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seeker63
Guest
Bless you Mia, at your time of loss, and may St. Francis look over your dear cat.
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Bella3502
Guest
Sorry, I don’t buy it… and since it hurts no one to do so, I will continue to believe that they do have souls and that I will see them when I get to heaven.
There is simply no reason for me to believe otherwise.
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Ghosty
Guest
Nobody here is saying that they don’t have souls. They have mortal animal souls. Furthermore, this has nothing to do with whether or not they could be recreated at the end of time for us to be with. They simply don’t have immortal souls like humans, angels, and demons is all.
Even vegetables have souls. Anything that is self-animated has a soul; anima is Latin for soul.
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EnergyRecrui
Guest
How can we make that difficult decision to end the life of a Pet whom we have loved and nurtured, played with and lived with? The Pet may have been with us for a short time or for many years. It may protect us, serve us or just be there when we need something to cuddle.Our domestic pets have maintained many of their “wild” instincts. One of the most important instincts, however, is to mask pain and illness. Many pet owners advised that their pet is suffering from a serious disease, comment “But he’s not acting very sick”; what happens to a wild dog or cat that “acts sick”? Invariably they are killed by other animals – sometimes even by members of their own pack.When we have to make that final decision we feel guilty, we are torn by feelings of helplessness, guilt, anger and sometimes the misguided notion that we owe it to the pet to keep it alive at all costs. How can I tell my veterinarian to give my pet an injection that will kill it?
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SoulRebel777
Guest
OP, Please dont be offended or overly grieved , but i disagree with your choice .
. I think you always try to sustain life. Life even a suffering life is still life and precious to God. To me Animals are very mysterious creatures and they needed to be treated with the Love and respect they deserve. No one can say you wont ever see your Dog again because they dont have a soul etc, Because you really dont know. Perhaps they have some sort of energy inside them that will be carried on into the next realm in some capacity. Again you dont know, Animals are a very mysterious creation of our God.
. I think you always try to sustain life. Life even a suffering life is still life and precious to God. To me Animals are very mysterious creatures and they needed to be treated with the Love and respect they deserve. No one can say you wont ever see your Dog again because they dont have a soul etc, Because you really dont know. Perhaps they have some sort of energy inside them that will be carried on into the next realm in some capacity. Again you dont know, Animals are a very mysterious creation of our God.
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Seatuck
Guest
Of course you did the right thing. We are stewards of the animals in our life. It is our responsibility to prevent needless suffering and harm if we can.
The Catechism offers this-
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2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.[194] Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.[195]
2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.[196] Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.
2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.[197] Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice, if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. 2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.
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It would be wrong to assign the dignity of humal life to animal life. Even so we must do our best to respect animal life as they are part of creation.
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SeekerJen
Guest
We had to put our beloved pet rabbit, Molly, down on Monday morning. After a major neurological episode that terrified her and left her partially paralyzed, the vet determined that she had a number of abdominal tumors that appeared to be metastasizing- likely what caused the paralysis. At that point there was absolutely nothing we could do for her health. She hadn’t given any appearance of suffering before that episode, but her condition was going to deteriorate, probably rapidly, from that point. If there was anything we could have done to heal her, we would have done it, but as it was, we have no regrets about putting her down. We miss her a lot, she was a great pet, and the least we could do for her was let her go before she was in extreme pain.
It’s not a sin to end an animal’s suffering in a humane manner. Animals don’t understand pain and suffering; it is not redemptive for them the way it can be for us.
It’s not a sin to end an animal’s suffering in a humane manner. Animals don’t understand pain and suffering; it is not redemptive for them the way it can be for us.
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adelore
Guest
I am so very sorry for the loss of your beloved pet. I, like other’s on here know the emptyness you feel.
You showed your beloved cat a very strong act of love by letting her go in a peaceful sleep. Your love for her out weighed the “selfishness” we all feel when this time comes and we have to make a choice for our dear pets who are truely a part of our family.
Inside we want to be selffish and keep them with us just a little while longer, because we do love them. Then the other side of our heart says, “If you really love them then show them one last act of love by letting them go peacefully.”
By no means did you sin by letting her go in her sleep with the help of the Vet. You showed an act of kindness and real love to your cat.
