Have you ever had to say goodbye to a pet?

[Signomi]

This morning my cat was put down.

She was 22 years old and we discovered that she had a large intestinal tumour that would've required some major surgery. Unfortunately she was too old for that to commence and was already quite frail.

When I was in that room with her at the vet, my boyfriend laid her on his lap. He was crying and shaking as she was given the injection and eventually laid motionless.

Today we're grieving over the loss of our beautiful cat. Most people would say it was just an animal but that really isn't the case. She was family and we had so many precious moments spent with her.

I'm hoping other people will understand how I feel right now.

Have you guys ever had to say goodbye to a pet?

 

[Nah]

It wasn't that long ago that we put down our dog (was in April). She was about 13 years old (and she spent almost her entire life with us). Roughly a year ago her back legs started to basically not work so good, and it kept deteriorating to the point where it was literally impossible for her to get up or even just stand for more than a couple of minutes on her own. It also seemed that maybe she was experiencing some pain, and so we decided it was time.

 

[Astinus]

Over the years, I've had to say goodbye to a lot of pets. In total: 2 dogs, 3 cats, 6 fish, 6 hamsters, and 1 snail. It's the unfortunate curse of living in a house full of pets.

Most recently, back in March, my mother's cat died. She was 19 years old, and her body just gave out on her. She died at home, which is exactly what my mother wanted for her: to die in the comfort of her own place. A few days after that, my last hamster died.

The pet I had the hardest time saying goodbye to was my first cat. This cat was the first pet that was ever actually mine. She died of cancer at the age of 13, back in 2011. To this day I miss her, even though I now have two cats. But even though I might get new pets, they never "replace" who I lost. And another way I honor my first cat's memory is to donate to the pet cancer fund every year in her name.

While it hurts to say goodbye to pets, I'd rather have them around for a year or 20 years than to not know them at all.

 

[Margot]

I give everyone in this thread hugs because it's such a hard thing to do.

My childhood dog passed away at age 14 when I was 13 years-old. She was old and sick and it was her time. I still have dreams about her sometimes, she was such a lovely dog and I miss her.

He didn't die, but my cat of 3 years will be moving out with my now ex-boyfriend this Saturday and my heart is breaking over it. He's been my little buddy ever since we brought him here and has been my fluffy little ball of sunshine everyday. The apartment is going to be terribly lonely without him.

Saying goodbye to a pet is terribly hard :(

 

[Bay]

I've lost several pets and yeah very sad each time that happens. The last pet I lost, my cat, got sick and passed away soon after. My family and I couldn't afford a vet visit, so it died already very young.

 

[TogeKisser]

My first pet. Enok. I was 12 years old and i had him for 2 months. I loved that bird like it was myself. i cleaned his entire cage everyday. i changed his food three times a day. i changed his water 3 times a day. and he was barely ever in his cage because i would spend most of my day playing with him and teaching him tricks. he was a very happy bird. Then one day when i returned from school. my mom and stepdad taught me the harshest lesson iv'e ever learned. i could take humiliation. i could take pain. but this was beyond pain. they had cut off Enoks wings. they even had proof. they said it was for my own good, and that i was getting too attached to him. after i threatened suicide, they sent me to a mental hosptal, where i was broken into an emotionless, shell, bent on revenge. i promised myself, if i ever saw them again, i would murder them. now i live with my dad, and stepmom. they both get drunk regularly, and are slightly mean to me, but i can handle them.

I miss Enok. I dream about him sometimes. I just wished i could have said goodbye. now i have 2 new birds named Thunder and Lightning. I love them, but not as much as I loved my very first pet. I feel your pain over the loss of your family member.

 

[DatLuxrayDoe]

Indeed I have lost a great deal of family members (pets, yes I call them family members because they are), but it is a pain that doesn't compare to others. Of course, the pain of actually losing someone genetically related to you is far worse, but let's stick to the topic here.

Not long ago, I lost a beloved feline friend of mine, good ol' Cole. It seems that life decided to cut short for him and I had to bury him later that day. The one thing that is for certain though, is that as you get closer to your pet, the harder it becomes to deal with it and the more it starts to eat away at you.

