diff --git a/dbutils.c b/dbutils.c
index 8ed67c2e..ca7ac4bc 100644
--- a/dbutils.c
+++ b/dbutils.c
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ is_pgup(PGconn *conn, int timeout)
 			/*
 			* Send a SELECT 1 just to check if the connection is OK
 			*/
-			CancelQuery(conn, timeout);
+			if (!CancelQuery(conn, timeout))
+				goto failed;
 			if (wait_connection_availability(conn, timeout) != 1)
 				goto failed;
 
@@ -429,18 +430,33 @@ wait_connection_availability(PGconn *conn, int timeout)
 }
 
 
-void
+bool
 CancelQuery(PGconn *conn, int timeout)
 {
 	char errbuf[ERRBUFF_SIZE];
 	PGcancel *pgcancel;
 
-	wait_connection_availability(conn, timeout);
+	if (wait_connection_availability(conn, timeout) != 1)
+		return false;
 
 	pgcancel = PQgetCancel(conn);
 
-	if (!pgcancel || PQcancel(pgcancel, errbuf, ERRBUFF_SIZE) == 0)
-		log_warning(_("Can't stop current query: %s\n"), errbuf);
+	if (pgcancel != NULL)
+	{
+		/*
+		 * PQcancel can only return 0 if socket()/connect()/send()
+ 		 * fails, in any of those cases we can assume something
+		 * bad happened to the connection
+		 */
+		if (PQcancel(pgcancel, errbuf, ERRBUFF_SIZE) == 0)
+		{
+			log_warning(_("Can't stop current query: %s\n"), errbuf);
+			PQfreeCancel(pgcancel);
+			return false;
+		}
 
-	PQfreeCancel(pgcancel);
+		PQfreeCancel(pgcancel);
+	}
+
+	return true;
 }
diff --git a/dbutils.h b/dbutils.h
index 90a6d390..8d983048 100644
--- a/dbutils.h
+++ b/dbutils.h
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@ PGconn *getMasterConnection(PGconn *standby_conn, char *schema, char *cluster,
                             int *master_id, char *master_conninfo_out);
 
 int wait_connection_availability(PGconn *conn, int timeout);
-void CancelQuery(PGconn *conn, int timeout);
+bool CancelQuery(PGconn *conn, int timeout);
 #endif
diff --git a/repmgrd.c b/repmgrd.c
index 5cd18e2a..a15cbef2 100644
--- a/repmgrd.c
+++ b/repmgrd.c
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ static void setup_event_handlers(void);
 
 #define CloseConnections()	\
 	if (PQisBusy(primaryConn) == 1) \
-		CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout); \
+		(void) CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout); \
 	if (myLocalConn != NULL) \
 		PQfinish(myLocalConn);	\
 	if (primaryConn != NULL && primaryConn != myLocalConn) \
@@ -376,7 +376,8 @@ WitnessMonitor(void)
 	 * Cancel any query that is still being executed,
 	 * so i can insert the current record
 	 */
-	CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout);
+	if (!CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout))
+		return;
 	if (wait_connection_availability(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout) != 1)
 		return;
 
@@ -497,7 +498,8 @@ StandbyMonitor(void)
 	 * Cancel any query that is still being executed,
 	 * so i can insert the current record
 	 */
-	CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout);
+	if (!CancelQuery(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout))
+		return;
 	if (wait_connection_availability(primaryConn, local_options.master_response_timeout) != 1)
 		return;