Since God made all creatures and truely must have feelings for them, (otherwise why did God have Noah put them on the boat and why were they at the manger, not to mention God used the Dove in more than one place in the Bible. I know this isn’t the same, but God did send the Holy Spirit in the Form of a Dove from Heaven to land on Jesus as he came up out of the Water.) These are just a few of my reasons for believing all animals that die go back into the loving hands of Our Heavenly Father.
Many hugs to you during this time of your loss.
You showed your beloved cat a very strong act of love by letting her go in a peaceful sleep. Your love for her out weighed the “selfishness” we all feel when this time comes and we have to make a choice for our dear pets who are truely a part of our family.
Inside we want to be selffish and keep them with us just a little while longer, because we do love them. Then the other side of our heart says, “If you really love them then show them one last act of love by letting them go peacefully.”
By no means did you sin by letting her go in her sleep with the help of the Vet. You showed an act of kindness and real love to your cat.
Since God made all creatures and truely must have feelings for them, (otherwise why did God have Noah put them on the boat and why were they at the manger, not to mention God used the Dove in more than one place in the Bible. I know this isn’t the same, but God did send the Holy Spirit in the Form of a Dove from Heaven to land on Jesus as he came up out of the Water.) These are just a few of my reasons for believing all animals that die go back into the loving hands of Our Heavenly Father.
Many hugs to you during this time of your loss.
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aspawloski4th
Guest
I’m sorry for your loss. Remeber anything you had that was good here on Earth. You don’t loose in Heaven.
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Newbie2
Guest
Having personally treated, diagnosed and eventually euthanized several hundred animals in my veterinary career, I’d have to say this is the most difficult decision we may have to make for our pets.
On a very few occasions, I’ve euthanized some pets for temperment problems; biting and so forth, but those aside, I’ve come to several conclusions based on my experience:
- Pets do suffer pain and discomfort similar to what humans do, except they cannot express it in the verbal manner that we can. However, with experience, it is possible to recognize subtle behavioral and physical signs of pain and discomfort, although many times such are obvious.
- In certain disease states, the condition and/or it’s physical/behavioral signs can be successfully treated. Now here’s the rub; pet owners have different levels or tolerance for their pets illness. By that I mean they may not want to see them in any pain, even that such as in chronic arthritis, they may not tolerate a pet dribbling urine or dropping stools in the house, even though the pet may otherwise be healthy, or they may not be able to treat their own pet (sometimes treatment is difficult due to the pet’s temperment or their skill level in administering treatments).
- I get the question asked frequently, “What would you do if it were your pet?”, which I try to steer away from. My circumstances are much different from the clients.
The woman herself was afraid that someday that someone would do that to her, and she wanted the cat treated to the best that she could afford. So, we hooked the cat up to fluids overnight, and I wispered to our technician that this cat would be dead in the morning.
Long story short, the cat recovered in a couple days, and went on to live for another 6 months. It’s nice to be wrong every once in a while, in that direction.
Bottom line is that there are many factors which play into this decision, and unless the owner wants to euthanize an obviously healthy and behaviorally stable animal (I’ve had that too; a lady wanted to euthanize her pet because she didn’t feel like anyone else could adopt it and take as good care as she did of it…we did end up finding a home for the cat
) or if they want to keep a suffering animal alive when there’s virtually no hope, I’ll put the animal out of it’s misery.Sounds to me like the OP made a good decision.
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vera_dicere
Guest
I dont’ know if anyone can every say 100% either way if an animal has a soul or not, beleiving either way I dont think will end up with us getting in trouble from God.
I had to have one of my pet rats PTS. I thank God for my ratties everyday, and I know their lives on earth may be all they have. But if I get to heaven and find them there, then fantastic.
But God gave us soverigenty over animals and I think the willful cause of their suffering is very serious. Torturing animals is usually a percurser to homicidal behaviour.
I had to have one of my pet rats PTS. I thank God for my ratties everyday, and I know their lives on earth may be all they have. But if I get to heaven and find them there, then fantastic.
But God gave us soverigenty over animals and I think the willful cause of their suffering is very serious. Torturing animals is usually a percurser to homicidal behaviour.
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adelore
Guest
Wow another Rattie Person
I’ve had several pet rats over the years. They have even traveled on our 18 Wheeler with us across country. Since Rats don’t live as long as other pets do I know, the love they can share with a pet owner in a shorter (compared to other types of pets) amount of time.
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Deo_Volente
Guest
Grace & Peace!
