We think my cat ,Poppy is dying. Her back legs are weak and she looks very thin and dirty , she is beginning to smell and she looks so very tired. She is 18 years old and this has only come on the last 3 days. she was fit and well before this and is the first cat in the world to have an asbo for fighting all the dogs round here and showing them who is the boss.

We arranged to take her to the vet tonight but my partner canceled the appointment as he does not want her being pulled about and he does not want to have her put to sleep but we don't want her to suffer in pain. She seems fine today , she's been eating and drinking and she's come down stairs for a walk out side .

If she does pass away my partner wants her to be at home with us in a loving environment. If / when she does leave us we would like to know what the best thing is for her. could we take her to the vet to be cremated as we would love her ashes to be scattered at our caravan as she comes with us every time we go and she loves it there. we need to know what to do with her. i never thought this day would come as Poppy was so strong . I know it may sound silly but she is part of our family .

its not silly at all, all my pets have been a masive part of my life, they are what makes me complete so i know where your coming from, Im so sorry Poppy is il and hope she passes peacefully, anna.x.

I'm sorry to hear this.

If you want the best for your cat, you may want to make an appointment with the vet just to ask him to take a look at her - it may be that he can do soemthing to improve her quality of life, but at 18 it's a good age, and you may want to start preparing yourself for her passing. Vets will make house calls; you may want to consider that option.

Poppy will know she's loved and cared for; when our Amber finally decided that it was time, she just settled down in the living rom and we called the vet out. She came and we agreed for her to put Amber to sleep. It was almost like Amber was waiting for us to just let her go; the vet assured me that Amber passed over before the first injection was finished.

We buried Amber in the garden with one of our other cats, Curious. When we lost our little boy a few years ago we had him cremated and we have the ashes in a wooden box.

You will genuinely know when it's time; if she's eating, drinking, passing urine and cleaning herself then she may have some time left yet, but I would really, genuinely ask your vet for advice.

Best wishes at this difficult time.

Thanks anna

Oh hun, I really feel for you.

If it comes to a point when you need to make a very hard decision and help Poppy on her way, many vets will arrange to come to you if you want her to go at home. That way she can be helped on her way but still be in her own home rather than a strange place.

As for what to do with her when she passes to the bridge, I'm sure there is a Sheffield Pet Crematorium but the website's under construction at the moment and I can't find contact details.

Alternatively Pet Cremation Services are very good but their nearest is in Doncaster I think. I don't know if they will pick up and drop off, I'm sure that's what our vets use. Have a look at their site as there's also a lot on bereavement: www.pcsonline.org.uk.

I don't know whether you could take your cat to your vet to be sent to cremation, presumably you could and they will then get her ashes delivered back to them.

Keep your chin up and we're all here if you need us. Give Poppy a (gentle) cuddle from me xx

I don't know whether you could take your cat to your vet to be sent to cremation, presumably you could and they will then get her ashes delivered back to them.


When we lost Tom, the vet dealt with the cremation arrangements for us.

ive always used the doncaster branch even though we are near the sheffield one theyve always been very good and professional but caring. anna.x.

Be sure to be clear regarding cremation and decide if you would like a private cremation or not. If you do not state a private cremation then your cat will be cremated at the same time as other pets and you will only recieve a token of the ashes.

I use Greenacres in Gainsborough, some vets use these and your ashes can be delivered back to your vet, some use Doncaster. I chose to take my animals myself and pick them up myself, but that is a personal choice. I always insist on a private cremation, the cost of this is usually around £130 for a medium sized dog, so a cat is cheaper. I think the price for a bulk cremation is a lot less obviously.

I am so sorry for you and your cat. She is a good age and it would be kind to let her go if this is what the vet advises. You can opt for a home euthanasia if that is what you prefer.

Hugs to you and your family at what is a very sad time.

5 years ago the private cremation for our cat cost around £80 or so.

Hi all thanks for your words of kindness. My partner is adamant she must stay here in comfort till the end comes and i must say she is doing well . she's eating a little and she's managing to come downstairs to use her tray. she is sleeping most of the time and the good thing is she does not appear to be in any pain. I'll keep you informed of Poppy's progress.

