Euthanasia- In what cases is it the best choice? Tips +Video and Photo

For many owners, pets become real family members.
But, unfortunately, their life is much shorter than that of a human, and owners sometimes have to make a difficult decision - should they euthanize a cat if it is sick and suffering, or allow it to live out its life? The concept of euthanasia. The term "put to sleep" can be used in two meanings.

In the first case, a medicated sleep is meant, into which the cat is immersed for any procedures, surgery, or to avoid stress during transportation. In this case, you can euthanize your pet yourself using sedatives such as Kot-bayun or Fitex. You can buy them at a pet store, where a sales consultant will tell you how to choose the right dosage of the drug. After drinking the required dose of sedative, the cat will settle down and fall asleep on its own.

If it is necessary to euthanize an animal for the purpose of medical intervention

... sedatives will not be enough; The veterinarian will put the cat under anesthesia using drugs that are not commercially available; they are available only to veterinary clinics with a special license.

The second, more common meaning of the expression “putting a cat to sleep” implies the euthanasia procedure. It is the intentional, deliberate taking of life to end suffering, carried out in a humane, painless manner.

Important! Only a qualified veterinarian can carry out such a procedure!

When is euthanasia the best choice?

The decision to terminate the life of a beloved pet is associated with great emotional stress and moral torment over the correctness of the decision being made. It is difficult for any owner to part with his pet, but sometimes the situation is so difficult that further delay in resolving this issue only brings suffering to the cat, and, possibly, a painful death in agony.

There are several cases when the issue of euthanasia is particularly acute:

Rabies is a disease that is fatal not only to animals, but also to humans. Euthanasia is necessary to prevent a terrible epidemic. This is the only case when the decision is made by the veterinarian; in other circumstances, the owner always has the final say.
Severe incurable diseases, which include trypanosomiasis, anthrax, foot and mouth disease, tuberculosis and others.
Oncological diseases.
Injuries incompatible with life.
Congenital pathologies incompatible with life.
This list does not mean that as soon as your cat is diagnosed with a malignant tumor or infectious disease, you will have to immediately think about euthanasia. With many diseases, with proper treatment and regular medication, an animal can live for several more years. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is visit a veterinarian, perhaps even several, to select the right treatment. No veterinarian will undertake to euthanize a cat that can be cured.

Criteria for decision

However, whether to euthanize a cat, even if it is terminally ill, is always decided by the owner. No matter how difficult it may be, you should approach this issue with a cool head and assess the pet’s condition according to the following criteria.

Is the cat capable of eating on its own and is the food absorbed by the body?

If an animal refuses to eat, it will most likely experience severe pain while eating. In older animals, teeth and joints often suffer. If a cat refuses to eat or all the food eaten is vomited, exhaustion of the body will inevitably lead to death.

An animal can be considered emaciated if it has no subcutaneous fat and even from a distance prominent ribs and spine are visible.

Does the cat come to the water bowl on its own?

Water is the most necessary element for the functioning of the body. Sick and elderly animals need more water than healthy ones, because it helps remove toxins from the body.

Attention! Be sure to place a bowl of water as close to the cat's bed as possible so that he can drink at any moment. By avoiding pain, animals can tolerate thirst, which puts even more stress on the body and can cause nausea and pain in the kidneys.

If, while moving, your cat experiences such severe pain that it refuses to even go near a bowl of water, it’s time to think about whether it’s humane to prolong the animal’s suffering.

Does the cat go to the litter box?

Cats are naturally very clean, and if they cannot control their bladder or suffer from constant diarrhea, the mental suffering from loss of dignity is added to the physical suffering.

In older animals, severe pain is often associated with arthritis, and climbing into a tray with high sides is not possible.

Advice. If your cat often walks past the litter box, try buying a different one with lower sides, and also discuss taking pain medications with your veterinarian.

Can a cat wash itself?

If your pet has an unpleasant odor and his fur looks dirty and matted, he needs your help. The cat needs to be scratched regularly, and the fur and anal area should be washed or wiped with wet wipes.

If the cat can no longer wash himself, there is a high probability that he is too exhausted and experiences pain during any body movement.

Does the cat experience pain when at rest?

This question should be decisive when deciding whether euthanasia is necessary or not. If the cat is rapidly losing weight, cannot drink or go to the litter box on its own; if you notice your pet's aggressive behavior when trying to touch it; if he constantly meows pitifully or screams loudly in pain; flattens his ears and beats his tail in an attack of muscle spasms - he is constantly haunted by pain. If an animal is constantly suffering, unable to even sleep peacefully, and this condition can no longer be changed, euthanasia will be a humane solution.

How to bury an animal legally

Call the vet

The death of an animal must be notified to a veterinarian within 24 hours. A specialist will examine the body and find out why the pet died.

The services of a veterinarian will also be needed if the animal has a miscarriage or a stillborn offspring is born. The incident may be associated with infections, so a visit to the doctor will help save the pet and legally dispose of the fetus or cubs.

Deliver the body to the crematorium

You can immediately call a veterinarian from a clinic that provides cremation services. In this case, the specialist himself will deliver the pet’s body to where it is needed.

If the veterinarian was from one service, and you plan to cremate the corpse from another, you may need a certificate in Form No. 4. It indicates the presence or absence of diseases in the animal.

You will have to look up the addresses and telephone numbers of crematoria on the Internet: there is no general database for such services.

The cost of cremation depends on the weight of the animal: the larger it is, the more expensive the procedure will be. Usually several bodies are burned in furnaces at the same time; for an individual version of the service you will have to pay extra. Upon request and for additional money, you can get a photo or video report - this will be useful for suspicious owners who doubt that the ashes in the urn are the ashes of their pet.

In case of a mass burning, the ashes can also be released, but the container will contain the remains of several animals.

Decide what to do with the ashes

There is no biological danger in this case, since the bacteria are destroyed by high temperature. An urn can, for example:

bury in a special pet cemetery, if there is one in the city;
rent a cell in a special columbarium;
store at home;
dispel in a place where the pet liked to frolic.

Preparation

Preparing to euthanize a beloved cat is solely necessary for the owner.

First, visit several veterinary clinics to make sure that your pet's condition will not get better. A good veterinarian will not undertake to euthanize a cat without good reason!

Afterwards, decide on the clinic where you will say goodbye to your pet. It will be better if the choice is made based on reviews from friends, since the procedure can only be performed by a qualified specialist in a clinic licensed for euthanasia. The veterinarian must tell you how and with what medications the procedure will be carried out; if this information is hidden, the veterinary clinic is likely violating established rules and your cat will not die quietly in his sleep, but will die painfully in agony.

Euthanasia procedure

Euthanasia of a cat is carried out in two stages. The first is direct euthanasia, immersing the animal in deep anesthesia. It is produced by the same drugs that are used for anesthesia during surgery - Torbugesic, Ketamine and other drugs of the barbiturate group. The difference is that with normal anesthesia, brain activity is only temporarily suppressed, but with euthanasia, the dose of the drug is so high that the consequences of severe brain depression are irreversible. In essence, this is the death of the animal.

At this stage, the owner makes sure that the cat is sound asleep and does not feel anything, says goodbye to his pet and leaves the clinic. The second injection will be given after 20 minutes and without witnesses, in order to avoid unpredictable reactions from the grief-stricken owners.

The second stage of euthanasia is an injection of a lethal dose of drugs such as Ditylin, Pentobarbital and others, which cause breathing and heartbeat to stop.

Then the veterinarian ascertains the death of the animal by listening to the heart with a phonendoscope; in exceptional cases, an ultrasound is performed.

Some clinics provide services for the disposal or cremation of animal bodies for a fee; this issue should be clarified in advance, since self-burial is prohibited due to the unsanitary nature of such actions.

What is euthanasia?

There are several ways to euthanize an animal, but medication is considered the most humane. All veterinary clinics located in the Russian Federation use only this technique. The process itself consists of the subsequent administration of drugs that have a strong effect intramuscularly or intravenously. At the first stage, the animal falls asleep, and then the respiratory and cardiac function ceases.

It is worth noting that it is recommended to entrust euthanasia to a professional veterinarian rather than trying to do it yourself. Trying to alleviate the suffering of a pet by an inept owner will only lead to more suffering.

There are two types of euthanasia - directly in the home or in a veterinary clinic. The first option has its positive sides. If a cat has a fatal, serious illness, then being in a familiar environment until the last minutes of life is much more beneficial than a stress-related trip to the veterinary clinic. The methods that a veterinarian invited to your home will use will be no different from those offered at the hospital.

If necessary, the specialist will give family members a certain amount of time to say goodbye to the pet, and only after that a drug will be administered to put the animal to sleep, and then medications to terminate the life. Owners can stay with their four-legged friend until the very end, but this is a personal decision for each individual.

A trip to the veterinary clinic also has its advantage; if the owners have a high level of receptivity and affection for the pet, then it is better to euthanize it outside the home. With this option, only good memories remain, and it is better to remember the animal forever full of strength and energy.

How to euthanize a cat at home

Now, knowing how the euthanasia procedure occurs, you can answer the question yourself - how to euthanize a cat at home yourself. The answer is simple: without causing the animal suffering - not at all. You simply won’t be able to find the drugs you need on sale, and replacing them with analogues can cause seizures, cerebral hemorrhage and other terrible consequences.