I can still recall the day I lost my kitten (all thanks to some kind of infection in the lungs) Nightmare (great name for a cat, I know)... Nightmare and me spent an obnoxious amount of time together. Whenever I would go to sleep, Nightmare to firmly plant herself onto my chest, curl up into a ball, and purr away ever so softly. About a year down the road (Obviously she wouldn't be a kitten anymore, but was the size of one), she suddenly fell ill and despite the doctors recommendation and examination, nothing was found to be the cause of the problem, so they simply gave her some generic antibiotics and well... that didn't do a thing.

In the end, I had to have her put down cause it was either her dying in my floor from whatever sickness had stricken her or dying peacefully at the office. Of course, I chose the latter... but even so... it is something I'll never forget.

And now I need to wipe my tears... so yeah, I feel your pain and I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Arsenic]

I lost my cat JJ over a year ago now. I still don't know what killed him but he would just throw up whatever he ate and eventually stopped eating at all. Had to start dissolving his food in water and forcing him to drink it. I still remember I left him in the care of some family members while I had to go visit other family and he already was a skeleton a the time. I got back and he was barley breathing so I curled up with him till he passed away. I was super depressed for a few months after...

It's terrible not having money for the vet...

I adopted two kittens from a shelter though when I was coming out of my depression. That turned out to be too much so I put one up for adoption again and found her a great home. Now I just have my cat Tiny Tim (who has a club foot) and I love him very much. He's a lot more lovey than my other cat, who I still get bummed when thinking about.

 

[blue]

Last year my cat of 14 years had to be put down and then just three weeks ago my cat of 16 years had to be put down. It's a little strange to not have cats around after having them for so long, but I'm gradually adjusting.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

Yes. I had to say goodbye to our previous cat. He was put down because he went into a diabetic coma. There was no hope for him either, so we had no choice. It sucks because he was such a unique cat. :c

 

[Corrin]

Oh many times, I've had many pets through my life
Most recent was my cat in 2008, she was 21 and we had to put her down, she was very ill.

 

[Zodkiel]

Oh many times have I had to say goodbye to a pet. Not always did I actually get the opportunity to. Living on a farm for most of my life, quite a few of my pets were killed by things like wolves and coyotes. And many had to be put down for some reason or another. Of all the animals I had die, there was 1 horse, 9 cats, 6 dogs, and a couple birds. In fact, just about a month ago, one of my cats was attacked and killed by something that I assume to be a raccoon or something passing through the area.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

A few times, yeah. The most recent pet I had to say goodbye to was my cat of 8 years. It was a bit harder of a goodbye than usual because I never actually got to say a final goodbye. He was kind of sickly one day and we took him to the vet to learn that he had cancer. We had made an appointment to have him put down the next day because my brother wanted to come home and say goodbye before we did it. At some point during the night before he was scheduled to be put down he apparently slipped out the backdoor and we found him dead underneath one of our cars. I was a bit relieved that he got to go naturally where he felt comfortable dying but I would have liked to have given him one last hug haha.

 

[Lapis]

Several times. Probably the memory that is most clear to me is not having a pet be put down but taken away. A few years ago my mom found out she was pregnant (at the age of 41). In response to it, she got rid of our pets to protect the new baby. I had to say goodbye to my puppy. I haven't had a pet since. Very depressing. :/

 

[Flower]

Three times, yeah. Thursday, July 25 2013 (think this was around 10 PM, since it was really dark out and mom was watering the flowers), my mother's cat Papa ended up getting out. While he was my mom's cat, he was just like a family member and well, we never saw him again. He was such a great cat and I just can't forget how he was so lovey with us and stuff. =(

The other one was when my dad left. He took his cat Mama (who is still alive and well, very lovey cat and I go over and see her from time to time. She's old-ish but she'll be kicking for a long time since she's a healthy Russian Blue), my cat Baby (read below), and his dog Riddick. One of his crazy exes stole Riddick, who used to be the family pug. He went blind. And then after, Riddick was stolen again from said crazy ex and he hasn't been seen since. Really miss that crazy ol' pug.

The last one happened only last year in September. At my father's house someone carelessly opened the door, and... well, my cat (who lived with my father) Baby got out. She was out for five days, nobody could find her. She ended up eating some bad stuff and even though she was fine at first when we found her, she ended up getting really sick a few weeks later (late September, we couldn't even get to the vet's office in time due to lack of gas money and their distance from us) and in about a few days' time she wasn't with us anymore, passed away in her sleep. It really sucks when these kinds of things happen and I couldn't even see her before my dad lay her to rest beside the shed and buried her, couldn't bear it. Miss the poor thing =[

Really hurts to say goodbye to a pet whether it's them going away or them passing on.