Please watch her and do not let her suffer, it is a very hard decision but oneyou sometimes have to make,your partner may be adamant but he is only thinking of himself, and how he will feel, let the vet have a look at her and see what he thinks, in an ideal world we would all like our pets to die in their sleep peacefully at home, but sometimes it takes an awful lot of pain and distress for the animal to get to that,

Believe me I have been through this many times and I know the heartbreak only too well, but you have to be very brave.

Aaaah bev i feel for you i lost my precious darling not so long ago, well it was july so was a while back but doesnt feel like it. Let us know how she gets on, i'll be thinking bout you both, 18 is a very good age though xx

Please watch her and do not let her suffer, it is a very hard decision but one you sometimes have to make,your partner may be adamant but he is only thinking of himself, and how he will feel, let the vet have a look at her and see what he thinks, in an ideal world we would all like our pets to die in their sleep peacefully at home, but sometimes it takes an awful lot of pain and distress for the animal to get to that,

Believe me I have been through this many times and I know the heartbreak only too well, but you have to be very brave.

I have to agree I'm afraid.
I am really sorry to hear about your cat Bev2, i know just what your going through because I'm in a similar position with one of my dogs at the moment and it hurts, I have been literally losing sleep about what to do for a couple of weeks.
Personally I think if an animal is not in pain or suffering leave it be, but if it suffers or is hurting or loses its dignity, then we owe them a peaceful and dignified end, surrounded by the people who love them, after all isn't that what we would want for ourselves?

Ah Bev. I am soo sorry for your family. It is always tough when a member of your family is so ill. The bravest and kindest thing you can do is to request a home visit for her. At least you will know one way or the other. Perhaps you might consider putting her tray and bowls upstairs near her so she doesn't have so far to go. It will help her save her strength and retain her dignity.

When the time comes there is a Pet Crem on the Manchester Rd in Rivelin Valley.

Be strong for her, it is the kindest thing you can do.

my heart goes out to you all,i lost 2 cats within 1 month of each other last year,ive used pcs at doncaster and the 1 on rivelin road,but were excellent dealing with my pets,they are at home with me now,please do what you feel is best ,forget what people say,they are family,xxx

Any news on Poppy, bev?

hi all . Poppy is pretty much the same. we would like her to stay with us but as soon as we see she is in pain we will take her straight to the vet, i had some advice from my friends daughter who is a trainee vet and she reassured me she would not be in any pain. She's happy to plod up and down the stairs to go out for a little trot round although we have put her food upstairs she still comes down for a walk.

We have had some lovely ideas of where poppy could be cremated and i'm sure she might even make it to the caravan when it opens at the end of this month as she loves it there. i'll keep you informed of her progress. x

hi hun, im sorry to hear about poppy,my cat died in my living room in a lot of pain, nice to hear shes not hurting like he did,

he became ill oneday and started crying and being sick, i rushed him to the vet and was told he had cat aids and to take him home and bring him back the next day for tests, sadly i never got the chance, he died that night, in so much pain, he was screaming really loud, i rang the vet and begged him to come put him to sleep, they wouldnt come as it was 11pm and told me to make him comfy and i was very angry by this, how could i, bless him, it still hurts when i think of him then but now hes not hurting anymore, then 1 year later his sister got killed by a fox, i saw her and was devastated, she was a mess.then this new year my fluffy loulou got out and got run over straight away, her first time out too, i found her, she was unreconisable to some but i knew it was her.

its really good your cat has lived 18 years wow. all mine were only young and suffered terrible deaths, it kills me to think what they went through. my babies. you little poppy sounds lovley and i hope she goes nicely, they are part of the family so its not silly at all, good luck hun, and give poppy a kiss for me

a lot of great advice here for you bev2, when the time comes, i hope you'll assess how she is and act accordingly. She's made a grand old age and it sonds like she's still fighting to survive now.

