I have an ailing cat.  He's 15.  He's had diabetes for three years and
used to have seizures when his sugar got too high.  There's a mass in
his chest - either cancer or heart disease; the operation to find out
would finish him off.

His heart has been slowing down - which, apparently, is unusual for cat
heart disease; usually they speed up.

Two weeks ago, I took him to the hospital where they found fluid in his
chest (not in his lungs). They took out 300 ml and he was a happy
little guy for about a week.  He's on a daily diuretic now.

Doc said there's no knowing if or how long it would take to build up
again.   Well, he's having trouble breathing again.  He mostly sleeps
and actually breathes fairly easily while asleep.  His appetite is
still good and he still uses his box but he comes back from either
venture all worn out and sits with head down breathing heavily for a
bit until he gets his wind back.  Then he's back to sleep all day -
which he's been doing for a while.  He's an old man.

He's skinny - I can feel his bones in his spine and where they shaved
him to take out the fluid, I can see his ribs under his skin.

I'll pick him up sometimes or lie with him and pet him.  He'll purr his
little head off.

Most of the 'quality of life' questions are still 'yes' - does he eat?
Does he lie peacefully? etc.  But I can't keep schlepping him back to
have fluid withdrawn - he hates trips in the car and the anesthetic
left him stoned and very unhappy.

Now here's the thing.  I would like to have some tranquilizers or
something to knock him out for the last trip to the vet.  I want him
untroubled and unstressed.  I do not want the last thing I do to him to
be bring in a stranger or to cart him off in the car yet again.   I
want him to be stoned to the gills and sound asleep so he won't know
what's up.

No vet will do this!  Not his vet who knows him nor any other.  How
badly does that suck?  And why the hell not?

I do have some tranquilizers that I used for his plane trip here but
they are 3 1/2 years old and I'm not sure they'd work.

He's a great cat.  He must know that the pills he takes for his
diabetes help him because he has never ever fought taking pills!  So I
could easily give him a couple of pills and let him fall asleep in his
little bed under my desk and then take him when he's zonked out.

So why on earth, do you suppose, will a vet not do this?  What could
hurt when he's already terminal?

I will leave it a few more days since his only negative sign right now
is his difficulty breathing and it waxes and wanes but it will
definitely get worse and all I wanted to do was let him fall asleep and
it would be over.

And while I typed this, he reached out of his nest under my desk and
grabbed my foot :)  I believe he agrees.

So anybody know why nobody would give me a drug for my boy so that he
could be spared any stress on his last day?