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:

It’s something that you should talk to your vet about, as they will be able to give you a better idea of the prognosis of your cat’s situation. If you would like to talk to a vet without leaving home, an online service like PangoVet can be a good way to get some advice about your options and whether your cat is likely to improve with treatment.

The Irony

When I was reflecting on my work and how I cope with the day-to-day stress, emotional strain, and compassion fatigue, I realized something quite ironic. I felt sad about how I have been able to emotionally distance myself from the sadness of death in my job. Yes, you read that correctly. I was feeling sad about not feeling sad!

Through necessity, vets have to put up boundaries so that we don’t become overwhelmed by the emotion that comes with caring for animals, and I started to feel concerned about how successful I had become in keeping my feelings in check.

Although it is important—if not essential—to establish these boundaries to protect ourselves, we need to be careful not to become completely detached.

Final Thoughts

Euthanasia is an important part of pet ownership and veterinary care, and I am grateful to be able to have access to it. Being able to end a cat’s suffering when all other options have been exhausted is a gift that I would never want to do this work without. Vets do get sad when we have to put down a cat, but we are usually able to maintain enough distance from our patients so that we do not become emotionally burned out.

There will always be cats and people that affect me more than others, and I would prefer that to be the case. While a certain amount of detachment is necessary, I would never want that to cross over into indifference, but I think there’s very little chance of that.

Featured Image Credit: Gleb Usovich, Shutterstock