How to Comfort a Dying Cat - Preparing for Your Cat’s Death

1. Talk with your veterinarian about euthanasia. While you are making the best of the time you have left with your dying cat, you will also need to prepare for the realities of her eventual death. By no means is this easy, but it is something you must do. Talking with your veterinarian will help you handle and organize this difficult preparation.
- Euthanasia is a painless and humane way of ending your cat’s life. To perform euthanasia, your veterinarian would administer an overdose of an anesthetic drug.[39] After a few seconds, your cat would slip peacefully into unconsciousness and eventually stop breathing.[40]
- Do not feel ashamed or guilty about thinking or talking about euthanasia. Many pet owners struggle with the idea of putting their pets to sleep.
- Your veterinarian can help you sort out your emotions and questions regarding euthanasia.

2. Decide when the time is right for euthanasia. After talking with your veterinarian, it is up to you to decide when the time has come to have your cat euthanized. It may be helpful to look for clinical signs that your cat is clearly suffering: hiding, sleeping more, wasting away, and either withdrawing from human contact or being overly clingy.[41]
- Ask yourself this question: ‘Am I keeping my cat alive for myself or for my cat?’[42] How you answer that question will help you decide when the time is right to euthanize her.
- If your cat is truly suffering, despite your best efforts to make her comfortable, then it may be time to have her euthanized.
- Come up with a plan for when it is "the right time". Your veterinarian can help you to come up with a written plan to help you know when the time for euthanasia is. This can be very helpful:
 - It uses your vet's knowledge on the progression of your animal's disease (if any) that will alert you to symptoms that indicate pain or suffering, or not.
 - It helps eliminates arguments among families, roommates, or other multiple owners.
 - Making big decisions with big emotions is hard, and having a plan done at a more neutral time can help take the emotions out of the equation.
- It can also help to either observe or keep a written record of your cat’s daily activities. When you notice that she’s having more bad days than good days, it’s probably time to start thinking about euthanasia.[43]
- When you have made the difficult decision to euthanize your cat, promptly call your veterinarian to schedule the appointment.[44] Delaying the process will only make it more difficult for you, and may prolong your cat’s discomfort.
- Some veterinarians will offer to perform the euthanasia at the owner’s home. Ask your veterinarian if he or she offers this service. If not, then schedule the euthanasia at a time when the veterinarian clinic is quiet—usually the early morning or late evening.[45]

3. Make plans for what do with your cat’s remains. As if the decision to euthanize your cat was not hard enough, you also need to think about what do with your cat’s remains. You have the options of burying your cat at a pet cemetery or having her remains cremated.[46] Do not feel pressured to choose one option or the other—decide what you are most comfortable with.
- Your veterinarian can give you information about pet cremation and burial services.