I'm going to be having one of my kitties put to sleep this evening, and I'm feeling very sad about it.

She's 15 years old and to be honest, she's been a very difficult cat to love. I've often referred to her as my "autistic" cat. She does enjoy being petted, but the minute you pick her up, she goes stiff.

She's always had potty issues, since a baby of not using the litter box reliably, which was tolerable when it was solid. For the past month, she's been having loose stools, which has not been fun. Because she's always had these issues, I've felt a moral obligation to provide a forever home for her.

In the last month, she's lost weight, stopped grooming herself, and had these potty issues. I decided that it's time to let her go peacefully before she deteriorates further. As difficult as she has been to love, I do love her and am finding myself in tears all day. My vet is the same one that didn't want to put down Noel the rat, but wanted to keep trying to save her. I really don't think that trying to help her and extend her life is really going to improve her quality of life.

I just needed to share with people who understood the loss of a loved pet.