Goodbye Squeakers I love you

Miri4191 said:

Thank you guys.

It's like I go a while without thinking about losing him and then wham something reminds me of him and it hurts all over again...Even grocery shopping today and looking at cat food and seeing all his old favorite flavors, and them coming home and he's not there waiting by the door for me like he always was...I just loved him so so much.

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This almost made me cry. I think most of us have been there.

I still sometimes am just going about my day, and then randomly am struck by the fact that one or both of my family dogs growing up is dead (both died within the last 5 years). It passes a lot more quickly than it did before and it's much easier to live with. It's become a part of me just as they've become a part of me, and even though its a sad part it's not one that I mind, because its a part of my huge love for them.

One of the dogs was a special-needs dog who had been the "baby" of our family and who died much earlier than we had expected (even though he was not young) as well as suddenly. I'll never get over his death or the hole I feel there.

But that's okay now in a way it wasn't before.

All the best to you. This is so hard! Especially since its not always a "socially-recognized" major loss. At my young age, it's probably the greatest grief I've yet known.

Squeakers was so lucky to have been so loved. It sounds like he had a great life. I'm sure he knew it and loved you boundlessly.

Miri, I just lost my Toby too, and I feel the same way. When I brought home chicken he was always there trying to get some, with me trying to body block him, and now there is nobody. I have my other cats but Toby was my special boy. He would come get me at night when it was time for bed, and now I can't sleep or go to bed on time.
I just think it is going to take time . I also do cat rescue and have foster cats to help too, and they do help me because they need me and their situation is sad. They are so appreciative of whatever small kindness is given to them. One part of me wants time to stand still so I can pretend Toby is still here, close my eyes and try to pretend it is him next to me and not one of the other sweet kits. I do that sometimes at night. In the morning i dont want to get up, i know it is bc i am depressed. And I still take out the wrong number of cat dishes.
The other part of me knows I have to move on . Like you I have days where I feel ok mostly and then something hits me. I still can't say "when Toby died" bc I can't think of him as dead without crying as I am tearing up now.
Anyhow You might try fostering, it won't ever replace your boy but it will help you recover by taking your mind off him. I know you don't want to take your mind off him. I don't either, want to take my mind off Toby. But it does help.

BarB-

I'm also very sorry for your loss. He sounds like quite the cat!

I feel for you. The pain is unbelievable and this is our third loss in all our cat owning years.
My 23 year old cat died last night.
We are heartbroken.

I'm new here and so sorry for your loss.I wrote my story on the cat site last night name Shayna Punim,I am supposed to take Shayna to vet today to pts. and i am devastated.She is not eatting but the sadness for us is unbearable.I rescued both of them at 10 weeks old and now they are 16 and 1/2.(her sister Punim is fine)but i,ve never been through this. Shayna slept with me.Plus they are my children.I am sick.please people tell me i,m doing right thing and we will both be o.k

Shayna Punim said:

I'm new here and so sorry for your loss.I wrote my story on the cat site last night name Shayna Punim,I am supposed to take Shayna to vet today to pts. and i am devastated.She is not eatting but the sadness for us is unbearable.I rescued both of them at 10 weeks old and now they are 16 and 1/2.(her sister Punim is fine)but i,ve never been through this. Shayna slept with me.Plus they are my children.I am sick.please people tell me i,m doing right thing and we will both be o.k

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Shayna's owner-

Everyone's experience is different. When my extremely sick, dying dogs were put to sleep, I was devastated to lose them, but also at peace knowing that I spared them days (or god forbid, weeks) of suffering, that they didn't have to die horribly, that they knew they were loved and being taken care of, that my family and I were there with them at the end, and that we had given them such good lives through the end. Because of how extremely sick and out of it they were, with no chance of recovery, putting them to sleep was an easy decision for us and perhaps the only aspect of their death that didn't cause me pain.

