i've never had an animal die. i don't know how this will affect the brother, Boy. will he be in any danger? please advise. is there anything i can do for him?
You're so welcomethey are brother & sister as far as i know. THANK YOU for your advice!!!
i felt the same way: keep her at home to die, gradually - the Vet had told me she wasn't in any pain so i felt good about just keeping her here in familiar surroundings. it's a relief to know that you think that Boy will be fine...altho' he, too, is 'old', the same age. he is The Rascal & she was the Saint, the sweet one.
THANKS!!
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It makes perfect sense to me. I lost the older of a bonded pair once. When the older one died, the younger one did search for his companion for months. Months later, he got sick. I think his entire vital force took a hit when his friend disappeared (like your Sonic, he passed away at the vets office and I don't think he ever really understood what happened to his "big brother".) He managed to get well after that but it took some time and TLC.20 years old is really a huge age to get to!
I am so sorry for your loss.
Was her brother able to see her body after she'd died? It might be uncomfortable to talk about, but if a cat dies at home it can help if their companions can see the body, they do understand that. If one dies at the vet it can be more difficult for their companions who might not understand what has happened if they were just taken away and never seen again. It also might not be possible, completely understand that.
My Sonic died at the vet surgery when we had him put down and that was hard on his best friend Jakey (and he never saw the body due to it not being practical) - who did adjust after a while but searched for his friend at first and cried/wailed a lot. They do tend to adjust though, but like with human grief it can take a while, I would say my Jakey was in grief for 3 or 4 months before starting to perk up a bit (however in the time since Sonic has died he has lost a load of weight and been diagnosed with CKD and Chronic Pancreatitis, I do wholeheartedly believe that the stress of Sonic dying has affected his health and if not caused these conditions, might have brought to the fore some background health issues that were just brewing and the stress made him a bit weaker than he might have been, I don't know whether that makes sense).
Many condolences on your loss and I hope her brother is OK.
THANK YOU so much for your kind reply. i'm not sure if Boy saw Luna at the foot of the stairs or not. i had decided to do everything 'naturally' since the Vet had said she wasn't in pain. she was incredibly courteous in her dying...just like the kitty she has always been...no mess for me to clean. so far, Boy has been eating; i pet him a lot & now let him into the bedroom; he doesn't seem anxious & today he was purring so...i guess he's ok. now i'm on the hunt for 2 kitties & wondering how Boy will react; it's going to take time because the prices here are outrageous!! wish me luck and...thank you again for writing!!20 years old is really a huge age to get to!
I am so sorry for your loss.
Was her brother able to see her body after she'd died? It might be uncomfortable to talk about, but if a cat dies at home it can help if their companions can see the body, they do understand that. If one dies at the vet it can be more difficult for their companions who might not understand what has happened if they were just taken away and never seen again. It also might not be possible, completely understand that.
My Sonic died at the vet surgery when we had him put down and that was hard on his best friend Jakey (and he never saw the body due to it not being practical) - who did adjust after a while but searched for his friend at first and cried/wailed a lot. They do tend to adjust though, but like with human grief it can take a while, I would say my Jakey was in grief for 3 or 4 months before starting to perk up a bit (however in the time since Sonic has died he has lost a load of weight and been diagnosed with CKD and Chronic Pancreatitis, I do wholeheartedly believe that the stress of Sonic dying has affected his health and if not caused these conditions, might have brought to the fore some background health issues that were just brewing and the stress made him a bit weaker than he might have been, I don't know whether that makes sense).
Many condolences on your loss and I hope her brother is OK.
thank you for your advice. i'm treating Boy well (when have i not?) & i might have found a new companion - 3 years old, shy, like Luna.Rest you gentle, Luna, dream you deep. Your pawprints are on someone's heart forever!
Give your boy a bit of time before bringing kittens home, and make sure he has a place to retreat to, so that he can escape all that energy! He's the equivalent of an 84-year-old man now, and it would be like asking a man that age to babysit a pair of 7-year-olds! He's gonna need a quiet place to retreat to.
It's good that he's eating and purring. Just give him lots of love.