Caregivers who have recently lost a cat to death, or who are faced with the imminent death of a cat will find support and help for healing the pain and working through the inevitable grief.
A reader asks how best he can support a friend whose cat is terminally ill, or whose cat has recently died. I told him in part that there isn't a huge amount of difference from comforting a friend over the loss of a cat than for the loss of a human family member. As you are aware, I'm sure, most of us consider our cats as family members, and you wouldn't have asked unless you felt the same way. …
Unfortunately, your cat will probably go before you do and you may even have to make the decision to help him or her to die. No one wants to say good-bye to a loved cat, but there is great peace in knowing that when the time came, you were able to do the most loving thing. Kari Winters helps you know when it is time to let go of a loved cat, with her guest article for About.com Cats
After being taken to task for a comment in an article referring to the soul of animals, I took the subject to my readers
in a poll: "Do cats have souls?". Not only did an overwhelming majority vote "Yes," but many of the thoughtful comments to my blog provided resources which backed up my position.
For those of my readers …
When a cat lover loses a treasured cat to death, the mourning process is similar to that of loss of a family member. A fitting memorial helps to ease the loss, whether it be a picture with a written memorial, a plaque, figurine, or a garden memorial statue or stone. I've chosen a few fitting memorials that can either be given as gifts or to honor the memory of a cat you've personally lost.
Creating a memorial to a cat you have loved and lost is a good way not only to honor your beloved kitty, but also to help you through the grieving process. These memorials speak for themselves of the bond between humans and cats that transcends life itself.
So you think you'll never replace your beloved cat? Think again. Giving a home to a doomed cat may be the best memorial for the one you've lost.
If it comes to that toward the end, making the decision to let your ailing senior cat go may be the most important, and certainly the hardest thing you'll ever have to do for his sake. Here is some great advice for help in that difficult decision, from guest writer Kari Winters.
Perhaps more than any other written piece, The Rainbow Bridge has helped pet owners cope with grieving the loss of a beloved cat or dog. The Rainbow Bridge poem appears on dozens, perhaps hundreds of web sites as 'author unknown,' although a few writers lay claim to being the original author.
No one likes to contemplate the thought of a family cat dying, let alone what to do with the remains of a deceased cat, but it is a subject we cannot avoid. Plan ahead for your chosen means of handling the remains of your cat when it leaves this life.
Do cats mourn the loss of their human companion when their caregiver leaves? They often show many of the same symptoms of grieving humans, but some behaviorists believe this is for different reasons.
Memorial to BeeGee, a cat who will be missed by all who knew and loved her
The Zen of Cat, a Guest Article by Jim Willis, author of Pieces of my Heart-- reminding us how much we can learn from our cats about life and about death.
Simon and James is a remarkable true story about the bond between a boy and a cat that survived through death.
The announcement of the cloning of the first pet, in the form of a kitten named "CC" (short for Carbon Copy), by researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M, gave new hope to pet owners hoping to memorialize their pets forever. It doesn't come without a price, though.
Janet Tobiassen-Crosby, the Guide to Veterinary Medicine has had many years' of experience in helping pet owners work through the grief of loss. Her review of the audiobook, "Journey Through Pet Loss" may help others handle the loss of their cats.
LDS Guide offers answers to her faith's beliefs about animals and the afterlife. Although this article specifically addresses dogs, it covers all pets, generally.
Having to make a decision to end a pet's life is never easy. It is a subject that many people do not want to talk about until they have to, but then it becomes a decision made under emotional stress. Janet Tobiessen-Crosby, Guide to Veterinary Medicine helps the reader to explore what happens when an animal is "put to sleep" and how to handle the grief from losing a pet.
Losing a cat is never easy, but we have much to learn from them in death as well as life, as illustrated by this wonderful story by a prolific writer and animal lover.
