 years ago my kitty got really sick too...
poor little tiger got a blood clot in between her 2 back legs and couldnt walk very well... everytime she trid going somewhere she would meow such a sad little meow of pain and could only go a couple steps b4 having to stop... :( *bringing tears to my eyes*
we took her to the vet, we could have go ther meds and she would have lived for another month, but it would have been in pain and I couldnt do that to my kitty... we spent our last 20 mins together at the vet and then they took her away... :'(

[dj outrayjus]

but the good news is... it eventually DOES get better! Just keep in mind and appreciate the time you DID have with your kitty and how much you enjoyed and loved every minute of it :)

*edit*

and gettin a tattoo is So rad! good for you now ur kitty will be with you forever

[~lazee_grrl~]

my heart goes out to you lush and clayton...i've never had to put down any of my babies (yet)...but there was an accidental death with one of them a few years ago that still has my heart broken..the feeling never goes away because i miss my baby..but it has gotten easier to deal with it..so it does get easier..

lush..the tattoo idea is awesome..

clayton..the slideshow was beautiful..

[veN]

My family put down Bailie, our chocolate lab, in 1999. I remember being incredibly grief-stricken for a quite a while afterwards. It certainly does get less painful in terms of the intensity and frequency of sad spells, but it takes time. I still get misty sometimes when I see chocolate labs, especially females that are small in stature like Bailie was. But sometimes I feel really happy when I seem similar dogs, because I can totally relate to the joy the owner and dog I'm watching bring to each other.

A big hug to you when I see you next, my lovely friend. I hope that's soon.

[Lush]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and I'm very sorry to hear about your losses as well. It really is like losing part of your household, they are definitely family <3

Leslie, I absolutely agree this whole incident has really made me step back and put things in perspective. It's not that I was in the wrong direction before or anything but I think it's made me aware of the fragility of life and it's motivated me to be a kinder, more appreciative person.

[baby-phat]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss my dear. :( It's like losing a part of yourself almost. My condolences to you, and many hugs.


PS- Your tattoo idea is amazing. I attached a pic with the kanji symbol for angel (just in case you need/want it).

[Mangle]

That's just heartbreaking. I love my kitties sooooo much. I've seen a lot of them die in my life, and it never gets any easier. My deepest empathy.

[hardstylin]

yes it fucking sucks.

probly one of the worst calls you have to make :(

[Lush]

I had my first session today, my tattoo artist has his studio in this loft and his cat (who coincidentally resembled my cat)was there keeping me company while I got it done.

Here is a picture of the tattoo, there's still about an hour and a half to go (the inside is going to be shaded pink) but i'm really happy with the results thus far.

[veN]

Originally Posted by Lush

I had my first session today, my tattoo artist has his studio in this loft and his cat (who coincidentally resembled my cat)was there keeping me company while I got it done.

Here is a picture of the tattoo, there's still about an hour and a half to go (the inside is going to be shaded pink) but i'm really happy with the results thus far.

Shadi, it looks BEAUTIFUL. I can't wait to see it all done =)

[Lil Jenna]

I am so sorry for your loss...

I have yet to lose a pet, so Im unsure if it gets better. But if I did I would have to think about how they weren't pain anymore.

My heart goes out to you and your family.

[mojo]

Making the call to put down a pet is very hard. You want to end their suffering , but at the same time want to keep them around because of the impact they have had on you/still have on you. I had to do it with my dog, Rudy, about 2 years ago. I had him 15 years as well.
Sorry to hear about your loss.