It was over 40 years ago...on my grandma's farm near Plumas Manitoba, many of the cats came down with distemper. Dad was asked to dispatch them.

The closest vet would have been 3 hours away at that time.

Dad loved cats - but he also knew when a case was hopeless. The only blessing is that he had been a member of the RCMP for many years, so the poor kitties never knew what hit them.

Rounding up the sick semi-ferals at the time and trying to take them 3 hours to Winnipeg...with no carriers...it wasn't a feasible option. However, many do-it-yourselfers do a really crappy job of it.

When I first saw this thread, I thought they had drowned or strangled her, which would have been horrific. I just read the linked story and I agree with how they did it - as long as it was true she died instantly.

This is the AC in Sierra Vista: http://www.ci.sierra-vista.az.us/cms...=78&Itemid=206

No mention of the charge for euthanasia, if there is one - or how far away it is from where this family lives.

RIP Sadie. No more pain.

ETA: The children were in the barn.