Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's time for kitty to cross the rainbow bridge. He is ancient and suffering. Let him end his wonderful life as pain free as you can. I'm sorry for you loss. Losing a pet is so sad, but what I find much more heartbreaking is when people refuse to let a dying pet go and make them suffer because it's "too hard" to end their suffering.

Some of us find it more difficult to justify interfering with the natural process. If that animal was in the wild, that animal would be living. Human beings have designed many conveniences with the justification of “it’s good for them”: crating puppies, sleep training babies, putting old animals down… It’s a gray area and I am convinced that we do these more for our own convenience then lie to ourselves that it’s best for all. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

In your hypothetical wild animals scenario, it would not live very long. Vultures circling. Hard to find water and food.

Also, animals can’t talk. Thy can’t say how much pain their are in. They mask it so well.

Because of this it is not cruel to put them down.

Ways we interfere with "the natural process":

Having domesticated animals to begin with
Feeding them
Playing with them
Taking them to the vet

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's time for kitty to cross the rainbow bridge. He is ancient and suffering. Let him end his wonderful life as pain free as you can. I'm sorry for you loss. Losing a pet is so sad, but what I find much more heartbreaking is when people refuse to let a dying pet go and make them suffer because it's "too hard" to end their suffering.

Some of us find it more difficult to justify interfering with the natural process. If that animal was in the wild, that animal would be living. Human beings have designed many conveniences with the justification of “it’s good for them”: crating puppies, sleep training babies, putting old animals down… It’s a gray area and I am convinced that we do these more for our own convenience then lie to ourselves that it’s best for all. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

In your hypothetical wild animals scenario, it would not live very long. Vultures circling. Hard to find water and food.

Also, animals can’t talk. Thy can’t say how much pain their are in. They mask it so well.

Because of this it is not cruel to put them down.

Anonymous wrote:The odds are the cat will not pass peacefully. They rarely suddenly die, it is a longer process over several days/weeks. The poor thing will be dying and of course the pet sitter won't want to tell you to put it out of its misery so the kitty will suffer.

Exactly this.
--Krazy Kat Lady

Anonymous wrote:I think it sounds like he is suffering and you should probably do the brave thing and have him put to sleep.

This is what I would do. Poor kitty is at the end of his life.

I’d put your cat down in this situation. I was a live-in cat sitter for an old cat and a few days into my stay, the cat became sick. I ended up taking her to the vet and she had a UTI and almost died - they treated her but it was traumatic for everyone and mostly the cat. She survived it but just barely and didn’t live much longer after that.

The odds are the cat will not pass peacefully. They rarely suddenly die, it is a longer process over several days/weeks. The poor thing will be dying and of course the pet sitter won't want to tell you to put it out of its misery so the kitty will suffer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you find a cat sitter who’d stay in your home? At least this way the cat wouldn’t be alone?

+1. That is what we do with our elderly dog. It helps that we have a nice home and most pet sitters want to stay in a beautiful space for free (and be paid on top of that). It’s a good gig.

Staying in a nice home makes up for the stress and responsibility of taking care of someone' s dying dog? an elderly dog, fine but not one that is in end stages. That is most definitely not a good gig.

How do you know someone is “dying”? It might be tomorrow, it might be in a year. Old animals sleep a lot and are generally gentle, sweet and mellow.
A nice home sure is a good gig if your are poor, which is what most of the dog sitters I know are. It’s like staying in a 5-star hotel and getting paid for it.

Anonymous wrote:It's time for kitty to cross the rainbow bridge. He is ancient and suffering. Let him end his wonderful life as pain free as you can. I'm sorry for you loss. Losing a pet is so sad, but what I find much more heartbreaking is when people refuse to let a dying pet go and make them suffer because it's "too hard" to end their suffering.

Some of us find it more difficult to justify interfering with the natural process. If that animal was in the wild, that animal would be living. Human beings have designed many conveniences with the justification of “it’s good for them”: crating puppies, sleep training babies, putting old animals down… It’s a gray area and I am convinced that we do these more for our own convenience then lie to ourselves that it’s best for all. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

I have a type I diabetic dog and he has semi-regular bouts of runny poop from pancreatitis flairs. The flairs can happen when he eats fatty foods or is stressed. He was abandoned by his first family when he was diagnosed so he stresses whenever we leave despite having the most wonderful dog sitter for him. He's fine, he survives. Been 4 years since his diagnosis and he's still happy with life. If that's your cat, you may be overly nervous about leaving and everything will be fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you find a cat sitter who’d stay in your home? At least this way the cat wouldn’t be alone?

+1. That is what we do with our elderly dog. It helps that we have a nice home and most pet sitters want to stay in a beautiful space for free (and be paid on top of that). It’s a good gig.

Staying in a nice home makes up for the stress and responsibility of taking care of someone' s dying dog? an elderly dog, fine but not one that is in end stages. That is most definitely not a good gig.

Anonymous wrote:His kidney are probably done for. I think it’s painful too.

Euthanize. He had an awesome life I bet.

-1. Sometimes that’s the right answer, but sometimes it is people’s easy way out. The cat is old and inconvenient, so let’s just kill him off.

Anonymous wrote:Can you find a cat sitter who’d stay in your home? At least this way the cat wouldn’t be alone?

+1. That is what we do with our elderly dog. It helps that we have a nice home and most pet sitters want to stay in a beautiful space for free (and be paid on top of that). It’s a good gig.

I am a total Krazy Kat Lady and I agree--give him an awesome weekend and be with him as you put him down. (Yes, stay in the room.)

Your vet will likely agree and usually they can fit a euthanasia appt in. It doesn't usually take long and his prognosis is poor.

His kidney are probably done for. I think it’s painful too.

Euthanize. He had an awesome life I bet.

OP if the cat sitter can't come more times a day then hire a second one to fill in the gaps so there are more check ups on the kitty. I would cancel the teenager but still pay them (at least half) because it might be traumatizing for them to be the one to find your cat if it dies while you are gone. The cat sitters know this is part of their responsibility and what they are getting paid for. Maybe you can even set up for the cat sitters to facetime you when they are there so you can check on the cat's condition yourself.

Sorry all these bad situations are piling up for you OP. Best of luck with your travel and visiting your family.