How long can we hold off euthanizing our cat?

Question

Before you say something about being inhumane, please hear out our situation:

My cat was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma about 2 months ago. The doctors could not say how much longer she would live, either a few weeks or a few months. They prescribed some pain medication recently to prepare for the inevitable. In the past week her condition has been worsening: she has gone blind, she moves less, sleeps a lot more, and stumbles sometimes if she is walking; we are not sure if that is due to the cancer, the pain medication that we are regularly giving, or the blindness.

We are ready to take her to be put to sleep, but one problem remains: This is my sister's cat of 15 years, but my sister is currently studying abroad, and won't be home for another week. My sister cannot come earlier because of final tests taking place in those 7 days. To my sister she means everything, and of course she wants to be there when we put her down. Our family all fears that 7 days may be too long, but we are having a very difficult time in deciding if we need to do this now or wait just a little longer.

I know this sounds like a selfish decision, and actually my sister says if we need to do it without her, we should do it ASAP. But if there is a chance to hold out, how would we be able to tell? Our cat still eats and drinks every few hours, and besides the problems described above, gives no obvious signs of pain (probably expected since we are giving her doses of medication).

If anyone with experience in this can weigh in, we would really appreciate it.

Answer 1

You are trying to balance the cat's pain on the one hand versus your sister's distress if this happens before she can get there. You can talk with your sister to gauge the latter, but you can't ask the cat how much pain she's in, nor ask her for an opinion.

While it's impossible to judge these things over the Internet (and I am not a vet), you seem to be describing a situation that is under control. In particular, the cat is still eating and drinking; from personal experience, once they stop doing that you're in trouble, but you're not there yet.

You need to discuss this with your vet, who is probably the only one who can assess the cat's level of pain and discomfort for you. I trust that you're also giving the cat plenty of TLC -- holding, petting, and the like.

I was overseas when my 19-year-old cat's heart condition took a big turn for the worse. I was already boarding him at the vet's (due to him needing medicine that needed ongoing adjustment) and I was in daily contact with my vet, trying to figure out what was best for him and me, desperately wanting him to hang on a little longer and questioning whether I was putting him through pain on my account. This was very stressful for me, but the regular updates made a big difference (and I knew the cat was in good hands). It might be good for your sister to talk with the vet directly, in addition to talking with you about what the vet said. Ultimately she should be part of the decision.

Answer 2

This is probably the most difficult decision anyone with a pet can make.

In general, while the cat is still eating and drinking and not showing any signs of pain, I'd suggest holding off, particularly since your sister will be back in a week. In the meantime, you certainly want to keep your sister updated by talking to her every day.

If you can video chat with your sister, I'd suggest doing that so she can see the cat for herself - put the computer on speaker so the cat can see and hear her, since cats will often bond strongly to one person.

As Monica said, your sister needs to be part of the decision no matter which way it goes.