Put them to sleep, your cats are too old!

[Darth Penguin]

My cats are , in human years, 18 and 19.

The older one is a Calio female who is rather fluffy and this hides the fact she is losing weight. She also has a touch of arthritis.

The male is 18 and starting to lose his sight.

Apart from that , both are in good health and are happy enough just wandering round the house. I have been resigned that sooner or later they are both going to die.

One of my neighbours noticed that they hadn't spent as much time outside this summer/autumn.....and gave me her vet's phone number and told me to get them put to sleep as they are now too old!

I'm totally p!$$ed off with this as both cats are in general healthy. They have no problems eating, thier teeth are still healthy. They can get up and down stairs fine.And seem happy to sleep in the sun or on one of the hot air vents.

I don't want to be rude as I barely know this woman.
But telling some-one to put her pets down is ....inapprioate? Or am I just denying the facts? The cats had their annual exam nearly 2 months ago and the vet didn't have any concerns.

see last post...

[nanoush]

I'm with you on that. They are part of your family and I don't think you should put them down just because they are getting old. As long as their quality of life is not affected, I would keep them...

[Sally888]

I would of given her Dr Korvorkian's phone number and tell her she needs to be put to sleep!

18 and 19, isn't a bad cat age.

[marstec]

I wonder if the neighbor's children will have the same view when the neighbor get old?

Seriously, it sounds like the woman has a case of Foot in Mouth Disease, unfortunately there is no cure.

[Chantel]

If that was me, I'd say "Oh, how old are your parents?" and then tell her that's too old, they're not the spring chickens they used to be, and tell her she might consider having them put down.

After the inevitable shocked face, I'd tell her to get a hobby and spend more time doing that and less time analyzing the length of time my pets spend outdoors.

My cat is like my child, I would freak if somebody said that to me. It is absolutely not rude at all to fire off a response like the one I posted, IMO. Some people need to be made to think about what they're saying. The woman obviously cannot make the connection on her own that to you your pets are like people.

[TaniaD]

If your vet thought they were healthy 2 months ago, go by what they said! The neighbour obviously has no clue what's going with your animals. I would be really pissed too!

[snow00774]

WTF? Wow, kinda surprised this lady has a vet as I can't imagine she's had a pet?? If they are not seriously declining and having no quality of life issues then why on earth would you do such a thing?? Be pissed. And pity the neighbour AND any pets she may have.

[DaveP]

If your cats aren't suffering there is no reason to put them down. I would just have said 'remind me never to grant you power of attorney', smiled and walked away.

[matrix82]

I like DaveP's answer .

[Darth Penguin]

Thank you, my lords, ladies and gentlemen.

I was totally thrown by her attitude and was so glad I didn't have one of our children with me..... 13..too old...should be put down!

They are both slowing down and this summer they just sat around the patio and deck during the day and wanted to be in at nights. When in previous years I was lucky to see them for more than 5 mins ..

If they had a serious medical problem, then I'd make sure they wouldn't be suffering but while they still have a good quality of life, I want them to be part of the family.


DH and I have talked to our children (DDs 13 &10, DS 7) about the differences in pet's life spans and humans..which lead to the replacement pet talk..so far we are up to 3 puppies, many kittens, snakes, ponies and a kangeroo...

Most of those suggestions will not be honoured!

[Judstir]

What an awful thing to say to a pet owner. Just consider where the talk came from and avoid her if you can. I also like DaveP's comment. Enjoy your fur-babies for as long as they are not suffering and able to walk around. Your Vet will let you know if he thinks it's time.

[gameprogirl]

Is this your neighbour by chance?

[Kyriakos]

Why would your neighbour say that???!!

Both of my dogs are also old, the smaller is 15 and the larger is 10. The smaller one is blind in one eye, half blind in the other, and almost deaf lol The older dog has just become incontinent (now that is hard to deal with!!).

But they still have a lot of life left in them!!!!!!

You will know when the time is right. It's normal for animals to lose a bit of weight as they get older, but don't let them suffer once the time comes...

[Brandy Hunter]

My dog is young with a long list of health issues and he's still here! If anything it's Sparky before your cats!

We did have to put our bunny down in march, because of a severe lung infection, but she was old for a bunny (and had her own health -lol, and mental- issues)

[abbasgirl]

I'm sure she meant well even if she is misguided, so it probably isn't worth getting really mad about.
The only time I've ever put a cat down was when it was suffering (beyond the normal aches and pains of old age.) I think the best thing for a cat when it's time for him to go is to be in his own peaceful and familiar environment. Going to the vet is traumatic for a cat at the best of times. I wouldn't want to put an older cat through that unless it was necessary.