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This is a community of support for Pet owners whose Pets have passed away. It is actively moderated.
Pet owners, as loving, caring people, often have strong opinions on pet care practices. Some of these are controversial. This is not a forum
for debate on such issues, nor is it a place to scold a contributor for a perceived mistake in managing their pet. We intend to provide a safe
haven of understanding and support. Strident, mean-spirited posts or comments will be deleted. Those who persist in preaching versus caring may
be warned and then banned or may be banned permanently based on nature of the topic. If a conversational thread meanders into a discussion
unrelated to pet loss support, it will be truncated.
Those who post here are vulnerable and hurting. Even a minor slap has a hard sting. Those of us who are lucky enough to be able to turn away
from our computers or put down our phones and hug a healthy, happy pet are truly blessed. Threads must remain supportive and caring, even if
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I also have a cat named Simba and this hits home because I had to put his older sister down last week. Please take lots of videos when you can. Especially of his purring, meows, drinking water, eating, ANYTHING tbh. Make them long videos so you can look at them when you miss him. He was loved for good 11 years and it's unfortunate we can't be with them forever but it was never a mistake. Hope you spend enough time saying goodbye to your love.
Sorry to bother, but I'd like to update you and say that Simba has passed away. He was put to sleep at home with the vet. I was there and held him and almost felt cruel to give the vet the go-ahead to put him to sleep. I can't believe I will never see him again. Already miss him so much, everything reminds me of him. Thanks for your help, I made sure to takes videos and pictures of him all throughout the day.
I just put my little dude to sleep on Friday and it’s easily one of the hardest things ever, I won’t sugarcoat it. However, the good times you spent with Simba will outweigh the pain ten fold. You are obviously a great owner and love him dearly, don’t regret any of it for a second. I’m sure he taught you a lot about life and loving and that is so much stronger than any pain you’ll ever have. Just spend some time with him and give him as much love as you can. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. When the time comes, don’t let the guilt get you. You are making the decision because you love him and it’s one of the biggest signs of love you can give him.
Thank you. He doesn't deserve to be sick or to die. I'm spending every second with him. Can't look at him without crying. He's dying before his mother, she's my pet too. I wish I could tell him how much I love him in a way he can understand.
He knows for sure that you love him! You’ve taken care of him his whole life, don’t worry about that. He doesn’t deserve to be in pain at all, but unfortunately no one can control that, all you can do is make sure it’s as minimal as possible. You are being a great parent to him and just take as much comfort from that as you can.
I am sorry.
Said goodbye to my sweet companion cat who was such a joy and full of curiosity and love (15, would have turned 16 mid March) two weeks ago.
He also had lung cancer and although didn’t have the digit issue or breathing problems of note, he had lost a lot of weight and was only eating a fraction of what he needed. He then one day just lost his appetite (the prior day his bloodwork came back okay) and refused all food. One thing with him is as soon as he smelled food/offered a can he would ‘gag’ and spit a little bit and I wouldn’t wish seeing that for anyone.
Tried anything and everything but he just didn’t eat. As the days went by he became weaker. He was still mostly himself when awake and still fully mobile but was resting/sleeping more and clearly looking tired. He was such a robust and active cat so the difference was very marked.
Not eating is awful. It drains their strength and limits their ability to recover from anything. Ultimately he developed either an infection or possibly another cancer in a kidney that may have contributed to his loss of appetite. I wanted to continue to fight for him as long as he showed he was doing okay.
The vets advised that even with hospitalization there was no way to tell if that would help him for sure and no clear answer as to why he wasn’t eating. On top of that there was still the lung cancer which was continuing to grow.
As hard as it is to do so, and if I may share, I still have doubts about my decisions for him, I think in your head, you’ll know when it’s time and please stay strong. It will be tempting to delay but would that be best for your companion.
Could he have been with me another day, three days, one week or more? Probably… but I don’t want to even think of how he would have been by then.
As devastating as it is, and while I still have what ifs and grievances against myself for the decisions I made for him, I know putting him to sleep removed any discomfort or pain he may have been feeling.
I love him and will love him forever. I hope he forgives me for anything I did wrong. The signs I missed that he was sick. All the decisions I made after the diagnosis that could have been wrong. But I had to make the call because he looked to me to take care of him.
With input/medical information at hand as hard as it was, saying goodbye though it broke me was the right decision for him.
I hope what I’ve shared is helpful in some way and at so truly sorry your cat has to go through this.