Oh loubylou im sorry to hear what you went through it sounds terrible. I keep coming on here to see how poppy is, hope your ok bev xx

Hi all , we are taking Poppy to the vet tonight as there is nothing we can do for her now. she was up and about yesterday , she kept going out side and she was even jumping up onto a garden chair to sit and watch the world go by as she loves to do. today she cant even pick her head up off her bed. i have given her water and some freshly cooked chicken but she is not interested.

we have made the decision to take her to the vet tonight as we feel today she has deteriorated so much and we don't want her to suffer at all. She is a lovely cat and we will all miss her but i cant let her suffer. We will be taking her ashes down to our caravan and she will be where she loves to be. Thank you all for your support. x

Awww I'm sorry that Poppy has deteriorated now, it sounds though as if she has been quite happy pottering about for a little while longer and made the most of her time with you.
Poppy sounds tired now, time to let her fall gently asleep,she is lucky to have you to make sure that she is safe and loved and just be there for her.
Lots of us have been there many times with our pets and it hurts.... will think about you tonight ((HUGZ))

I'm sure you are making the right decision, it is obvious you love her very much and this will be very hard for you,
I have a cat who is 18, he has a tumour on his mouth but at the moment he is quite well eating and still quite active,
but I know he cant go on forever
eventually the vet has said it will effect his ability to eat and when that happens I will have to make the decision, and you are the only ones who know Poppy enough to make this decision, and to know when the time is right, and as loving and caring owners we always know.

Its the last thing you can do for her, the most horrendous thing is to watch an animal and not be able to do anymore,
but at least with our pets we have the ability to end their suffering.

The vets should let you stay with her, and she will just go to sleep,
so please be brave and try to remember all the happy times you had, especially at the caravan where she will always be on holiday, with you
My heart goes out to you on this sad day xx


Just to add, if you need them Pets at Rest 01909723100 are excellent, and so caring

My darling little Poppy died at 4.30 this afternoon. she waited until my partner came in from work and he was knelt down stroking her when she passed away peacefully. We rang the vet and took her up we left her there to be cremated. We will be able to pick her up in about 10 days to take her to our caravan to scatter her ashes.

I have found a picture of her in her favorite place , i think you should see the lady we have been taking about. she was well known around here for her personality and the only cat on Gleadless Valley to have an asbo for fighting the dogs.

R.I.P my Pops. xxx

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/beverleyb_2007/SP_A0018.jpg

:sad: Sleep tight pretty little Poppy cat ((HUGZ)) for your humans.

My thoughts are with you and little Poppy x

awww im so sorry bev2...:(

R.I,P little poppy xxx

Hi Bev, Sorry to hear about your loss.
I believe we probably know each other, by sight, as my in-laws have a caravan on the same site as you,and we are often down there for the weekends etc. I'm sure seeing friends and the gang down in Midville will keep your up. :)

hi andy, Midville was Poppys favorite place and she used to just sit outside in the sun (when we had some). she'll be going back next week hopefully. :)

RIP little Poppy cat. May you find your kittenhood again. Hugz for your humans.

What a lovely girl she was Bev- she lived to a ripe old age too. I'm really sorry to hear she's gone.

Oh im sorry Bev, at least she's not suffering now, she'll be as active as she was where she is now xx

My darling little Poppy died at 4.30 this afternoon. she waited until my partner came in from work and he was knelt down stroking her when she passed away peacefully. We rang the vet and took her up we left her there to be cremated. We will be able to pick her up in about 10 days to take her to our caravan to scatter her ashes.

I have found a picture of her in her favorite place , i think you should see the lady we have been taking about. she was well known around here for her personality and the only cat on Gleadless Valley to have an asbo for fighting the dogs.

R.I.P my Pops. xxx

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/beverleyb_2007/SP_A0018.jpg

Bev2,

My sincere sympathy goes out to you,

Lisa xxx

i no how you feel i lost my baby Ginger to cancer in jan i miss him so much words dont express the pain we feel lv sarah x

So sorry to hear about your lovely cat, 18 is a big age. Miss Tabatha our tortie developed a growth on the liver, we could have had it operated on but decided due to her age we would let her go naturally. The vet said we would know when the time was right. She was loving right to the end. She used to sleep under the apple tree and thats where she died, just went to sleep in the sunshine and passed. I hope Poppys passing is as peaceful.
When Shadow died in Feb this year we used Elsyan fields. They came and collected him from our home and sent his ashes back to the vet for me to collect. They came in a lovely blue urn with his name on and a card. Really lovely.
Make the most of every precious moment.