Comfort a Dying Cat

When your cat is dying, it may be hard for you to cope with the idea of losing her. However, you can make the best of this time with your cat by making her as comfortable as possible. Rather than being sad about what you know is inevitable, take advantage of this time to bond with your cat and remember just how special she is to you.

Steps

Making Your Cat's Environment Comfortable

1. Minimize noise and activity around your cat. When your cat is nearing the end of her life, it is extremely important for her to be comfortable in her own space. She will need a calm, quiet environment that is free of noisy activity and chaos. For example, if you have other pets, you may need to restrict their access to her.
   • Consider moving your cat’s rest area to a part of your house that does not get much activity or noise.
   • If moving your cat’s rest area to a different room would be too much of a change for her, then you should adjust your habits, as well as those of your family, to decrease the amount of activity and noise around your cat.
   • Allow your cat choose where to sleep. She may naturally choose an area that will give her the peace and quiet she desires.
   • Playing soft, low music for your cat could make her feel more comfortable. Examples of soothing music are singing birds and running water.
   • The hustle and bustle of daily life may be too much for your cat to handle in her final days, and could actually make her illness or general state of health even worse.
2. Provide your cat with extra bedding. When your cat is dying, it may be difficult for her to rest as comfortably as she used to. Extra blankets and bedding will give her some extra padding on which to lay and get comfortable. The extra padding can also prevent pressure sores that could develop if she lies in one position for too long.
   • Your cat may soil her bedding due to bladder control issues or physical inability to walk to her litterbox. Choose extra bedding that is easy to clean, such as blankets and towels.
   • Foam bedding, though comfortable, can be difficult to clean.
   • Check the bedding regularly for evidence of soiling (dampness, fecal material) and clean it as often as is necessary.
   • The extra bedding can also serve to keep your cat warm. Older, dying cats can have difficulty maintaining their body temperature and can become cold more easily.
3. Adjust the lighting in your cat’s environment. Changing the lighting for your cat can make her environment seem more comfortable to her. During the day, open the window shades or blinds just to enough to let in diffuse, natural light. When the sun goes down, provide your cat with soft lighting.
   • Leave a low light on for your cat when it is time to say good night. She may feel more comfortable with a low light than complete darkness.
   • Visit your local home improvement store to learn more about low lighting options for your cat.
4. Place her necessities nearby. As your cat nears the end of her life, she may have trouble getting up and walking around. The distance that she used to walk to get to her litterbox and food and water bowls may be too far for her now. To minimize her discomfort with eating, drinking, and using the litterbox, place her bowls and litterbox in a nearby area that will be easy for her to get to.
   • Even with the close proximity, your cat still may have trouble getting up on her own. You can either fashion a sling out of a towel or blanket, or purchase a sling, to help her to her feet.
   • Place her favorite toys close by.

Feeding Your Cat

1. Give her tasty food. Earlier in your cat’s life, you may have limited the amount of tasty morsels your cat ate so that she could maintain a healthy diet. Now that she is near the end of her life, why not indulge her a bit more? Spoil your cat with some tuna, such as tuna flakes or even tuna juice poured on top of her food.
   • Meat-based baby food,, such as turkey, is another type of tasty food to feed your dying cat. Since onions are toxic to cats, make sure the baby food does not contain any onion powder.
   • Gourmet cat food is another tasty food option for your cat.
   • Whichever tasty food you give her, make sure that it has a strong and appealing smell. Your cat probably won’t have a big appetite in her final days, but giving her food that is very aromatic may encourage her to eat at least a little bit.
2. Make her food easy to eat. Not only may your cat be losing her appetite when she is dying, but she may also no longer have the physical ability to chew her food adequately. Therefore, you will need to make her food easier to eat. For dry food, you can soften it by soaking it in some water or mashing it.
   • Other than mashing dry food, you can grind it up in a blender.
   • If you are feeding your cat baby food, you can mix it with some water to make it even softer.
   • Warming up your cat’s food can make it easier and more appealing for her to eat.
   • Talk with your veterinarian if you are unsure what types of foods your cat can eat, and would want to eat, at the end of her life.
3. Give your cat fresh water. Your cat, in her final stages of life, may not want to drink as much water as she used to. In addition, her body’s ‘thirst’ signal may not be working very well, so she may not even realize that she needs to hydrate herself. Keeping your dying cat well hydrated is key to keeping her comfortable.
   • Her water should be lukewarm instead of cold.
   • If your cat is too weak or in too much pain to drink out of her water bowl, you will have to help her by gently supporting her head upright.
   • She may not want to open her mouth willingly to drink the water, so you may have to give her water using a medicine dropper. While supporting her head, position the medicine dropper next to her back teeth on the inside of her cheek. When she opens her mouth, gently squeeze the water down her throat.

