Do Vets Get Sad When They Have to Put Down a Cat? Tales From a Vet

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Apart from a few minor deviations, including a brief Jurassic Park-induced obsession with becoming a paleontologist, I have always wanted to be a vet. One of my earliest memories was of discovering the body of our cat, Bindi, on the side of the road and desperately wanting to be able to “wake her up.”

When I was in high school, I started to worry about how I would handle euthanasia. If I couldn’t even cope with watching a film where a pet died, how on Earth would I be able to be the one to put an animal to sleep? This worried me so much that I put off going to vet school for several years until I felt ready to take on the emotional challenges that come with the job.

Losing a pet never gets any easier, but over time, dealing with death in veterinary practice does become less harrowing. But it’s not because we become less sensitive; it’s that in the vast majority of cases, when we euthanize a pet, we are doing them a great kindness, and in many ways, euthanasia is a real gift. Vets do get sad when they put a cat down, but we learn how to cope with that sadness in a healthy way.

What Are the Reasons for Euthanasia?

In veterinary practice, the main reason for a cat to be put down is to prevent suffering. Whether it be old age, severe injuries, or incurable illness, euthanasia is the treatment for the untreatable. It’s a highly controversial issue in human medicine, but I have such sympathy for the patients, doctors, and loved ones faced with a future of pain, indignity, and misery, with no chance of a cure. In the veterinary world, we are able to spare our patients such suffering.

The times when euthanasia isn’t so welcome is when cats are put to sleep for reasons of overpopulation, minor behavioral issues, a lack of money to treat an illness, or a lack of willingness to even pursue treatment. Fortunately, this isn’t a situation that I have encountered very often, but when I do, I tend to feel more anger and frustration than sorrow. However, I do feel sadness when I have to end a life that could have been saved.

Vets who work in animal shelters sadly have to deal with this sort of situation, not just on a daily basis but multiple times a day. Through necessity, vets in these roles often compartmentalize this aspect of their work, but the high suicide rates among these dedicated professionals tell us that the sadness and frustration that come from doing this sort of work can easily turn into hopelessness and despair.

What Is the Hardest Part About Euthanasia?

The worry and anxiety I had about putting pets to sleep was always based on the death of the pet. What I didn’t realize is that it’s the people left behind that often make euthanasia difficult. Although we do try to maintain a certain amount of professional distance in our work, it’s inevitable that there will be patients and people who make a big impact on your heart. The funny thing is that it’s impossible to predict which ones will trigger tears, and it’s not always the ones you would expect.

I have had cases where I have been treating a cat for months, even years, and got to know their people quite well, but when the time came to say goodbye, I was strangely philosophical about it. Then there was the elderly gentleman, whom I had never met before, who brought his elderly cat in to be put down. This kitty was ancient and had clearly been cherished by his human. He was a lovely old man fighting back tears as his best mate slipped away. And knowing that, at his age, he is unlikely to have another pet, this is the situation that brings me to tears.

Will I Know When the Time Is Right?

Knowing if and when you may need to have your cat put down is a very personal and individual decision. It will depend on your cat’s age, health condition, prognosis, and living situation. Here are some questions that I found have helped others make this decision: