Loss of a best friend (pet)
- Thread starter Gentle Ben
- Start date
Dan, did the same thing this spring. It found me when it was about 3 weeks old. She was a Feral cat. Lasted 8 years livilng outside amongst coyotes, racoons etc. Cats rule!!
OP, I've been in your shoes and no words are really going to console you, so I won't even try, but do know from all the comments on this thread that although some people will scoff at your pain ("it's just a cat") many of us feel for you.
My long-time vet who has probably done a thousand euthanasia procedures, had to say goodbye to his cat last year and I was surprised how much it bothered him.
My long-time vet who has probably done a thousand euthanasia procedures, had to say goodbye to his cat last year and I was surprised how much it bothered him.
18 years is a damn good run for a cat. Not to sound insensitive, but there are plenty of other cats out there in need of a good friend ...
Last edited:
I am both smiling and getting a couple tears in my eye. .... also this as far as I got.
It is going to take me a while to get through the rest of these. I read the first line of your next paragraph and had to stop.
Now isn't that the truth. It didn't take long before my eyes started to well up.
Very touching story GB, I feel your pain. He sounded like such a cutie. I've had several cats pass away over the years. It never gets any easier. The good news is that you can always get another one. I've always taken a piece of string with me when selecting a new cat to get the most playful one.
Thanks all for the words.
I had arranged for a private cremation and he will be in a cedar box with his name on it. not sure what I'll do with him but for now I'll put him beside my computer. He was a real trooper and I might sprinkle his ashes around the neighborhood ( his territory) . I might just keep him , I'm not making any decisions right now. I have his collar from when he was a kitten so I'll put that on top of the urn as well as a little tuft of fur from where the vet shaved him to put in the needle. I'm glad he's at rest and not suffering. I miss him being around but I know he can't come back . The vet was awesome with us, She even had tears in her eyes and she is always so in tune with the animals. I probably will get another animal , but not for some time.
Thanks for all of the support everyone...it helps mend a broken heart
I had arranged for a private cremation and he will be in a cedar box with his name on it. not sure what I'll do with him but for now I'll put him beside my computer. He was a real trooper and I might sprinkle his ashes around the neighborhood ( his territory) . I might just keep him , I'm not making any decisions right now. I have his collar from when he was a kitten so I'll put that on top of the urn as well as a little tuft of fur from where the vet shaved him to put in the needle. I'm glad he's at rest and not suffering. I miss him being around but I know he can't come back . The vet was awesome with us, She even had tears in her eyes and she is always so in tune with the animals. I probably will get another animal , but not for some time.
Thanks for all of the support everyone...it helps mend a broken heart
Yes, I just adopted another one 6 months ago. However, I went 5 years without my last cat before I adopted this one, as I needed time to grieve.
I hope you are feeling better, though of course you will miss your dear friend. Take your time, but also remember that there are animals waiting for homes, they are lonely and clearly you have the love they need. When the time comes: <http://www.toronto.ca/animal_services/pet_adoption.htm>
I have been following this thread, and each time afterwards I spend some time with my cats, fully aware of how special they are...
Thanks for sharing this experience with us.
How time flies . A year has passed since I lost my best friend. He is still in my thoughts most days. I haven't got another pet yet, but I think I might start to look around soon....
G.B., you'll know when you're ready. It was between 4 & 5 years between my previous cat, and when I adopted my new buddy. I couldn't even consider it for the 1st year or so, and while I made visits to the local shelters over the next couple years, I just didn't find a cat I connected with. When I went on a visit late last year to one of our local shelters, I found my new friend 2 minutes after I walked into the 'cat room'. As soon as I looked at him, knew he was coming home with me.
You'll know when it's time, and between you and the cat, you'll know you've made the right decision.
Glad to read this. There are cats waiting for good people to come and help them. If you are feeling ready, and this note suggests you are, remember that there is some lovely, lonely little creature sitting somewhere waiting to be your new best friend. Please do go looking for her. Or him.
I never thought I'd get over the death of my first cat. Since then I've had four more, currently two. They are/were all different personalities, but I had no trouble at all bonding with them, and they continue to fascinate and surprise, and to remind me that there is goodness in the world. Your best friend will always be important and will always have his place, but your new friend (s?) will find a place in your heart too. (My two just had an amusing jousting match, the little girl defeated the big furry guy (who always gives it away by yowling pathetically prior to going down), and both are now having naps to recover...)
I never thought I'd get over the death of my first cat. Since then I've had four more, currently two. They are/were all different personalities, but I had no trouble at all bonding with them, and they continue to fascinate and surprise, and to remind me that there is goodness in the world. Your best friend will always be important and will always have his place, but your new friend (s?) will find a place in your heart too. (My two just had an amusing jousting match, the little girl defeated the big furry guy (who always gives it away by yowling pathetically prior to going down), and both are now having naps to recover...)
By all means start looking around. I had to put a 17 year old cat to sleep in 2011. She had cancer and was in pain. Two weeks later I went to a shelter to look at their cats. One of them was all over me, purring, meowing, rubbing against me. I took her home and she is curled up beside me as I write this. A new cat can be very helpful and therapeutic.
It sounds like he left you with some great memories and you'll always have those.
The question of whether or not to get another companion is something only you can answer but I know for me the reasoning of why I have always had another animal in my house was summed up so nicely by Eugene O'Neill when he wrote about his dog Blemie. If you have never read his thoughts on the matter it's in the link below, he wrote the Last Will and Testament of SILVERDENE EMBLEM O'NEILL, his dog, upon his passing and I've shared it with a number of friends when their furry, feathered or scaly companions have passed away. I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.eoneill.com/texts/blemie/contents.htm
Sorry to hear. I too lost my cat of 16 years this past March, I never thought i would, but I miss him so much.