Managing Your Cat’s Medical Challenges

1. Identify your cat’s health challenges. Your cat may be at the end of her life, but that does not mean that her health challenges should not be addressed. In fact, not addressing her health problems could make her feel even more uncomfortable and speed up her rate of decline. Make an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss your cat’s various health challenges and what can be done to manage them.
   • If your cat has a terminal illness, such as cancer or chronic kidney disease, develop a plan with your veterinarian to manage and minimize your cat’s discomfort.
2. Minimize your cat’s pain. Depending on your cat’s medical condition, she may be in a lot of pain. When she is dying, you should do what you can to relieve this pain. Your veterinarian can recommend what type of pain medications your cat would need to achieve pain relief.
   • Remember that, at this stage in your cat’s life, the pain medication is to make her feel more comfortable, not cure her physical ailments.
   • Consider using a pill popper to administer the pain medication if your cat cannot open her mouth on her own. Position the pill popper as you would the medicine dropper. When she opens her mouth, push on the pill popper to dispense the pill down her throat. To stimulate swallowing, give her a few drops of water using your medicine dropper.
3. Manage your cat’s elimination problems. Pain, disease, or general weakness can make it very difficult for your dying cat to make it to the litterbox in time. If your cat has trouble controlling her bladder, your veterinarian may want to prescribe a medication to manage the incontinence.
   • Your cat may also have trouble controlling fecal elimination.
   • Check your cat regularly for evidence of soiling or wetness. Gently clean her genital and rectal area to prevent urine scald and other skin irritation caused by elimination problems. Clean her with a soft cloth and warm water.
   • Disposable cat diapers are also available. If your local pet store does not carry them, you can either search online or ask your veterinarian for recommendations on diapers for your cat.
   • Putting a diaper on your cat may be a bit awkward and challenging at first, so you may want to ask your veterinarian about the easiest way of doing it.

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. After a few seconds, your cat would slip peacefully into unconsciousness and eventually stop breathing.
   • 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.
   • Ask yourself this question: ‘Am I keeping my cat alive for myself or for my cat?’ 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.
   • When you have made the difficult decision to euthanize your cat, promptly call your veterinarian to schedule the appointment. 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.
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. 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.

Tips

• Although it can be hard to think about your cat dying, focus on the chance to make your cat as happy and comfortable as possible. Focusing on the positive can help you provide the comfort your cat needs and desires.
• Keeping your cat comfortable during her final days of life is known as pet hospice. With pet hospice, you see your cat’s death as a natural part of her life and want her death to be dignified.
• Your dying cat will appreciate the comfort of human interaction. Continue to spend quality time with her, even if she is not able to play like she used to. Hold her gently to minimize her pain and discomfort.
• Since your dying cat may not be able to groom herself very well anymore, you can help her by gently cleaning around her eyes, ears, mouth, genitals, and anus. Dampen a soft cloth with warm water to clean her. You can also brush her gently with a soft bristled brush.
• After your cat has died, allow yourself time to grieve. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to family and friends who can comfort you as you grieve the loss of your cat.
• Your veterinarian can recommend bereavement counseling services and pet loss hotlines that can help you manage your grief.
• Remember that euthanasia IS an option.While it may be hard to let your cat go, if (s)he is in great pain that you cannot relieve and is barely alive, it may be kinder to euthanize her/him.

Warnings

• Cats can be very good at masking pain. Your dying cat may do her best to conceal the fact that she is in pain.
• Depending on how sick she feels, your cat may stop eating and drinking completely, no matter how much you try to feed and hydrate her. Realize that the smell of food may make her feel sick to her stomach.
• Your cat’s condition may deteriorate more quickly than you expect. Have the contact information for your veterinarian and an emergency veterinary hospital close by in case your cat’s condition suddenly makes a turn for the worst.

Related Articles

• Cope After the Death of a Pet
• Make a Comfortable Bed for Your Cat
• Take Care of Your Aging Cat
• Know if Your Cat Is Dying

Sources and Citations

See also

• Handle Septic Arthritis in Cats
• Bury a Cat
• Know if Your Cat Is Dying

What links here

• Cope After the Death of a Pet
• Know if Your Cat Is Dying