Lost a member of my family...

[Hannibal]

Last week I had to have our 12+ year old cat put to sleep. Now I'm not one of those pet fanatics but I can't believe how much I miss her. It's funny how a pets personalitiy will grow to match that of it's owner's. When she was younger she would scratch at my door no matter what time it was(mostly between 1am and 5 am) but by the time she got older she would wait till she heard me moving around then she would meow so I knew she was there.

 

I know some of you are thinking "big deal it's just a cat", which until last thursday I thought that I would agree. I can't believe how much of my day involved doing something with or around(mostly avoiding stepping on) one cat. I'll be sitting watching tv and turn my head and expect her to be there.

 

It's odd how such a small thing can become such a big part of your life.

 

God, when I have kids and they go to college I'm going to be a reck.

[Gargoyle King]

I'm a cat lover myself, and have lost pet cats beforhand to cars on the road etc. so i can relate to what you mean. You do become very attached to pets, especially if they are there for a long time in that they become a part of the family; i must admit when i lose a pet it does hurt as it feels like have lost a member of the family. It makes you kinda focus more on the fact that life is short and that death is an inevitable part of life.

[tk102]

I'm sorry for your loss Hannibal. I know it leaves an emptiness around the house. I'm sure the thought of getting another cat seems selfish and a betrayal to you right now. No other cat will replace her in your memory and her unique personality will remain uniquely hers. Perhaps eventually you'll want to begin again with another kitten or adopt an older cat. Or a dog. Or maybe none at all. But you'll make that decision when you're ready to. You have my sympathies though in the meantime.

[Diego Varen]

Sorry for your loss Hannibal. I haven't felt any loss for pets much, but for people I have. It is a horrible feeling, but in time it'll go away. Just try not to replace your cat too quick.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

My condolences to your cat, Hannibal. The really, really sucks. I wish you the best.

[Rogue15]

had to put my cat down last year. it sucked and i still miss her.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

Ouch, this always hurts. My condolences.

 

I lost a dog a few years back, and I know that it really does suck when you lose a pet.

[xmovingpicturesx]

I've had bad luck with pets, never had one more than 3 years until I got my dog. Five years now, she's getting there. She's starting to lose the hair on her back/butt. She gets these sores there now, puss flowing all over her rib area. I'm getting worried, I don't think I'll ever be able to let her go. I'm sorry for your loss. Best of luck with... life.

[Char Ell]

My condolences on the loss of your cat, Hannibal. Our family cat of 15 years disappeared some time ago but we still talk about her on occasion because we all liked her so much. We all wish she was still with us.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Sorry to hear it man. My favorite cats died when I was in florida, that sucked.

[Aash Li]

*huggs hannibal*

I know how you feel. Ive had cats ever since I was little. Ive got one know thats quite old, and every time I think of her dying I end up crying. She will sometime, and Ill be a wreck then too...

[RC-1162]

My condolences, Hannibal. I've personally adored cats, even though I haven't had one, and I always felt sad whenever I saw a deceased cat on the streetside or anywhere.

[Jae Onasi]

I love cats too, so you have my sympathies, Hannibal. We had 3 at one point, and lost one about 2 years ago--she died in my lap on the way to the vet's to put her to sleep. We still miss her, but it has gotten easier with time, and we know she's better off because she was pretty sick the last week of her life.

We have another one who is 19 years old, and she's losing a lot of weight lately so I suspect she's not going to be with us too much longer. As long as she's comfortable, we'll be happy to have her. My 'youngest' cat of 14 has some kidney problems and he almost died a year ago but seems to be doing OK now. He's my buddy, so I'm hoping he stays around a good while.

 

Once you've had a pet it's hard to live without one again, though you have to have some time to mourn the one you lost. We've rescued strays or gotten our pets from the Humane society, so we feel like we've had pets join our family who would not have survived otherwise and enjoyed sharing life with them.

[adamqd]

Sorry to hear about your loss, I had a Labrador called Max, he lived to be 12 and died of old age, he was the most affectionate dog I've ever known, It was real hard to Deal with, and to top it all off he died on my 21st birthday! I've got 2 Boxer Dogs now Charlie and Chloe (brother and sister) and I spend all my time keeping them out of trouble!

[Emperor Devon]

Damn, Hannibal, sorry to hear about that. Having lost a 16-year old cat myself I know how awful it feels.

[Fuu]

Hannibal, I feel your pain. My sympathies. It's surprising, but even loss of a smaller pet can cause an immense amount of grief. A few months back I lost a pet myself. His name was Cashew. He was just a little cockatiel but I was with him for 14 years. Thankfully, he was over 20 when he died, which is a long life for any pet to have. I knew he was getting old, he could barely fly & had horrible arthritis, but even with the emotional preparation I was still devastated when he died.

