Have you ever experienced the loss of a beloved pet?

[AnnieBee]

Well, I feel as though I've been gone for ages. I got back from my trip to England on Tuesday evening, after being away for two weeks. We had a great time, it was good to see my family, and my parents 40th Anniversary "do" went really well.

But we got back to find one of our cats had died, sometime since my neighbour last saw her on Saturday. DH found her yesterday curled up under a table in our basement, it was quite a shock to us all, and we were pretty upset, especially having to explain to the kids (1, 3 and 4) that we had to say good-bye to her and she wouldn't be waking up.

My 4 yr old was super upset and my 3 yr old kept saying, "I wish Tina could be alive again" and asking if she would have cat food in heaven . DH and I buried her after the kids were in bed and just cried. My DH is out tonight, and I am tired (jet-lagged) and just a wee bit emotional right now... I've been doing OK today, keeping busy with the kids, but now I am just so sad that we won't ever see her again. She was such a sweet and affectionate cat, and the kids just loved her, and she loved them petting her too. Every morning we would come down, and she would greet us and just let them all pet her, and especially my 4yr old DD would lay her head on her and carry her around. My 1 yr old would just laugh and copy her miaowing when she saw her, I will really miss that. She just loved all of the kids, even when they were babies...

Anyway, thanks for letting me share, it is also really hard not knowing why she died... And being on my own tonight just sucks...

 

[Jessamary]

I'm so sorry this happened! This happened to my mom while we were at Disney World...except the cat was at the vet and she knew he had to be put down. She didn't tell any of us until we got home.

My thoughts are with your family. As one cat family to another, losing a kitty is a hard thing for kids...it may be worse for the adults.

 

[PampMomof3]

I'm so sorry! That is just awful. I don't even know what to tell you b/c I've never experienced that loss.

 

[TammyStar]

So sorry to hear about your cat. That was so unexpected I can't imagine how shocking that was! Praying for peace and comfort for you and your family!

Tammy

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Awww, Annebel, I'm so sorry about your kitty. What a horrible way to find her. I was a wreck when we had to have my cat put to sleep. Tina sounds like she was so special, and a member of your family.

((((HUGS))))

 

[Addie4TLC]

Welcome back.... Sooo sorry for your loss, not what you want to come home to after a long trip. Awww your poor babies they miss their friend. All you can do is remember the good times with them. Did she die of old age?

 

[rennea]

Oh welcome back, sorry to hear you had to come back to your kitty dying. {{hugs}}

 

[AnnieBee]

Thanks so much for all your kind words. It is just going to take a bit of getting used to not having her around any more.

We really don't know why she died, she was only 8 years old. I had noticed that she had lost some weight, but I had assumed it was due to spending more time out-side with the nicer weather and being more active. She hadn't seemed at all un-well, was still very active, and the people we had coming in to look after them while we were away hadn't noticed anything either. The first lady said that she had greeted her each time she came over.

At least it seems that she died peacefully in her sleep. It's funny, you don't realise how attached you are to them until they are gone... And you forget how sad it is for other people when they lose pets until you go through it! (It's been a while since I lost my child-hood pets).

Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and prayers! One other thing that is also hard is that there is a cat two doors down that looks ALOT like her (all black, I've almost let her into our house before) and today this cat was in our yard and my son said, look, there she is, and thought it was Tina... It was sad having to say that no, it wasn't Tina, she really is gone.

 

[byrd1956]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Pets are such a part of the family. Found a couple of sites for you. http://www.caringtogether.com/pettales/deathofpet.html
Losing A Pet

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

((Annie)) I'm so sorry for the loss of your family member. Tell the kids she has the best kitty food in the world in Heaven!

 

[janetupnorth]

The Rainbow Bridge

 

[peichef]

Oh Annabel! Losing a pet is so hard. What a shame that you came home to such sad news. All of us who've lost pets know exactly what you're feeling. It really is like losing a family member.