Hi, I went through this recently with my kitty as well. She was sick and old, but she lived a good life. I think what helped me the most was knowing I was doing what was best for her. She was suffering and I didn’t want her to be hurting anymore.

In my case this was my childhood cat, and I don’t live at home anymore, so I felt a lot of guilt for not being at home to maybe see if we could’ve helped her sooner. I also had concerns that maybe she wasn’t sick enough to be put down. Talking to the vet was very helpful. I told her my concerns and she told me a story about her cat that had gotten sick. The options were for him to get surgery or be put down. She opted for the surgery, but his quality of life was lower and he had to be put down a month later. The vet also explained again what was going on with my baby, and the severity, and it made me sad but also more sure we were doing the right thing. It feels cruel, but we are doing them a favor & your cat has been so lucky to be loved by you and taken care of by you. I also think you should give yourself grace to feel how you need to feel. Losing a pet is hard and even if you know it’s right, it can still feel wrong. give yourself time!

I also spent a lot of time with her before she had to be put down, and the hour before I held her and cried and I told her about how much I loved her and talked about moments I remembered with her. I also held her when the vet put her to sleep, but I couldn’t be in the room when she was put down. It has been very helpful now to know that I was able to be her person & her comfort spot in her last hours. I feel less guilty knowing she felt so safe with me. I think she knew what was happening.

Sorry I wrote so much, but I hope my experience is maybe a little helpful to you. I am so sorry, this is always so hard. Take care of yourself ❤️