How do I deal with the guilt of putting my cat to sleep even though it was time?

He was in pain...I miss him terribly and feel so guilty.

Get a dog.

Sadly, death is a natural part of life, and what you did was unavoidable. It had to be done eventually, and its important to realize the cat might have been in serious pain if you hadn't.

Don't worry or feel guilty. I too had to put a dog to sleep and it was very hard. But he was in too much pain due to a brain tumor. He could no longer walk, eat, nothing! I had to drag him around. It killed me more to see him in pain, so I had no choice. Don't feel guilty, ok. You did the best thing for your baby.

He or she was just a cat, we all lose things or people we love but we move on.

get over it ,, guilt trips are from the devil .. its best to be merciful then for an animal to suffer in pain . mj

You shouldn't feel bad. Think of it like this, he lived a nice life filled with friendship and love, thats alot more than most animals can say!

he will now be in cat heaven, every time you think of him, he will be near you and he will be so gratefull for all the effort you put in to making his life a good one.

remember the good times together, and know you did the right thing. it took a LOT of love to help him out of his pain. you thought of him, and not yourself. that is something to be proud of, not guilty of.

You feel you did the wrong thing sparing him from further suffering? You did what any loving owner should do-put his need before your own.I know you miss him and that takes time to heal, but please feel no guilt-you did the absolutely right thing. He is in kitty heaven, pain free and chasing birds, with my old friend Charlie.

Yeah, good luck with that. I went through the same thing with my cat, had to put her to sleep. I felt as if I betrayed her, but, also had to remind myself that she would have lived a life of misery and pain and I didn't want for her to have to suffer like that. The pain dims after time, but I still think about her from time to time. There may be a support group out there that can help you, check with your local SPCA.

Just remember him, and all the times you had together. You helped him. And you should try to think about him as he was. He will always be in your heart.

don't even think about it. if u cant, go outside and give some charity.u will feel better

I had to put one of my cats to sleep last summer. It's just never easy. You are not only dealing with the loss, but also feeling remorse for being "the one" who made the decision. Let yourself grieve the loss of your friend without beating yourself up for the decision you made. Chances are, you made the decision to put him to sleep to save him from being in agony - not out a sense of malice or wanting to get rid of a burden. It sounds like you really loved him and you just need to let yourself be sad for awhile. Grieving for a lost pet is not weird or stupid, it's natural and healthy. I'm sorry for your loss.

And you will miss him terribly for a while yet. And one day, when the pain of that has eased off, you may be able to tell yourself that you did the best you possibly could. Cats are amazing animals. Do you imagine that he didn't understand your love for him?I too had this situation. Mine was loopy and old, not in pain, but a risk to herself. I carried that guilt for 3 years. It would take too long to explain what happened then, but I was given a gift that made me see that It was okay. I didn't do it out of malice, but out of love and that matters.Hoping you find peace.Cheers.

at least he's not in pain anymore. it's better that way. a friend of mine had to put his dog to sleep. it's always the best option if your animal is in pain. think of it this way..your cat is in cat heaven. i know it's not much but things will get better. good luck!

First of all, I'm sosorry you are going through this. Having 3 cats now and having had up to 7 at a time I know what you are going through. You have to remember, you did what was best for him, and he is grateful for that even though you might not believe that now. You would want someone to do what is best for you if you couldn't make that choice and that is what you did. Keep your chin up and remember that you made the right choice, I truly believe that. It will get easier and you will remember him for the good times. You won't feel like this 4ever. Try to have a nice day....Scott

Cry! Let the sorrow out. Picture your cat happy and healthy in your mind enjoying itself. Strange as that sounds, wish it well. The pain eases with time, only with time, and years from now you will still recall and feel a twinge. You may also feel your cat now and again, strange as 'that' sounds. I believe it is the cat's soul letting you know it is alright and has forgiven you. Chaise jumps on my bed some nights. I feel it, hear it, but he has been gone a long time now.

