Why is it so hard to say good bye to a pet?

[thorrocks1]

I just returned home from the vet and my almost 9 year old cat is very sick.

We had an ultrasound done today and JJ's prognosis isn't good. He has cancer in his liver and his kidneys are in bad shape. He isn't drinking much so he is dehydrated .. but has started eating again which is a good thing .. I guess.

We are going to try some medication for a week to see if it will boost his liver a bit .. this might give us a few months .. if it doesn't work we will need to make some decisions next week.

DH and I have already decided that we can not let JJ suffer .. we have watched too many people wait until the last possible minute to put their animals down and I can't do that to any of my pets.

I guess the hardest thing for me is this is the first pet that I have had as an adult that I will be loosing ... he is my boy and I have such an awesome connection w/ him .. he sleeps above my head every night and I will miss waking up w/ his paw in my face.

we have 2 other cats and 2 dogs (one is 15 1/2 .. so we will be having to deal with her in the near future as well) .. but there is just something different about him ..

I am just so sad :sad:

[Jessi]

I am sorry to hear this. It is hard to lose a pet because you get so attached to them esp. if you have had them for years! They become apart of your family and you. I will say a prayer for you and your cat.

[meems]

I'm so sorry...they really are like our children..but the joy of having them in our lives outweighs the pain of losing them..

[manders13]

Oh man :( i was REALLY hoping it wasn't something serious :( It's so hard, but i'll pray that the meds work hun! If you need to talk, i'm here for you!!!

[Mothernature]

{{{hugs}}} You've had so much on your plate lately.

I am so sorry.

[greenrays]

That just sucks.

[kval07]

Oh no. I'm so sorry. I totally agree with meems.

[cpaige]

I'm with meems as well. Our pets are our children. Complete unconditional love that can't be duplicated. I completely understand what you mean about him being your first pet as an adult! My Stealy Mae is mine, and she will be 12 on Valentines Day! My heart goes out to you!!!!

[sawlac]

I hope the meds help JJ. I'm going through a similar thing with my 15 year old cat who's kidneys are failing. You just have to do what you think is best for JJ.

[shelleyf]

I am so sorry about your pet. I will pray. I totally understand the pain of losing a pet. I still miss my cocker spaniel from when I was 20 years old. The pain does get lessened but never totally goes away if you are close to them which you are. My dog cried when I cried. I just lost my dog Sweetie on January 20,2010. I had to make the awful choice of putting her down. She was 13 1/2 years old and all of a sudden stopped eating, I had to try to force her to eat. She started crying and I knew I had to get her checked. I didn't have the money so I prayed. I called the humane society and they paid for her to go to the animal hospital. I could have let her suffer but I chose to relieve her of her pain. I bawled my eyes out and told my sweet dog that I loved her and that her daddy(my husband) and the kids loved her. She looked at me with tears in her eyes like she understood. I actually watched her go and seeing the pain leave her face instantly made me feel like I did the right thing even though it is so sad. They said she was just dying from old age and had a tumor but the tumor wasn't the problem. I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers.