Medical condition in cats... please look... - Page 3

quizicalkat · #21 (**permalink**) 24-06-2008, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shell195

In your cats situation you made the right decision but its not always the case.None of us are saying that mildly brain damaged cats should be killed. Its just people need to be brave enough to make the right decision if things dont turn out as expected. In glad your little cat is well and happy

trust me, if she hadn't made such big improvements she'd be sleeping on that big couch in the sky - but sometimes there is a fine line between what is ok and what isn't. which is why I wanted to introduce Wobble into the equation.

feorag · #22 (**permalink**) 24-06-2008, 07:40 PM

As I've just said - sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but they all deserve that chancem it's knowing when to give up and accept defeat for the animal's sake.

vetdebbie · #23 (**permalink**) 25-06-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwoman

Don't see the connection here. Humans are not cats. Humans would have appliances to help them, medical care, round the clock carers and however miserable thier lives were and however much they wanted to die, they would be kept alive because they are humans.
Without starting a completely different debate here, I have always held the view that severely damaged humans which live in a vegetative state or those with a painful and terminal medical condition who express the desire, should be PTS to save further suffering. If we can do it out of compassion for our pets, why not our loved ones?
I just hope that should anything happen to me to put me into a way of life whereby I couldn't care for myself, was in pain etc, that I would be assisted to leave this life.

Do you know - the weirdest thing in the world is that I'm actually in the anti-human euthanasia camp. Didn't logically think I would be until we had to take the decision to not resuscitate my granny when she was dying (repeat bowel haemorrhages, quite nasty). I thought - logical scientific head on my shoulders - that I wouldn't have a problem with this really much more humane decision - but my gut reaaction was pure horror when it was bought up. Since then I have been terrified of the implications. I'm a strange, strange person.

feorag · #24 (**permalink**) 25-06-2008, 07:59 PM

No offence, but I personally do find that very strange. Maybe it's because you see a lot more 'detached' death than I do that makes you have a different attitude to people. I've no idea, but I must admit I would have thought being in a position to put an animal out of its misery and give it a 'civilised' peaceful death would have made you be in favour of the same principle with humans.

I lost my first husband 35 years ago to a severe brain injury, but his heart wouldn't stop beating. The doctor told me he was dead, a machine was breathing for him, but because his heart wouldn't stop beating, I had to sit and wait for him to die. I would have happily and totally without conscience switched off the machine that was actually keeping him alive!

vetdebbie · #25 (**permalink**) 25-06-2008, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feorag

No offence, but I personally do find that very strange. Maybe it's because you see a lot more 'detached' death than I do that makes you have a different attitude to people. I've no idea, but I must admit I would have thought being in a position to put an animal out of its misery and give it a 'civilised' peaceful death would have made you be in favour of the same principle with humans.

I lost my first husband 35 years ago to a severe brain injury, but his heart wouldn't stop beating. The doctor told me he was dead, a machine was breathing for him, but because his heart wouldn't stop beating, I had to sit and wait for him to die. I would have happily and totally without conscience switched off the machine that was actually keeping him alive!

Oh I agree - I find it very strange and don't understand it myself. I think possibly euthansing animals myself has coloured my perspective slightly, but my gran's death occurred before I graduated. It was such an intense reaction though that I can remember it clearly to this day. Odd. May be it will change if I ever have the unfortuante experience to be in a similar place again - although I really hope never to, obviously.

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