I feel for you. The first dog I owned that was just mine (not the wonderful family dog we had growing up) is still the love of my life. I only had her a little over 10 years and she was so strong and the vet and I thought so healthy. Turns out there was a massive tumor pressing against her heart and lungs. I nearly died when I heard the diagnosis of why my beautiful baby girl was having such trouble breathing and did not feel well. I asked about surgery and when I hear the odds and the recovery time and how much time that would buy her, I could NOT put her through all that when if she pulled through she'd be in constant pain until she died a few months later. I had to make the decision and I still have agony over it and the date of her death was 13 June 2001. Clearly I am NOT going to "get over it."I do not even know if I did the right thing, because she seemed to know what was happening and seemed somewhat confused. However, I can look God in the eye and say, "I am sorry if I should not have done it, but I only wanted to save her the agony I knew was coming. If there was one microscopic particle of me that didn't love her totally, I AM damned already." I know I can say that and be confident that I only had love for my sweet girl. I spent a huge portion of what I make in a year in that last week trying to get her well. I have her ashes in my computer room where I spend most of my conscious time in life. She is on my mind and in my heart every second of every day.She was a jealous dog--never wanted ME to touch another dog or even acknowledge its existence. My parents live with me and she wasn't too concerned about their playing with other dogs, but she owned me and knew it. However, though I barely slept for days after her death--hard to sleep with a broken heart and soul and crying out more than you drink--I had this strong feeling that she wanted me to get another dog. Not a replacement. That is impossible. She also did not replace the beautiful soul I'd known as our first dog. I talked to my father (by then my mother had died) and he agreed to another dog, but was shocked I would get one when he'd never seen anyone grieve like I did.I followed what I felt my girl wanted. I went to the shelter on 21 June and we looked at the dogs. It was horrid. All I could was think of how many healthy dogs would be euthanized. I kept asking volunteers, "Are you familiar with the dogs?" None were. We took one out to visit with that my Dad took a fance to. Very standoffish dog. Not right. Finally THE volunteer I needed came in and I told her what I needed: a dog that was relatively young because I can't handle losing them. A dog that could be loved on constantly and it would be nice if he'd return some affection.She said I wanted a "mooshy" dog and I said yes. She said, "I have THE dog for you." She brought us a German Shepherd mix we'd both noticed and in a few minutes it was a done deal. Poor Max has had a tough row to hoe--he couldn't understand why I kept crying so hard. But he is "mooshy" and we do love each other (and he's crazy about Dad who is crazy about him) and I know my beloved set this in motion.I miss her daily and still feel a degree of guilt (anyone who thinks the power of death is godlike and APPROPRIATE for humans is wrong or twisted. To end the life, even for the good of that loved one, is a horrid pain.) I know I did what had to be done. If I'd woken up to find she'd died I would still be devastated. Death is painful.I still talk about my Tina. Sometimes I dream about her. I have her pictures. I also think about Princess, our family dog growing up, and I miss her every day. That is 30 years and 6.5 months ago that I lost saw her (my mother had her put down shortly after my brother and I left for college. Princess was very ill. I think we were probably cruel to keep her alive so long as we did considering how sick she was, but we just couldn't part with her. We even wanted to take her to college with us.)At some point, you have to remember the joy they brought and make their deaths a small part of the memory of them. You have to know that you would have done anything for the loved one--and you did. At times I wish I'd just gotten her pain meds and let her pass peacefully. Somehow that idea is NEVER presented by anyone when you're in total distress.I guess we just have to realize we ended the dying process, we didn't end their living. I am so sorry for your loss.

I did not feel guilty at all when I had my cat Friski put to sleep. She was 18 or 19 years old at the time and was getting sluggish. She had a love of laying on the tops of car tires or huddle up close to them. One night my now X boyfriend were going to the store late at night. When we pulled out I felt a bump. I didn't think much about it as it didn't feel odd and there are always bumps. My X then looked in his rear-view mirror and got a look of horrof on his face. I turned back to see the cat I'd had since I was seve years old, laying in the gutter, writhing in agony. It still to this day give me chills and shudders to think of that image. There was little blood but I knew it was over. Her hind quarters had been crush, probably driving bone into her vital organs. If nothing else, she would be paralyzed for life. It took me a long while to get someone to take me to have her put down. It was late at night so we had to go to a special vet fairly far from us. The ride there was awful and I was just about to lose it. I had her on my lap in a shallow box and wrapped in a towel. Occasionally she would struggle very hard. She was purring...I knew this time her purr meant she was in pain. My X wasn't helpful as every time she struggled he would say, "She's going into death throes!!!"We finally made it to the vet and I said a quick good bye. I was devastated. And the way it came for her in such a violent way made it all the worse. Not to mention my being a passenger in the car that did the deed and feeling that "bump". You just have to know you did the right thing. Quality of life is what it's all about. Living in an endless world of pain and decline is not quality of life. It's torture. Here is a resource that might help:http://www.petloss.com/I hope you find some comfort.