To believe that a dog has a human-like soul is to deny that humanity was made to be the high priest of creation–that it is our singular duty to offer creation back to God in love, to be the steward of creation, and to be its prayer, its soul, its voice before God. If a dog is spiritually the same as we are, then we share this role with dogs.
Moreover, if animals and humans share the same sort of soul, then when Paul writes that all creation is awaiting the revelation of the children of God, he clearly got something wrong. Because if animals have the same soul as humans, they can be saved apart from humans. The world can be saved separately from humanity. But this is not the case–the doctrine of the resurrection of the body suggests that the New Earth, the 8th Day of creation is inextricably linked to human salvation, to the human resurrection, not a separate thing.
Furthermore, if animals have souls like humans, they themselves are in need of evangelizing and in need of the means of grace which are the sacraments. If it is objected that they are not so in need, then it is averred that animals have somehow retained an innate measure of grace that we have not–that it would have been better to have been born a cat, a mole, or a mouse or a polar bear than to have been a human because our salvation is at risk through our moral choices, but their salvation through their choices is not.
By insisting that animals have human-like souls, one upends the entire order of creation, renounces the graces and responsibilities given to man, and degrades both humans and animals, the former by insisting that humans are worth less than animals, the latter by insisting that they carry a burden of grace and responsibility that they are incapable of bearing.
The salvation of the animals depends on our salvation. When we offer ourselves to God in the eucharistic prayer, are we not also offering our time, our talent, our households, our material possession, our pets, everything we have and are? Do we not sanctify them in this way? When we care for animals, do we not fulfill the trust given to us by God on behalf of all his creation?
I cannot speak to whether or not there will be animals in heaven. If there are, it will be because we bring them there with us–which is why it is even more incumbent upon us to love all of creation. The ancients spoke of the existence of many souls–such as the animal soul (the principle of life, motion, emotion, instinct, etc. in an animal body–it is the soul of the body), the human soul (which gives human personhood–will, memory, intellect and the possibility of eternal life), and the spirit (the principle and the possibility of eternity in the human soul). When we speak of humans being body, soul and spirit, we speak of these three elements. We also speak of a hierarchy: the body must be subservient to the soul and the soul to the spirit. This is part of the process of divinization and speaks to the final resurrection when the body is spiritualized and the spirit is truly embodied. The body must become a soul, the animal must become a man, and that body, that man, must unite with God. If this is the process of resurrection, then it is also the way of redemption for all of creation. We are key to that way, just as Christ is our way to God.
This is not a responsibility to cast off lightly because it does not accord with our present attachment to our pets. Our present attachment should lead us to take our responsibility more seriously.
Just my 2 cents.
Under the Mercy,
Mark
All is grace and mercy–Deo gratias!
Bella, there is actually a theological danger in believing that an animal has a soul like a human being–the danger is in either elevating an animal to the ontological status of human, or in denigrating the human to the status of an animal.
To believe that a dog has a human-like soul is to deny that humanity was made to be the high priest of creation–that it is our singular duty to offer creation back to God in love, to be the steward of creation, and to be its prayer, its soul, its voice before God. If a dog is spiritually the same as we are, then we share this role with dogs.
Moreover, if animals and humans share the same sort of soul, then when Paul writes that all creation is awaiting the revelation of the children of God, he clearly got something wrong. Because if animals have the same soul as humans, they can be saved apart from humans. The world can be saved separately from humanity. But this is not the case–the doctrine of the resurrection of the body suggests that the New Earth, the 8th Day of creation is inextricably linked to human salvation, to the human resurrection, not a separate thing.
Furthermore, if animals have souls like humans, they themselves are in need of evangelizing and in need of the means of grace which are the sacraments. If it is objected that they are not so in need, then it is averred that animals have somehow retained an innate measure of grace that we have not–that it would have been better to have been born a cat, a mole, or a mouse or a polar bear than to have been a human because our salvation is at risk through our moral choices, but their salvation through their choices is not.
By insisting that animals have human-like souls, one upends the entire order of creation, renounces the graces and responsibilities given to man, and degrades both humans and animals, the former by insisting that humans are worth less than animals, the latter by insisting that they carry a burden of grace and responsibility that they are incapable of bearing.
The salvation of the animals depends on our salvation. When we offer ourselves to God in the eucharistic prayer, are we not also offering our time, our talent, our households, our material possession, our pets, everything we have and are? Do we not sanctify them in this way? When we care for animals, do we not fulfill the trust given to us by God on behalf of all his creation?
