Pet Grieving
March 30 marks one year since Rags died. I cannot believe it. He lives in my heart and soul everyday and I carry him with me wherever I am, so it is hard for me to believe I have not physically held him for almost a year. I would do anything to do that again!
Since Tuesdays (March 30 is a Tuesday) are product review days, we will be featuring Yeowww! Catnip on that day. Mostly to honor Rags. He loved that stuff! So I hope you like the review. In the mean time, I recently read that Kate Benjamin lost her kitty, Sophie, so with my year anniversary of Rags’ death around the corner and after reading about Sophie, I thought I’d talk about pet grieving. Not a favorite topic, but a practical one, nonetheless.
Pets are family and when you lose a member of your family, you grieve. Pet grieving is quite a personal experience. Your pet who was your companion all these years, shared your happiness, consoled when you were sad, gave you unconditional love, is suddenly not with you and it’s heart breaking and traumatic.
Grief over pet loss can be shared with your family members and friends. I found that a pet talker (animal communicator) helped me get through losing Rags (I was told in December that I had about 2 more weeks with him – it ended up being 3 months – that’s the funny thing about chronic renal failure – it’s a hard thing to estimate).
The reason I have been featuring interviews with animal communicators (watch the site on Sundays for a new interview) is for this reason. I found that a pet talker can really help you get over the loss of your pet.
Of course, there are other things available for pet loss and grief, like pet loss counselors, pet loss support groups and pet loss forums and chat rooms who will be willing to share the pain with you and help you come to terms with the loss. You can even leave comments on Floppycats.com and I’ll respond!
Here are some tips on how to deal with pet loss.
- Let the tears flow. Don’t hold them back. The tears will ease your pain. If you have the habit of writing a diary or blog, share it with your loved ones, or write about your pet’s loss before she or he is gone (if you know that you will lose them, like I did with Rags). Remember all the good times you had with your pet. Here’s my dedication to Rags.
- Spend a lot of time with family and friends, share stories with them about your pet and recollect all those wonderful times you had together.
- Arrange for a small prayer meeting for your departed pet. Invite family and friends who loved your pet. They would love to come and share those pleasant times they had with your pet.
- You can start helping a sick animal by joining a local animal support group. This will help ease the pain to a great extent.
- Take your time to get a new pet home. Don’t rush into it.
- You can also join a pet loss support group who will be able to help you get over the loss.
Sometimes losing a pet can be one of the hardest things to go through because they are so much a part of your daily life, but unfortunately it is an inevitable part of life.
What are your suggestions on how to move on after a loss of a pet? Do you have any tips or thoughts to share with fellow readers?
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
Rags was a lucky cat to have such a fun and loving home and owner, I am sure that he had no regrets at all and lived a fulfilling life. I think it makes it harder when loved ones leave us in an unnatural state of being, such as one of pain. I had put my older cat of 14 years old to sleep because she was building fluid inside her lungs and she was in horrible pain. I brought her home for a couple days in order to say goodbye, I would have liked a longer time but due to her pain, that was not ideal for her sake. Animals leave us sooner than we would like, but the pictures and memories of them remain forever and I just think that at least one cat had a happy life, if only there were not so many unfortunate souls, both human and animal, out there..
Rags was loved and that is the most treasured feeling upon this earth and his love was his unforgettable gift to you – one that will never disappear no matter what.
I just read through a lot of your posts. I love your site.
I’m so sorry for your loss Jenny, this post made me tear up. But I know he’s is heaven playing with his catnip banana and not suffering now. *hugs*
I don’t know how I missed this comment. I have been tearing up for weeks. It is silly…I play these games like, “well, it’s only been a week since he’s been dead…” and then it was 2 weeks, 4 weeks and I dreaded the year. UGH. March 30 will always be in my mind as the day I lost my best friend. I miss him dearly. Thanks for the hugs and yes, he is not suffering now, so I am ready for him to come back to me.