What to do When a Cat Dies?
Finding out that your pet is going to die soon is a shock that's hard to take. But when death is inevitable, you have to come to terms with it and do your best to help him in the final stages of his life.
When a cat is dying, there are actions you can take to improve their last days and better manage their afterlife, let's look at how to deal with this painful moment.
How do you know if a cat is going to die?
Before starting any process relating to the last days of your little feline, you must be sure that your cat is indeed dying. Even though cats are known to have a hard time showing their suffering, a dying cat shows notorious signs to a discerning eye.
When a cat dies, it shows in their changing personality and behavior. He hides and reduces the frequency of your moments together, he loses his hygienic and eating habits. The behavioral problems of a dying cat are also reflected in its abnormal aggressiveness, its strong irritability or its almost always depressed look.
On the health side, a cat at the end of its life sees its vital constants diminish. The cat's body temperature drops to 37 degrees, its respiratory rate increases (more than 30 breaths per minute), and its tired heart runs slower (less than 140 beats per minute), so many different disease symptoms but not necessarily lethal.
What if a cat is dying?
Know thata diagnosis can only be established by a veterinarian, to whom you must bring your cat if there is any doubt that his condition is deteriorating.
The veterinarian can then tell you if the disease is curable or not, and in both cases, tell you what to do. If your cat is dying, the vet will usually give you 2 options.
- Either euthanasia, which, of course, is radical, but can make sense when your cat is enduring terrible suffering that afflicts you, too.
- He will advise you on some practices that will allow you to alleviate the suffering of your feline, while waiting for his natural death.
How to help him manage his end of life?
As a full member of the family, your little feline deserves a great end of life. Whether you have chosen euthanasia or natural death, to help him manage his end of life well, you will have to give him your attention more than ever.
In the event of euthanasia, all family members must be well informed of the situation and the reasons which have motivated this choice. He could then join you and be present for the cat and emotionally connected to him during the medical procedure, and to be prepared for the rest (cremation or burial).
While waiting for the natural death of your pet, the best care for him is through the very attentive ear that you will have to give him. Your cat should feel all the attention you pay him, and your love stronger than ever. Help him to feed himself, to move around, to make his toilet, his needs, etc ...
In any case, even if these few actions will not change anything in the final act of his life, these few gestures have an inestimable value.
What to do when a cat dies?
It is an even more difficult ordeal, but one that you must go through together as a family. After death, you have the choice of cremating your cat or burying it in the classic way at home or in an animal cemetery.
The cremation can be done individually in a crematorium that you have contacted, or collectively with other dead animals. Note all the same that the individual incineration at an additional blow. In both cases, the final decision is yours.
As for the burial, it can be done in your garden while respecting the regulations and in particular article 226-2 of the Rural Code, namely:
- The body must be buried at least 1.30m deep.
- At least 35 meters from homes and water points.
- Should not be placed in a plastic container.
To manage the death of your feline, note that there are also other unorthodox solutions such as taxidermy or virtual cemeteries.
Do not forget the administrative procedures after the death of a cat
After the death of your cat you still have a few steps to take, mainly to declare the death of your pet to the national file of identification of domestic carnivores . it was microchipped or tattooed, but also if you hadinsurance subscribed to a mutualcompany for cats, declared the death to terminate the contract.
To declare the death to the national identification file of domestic carnivores you must have the identification number of your cat in his passport or in his adoption file, then choose:
- Send an e-mail (contact @ i -cad.fr) by indicating the date of death and the identification number
- Complete the procedure on the i-cad.fr site
- Complete the procedure on the Filapat application (Extension of the i-cad.fr site)
For the termination of the your cat's mutual insurance contract, you will need to contact the mutual insurance company for information and to notify them of the death. You may also be asked for a death certificate which can be provided to you by the veterinarian or i-cad.fr.
