Is it a sin to euthanize my cat?

[mrshlclark]

Hello,

I have a 22 year old cat named Sissy who I have taken care of since she was a kitten. Sissy has Alzheimer’s disease (yes, cat’s get Alzheimer’s) and gets confused and lost. She can hardly hear anything anymore and her vision is very limited. Sissy has overactive thyroid and needs maintenance medication twice a day.

Sissy does not always use her litterbox to toilet anymore and sometimes has accidents in the house, so I have to keep Sissy outside.

Last Friday, Sissy got lost. Today, five days later, I received a call from the microchip company letting me know where to find her (she has a microchip implant).

I worry about Sissy suffering if she gets lost and I can’t find her. I also can’t stand the thought of her disappearing and me never knowing what happened to her, or
her wandering off and starving to death or being hit by a car. .

Is euthanizing Sissy a sin? It doesn’t feel right to do so, but I don’t know what else to do.

Thank you,

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear friend,

Morality is not determined by how one feels about an act. It is determined by whether the act goes against moral law or is in line with it. There is no commandment that states that we not put animals to death. Putting your cat down is not a sin.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.