- Joined
- May 14, 2019
Your cat sounds like it’s probably not enjoying life much as is. Unlike us, animals live entirely in present. I agree with Richard Adams (I’ll dig up the relevant quote later) that they probably suffer more than we do because of that: can’t rationalize, can’t think ahead. Cats like running around and jumping as much as they do sleeping. Cats are sanitary. Arthritis and pissing uncontrollably have to be a real hardship on it.
I won’t say you should put the cat down now, because I don’t know and can’t know, but I think that at this point it’s more about you than the cat. Cat had a rather long life and is in its late elderly stage. It’s probably time to make peace with the idea - try to get what love you can in so you don’t feel lost when it comes - but make plans to put it out of its misery.
For reference, I’ve had three (family) dogs that all died in old age, two on their own and one by being put down.
If you have it put down, stay in the room with it and ask to be allowed to pet it/hold it while doing so. Some people cowardly abandon their animals. That’s going to make its last moments confusing and scary and you don’t have the right to do that.
Wait a long enough time to feel respectful and get a pair of kittens (preferably from the same litter), or a pound/other needy cat.
I feel bad for you as my cat dying (old age or accident) is basically my top fear behind my parents dying.
Edit: Part of living in the present is not having much value for the future. A human can regret the idea of losing its life, even if it is temporarily miserable, or even if it expects to stay miserable because it has something to its existence beyond living day-to-day. I don't think we can be callous in taking an animal's life on that reasoning - you wouldn't kill a healthy dog or cat, for the hell of it, for no constructive purpose like meat/leather - but unlike the human, that you'll battle to keep alive, at any cost, up until the moment they decide "no", when the old or terminally sick animal no longer enjoys being here it has finished its purpose.
Again, my focus would be on the idea of making peace with it. My parents put my dog down when I was away (rather selfishly/imperiously, they did it before telling me) but the idea of killing her had been raised quite a while before and I agreed. It was actually them that drug their feet on it (and were mopey/morose about it for long after). I had pretty much grieved the dog already before she was put down. That was a lot easier since I rarely saw her at that point, but you may see where my thought process is. The cat is already at a stage of life where it's dying in slow motion. Your decision to put it down on one day or another doesn't do anything for the cat. It's when you can put the cat down - without dragging it out cruelly - and still have fully accepted the necessity in a way that you can feel like you're doing a good thing instead of going to it reluctantly.
I won’t say you should put the cat down now, because I don’t know and can’t know, but I think that at this point it’s more about you than the cat. Cat had a rather long life and is in its late elderly stage. It’s probably time to make peace with the idea - try to get what love you can in so you don’t feel lost when it comes - but make plans to put it out of its misery.
For reference, I’ve had three (family) dogs that all died in old age, two on their own and one by being put down.
If you have it put down, stay in the room with it and ask to be allowed to pet it/hold it while doing so. Some people cowardly abandon their animals. That’s going to make its last moments confusing and scary and you don’t have the right to do that.
Wait a long enough time to feel respectful and get a pair of kittens (preferably from the same litter), or a pound/other needy cat.
I feel bad for you as my cat dying (old age or accident) is basically my top fear behind my parents dying.
Edit: Part of living in the present is not having much value for the future. A human can regret the idea of losing its life, even if it is temporarily miserable, or even if it expects to stay miserable because it has something to its existence beyond living day-to-day. I don't think we can be callous in taking an animal's life on that reasoning - you wouldn't kill a healthy dog or cat, for the hell of it, for no constructive purpose like meat/leather - but unlike the human, that you'll battle to keep alive, at any cost, up until the moment they decide "no", when the old or terminally sick animal no longer enjoys being here it has finished its purpose.
Again, my focus would be on the idea of making peace with it. My parents put my dog down when I was away (rather selfishly/imperiously, they did it before telling me) but the idea of killing her had been raised quite a while before and I agreed. It was actually them that drug their feet on it (and were mopey/morose about it for long after). I had pretty much grieved the dog already before she was put down. That was a lot easier since I rarely saw her at that point, but you may see where my thought process is. The cat is already at a stage of life where it's dying in slow motion. Your decision to put it down on one day or another doesn't do anything for the cat. It's when you can put the cat down - without dragging it out cruelly - and still have fully accepted the necessity in a way that you can feel like you're doing a good thing instead of going to it reluctantly.
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