Let’s face it, they are members of our families, and as such their demise can trigger a full range of emotions in people young and old. For many, it is the first tangible experience with death, and in a significant way it is a metaphor for our own mortality.
When we mourn the loss of a pet, we grieve the loss of a friend or loved one, but it also makes us aware of the cycle of all life. Theirs, like ours, is a story containing a beginning, middle, and end.But what to do when that end appears imminent? When it is likely that there could be immobility, sickness, pain, and suffering, how are we to proceed? To euthanize or not to euthanize?
Checkers, my cat of 19 years, finds himself in this predicament. He has lived a good and long life by all standards. He was adopted from Angell Animal Medical Center in 1990. He has lived in seven homes, been through numerous surgeries, once had his paw caught in a car door, and he has found himself in danger more than a few times. The nine lives are certainly under his belt.
While he has enjoyed a remarkably healthy life, he is now fighting kidney disease. Twice a week I take him to the vet so he can have subcutaneous injections and other less pleasant procedures, and twice a day I give him a variety of oral medications—all in an effort to improve his health and prolong his life.
But in the last few days Checkers has been getting so weak that it is a strain for him to take medication, and he can no longer walk, eat, or drink on his own. He is almost out of time, and the chances of him being alive at publication are slight.
Which brings us back to the issue at hand. After explaining to friends, family, and the veterinarian about Checkers’ condition, each has broached the possibility of “putting him down” (the common euphemism for euthanasia). This is not suggested out of callousness—it is simply one of several options we have for our pets when survival is unlikely.
After giving the matter much thought, my conclusion was this: What right do I have to make that call, to cut his life short by a month, a week, or even a day? While he might be suffering now, and while there will probably be even more in the days ahead, isn’t this a normal part of life, the “natural course of things?”
We are the stewards of our pets. They are not able to make decisions about their well being, so our role is to do so on their behalf. We are their caretakers, and ultimately their last line of defense. Our pets depend on us for food, shelter, caring, and protection. Toward the end of their lives perhaps they need us most of all, because it is probably a frightening and uncertain time for them.
And since pets are there for us throughout their lives, trusting us, bringing so much joy while requiring little in return, isn’t it right that we should be there in their greatest time of need? When we consider “putting them down,” how much of it is for their sake and how much of it is for ours?
Yes, it is tough to see our pets suffer. Of course it is. But this stage of life is in store for all of us, and we should honor them by allowing them to pass away on life’s natural timetable.
It comes back to life having a beginning, middle, and end. Most of us want the end to happen with dignity, with loved ones by our side, until our last breath. Why should it be different for any member of our family?
Thomas Salzman is a former high school counselor who now lives and writes in Quincy, Massachusetts.