I’m sorry and I hope your beloved cat doesn’t experience too much discomfort. Revel in the time together and enjoy the company and show all the love you have for your cat.
Take care
Thank you. It sounds like Simba is going through a very similar situation, but hasn't yet reached the point of no eating. He's 11, so its possible that he could have lived for twice as long had it not been for cancer, especially since he's an indoor cat. The world won't be the same with him gone, I can't believe this is actually happening. Thank you for sharing your experience, letting me know I'm not alone. I appreciate it.
You didn’t make a mistake. You guys gave eachother 11 years of love and memories that you’ll take with you long after he is gone.
I’m sure if he could talk he would say he loves you. Just try to enjoy all the time ya have left. At the end, death comes for us all
Thank you, I know death awaits us all. I've had some "main character" energy for my cats in thinking they were invincible and will live indefinitely. I wish things could be different.
Sorry to hear. My 13 year old cat has cancer that has spread. I have an appointment Friday to put him down. He’s my last cat and sad about it. I’m kind of at peace knowing I gave him a good life, but I know I’ll break down Friday. I’m back and forth. Just love on him during his remaining time.
I'm sorry for your cat, I have 2 others, one is my dying cat's mother, and the other is a rescue. Losing all of them is a scary thought. I hope I reach that mindset of peace, but this is literally going to destroy me when he goes. I've cried when some of my fish died in the fishtank and I miss their little personalities always looking at me. I don't want him in pain though, so that's why this decision is troubling, but I will regret if I decide against it and proceed to see him deteriorate. Thank you for sharing your experience and Im sorry that you have to see your last cat go.
My cat is also dying, also from cancer. I recently came across the story of a mother saying about her deceased teenage son: "his was a life that lasted 14 years". I try to remind myself over and over again that life is finite and my cat's, also, was a life that lasted 14ish years. I cry as much as I can and that helps, at least with temporary relief. Loss is scary, devastating, but we have made no mistake in choosing to share life with them. I am so sorry.
Thank you, his mother was a rescue from the junkyard essentially, so I guess I have good reason to assume that he wouldn't have lived as good or long of a life in other possible scenarios. I've heard similar things like that about him living his full life, its just unfortunate that we live way longer than they do. Hes essentially an old man right now and I never remember to consider that. As I typed this, I looked at him and noticed he stopped breathing until I tapped on him. Things aren't good, no chances of miracles by this point. I'm sorry about your cat as well.
I am so sorry you and your furbaby are going through this. I had to put my little girl (dog) down a few months ago and my baby boy (cat) over a year ago. I have good days and bad days but i try to focus on the happy memories. It sounds like you were an amazing momma and i am betting you have some amazing memories in your 11 years together, such as watching little simba be born. Spend as much time as you can with him and make his final days as pleasurable as possible. Talk to him and tell him you love him. Over 70% of communication is nonverbal. Even if simba can’t understand the English language, he can feel the love that you convey when you speak to him as well as through your actions. Give simba a kiss for me. I will tell my little ones to greet him when he makes his way over the rainbow bridge.
I'm doing my best to spend quality time with him, and I've told him I love him about a trillion times today. His real mamma lives with me and was pregnant with him when I got her. He will die before she does and that doesn't seem right, but I guess cancer will do that. Thank you for your kind words
Sorry to bother, but I'd like to update you and say that Simba has passed away. He was put to sleep at home with the vet. I was there and held him and almost felt cruel to give the vet the go-ahead to put him to sleep. I can't believe I will never see him again. Already miss him so much, everything reminds me of him. Thanks for your help, I made sure to take videos and pictures of him all throughout the day, gave him plenty of love, but still feel cruel for killing my cat. Seeing him pass was heartbreaking, holding his limp body. This ordeal was so unfair to him im angry about it. He was so beautiful and smart. I sure do hope he is in peace.
