Holidays and recent pet loss

Good morning,

I am just putting this out there and hoping for some thoughts. I recently had my 2 year old cat die suddenly from cardiomyopathy. I miss him and seeing all the holiday decoration and hearing Christmas music makes me think he won't be home for Christmas. I spoke to a priest that informed me my cat is not in heaven, they do not have eternal souls. I can't get this thought out if my mind. My cat was very special to me, I know most of you reading this can understand the bond we have with our cats. I miss him with all my heart, and I can't stand to think I am never going to see him again. How can our pets not have souls or more importantly how can someone say with certainty that our pets won't be there? I suppose some could argue we can't say with certainty there is a rainbow bridge. If you have a moment, I would much appreciate if you could share your thoughts.


Karen

First off, I am so sorry for your loss.

We had to have our last cat put to sleep the day before Thanksgiving, so I understand what you are going through.

I was raised Catholic but don't practice now. I'd rather not turn this into a religious debate as it certainly isn't the place for it.

Despite what anyone's beliefs are, the only one that counts is yours. :nod: No one can say with absolute certainty what exists or doesn't in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned, your cat is always with you in your heart. While you have lost him physically, he is always with you spiritually. :heart2:

I'm very sorry, Karen. I understand what you're dealing with and I know how hard it is. Last year, we put the last of our Old Ladies to sleep on the Saturday between Christmas and New Years Day. And right afterward, we served Christmas dinner to my family like nothing had ever happened. It was so hard for us....we didn't even have time to grieve until later. 

As for animals not having souls, I don't care what the priest said (and it has a lot to do with why my beliefs are not very religious in the sense that most people's are). If there really is a heaven and if my cats aren't going to be there, I'm not going either; I'd rather go where my furkids are and I really don't care where that is, to be honest. I have an issue with priests and most religious beliefs anyway.

I'm so sorry about your kitty. 

It is difficult when these things happen on a memorable date like a holiday. We had to have our heart cat euthanized on our wedding anniversary. The next year was hard. It's been four years now, and it is easier.

Perhaps the priest was speaking to doctrine. I'm sure Francis, the current pope, would not be as cold and non-comforting.

In this world, as long as you remember him he is immortal. As for what happens after you are gone, no one can say for sure who has not died and returned.

There are ordained animal  chaplains that can explain things a lot better then I can, but Donna Yuritic sent me a 'last blessing' for my Chrissy after she died and it has been a great comfort to me.Please contact her to bring you peace in your heart. She has written books and has a web site- www.CompassionforCreatures.com I highly recommend at least Googling her and listening to what she has to say, or looking for sites with other chaplains. As for that priest, can he show you any where in the bible that they DO NOT go to heaven? It mentions in several places in the bible how much God cares for and loves the animals, I can't imagine a heaven without our loved ones. My 'soulmate', Chrissy, will always be with me in my heart, we are bonded for eternity. I guess if that means until MY life is up here on earth I guess that means I am going nowhere too, which I don't believe. NO ONE, not even a priest can definitely say what is on the other side, NO ONE has ever come back, except for His son.

My heart goes out to you, please stay with this site for the support you need, you are grieving and need help. The pain is just as bad if not worse then when we lose a human companion because sometimes we are closer to our animal companions. Please allow us to share your burden, we have suffered the same pain as you are feeling. Take care of yourself.....

I am so very sorry about your kitten.  I think we would probably all love to know what your little angels name was.  Firstly, don't forget, Priests are people too and subject to the same likes, dislikes and idiosyncracies that we all are.  He may just not like cats or had a bad experience with one, or like yourself, lost one and never got over it.  I think you will find that there is nothing in the Bible that states cats don't go to Heaven. As far as I am concerned, the most certainly do!  Enough said on that.

I think you should put out all the Christmas decorations and when you are doing that, think of the wonderful times you had with your kitty.  Remembering good times with pets and people that are gone is what I feel Christmas is also about.  Your kitty will be watching over you and will want you to go on with life and, in addition to the original meaning of Christmas, celebrate what your friend meant and still means to you.  By not doing the things that you did when kitty was alive is not going to take away the pain.  Celebrate the time you had with kitty and take comfort in the fact that you loved him and gave him a great home.  I know this sounds different but he will let you know he is okay, if he hasn't already done so. 

I'm so sorry for your loss.  I just lost my dear companion 2 months ago.  What matters most is how you feel and what you believe.  Everyone has an opinion on death and what happens afterward.  All I know for sure is that I feel my Tabby's presence at times, and still hear his noises in my house.  Whether it's crazy or simply my mind not wanting to accept he's gone, I choose to believe a part of him is still with me because we shared such an intense bond.  No one can tell you with certainty what happens to our pets when they die.  I think some professionals simply have a bad "bedside" manner.  Knowing how much you are grieving, it was not kind of this Priest to tell you that your animal has no soul, even if that is what he believes.  All that is important is what you believe.  Please put that negativity out of your mind and hold your pet's memory close to your heart.  