I cannot speak to whether or not there will be animals in heaven. If there are, it will be because we bring them there with us–which is why it is even more incumbent upon us to love all of creation. The ancients spoke of the existence of many souls–such as the animal soul (the principle of life, motion, emotion, instinct, etc. in an animal body–it is the soul of the body), the human soul (which gives human personhood–will, memory, intellect and the possibility of eternal life), and the spirit (the principle and the possibility of eternity in the human soul). When we speak of humans being body, soul and spirit, we speak of these three elements. We also speak of a hierarchy: the body must be subservient to the soul and the soul to the spirit. This is part of the process of divinization and speaks to the final resurrection when the body is spiritualized and the spirit is truly embodied. The body must become a soul, the animal must become a man, and that body, that man, must unite with God. If this is the process of resurrection, then it is also the way of redemption for all of creation. We are key to that way, just as Christ is our way to God.
This is not a responsibility to cast off lightly because it does not accord with our present attachment to our pets. Our present attachment should lead us to take our responsibility more seriously.
Just my 2 cents.
Under the Mercy,
Mark
All is grace and mercy–Deo gratias!
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fbl9
Guest
animals have souls which is their life force/source,just as our soul is our life source…the difference being is that our souls are also spirit…
i once had a cat and my dog decided it got to close to her food dish,unfortunately she didn’t finish the job,so i had to…i sat there holding this cat crying wanting to pray that she would be healed yet knowing somehow it wasn’t for me do this(praying).
i hunted most of my life,since awakening to the truth,even putting a cow down draws a tear…
i once had a cat and my dog decided it got to close to her food dish,unfortunately she didn’t finish the job,so i had to…i sat there holding this cat crying wanting to pray that she would be healed yet knowing somehow it wasn’t for me do this(praying).
i hunted most of my life,since awakening to the truth,even putting a cow down draws a tear…
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Energy_jobs
Guest
It is only natural that we wish our cherished pets would depart from this world quietly in their sleep, however, this does not always happen. There are times, more often than not, when we are forced to make the heart-breaking decision to end our pets’ suffering. How will we know when it’s time?Animals are known to be experts at hiding pain and illness; in the wild it is the sick and injured animals who are preyed upon. It is very important that you know your pet’s behaviour, and are able to notice drastic changes in their normal routine. These changes may occur gradually or appear very quickly, and by being aware, you, the owner may be able to prevent your pet from unnecessary pain and suffering. Having said that, let me also say that such things as old age or terminal illness or loss of a limb are not necessarily cause for euthanasia; many conditions are controllable and allow your pet to maintain some quality of life. The important words to remember are “quality of life” not quantity, since pets have no concept of time.
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pamnbam
Guest
I found myself in a similar situation with a cat I’d had for 15 years, and my heart aches for you to go through this situation.
God created animals for humans to enjoy and care for, and I expect that God entrusts their total care to us. That said, only you can make the decision to euthanize your pet, but remember that it is okay to euthanize your animal if its quality of life has declined to the level you described.
I ended up euthanizing my beloved cat and although it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, I knew it was the best decision for him.
My prayers are with you, through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi.
God created animals for humans to enjoy and care for, and I expect that God entrusts their total care to us. That said, only you can make the decision to euthanize your pet, but remember that it is okay to euthanize your animal if its quality of life has declined to the level you described.
I ended up euthanizing my beloved cat and although it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, I knew it was the best decision for him.
My prayers are with you, through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi.
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Smber2c
Guest
Uh…no that’s not really true at all. People don’t have spouses in heaven for one. Spouses seem like a ‘good’ on earth. Also our positions of prominence won’t carry over, though they can be used for good. We can’t take treasured family heirlooms, even rosaries or wedding rings. And our best friends or closes relatives don’t get to be in heaven unless their are of the right disposition - no matter how good they were to us.
God of course could have animals in heaven…but it doesn’t matter. If people in heaven can be perfectly 100% joy filled despite their parents, siblings, or children not making it to heaven…then people will easily be 100% joy filled without their pets.
…and since the Church teaches humans don’t have a ‘right’ to heaven despite being created in God’s image; then animals, plants, or rocks certainly do not have that ‘right’ either.
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Catholic90
Guest
This is a 3 1/2 year old thread…
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Smber2c
Guest
haha, yeah you’re right, but to be fair half the posts are from Nov. 20th this year and on.
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RubyT
Guest
Ditto
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