My Maine Coon Cat is only about 22 months old and I just found out today he exhibits symptoms' of Feline infectious peritonitis which a fatal disease. Most Maine Coons live 10-15 Years and now He has appears to have a terminal disease.

Here is the prayer I said for my Maine Coon.
Catholic Prayer for a Sick Pet

Heavenly Father,
Please help us in our time of need,
You have made us stewards of (name of pet).
If it is Your will, please restore him (her)
to health and strength.
I pray too for other animals in need.
May they be treated with the care and respect
deserving of all Your creation.
Blessed are You Lord God,
and holy is Your name for ever and ever
Amen

He is losing strength very quickly. If he doesn't improve soon should I just get him euthanized?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_infectious_peritonitis

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal, incurable disease that affects cats. It is caused by Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus (FIPV), which is a mutation of Feline Enteric Coronavirus (FECV) - (Feline coronavirus FCoV). Experts do not agree on the specifics of genetic changes that produce the FIPV. The mutated virus has the ability to invade and grow in certain white blood cells, namely macrophages. The immune system's response causes an intense inflammatory reaction in the containing tissues. This disease is generally fatal.[1] However, its incidence rate is roughly 1 in 5,000 for households with one or two cats. A nasally administered vaccine for FIP is available but controversial, and it is not proven to be highly effective.[2] An experimental polyprenyl immunostimulant is being manufactured by Sass and Sass and tested by Dr. Al Legendre who described survival over 1 year in three cats diagnosed with FIP and treated with the medicine.[3] In one case study, a female cat diagnosed with dry FIP has survived 26 months from the date of definitive diagnosis.

If he begins to suffer I would have him euthanized.
In the wild, nature would take care of it but as we prolong pet's lives with good vet care I feel it is wrong to put them through agony.
Our pets are God's creatures  and we should care for their well being including their death.

How about praying for yourself, that you learn detachment. I know it is hard to let go. However in this sorrow it could be that God is asking you to make more room for Him.

My Maine Coon Cat is only about 22 months old and I just found out today he exhibits symptoms' of Feline infectious peritonitis which a fatal disease. Most Maine Coons live 10-15 Years and now He has appears to have a terminal disease.

Here is the prayer I said for my Maine Coon.
Catholic Prayer for a Sick Pet

Quote

Heavenly Father,
Please help us in our time of need,
You have made us stewards of (name of pet).
If it is Your will, please restore him (her)
to health and strength.
I pray too for other animals in need.
May they be treated with the care and respect
deserving of all Your creation.
Blessed are You Lord God,
and holy is Your name for ever and ever
Amen

He is losing strength very quickly. If he doesn't improve soon should I just get him euthanized?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_infectious_peritonitis

Quote

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal, incurable disease that affects cats. It is caused by Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus (FIPV), which is a mutation of Feline Enteric Coronavirus (FECV) - (Feline coronavirus FCoV). Experts do not agree on the specifics of genetic changes that produce the FIPV. The mutated virus has the ability to invade and grow in certain white blood cells, namely macrophages. The immune system's response causes an intense inflammatory reaction in the containing tissues. This disease is generally fatal.[1] However, its incidence rate is roughly 1 in 5,000 for households with one or two cats. A nasally administered vaccine for FIP is available but controversial, and it is not proven to be highly effective.[2] An experimental polyprenyl immunostimulant is being manufactured by Sass and Sass and tested by Dr. Al Legendre who described survival over 1 year in three cats diagnosed with FIP and treated with the medicine.[3] In one case study, a female cat diagnosed with dry FIP has survived 26 months from the date of definitive diagnosis.

I know very well what you are going through.  

If you have the money for vets, it will be worth it for you to do what you can for your cat.  Sometimes they pull through this disease and manage to survive for a few more years.  Not always, but sometimes.  The hardest thing is eating/drinking.  If you have a cat that is pliable and easy to work with, you can feed them with a syringe and give them water too.  It takes patience and time, but they have to eat and drink.  Not doing that, they will not have much strength to fight the disease.  It's a shame you can't make cats understand that by not eating and drinking they are only making it worse for themselves.

If though you find your cat having no real "quality of life" left and it is visibly suffering, then that is the time to have it put down.

I used to hurry and do that but that was more for me than for the animal as I didn't like (and don't like) to see anyone suffer - human being or animal.  But, now, I wait until the last possible moment.  Sometimes I let them die on their own.  Cats are resourceful that way, and they always seem to know when they are going to die.  They go off and find a hiding place where they can die alone.

I love Maine Coons and owned one once.  Hope to get another Maine Coon one day.  They are real characters!!  

I firmly believe that we will be reunited with our beloved cats or dogs when we die.  I don't care what some theologians think.   :wink:

Put my dog down, last November, and I could not find a painting of the boy Jesus playing with a cat or dog, so I painted one,  while singing ... "Even Jesus had a doggie, even Jesus loved his pets."  (made it up)  Hung up my painting when finished and look at it often and think of my dog, Ginger.

Here is a little "twist" on pets of mine.  

Firstly do you believe that there are animals in Heaven, I do.  I believe that there is nothing on earth that is good that can not be in Heaven.

We all know the Church teaches us that animals DO NOT have a mortal soul as humans do.  I believe that because the Church teaches it.  

However, I always ask God that if possible and since there are probably animals in heaven will I find my special pet there with them somehow, but in the end of my asking it is God's Will and we must accept it, knowing all along that if we make it to heaven our true love will be the Beatific Vision and nothing else will matter.

I know silly but it is one of my weaknesses/faults/failings.  

I could be wrong, but I think I heard somewhere that after the end of time, when there is a New Heaven and a New Earth, that there will be animals, plants, etc there. If that is true, why wouldn't our pets be there? Just a thought. Don't know if its it true or not.