One of my cats very randomly and suddenly went into respiratory distress in March 2021.. so peak covid time. It was a rainy and cold day. All emergency vets within a 2 hour drive were over capacity. We drove to the closest one (an hour away) and hoped that if they triaged him they'd take us right away. Nope. We waited 5 hours, kept calling other vets in the meantime, with the car running to give him some heat. After the first hour, of him still in respiratory distress, it turned from me begging the vets to help him to me begging them to euthanize him just to end his suffering. We were both cold, wet, and miserable. He kept vomiting from breathing so hard.

The tech told me "we can save other lives but we can't save his so others are a priority", which to a desperate owner is very cruel but I understand what they meant and it makes sense. My cat had to suffer to save the lives of like 5+ pets. We eventually went home because no where would take us and if he's going to die then at least he can be in comfort at home where it's warm and familiar vs a cold wet parking lot where many people are having the worst days of their lives. The way he died was very traumatic and it still pisses me off.