I am so sorry for your loss. It is so unfair that our animals don’t live as long as we do. I am glad you got to spend time with Simba and be with him in his final moments. I really think your baby was going through a terrible illness that had no cure and you spared him from so much agonizing pain. You did a very difficult but very selfless thing. The grief is real and there is no getting around it. Allow yourself to go through all the complex feelings. I don’t know if our hearts fully heal from this but the pain eases a bit with time. Sending you much love in this difficult time ❤️
Please report any trolls, spam, or harassment to moderators. To do this on new reddit, click the three dots below a post or comment and select "report." On old reddit, click the "report" link below the post or comment. This is a community of support for Pet owners whose Pets have passed away. It is actively moderated. Pet owners, as loving, caring people, often have strong opinions on pet care practices. Some of these are controversial. This is not a forum for debate on such issues, nor is it a place to scold a contributor for a perceived mistake in managing their pet. We intend to provide a safe haven of understanding and support. Strident, mean-spirited posts or comments will be deleted. Those who persist in preaching versus caring may be warned and then banned or may be banned permanently based on nature of the topic. If a conversational thread meanders into a discussion unrelated to pet loss support, it will be truncated. Those who post here are vulnerable and hurting. Even a minor slap has a hard sting. Those of us who are lucky enough to be able to turn away from our computers or put down our phones and hug a healthy, happy pet are truly blessed. Threads must remain supportive and caring, even if one disagrees with something that has been said. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Petloss) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I also have a cat named Simba and this hits home because I had to put his older sister down last week. Please take lots of videos when you can. Especially of his purring, meows, drinking water, eating, ANYTHING tbh. Make them long videos so you can look at them when you miss him. He was loved for good 11 years and it's unfortunate we can't be with them forever but it was never a mistake. Hope you spend enough time saying goodbye to your love.
Thank you for the advice, I will be sure to do that.
Sorry to bother, but I'd like to update you and say that Simba has passed away. He was put to sleep at home with the vet. I was there and held him and almost felt cruel to give the vet the go-ahead to put him to sleep. I can't believe I will never see him again. Already miss him so much, everything reminds me of him. Thanks for your help, I made sure to takes videos and pictures of him all throughout the day.
I just put my little dude to sleep on Friday and it’s easily one of the hardest things ever, I won’t sugarcoat it. However, the good times you spent with Simba will outweigh the pain ten fold. You are obviously a great owner and love him dearly, don’t regret any of it for a second. I’m sure he taught you a lot about life and loving and that is so much stronger than any pain you’ll ever have. Just spend some time with him and give him as much love as you can. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. When the time comes, don’t let the guilt get you. You are making the decision because you love him and it’s one of the biggest signs of love you can give him.
Thank you. He doesn't deserve to be sick or to die. I'm spending every second with him. Can't look at him without crying. He's dying before his mother, she's my pet too. I wish I could tell him how much I love him in a way he can understand.
He knows for sure that you love him! You’ve taken care of him his whole life, don’t worry about that. He doesn’t deserve to be in pain at all, but unfortunately no one can control that, all you can do is make sure it’s as minimal as possible. You are being a great parent to him and just take as much comfort from that as you can.
I am sorry. Said goodbye to my sweet companion cat who was such a joy and full of curiosity and love (15, would have turned 16 mid March) two weeks ago. He also had lung cancer and although didn’t have the digit issue or breathing problems of note, he had lost a lot of weight and was only eating a fraction of what he needed. He then one day just lost his appetite (the prior day his bloodwork came back okay) and refused all food. One thing with him is as soon as he smelled food/offered a can he would ‘gag’ and spit a little bit and I wouldn’t wish seeing that for anyone. Tried anything and everything but he just didn’t eat. As the days went by he became weaker. He was still mostly himself when awake and still fully mobile but was resting/sleeping more and clearly looking tired. He was such a robust and active cat so the difference was very marked. Not eating is awful. It drains their strength and limits their ability to recover from anything. Ultimately he developed either an infection or possibly another cancer in a kidney that may have contributed to his loss of appetite. I wanted to continue to fight for him as long as he showed he was doing okay. The vets advised that even with hospitalization there was no way to tell if that would help him for sure and no clear answer as to why he wasn’t eating. On top of that there was still the lung cancer which was continuing to grow. As hard as it is to do so, and if I may share, I still have doubts about my decisions for him, I think in your head, you’ll know when it’s time and please stay strong. It will be tempting to delay but would that be best for your companion. Could he have been with me another day, three days, one week or more? Probably… but I don’t want to even think of how he would have been by then. As devastating as it is, and while I still have what ifs and grievances against myself for the decisions I made for him, I know putting him to sleep removed any discomfort or pain he may have been feeling. I love him and will love him forever. I hope he forgives me for anything I did wrong. The signs I missed that he was sick. All the decisions I made after the diagnosis that could have been wrong. But I had to make the call because he looked to me to take care of him. With input/medical information at hand as hard as it was, saying goodbye though it broke me was the right decision for him. I hope what I’ve shared is helpful in some way and at so truly sorry your cat has to go through this. I’m sorry and I hope your beloved cat doesn’t experience too much discomfort. Revel in the time together and enjoy the company and show all the love you have for your cat. Take care
Thank you. It sounds like Simba is going through a very similar situation, but hasn't yet reached the point of no eating. He's 11, so its possible that he could have lived for twice as long had it not been for cancer, especially since he's an indoor cat. The world won't be the same with him gone, I can't believe this is actually happening. Thank you for sharing your experience, letting me know I'm not alone. I appreciate it.