 

[Thepokefansophia]

No I have never had to say goodbye to a pet before.
But the thought of my dogs dying is so heart-breaking to me. I love my dogs and they`re a massive part of my life but I know the day will come and I had my dogs for ten years now and I know they are getting older and are having more health problems now. My boxer has problems with walking so he has to be really careful.

 

[Overlord Drakow]

Once. But this is because we were moving country. Regardless, I was quite sad because although our cat was weary of humans (several occasions she scratched me but I think this is because her previous owners were cruel to her), she was still fun to play with. This was a long time ago though, I said my goodbye when I was 13 or something.

 

[Her]

the most notable experience was when my previous dog had a stroke one night in 2008 (or early 2009, idr) and then seemingly was fine the next day, though we all knew his time was limited by the fact that he barely moved during that day and rejected all offerings of water or food. we called a vet but they said it sounded like he was simply giving up and euthanising him would be a needless expense. it would best to let it happen naturally since he wasn't in immediate, identifiable pain. when i had to find him the morning after that, it turned out he had gone down to the backyard in order to die like dogs do, which i knew was the case before i even saw him as he always slept in my room until that night. cue me crying and trying to carry him back to his usual sleeping place because i didn't want him lying in a cold muddy area :/ i had experienced death before but it sucked a million times worse this time around bc unlike a relatively unknown grandmother or what not, he was the same age as me at the time and i had never known life without him lmao :/

but what always makes me laugh about this story was that marley & me dropped a week later in theatres, featuring the exact breed of dog that my one was and my dumb ass thought it was going to be a fun movie that ended happily

NOPE

 

[Dedenne1]

The most recent experience was this year in around the end of january.

7 years ago when i was like 10ish or perhaps 9 i found a baby squirrel in my yard and the day before a squirrel had been found dead in our street. So i did whatever logical 9 year old (or 10 year old) would do and bring it to my mom. She googled all the methods to get the parents to come back to the baby but they didnt come despite our efforts. So we called organizations asking for help and there really wasnt one around us willing to take him. So we took him in. My mother got a license to hold him and we bought a small bunny cage for him and fed him lettuces, vegetables, fruits and nuts. We brought him into the vet for a couple years and we had to get his teeth trimmed regularly since he never learned how to file them down himself. This continued up till he was about 6 years old (well over the average life of a squirrel). When he was 6 he began to have a decline in appetite and when we brought him to the vet it was discovered he had an infection in his upper gums. So we went in and out of the vet for a couple months for checkups on the infection as we snuck antibiotics and medications into his food. Eventually we learned the infection would not be able to leave his system and would have to be stopped from spreading unless we removed it physically. So in 2015 we brought him to an exotic specialist and he got his upper teeth removed while he was unconscious. After about 3 days he was released back to us and after some coaxing he began to eat normal again (as long as the food was crushed or pureed). This was also about the time he decided to get picky and only eat organic food and such haha. So time went on but then as 2016 neared he began to have issues breathing. One night he went limp in my mothers arms and we rushed him to the hospital. They couldnt figure out much except that he would need emergency oxygen and that his nasal cavity seemed to be blocked. So we bought an oxygen tank for emergencies and he got a new medication to go in his food that would hopefully be able to clear out some of the blockage in his nose. All was good for another month or so but he went out again and once again we rushed him in. He stayed in the vets care for 3 days in a oxygen cage thing that was able to regulate temperature and give him fresh oxygen. This all costed plenty but i wouldnt take any of it back. On the last day of his trip to the doctor all seemed better. He was eating good drinking well and his breathing seemed normal. So as I was watching him (there was always somene with him from 8am to 11pm so i never went to school during this time) he seemed to struggle alittle and begin to jump around all over the cage. He began seizing at around 9pm that night and then again at 940 something and then finally at 10:13pm. During the last seizure he began to throw up and choke on it. The vets tried to do everything they could for him as his heart stopped beating. I wont go into extreme detail here but then and several days later he was buried in a wooden coffin with a squirrel etched tombstone.

I'm sorry for the sad story but that was his life & my life

 

[sCam]

Our parrot flew away while my mother put her on the gate while she was cleaning the yard. I didn't get to tell Laura good bye, but god I miss her. y u leave us for laura ;-;