Noah was instructed to bring a pair of every animal created onto the Ark. I would say that shows He had an affection for them.

I am so sorry for your loss.  We lost our Cindy in September, and still grieving for her.  And have a very sick kitten right now we may also lose shortly.

I'm not religious and I don't think this is the forum to discuss my reasons, but I am spiritual.  I believe with all my heart that animals have souls, and we will see them again.

Here is a web site with bible quotes if anyone needs to see from that angle of it.  It's a great website in general for people grieving over lost pets.

https://rainbowsbridge.com/Grief_Support_Center/Grief_Support/scripture.htm

Genesis : 9, 13-17
The same fate awaits man and animals alike.

I agree with the poster upthread -  I want to go where my animals go and I don't care where that is!

I just wanted to tell you a little story, in the hope that you gain some comfort from it.

A friend of mine once received a message from a relative. This person had died some time before. The message was 'XXX all the animals are here'

I loved this story and have found it a great comfort during sad times. I firmly believe that there is an afterlife, and that animals are a part of that. As someone famous once said, if there aren't any animals in heaven I don't want to go there.

the Bible is very clear that there will be animals in heaven and I have no doubt that my Min is there now.

Isa 65:25 5 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD. NIV

I have shared this before... but I needed the "comfort" you seek and I got it...through this "image" on the box that Min's ashes were delivered in.
Minnie was a black/white tuxedo cat and when I took a picture of her name on the box, something else showed up in the reflection on the clear tape of the box... an image. I call it my lil angel It was definitely a confirmation for me:

ok this got me. Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday so I was looking for baby pics to post on Facebook and look what I found. It's Min and a Bible ! Now isn't that amazing to
a) have a pic like this in the first place ha and
B) to stumble across it after reading your concern today? I'd say it's one more confirmation that YES our furbabies are in heaven [emoji]128519[/emoji]

Pope Francis reassured a sad little boy whose dog had died. Citing biblical passages that assert that animals not only go to heaven, but get along with one another when they get there, Francis was quoted by the Italian news media as saying: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.”

As reported in the New York Times -

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/w...n-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Karen 1121 I believe this quote from the bible sums it up nicely

Psalm 145:-9-10,13,15-21 AMP
Though all creatures are subject to man's cruelty, God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His eternal Kingdom.

Not that I think cats are lesser creatures.

Dear Karen

............I am so sorry for your loss. I work with pet moms and dads grieving the loss of their pets.  This question often comes up about the souls, and the spirits of animals.  A very famous old poet, with great spirituality said the following..............

"Everything that lives, is Holy."    William Blake

Hope this brings you some peace.............

Laureeann

I am sorry for your loss and your pain. My thoughts on animals in heaven; it wouldn't be heaven without them

Catapault said:

 
Pope Francis reassured a sad little boy whose dog had died. Citing biblical passages that assert that animals not only go to heaven, but get along with one another when they get there, Francis was quoted by the Italian news media as saying: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.”

As reported in the New York Times -

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/w...n-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Click to expand...

Pope Francis did say that animals go to heaven....that was a big thing on the news, a while ago....

Pope Francis says he did not say that, but Pope Paul VI certainly did.  So it was said by a pope, and who can say he is wrong?  I know with the deepest knowing I have that animals do, indeed, go to the realm beyond this one, and that we know them there. 

karen1121 said:

Good morning,

I am just putting this out there and hoping for some thoughts. I recently had my 2 year old cat die suddenly from cardiomyopathy. I miss him and seeing all the holiday decoration and hearing Christmas music makes me think he won't be home for Christmas. I spoke to a priest that informed me my cat is not in heaven, they do not have eternal souls. I can't get this thought out if my mind. My cat was very special to me, I know most of you reading this can understand the bond we have with our cats. I miss him with all my heart, and I can't stand to think I am never going to see him again. How can our pets not have souls or more importantly how can someone say with certainty that our pets won't be there? I suppose some could argue we can't say with certainty there is a rainbow bridge. If you have a moment, I would much appreciate if you could share your thoughts.


Karen

Click to expand...

I was not raised Catholic and currently consider myself tentatively agnostic, also I mean no disrespect to any pope or anyone else who disagrees.  However, the word soul has a synonym called "anima".  I realize that isn't proof positive that animals have souls, but who on earth are we to say whether or not they have souls?  Sure we humans have a higher obligation to "God" than do animals, being lower on the intelligence scale than us (well some of them are even smarter than some humans out there!)   It seems perfectly well to me and as well to many other intelligent people that animals DO INDEED have souls.  I always find this humorous that it is even an issue.  To me, of course animals have souls!  They are not automatons.