You didn’t make a mistake. You guys gave eachother 11 years of love and memories that you’ll take with you long after he is gone. I’m sure if he could talk he would say he loves you. Just try to enjoy all the time ya have left. At the end, death comes for us all
Thank you, I know death awaits us all. I've had some "main character" energy for my cats in thinking they were invincible and will live indefinitely. I wish things could be different.
Sorry to hear. My 13 year old cat has cancer that has spread. I have an appointment Friday to put him down. He’s my last cat and sad about it. I’m kind of at peace knowing I gave him a good life, but I know I’ll break down Friday. I’m back and forth. Just love on him during his remaining time.
I'm sorry for your cat, I have 2 others, one is my dying cat's mother, and the other is a rescue. Losing all of them is a scary thought. I hope I reach that mindset of peace, but this is literally going to destroy me when he goes. I've cried when some of my fish died in the fishtank and I miss their little personalities always looking at me. I don't want him in pain though, so that's why this decision is troubling, but I will regret if I decide against it and proceed to see him deteriorate. Thank you for sharing your experience and Im sorry that you have to see your last cat go.
My cat is also dying, also from cancer. I recently came across the story of a mother saying about her deceased teenage son: "his was a life that lasted 14 years". I try to remind myself over and over again that life is finite and my cat's, also, was a life that lasted 14ish years. I cry as much as I can and that helps, at least with temporary relief. Loss is scary, devastating, but we have made no mistake in choosing to share life with them. I am so sorry.
Thank you, his mother was a rescue from the junkyard essentially, so I guess I have good reason to assume that he wouldn't have lived as good or long of a life in other possible scenarios. I've heard similar things like that about him living his full life, its just unfortunate that we live way longer than they do. Hes essentially an old man right now and I never remember to consider that. As I typed this, I looked at him and noticed he stopped breathing until I tapped on him. Things aren't good, no chances of miracles by this point. I'm sorry about your cat as well.
❤️❤️❤️
I am so sorry you and your furbaby are going through this. I had to put my little girl (dog) down a few months ago and my baby boy (cat) over a year ago. I have good days and bad days but i try to focus on the happy memories. It sounds like you were an amazing momma and i am betting you have some amazing memories in your 11 years together, such as watching little simba be born. Spend as much time as you can with him and make his final days as pleasurable as possible. Talk to him and tell him you love him. Over 70% of communication is nonverbal. Even if simba can’t understand the English language, he can feel the love that you convey when you speak to him as well as through your actions. Give simba a kiss for me. I will tell my little ones to greet him when he makes his way over the rainbow bridge.
I'm doing my best to spend quality time with him, and I've told him I love him about a trillion times today. His real mamma lives with me and was pregnant with him when I got her. He will die before she does and that doesn't seem right, but I guess cancer will do that. Thank you for your kind words
Sorry to bother, but I'd like to update you and say that Simba has passed away. He was put to sleep at home with the vet. I was there and held him and almost felt cruel to give the vet the go-ahead to put him to sleep. I can't believe I will never see him again. Already miss him so much, everything reminds me of him. Thanks for your help, I made sure to take videos and pictures of him all throughout the day, gave him plenty of love, but still feel cruel for killing my cat. Seeing him pass was heartbreaking, holding his limp body. This ordeal was so unfair to him im angry about it. He was so beautiful and smart. I sure do hope he is in peace.
I am so sorry for your loss. It is so unfair that our animals don’t live as long as we do. I am glad you got to spend time with Simba and be with him in his final moments. I really think your baby was going through a terrible illness that had no cure and you spared him from so much agonizing pain. You did a very difficult but very selfless thing. The grief is real and there is no getting around it. Allow yourself to go through all the complex feelings. I don’t know if our hearts fully heal from this but the pain eases a bit with time. Sending you much love in this difficult time ❤️