But sometimes euthanasia at home becomes the only option, the reasons may be different: the cat suffers greatly, and transportation will cause him even more pain; it is not possible to go to a veterinary clinic due to the long distance; I don’t want to disturb the animal, but give it the opportunity to die at home, in a calm and familiar environment. In this case, you can invite a veterinarian to your home.

The cost of euthanasia in a clinic can vary greatly in large and small cities; on average, it ranges from 1 to 2 thousand rubles. At home, the price of euthanizing a cat will increase by another thousand rubles. Only the clinic will be able to answer exactly how much it costs to cremate a body, because the price range is very large - from 1 to 4 thousand.

Each scenario has two sides: you should refuse euthanasia at home if children can become witnesses or you yourself are very impressionable, and it will be difficult for you to remember the death of a pet in your home.

Why is it forbidden to bury animals?

For the owners, the deceased Sharik or Murka are practically family members, and for the state this is biological waste. Veterinary and sanitary rules for the collection, disposal and destruction of biological waste.
Moreover, it makes no difference which animal died and what size: both a hamster and a horse are equal before the law. Federal Law of December 27, 2018 No. 498-FZ “On the responsible treatment of animals and on amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation.” A pet's body is a potential source of danger, especially if it has died from an illness. So there is a downside to a romantic funeral under a rose bush or in a forest belt. Pathogenic bacteria and toxic substances that are produced when a corpse decomposes can enter groundwater and lead to infection of people and other animals. It is possible that the body will become food for a stray or wild animal, which will spread the infection further.

Therefore, it is strictly prohibited:

Bury the animal's corpse in the ground. But there are exceptions: this can be done in the event of a mass death due to a natural disaster, as well as when the body cannot be moved to a crematorium or biothermal pit, but only with the permission of the chief veterinary inspector of the region.
Dispose of the body in a garbage container or landfill.
Throw remains into bodies of water.

Improper disposal of biological waste is punishable, but, of course, only if a violation of the law is recorded. For individuals, the fine is the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Article 10.8. Violation of veterinary and sanitary rules for the transportation, movement or slaughter of animals or rules for the procurement, processing, storage or sale of animal products - 4-5 thousand rubles.

Pet cemeteries with fences and signs are most often illegal. When discovered, they are usually liquidated. In Kurgan, a spontaneous pet cemetery was liquidated, and using methods far from sentimental: the corpses are burned, and ritual paraphernalia are sent to a landfill. There is another option: urns with animal ashes are buried in the cemetery. In this case, everything is legal, but only if the site is registered by an organization for these purposes.

Religion and euthanasia

Believers will definitely ask themselves the question: Is it a sin to put a cat to sleep? Regarding the euthanasia of people, the answer of religion is unequivocal - this is murder, which means it is a sin. With animals, not everything is so simple; it will be better if you consult your confessor and be calm about the correctness of the decision made.

In Christianity, killing an animal is not considered a sin because animals do not have souls. Another important thing is for what purpose you are committing euthanasia. If out of your own whim, or to save yourself from the difficulties of caring for a sick animal; or if you are tired of the cat; or he is aggressive or marking territory - undoubtedly, the Church will consider your action a sin. But if euthanasia is an act of mercy, relief from suffering, then your soul can rest assured that you did the right thing.

Anyone, even the most persistent person, will torment himself with the question: has he taken on too much? Have you appointed yourself the arbiter of destinies? You need to understand that you gave your four-legged friend all your love, and did not commit murder, but saved him from fading away in terrible pain.

When should cats be euthanized?

If you love cats deeply, your mind and heart won't agree that your cat's time in this world is almost over. But if you want your cat to die peacefully, then it is up to you that whenever you see your cat who is no longer enjoying his life and is suffering from anxiety, pain or any illness, first take your cat to the vet. He will clearly tell you whether the time has come or not.

Chemicals that can put a cat to sleep without the help of a veterinarian

Aspirin : Cats are very sensitive to certain chemicals, and aspirin is one of them. Cats' bodies do not synthesize as quickly as the human body, and they do not have the digestive ability to dissolve it in their bodies. Overdosing cats with aspirin is one of the most painless ways to put your loving cat to sleep for life. 2 to three doses of aspirin will lull them to sleep peacefully, and 4 to 5 doses of aspirin will lull them to sleep quickly.
Insulin : Although insulin is considered a life-saving medicine for many patients with diabetes, you can easily bring insulin from the pharmacy. But large amounts of insulin can put your cat to sleep for life by lowering blood glucose levels. You can inject a cat with a large dose of insulin, and within 10 minutes it will lead to comma and, ultimately, a peaceful and painless death.
Sleeping pills : Sleeping pills are one of the most effective methods of putting cats to sleep. There are so many sleeping pills available in the market and the government has allowed people to use these chemicals to put their pets to sleep. These medications can be administered to pets or administered orally. In both cases, in order for a cat to fall asleep painlessly, you only need 5-10 mints.