Grieving the loss of a pet is an important process and I really get cranky at those people that say things like ‘it’s only a dog’ – no, it’s not only a dog, he’s a part of the family, he’s loved and looked after and is going to be missed.

I had to have my cat put down a number of years ago because of a skin disorder that she had that couldn’t be cured and the treatment would kill her.

When my memories come up on Facebook and she’s there, I still cry because I miss her and wish that there was something that I could have done for her to be able to keep her with me for longer.

Here’s some tips for you that will hopefully help you when dealing with the loss of your furry / feathered pet.

1. Don’t allow others to dismiss your pain / sadness.  It’s real and if people aren’t going to acknowledge and be sympathetic to what you’re going through, they’re not friends and you may want to rethink your association with them.
2. Talk about it. Find people that will let you talk about your pet as that helps you get through the loss.  It’s always important to talk about it, that helps you process things.  Don’t ever just sweep under the rug your feelings.
3. Address guilt. If, like me, you’ve had to make the difficult decision of having to put a pet down, you need to make sure that you don’t think of it as taking your pet’s life.  Instead you need to see it as a privilege and a gift that you’re able to spare them from those very hard end stages of the dying process, when there’s a lot of pain and suffering.
4. Have a ceremony. If that’s what you need to do, you may want to gather the family and have a little memorial service for your pet. Where everyone can take turns at saying what they loved best about them.
5. Memorialize them. You may want to get a drawing done by an artist, or maybe plant a little garden for them, or purchase a bench for the local dog park and have a plaque on it.

Just remember that there’s no right or wrong way in grieving.  We all do it in our own way because we all love differently.

There’s no timeframe that you need to keep to.  Some get through it in a few days and others may take years.  This is your journey and you walk it as you need to.

You may want to get another pet straight away to fill the void and because you have so much love to give, or you may want to wait or maybe not get another pet at all.

The choice is yours and don’t let anyone push you into something that you’re not ready for.

Do know, that just like humans, they’ll be back to visit us from the spirit world. I often felt my cat on the bed with me after she was gone.

Love & Light

Katrina Jane

LOVE MY BLOG POSTS?  Then Why Not Buy Me a Coffee >>Buy me a coffee