 

I considered starting a thread about the loss of pets, but at the time I was too emotionally warped to really discuss it.That said:

 

In honor of the loss of your own furry friend, I will share the poem I chose to write for the death of my little pal.

 

Ode to Cashew:

 

 

Say good night, my feathered friend.

Loving companion ‘til the end.

You were there through joy and tears,

Sharing hope for fourteen years.

 

I wish there was more that I could do,

To share my hopes and dreams with you

But you have gone and flown away

Left for heaven on this day.

 

I thank you boo, for all you’ve done

For coos and cuddles, and the comfort I won

Thanks for the way you made me feel,

Your birdie charm was so surreal.

 

Where you’ve gone, I cannot follow

And although I find it hard to swallow,

I’ll always love you, ‘til the end

So say goodnight, my feathered friend.

 

 

Amazingly enough, after loosing Cashew I did happen to get aother bird fairly fast. I went to the Brid shop to make myself feel better, and one of the babies jumped right out at me. Later, when I brought my husband to see him it was love at first sight (hehee). We now have a baby white faced pearl cockateil named Gilbert. He is the sweetest bird you'll ever meet.

 

This is not to say that getting another pet will ease the loss. I missed Cashew for months and still sometimes catch myself whistling the songs that he used to sing. One pet can never replace another.At the very least I like to think that Cashews Death may have shut a door, but it opened a window.

 

 

F

[Gargoyle King]

We have another one who is 19 years old

Wow! That's really good innings for a cat, the eldest i had lived around till about 15.

[Hannibal]

Thanks everyone!

 

I've been reading this and didn't want to post a thank you because this thread is everyone's honoring lost pets know.

 

I've been dreaming about getting another cat but in my dreams the new cat is my old cat, Indigo. Sometimes as an adult sometimes as a kitten. I also dreamt that they were able to help her and then she was fine but I knew it was a dream so I started feeling guilty and asking myself should I have asked them to do more.

 

I miss her enough that I think I would get a cat just to have something with similar behavior patterns around.

[Jae Onasi]

Well, sometimes the most humane thing for our pets is to put them to sleep. Yes, sometimes the vets can do more for them. We could have tried some really aggressive treatment for Ophelia (our cat that died 2 years ago), but it might not have worked at all, and at best would have kept her alive maybe a few months longer. We couldn't see putting her through the pain of that treatment and several days in the hospital alone and scared (which she might not have survived anyway) to give her a few more months that probably would have been poor quality for her. So we took her home and made her last days as good as we could. She had a weight problem all her life, but the last week we fed her whatever she wanted, and she was in heaven when I gave her tuna, which was her favorite.

 

If you did what was best for Indigo to prevent pain and suffering, then you did the right thing for her.

[Fish.Stapler]

I put my dog down a month ago today.

 

We got two new puppies to keep him company and create competition (he didn't want to eat but when the old master saw those insolent little puppies going after his food, he put the smack down on and then promptly proceeded to eat his food.) He was unique and the puppies won't replace him, but they do help you to grieve. Ive had that dog as long as my memory will let me remember (since I was ~5 years old) so losing someone who was an everyday part of my life sucked.

 

My condolences

[HerbieZ]

I remember when we lost our cat Oscar. It was about 5 years ago now since he died but i still miss him even today because we had him for so long and he was a part of my childhood. You get over it slowly, but you'll always have memories. A new cat helped matters contrary to what i had thought.

[King Dando]

I'm sorry to hear about that Hannibal. I remember when lost our original pets, the one's I've known all my life. Our dog was diabetic, she went blind, got weaker and weaker and just collapsed one day and didn't get back up, and our cat was hit by a car, survived and later died from his injuries.

 

Our second cat, Tansy, somehow managed to cut her leg open on something, we took her down the vet's and they operated, but there were complications and she passed away. It was before this time that we bought our current dog, Izzy.

 

After Tansy died, we got two more cats, Henry and Monty, although Monty was run over, but at least we found him, I think I would of felt worse if he had just disappeared.

 

One of our neighbours also lost a cat on the same road, so they (or I assume it was them) put up a sign, painted red, which said:

 

"Kill Your Speed, Not Our Pets!"

 

I'd thought someone would of taken it down, but its still there.

 

It does take time, but you'll get over it

[Cygnus Q'ol]

My sincerest condolences Hannibal.

I know what you're going through and I wish you the best and a speedy recovery.

 

I've lost some really good feline freinds in my life. Cannines as well.

The pain and loss never really go away, but your tolerance will increase in time.

 

For me, I try to preserve the good memories and use them to enrich the life of my other pets.

 

I have a 6yr old pug that's my best bud. We've become very close and I dread the day I have to say goodbye to him. I try to give him the best life I possibly can and he rewards me with immesurable companionship and unconditional love.

 

Take good care my friend and chin way up !!!