Eventually every pet owner will face losing a beloved companion.   Sometimes this happens easily and quickly, but often, the pet has a long illness.  If that happens, most owners take their ill kitties to the vet.  If the diagnosis is dire, options seem limited to prevent future suffering.     

But what if neither owner nor kitty is ready to be separated?  What if there’s still a few weeks left?  Or months?  Or even years?  What if there were the same kind of healthcare options available to pets as there are to human beings?  What if you could prolong your cat’s life comfortably, without pain, and without the trauma of going to the vet?       

Valerie Lacayo of San Antonio is committed to that goal.  Pawsitive Memories, her organization, is an in-home pet hospice dedicated to relieving and preventing the suffering of animals and their families.   

“My mission is to make all the services we have for humans available for animals as well,” explains Ms. Lacayo.

She lost her dog Marty to cancer.  When Marty received his diagnosis a year before, his vet recommended surgery or euthanasia. 

“I opted out of giving him surgery because he was 13 and ½.  They told me he had cancer and I should put him down because he would suffer.  I said, well, he isn’t suffering yet,” Ms. Lacayo declared, and took her friend home. 

For the following year, Marty enjoyed everything his heart desired.  He lived like a king, coddled in comfort, fed delectable treats, and his slightest whims satisfied.  Owner and pet made the most of the time they had left.  

After Marty passed, Ms. Lacayo knew her mission:  owners would benefit from her experience. 

Ms. Lacayo is an RN with 10 years of experience working in hospice and palliative care.   She was also a vet tech, and she did market research by talking to her hospice patients about their pets.  She saw again and again how important people’s pets are to the patients’ recovery.  Animal companionship is priceless.     

“Sometimes it’s harder to lose a pet than a human.  Pets give you unconditional love.  You don’t get that from humans.  My cats are always glad to see me when I come home.  If I feel bad, they lie down next to me and purr me to sleep,” she explains.

Ms. Lacayo knows how important it is to help people through the processes of illness and dying. 

“I love working with animals and people.  We’re not taught how to grieve.  We don’t talk about it.  Most people don’t understand the process.  I work with people, walk them through it, help them remember the good times and just try and understand what’s going on.” 

Ms. Lacayo’s services include palliative care, in-home veterinary visits, grief counseling, and memorial services.  

Cat owners especially will appreciate house calls.  Cats are notorious for hating cat carriers and going anywhere in the car.  Vet visits can be incredibly traumatic for both owners and their kitties.  Cats get terribly upset when they are forced to leave their territories, even for a short time.  In-home health care opens up a world of possibilities that will make everyone’s life easier:  kitty, owner, and all other animals in the home.   

“Everything is in the house to keep them from being traumatized.  Keeping them in the home is best for the humans and it’s best for the pets.”