Putting a beloved pet to sleep is certainly a decision an owner like you would never make unless it was the right thing to do. A good vet would also not advise you to unless is was the right thing. You will be okay- though you may not feel okay for awhile, since Shayna is gone. Shayna is putting her trust in you, as ever, and she is right to; you are being a good kitty parent. She knows everything you do is out of love and care for her.

I am so sorry that Shayna's time here is up. A loss like this is so heartbreaking. I hope things go as well as they can today, and I am so so so sorry.

Thank you for replying.How am i going to take her and not come home with her.I still have Punim but we al now we love them all the same but they are little ppl with fur and each one has their own personality.Again Shayna slept with me every night besides all her other great qualities.New years eve we lost my partner and i was just getting to a place where i didn;t cry everyday.And I am reliving it all over again.I wish i new how to put pics up here.Shayna is black with big gold/green eyes.In her day she was 15 lbs. now she is wasting away.i know i have to do it but some support will be great.thx

I understand how you feel about your pet. My dogs were my siblings. One of them always stood up to mom in ways that I never could, had been my grandpa's best friend before he died, walked me to first grade and met my college boyfriend. The other was the baby of the family as well as our mascot.

How horrible that you have to deal with this on the heels of losing your partner. Its so agonizingly unfair, and I imagine it is agonizingly painful. I know for myself, a loss of this magnitude often triggers memories and emotions around other losses. We will be here to support you through this, and I hope you have others in your life as well to do that. If you haven't already, it may be a good time to find an in-person support group and/or even a therapist. It can be very hard to work through so much loss in such a short period of time and you deserve support.

Don't think about how. Just know you will do what you need to do, even if it seems impossible.

I am so sorry for your loss.Did you read my post about Shayna(under name Shayna Punim)I have an appt today to take Shayna to vet to pts.She is so sick but this pain is unbearable

I loved him boundlessly too. I wish I'd had the opportunity to let him know that, just one more time before he left me.

BarbB, Squeakers was the same way, he slept on my shoulder every night...that empty space feels so huge now. I just have this mental image of him the last time I saw him...and I can't make it go away. I don't want to remember him like that. I want to remember my healthy, vibrant boy.

This might seem like a weird question, but do pets mourn the death of other pets? I think our dog Keagan is mourning Squeakers. He's in a mood lately, hiding under the bed instead of laying on it. Is this normal?

Miri4191 said:

This might seem like a weird question, but do pets mourn the death of other pets?

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This is one of those questions that "experts" disagree on. They boil it down to can animals feel grief, etc. I think they can and do, and I'm willing to guess most other animal lovers fall into the same camp. If they can feel grief and mourn loss, then of course they can mourn the loss of a human or furry family member.

Regardless of what one believes, behavioral changes from a living pet immediately after the death of a pet are extremely common. Like human behavioral changes (crying, etc.) they let up with time and tend to return to normal.

Do keep an eye on him though. Sometimes, an animal will stop eating, etc. I wouldn't worry about it though.

Thanks, I guess I was so consumed with my own grieving I didn't notice how he was acting right away. Of course he must be sad too...They were best buddies...fighting like cats and dogs did not apply here. Keagan knew when he died, he came in and saw him. I don't know how he knew, he came from wherever he was in the house to right where my baby was. Maybe he was saying goodbye.

Poor Keagan and poor you. Glad you have each other.

I am sorry for your loss of Squeakers Shayna slept with me every night for 161/2 years.I haven't been able to sleep and I leave her space open for her praying this is a nightmare.But when I do dose off and open my eyes the worst is not seeing her and hearing her purr.On top of it her  sister(Punim) I think is today  realizing that Shayna is not here.Its amazing how empty the house is and my heart is aching and the tears keep coming.I do find that knowing there are other ppl out there going through the same thing and maybe we can help each other.I keep looking at all the pics around the house of Shayna and kissing them.I miss her sooooooo much.

Squeakers