end of the story
We went to the vet hospital at noon, and Katrine, having been rehydrated, was presenting in much better shape than she had been yesterday evening, though she was still clearly weak and low-energy. When they brought her into the room we were in, she immediately explored it a bit, drank some water, was affectionate -- we hadn't been with her for twenty seconds before I said, "We're taking her home and doing it there." If she had been in significant discomfort such that it would have been cruel to put it off at all, or if she'd been so out of it she didn't know where she was, we'd have done it there; but my vet does home visits, and I wanted that if possible, not an impersonal sterile examining room.
They offered us her next dose of painkiller to take with us and said it was due at 2:00, which was the time that my vet had said she could be at our house; so I had them give it to her right then, so that her pain wouldn't be increasing again by the time the end came. And then we took her home, and when we got inside she had another drink of water and then came over to the couch where we were. She usually spends every evening there with us, while we eat dinner and watch TV. She didn't look like she could jump up on it on her own, so I lifted her up, and she spent over an hour curled up between us, purring as we petted and brushed her.
It was absolutely the right decision to bring her home. I'm so glad we were able to.
And the vet and the tech were wonderful; they're warm and kind and the tech is going to be house- and cat-sitting for us when we go south for US Thanksgiving. And when it was all over Geoff and I both burst into tears, and they gave us all the time we needed, and then they wrapped her in baby blankets (the vet uses ones that she made for her own children decades ago) and took her away.
(Plus, where the vet hospital required a four-figure deposit up front against the bill I was running up, I now owe my own vet not just for today's housecall but also for yesterday's exam, when they told me, "Don't worry about the bill now, just take her straight to the hospital." I told them today, when things were over, that I'd come into the clinic tomorrow to settle up, and they were like, "Don't worry about it. Next week is fine. Take your time.")
We can't bury her in our yard, because the ground is so choked with tree roots that Geoff says it would take power tools to dig a grave; so we're going to scatter her ashes when we get them.
Thank you, everyone who commented and sent good thoughts. I really appreciate it. Although I was with a friend as her cat was put down (also at home) some years ago, this was the first time I've ever had to do this myself.
Now I have to try to do something constructive today, because I actually have a lot to do. My icon kitty is curled up on my desk as I type, occasionally butting in front of the keyboard to be petted. He's an only cat, now.
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They offered us her next dose of painkiller to take with us and said it was due at 2:00, which was the time that my vet had said she could be at our house; so I had them give it to her right then, so that her pain wouldn't be increasing again by the time the end came. And then we took her home, and when we got inside she had another drink of water and then came over to the couch where we were. She usually spends every evening there with us, while we eat dinner and watch TV. She didn't look like she could jump up on it on her own, so I lifted her up, and she spent over an hour curled up between us, purring as we petted and brushed her.
It was absolutely the right decision to bring her home. I'm so glad we were able to.
And the vet and the tech were wonderful; they're warm and kind and the tech is going to be house- and cat-sitting for us when we go south for US Thanksgiving. And when it was all over Geoff and I both burst into tears, and they gave us all the time we needed, and then they wrapped her in baby blankets (the vet uses ones that she made for her own children decades ago) and took her away.
(Plus, where the vet hospital required a four-figure deposit up front against the bill I was running up, I now owe my own vet not just for today's housecall but also for yesterday's exam, when they told me, "Don't worry about the bill now, just take her straight to the hospital." I told them today, when things were over, that I'd come into the clinic tomorrow to settle up, and they were like, "Don't worry about it. Next week is fine. Take your time.")
We can't bury her in our yard, because the ground is so choked with tree roots that Geoff says it would take power tools to dig a grave; so we're going to scatter her ashes when we get them.
Thank you, everyone who commented and sent good thoughts. I really appreciate it. Although I was with a friend as her cat was put down (also at home) some years ago, this was the first time I've ever had to do this myself.
Now I have to try to do something constructive today, because I actually have a lot to do. My icon kitty is curled up on my desk as I type, occasionally butting in front of the keyboard to be petted. He's an only cat, now.
read
comments | post a comment at Dreamwidth
How to use OpenID (optional unless you are commenting on a locked post)