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Put yourself in your cat's paws and consider
things from the its viewpoint:
 Is his quality of life now reduced so much
that he is no longer happy?
Is he so old and frail that life is a burden to
it, not a joy?
Is he distressed and there is no way of
relieving its distress?
Is he suffering incurable pain or discomfort
which cannot be alleviated by drugs?
Has he been severely injured with no hope of
recovery?
Does he have an progressive or age-related
condition which can no longer be alleviated or
managed?
Has he reached the final stages of a terminal
illness?
Have degenerative change made him
behaviorally
unsafe to himself and/or his owners?
The bottom line is: Is this any life for my much loved pet, or
is it merely an existence?
Cats live for the here and now. What matters to
a cat is the current quality of life not its life
expectancy - cats have little concept of future
time. An illness may be temporarily treatable, but
ultimately reaches a point when the cat no longer
enjoys life. He is visibly distressed, withdrawn
or incontinent. Having seen him when he is happy
and healthy, you will recognize when he is
miserable. A caring owner understands their final
duty towards their cat is to prevent further
suffering by procuring a swift, painless release
from life. Sometimes, a terminally ill or injured
cat is given life-prolonging treatment because the
owner cannot yet come to terms with its condition.
It is hard to come to terms with mortality in
general.
Modern drugs are extremely fast-acting and the
end is very peaceful compared to the distressing
later stages of a terminal illness or age-related
illness. Your vet administers an overdose of
anesthetic by injection and the cat falls into a
painless and final sleep. If, during its life,
your cat has been a cherished member of your
family, this is the last, and often most
compassionate, duty you can perform for him.
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