We learned one of our beloved cats, Spatz, didn't have much time left - her liver was pretty much completely cancer-ridden and she was getting more jaundiced every day. My friend had recently posted on Facebook about the beautiful home send-off of her best feline friend of 20 years, and before that I thought the only way was to make those soul-crushing car rides and have it done in a place that usually scares them. We decided that calling someone in to do it in Spatz's favorite spot by the window where she'd doze off while watching the constant action at the bird feeders would be perfect.
Dr. Beth was professional, explaining each part of the process beforehand and during it, asking permission between each step and giving us all the time we needed to process each one. While Spatz was whacked out on the sedative, Dr. Beth made a lovely casting of her paw print as a keepsake and offered to snip a lock of fur, which we declined to do. When she confirmed the deed was done, she expressed her condolences and discreetly slipped away to allow us to grieve privately as a family. Everything she did for us was perfect, and we're so grateful to have been able to give Spatz that one last gift of drifting away painlessly in her sleep with the assistance of a compassionate soul.
It's a god-awful thing to have to say goodbye to someone that's a cherished part of your life, but I'm absolutely convinced that doing it at home is the most wonderful way to do it - both for your animal friend and for sparing yourself the agony of seeing how afraid they are at the clinic so soon before they go and being helpless to stop it. read more