Our cat was a special needs cat and was 19. We miss her dearly as she was our child. In fact, she would be on me right now as I type this. But this is the exact process we had to go through and my wife was reluctant to go anywhere -- something I totally understand. We are leaving for the Redwoods tomorrow in great part because we are free from the responsibilities. In my view, it's a trade off. We are once again free to come and go as we please and that's super great for about 4-6 weeks out of the year. But the daily life takes a hit. I miss her companionship.