Terry, I am so sad for you about your cat. You are right. It is often anything but painless (one vet told me that about half the time it "doesn't go too well"...though perhaps that was a reflection of his lack of skill. Who knows?). Euthanasia means "a good death" (or so I've read). Having "put down" several of my own dear animals, I'm not persuaded. While we are given the responsibility by God to make that call, I can never see it as a "good death" for the animal. And I envy those whose animals go easily and seemingly painlessly. Mine have not, even though the vets are supposed to know what they are doing and even though it's supposed to be painless. I have never had an animal, no matter how sick, no matter how hopeless the situation, who didn't cling to life to the very last. I'm sure other people have had different experiences with it. It's so difficult. I suspect that for most of us, human and animal, dying brings terrible suffering. In my case, I've earned the suffering, but not so for my innocent animals. I had a bit of an epiphany several years ago after having to take a beloved dog to the emergency clinic in the middle of the night to be "put down." When I came home I said, "So this is sin." The Fall, our sins, have corrupted God's beautiful creation and brought death to all of us. Makes me not want to commit even the smallest of sins, makes me sorrowful for all the sins I've committed. And yet, I carry on, rotten sinner that I am.
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Terry, I am so sad for you about your cat. You are right. It is often anything but painless (one vet told me that about half the time it "doesn't go too well"...though perhaps that was a reflection of his lack of skill. Who knows?). Euthanasia means "a good death" (or so I've read). Having "put down" several of my own dear animals, I'm not persuaded. While we are given the responsibility by God to make that call, I can never see it as a "good death" for the animal. And I envy those whose animals go easily and seemingly painlessly. Mine have not, even though the vets are supposed to know what they are doing and even though it's supposed to be painless. I have never had an animal, no matter how sick, no matter how hopeless the situation, who didn't cling to life to the very last. I'm sure other people have had different experiences with it. It's so difficult. I suspect that for most of us, human and animal, dying brings terrible suffering. In my case, I've earned the suffering, but not so for my innocent animals. I had a bit of an epiphany several years ago after having to take a beloved dog to the emergency clinic in the middle of the night to be "put down." When I came home I said, "So this is sin." The Fall, our sins, have corrupted God's beautiful creation and brought death to all of us. Makes me not want to commit even the smallest of sins, makes me sorrowful for all the sins I've committed. And yet, I carry on, rotten sinner that I am.
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