That's very touching - thank you for sharing :-(

I don't think it makes a difference if a cat dies at home or at a vet's.
It's just important that you hold it.

Carola

I promised him a passing in familiar surroundings if at all possible.

A sad but wonderful anecdote.  I can't wait to tell it to my friends
who have lots of cats.  It's a Readers Digest sort of story, you know.

My kittyboy and I live by ourselves.  When I was very ill with the flu
(the worst illness I'd ever had, and now I understand how/why people
die from it), he parked himself on the bed next to me like a sphinx and
purred for the better part of two days.  He hasn't done that before or
since.

When he was a little kitty, he had been abandoned in a remote area.  By
the time he got to my door, he was very sick.  I held him close for two
nights until I thought he would make it.  After that, he recovered
quickly and became a wonderful pet.

Do you think he was paying me back?  It's a nice thought.  I suppose,
tho, that he knew that I was in trouble and he did the best he could
for me without any other consideration.  

The thought that this little guy will be around only for a few more
years is very distressing to me.  He and I are, as they say, simpatico.

Also a good argument for a no-kill animal shelter that will take the
cat back (guaranteed) if you must enter managed care or if you
die. Adopt an older cat from the shelter, one that no one else will
adopt because they're older cats. That way even if you croak before
the cat, at least he will have had a few years of love and kindness
before having to return to the shelter.

- Elron

The only way to really know is get a delorian and go into
the future.

The best thing you can do at this point is take care of your
cat one day at a time.    You never know when the end will come
or where.   I've had cats die at home, i've also had cats who
had to be put to sleep at the vet.  Either way it is very hard
and no less painful.

I've never seen any figures.

I've never seen any figures.

Some vets will come to your house.  Not common but also not
entirely unheard of.

Many an elderly person has been in the position.   Some will
dictate in their will that the pet be taken care of by xxxxxxx
or be put to sleep and buried with them (i've never understood
this....why should the pet die when the human does.......
especially if the pet is in good health and has many
years left.)

I would add there are instances where someone will
die and their pets will be found a few weeks later.

Every case is different.

And then there is the case what would happen if you're hit by
a bus on your way to work today.   What would happen to your
pet?

The best you can do is prepare a will for the inevitable day.
After all we are all going to die, it's only a question of when.
(Unless your name is Duncan McLeod.)

A number of years ago I got up at about 2 in the morning to
do my Tai Chi and found one of my cats dead on the floor.
(Probably a heart attack but an autopsy found nothing.)
The cat was only about three years old, my theory is
she didn't know when she was tired and needed to rest.  She
frequently would get exhausted running around and I could
never get her to rest unless I picked her up which she
didn't want done.

She did not want to rest.