What do you say when...

[greencat]

you have decided to put your pet to "Sleep?"  I have 19 years old cat who has lost his control to use litter box.  My children are 9 and 7 years old., so, they know what it means to take the cat to a vet to get him euthanized.  I had other cat who was also about 19years old (in human year) that past at home last summer.  My kids saw how I took care of him as he deteriorated over a week, and finally died in my arms in early morning.  The kids saw him after he died, to say the final good bye.  My husband buried him in our garden, and planning to make a stepping stone as his grave marking.  I am in a conflict to take a life of this cat with my decision, and not let him die naturally at home, like I did with the other one.  What would you say to your child/ren, if you were in my shoes?

Thanks for reading,

greencat

[HollyBearsMom]

I am so sorry about your cat.

We told our son (8 at the time) the truth.  That our beloved lab was in pain, that he could no longer walk or support himself. That he could no longer do the things he loved to do. That he counted on us to protect him and love him and sometimes that means taking all that pain away.

We all gathered around him and said our goodbyes. We took final photos of our son and our lab together and then my husband drove him to the vet.

It was really really hard! 

One word of caution- we never used the words "put to sleep". My nephew FREAKED out when he went in to have his tonsils/adenoids removed because he heard the anesthesiologist say he was getting medicine that would put him to sleep.  They had two dog put done over the previous year. The poor kid thought he was never going to wake up and kept saying "but I am not old! Its only my tonsils, you said I would be fine!". They had to reschedule the surgery because he became so hysterical.

[greencat]

Thank you for your reply.  And, I will be careful about using the word "Sleep" to children.  I can understand a child getting confused with anesthesia.

Pet is part of your family.  However, unlike your human family member, we have the right to terminate the life of your pet.  If your pet is in pain, I won't think twice about it.  Well, my old cat is very old, but eats well and not sick.  He just can not use litter while we are not home or gone to sleep.  There's usually a poop or two on the floor in the morning or when we come back home everyday.  He's starting to pee in different area in the house as well.  He is causing damages to our house and becoming an inconvenient.  And, that is the disturbing part.  I don't think it is a good enough reason to euthanize a pet when it becomes inconvenient.  My husband thinks it is justifiable.  The cat had long (too long) good life...