Loss of pet

The Young Wan

Do you feel the loss of a pet affects you just as much as that of a human? My 12 yo cat is being put to sleep this morbing and I am heartbroken.

mojesius

Very sorry to hear this. We had to put our 17 year old dog to sleep a few years ago and it was heartbreaking, possibly the toughest bereavement I've had. They are part of your family and it's totally normal to be heartbroken. If your cat is in a lot of pain or discomfort, it really is the kindest thing you can do, but it's probably difficult to accept that right now.

Thoughts are with you. 12 is a great age for a cat and I'm sure you have lots of memories of great times.

tawnyowl

It's something I've found difficult - though they're not human, they become part of the family. They have personalities of their own and I've missed them when they've died.

Being faced with the decision to put a pet down is difficult (I had to do with when a cat was diagnosed with liver cancer) and I felt like a right heel afterwards, like I'd betrayed the poor creature. Unfortunately the poor cat was terminally ill and didn't have long to live anyway, but that didn't make the decision any easier.

Hopefully you have many happy memories of your cat.

Gael23

Yes absolutely. When my dog died 17 months ago it was like one of us had gone.
What I would say is that the rawness of it takes a few weeks to go, particularly leading up to it. But after that it does get easier and you remember the good times.
Nobody fully understands what the loss of a pet feels like until they have been through it themselves. The emptiness at the start really hurts and thats impossible to explain.

I Am_Not_Ice

Grief is grief, no matter the species.
My thoughts are with you.

Emme

My condolences to you. It is heartbreaking to have to get a pet put to sleep. I am still grieving over the 15 year old dog I took into the vet for a check up 2 years ago and took out in his basket covered up in a blanket because the vet had no option but to put him to sleep. That dog was a better friend to me than many human friends and I miss him every day. Every time I see a dog that looks like him I feel sad.

It won't be easy but think of the happy times and that you did your very best for your cat.

Walter H Price

I would still say the passing of my first cat was one of the hardest deaths ive had to deal with. she was 21 when she died of old age but my parents had gotten her as an injured kitten only 4 months before i was born so she had been around literally my whole life .

when she died it was utterly heartbreaking. I feel for you OP not an easy time , Pets become part of the family quickly and loosing them can be as hard as loosing any family member from my experience anyway. hang in there

ricicle

Absolutely. I'm sorry to hear about your little friend. I brought my cat to the vet because she just looked off (sounds ridiculous I know) and it turned out she was very ill and had to be put down then and there. I still miss her like crazy and cry over her. Pets are always there for us, no judgements just love and it's so hard when that is gone. It's just as devistating as the death of a family member. I'm sure you are absolutely devastated right now but it does get easier. When my cat died a few weeks later I got a new cat and although it would never replace my old cat it helped with the grieving process having someone else to look after.

Gael23

ricicle wrote: »

. When my cat died a few weeks later I got a new cat and although it would never replace my old cat it helped with the grieving process having someone else to look after.

People do say that but for me it tool quite a while before I felt I could bond with another dog in the same way. This sounds absolutely ridiculous but for a couple of months I felt it would be disloyal of me to allow a new dog into his space.

I did have some morning that we were going to lose him but not much. When we brought him to the vets we thought it was just one of his turns which happened from time to time. This typically involved an overnight stay and a few days of plain food etc. The following morning there was no improvement and after that he deteriorated really rapidly. Thats when I knew it was something serious but it wasn't until the next day I knew it was the end of the road this time. It took a few hours to digest it all and decide what to do and he died before we made a decision.

RabbleRouser2k

Lost one of our dogs on Saturday. Old age. She wasn't well for the last few months, but Wednesday she took a turn, and it escalated every night after that.
She died Saturday, before anyone of us had to make that difficult choice.
Heartbroken is the mildest word I could use. Just happened so suddent, and I was hoping for more time. But there is never is.

I've lost pets that were dearer to me than family members. I know that sounds harsh to some people.
This little lady, the one who passed, was one of them.
My dad was similar, he mourned some pets moreso than he did aunts or uncles.

Grief hits like a gut punch, we cannot decided who we will or will not cry for.That is life. And some times you could be just getting on a bus, and all of a sudden, you see someone or something that reminds you of them, and you lose it. Can happen years after the fact too.

Shint0

One of my dogs passed away earlier this year. Just recently I find myself saying I need to give *dog's name* and my other dog their breakfast/dinner or I will ask my husband if he fed *dog's name* and other dog. It's really my cat's name I mean to say instead when I'm thinking I need to feed them but dog's name keeps tripping off my tongue since last week.

It might be my brain's way of trying not to let me forget her. So I lit a candle a few night's ago and put it in front of her photo and played the song I played on the day she died. It's strange sometimes how you almost forget them as if they never existed but that can happen sometimes too with people who have passed away.

Taltos

Mod Note
Posts removed.
NIMAN, while I respect your beliefs this is not a discussion forum and unless you have constructive advice to offer an OP here we'd ask you not to post. Please respect that not everybody feels as you do. Please do not post in this thread again.

Gael23, similarly as you are debating NIMAN's viewpoint we've removed your post to keep this thread on topic.

Thanks
Taltos