Losing a pet.

[Deleted]

There is only 1 cure:

As cute and fun kittens are, they will never replace the one you lost. I lost my first cat when I was 23 and she was 18. She was there for the most of my life, and we shared all kids on fun things. Like she sleeping on the pillow next to me, waking me up by gentle biting my nose.

I have been thinking on getting another but whenever I start to think about it I remind myself how hard it was to lose her

[ParanoiD84]

It's family so just as hard loosing them as family members, i say even more so as you spend alot more time with them, exept my mom i dont care about the rest

Mom, pets ----------------------------------------------) the rest of my family over there somehere.

[muto]

I've lost two dogs and a cat. I've also lost all my grandparents, a father and a mother. If I could choose which one of those to bring back, it wouldn't be the dogs or cat.

But hey, that's just me. Priorities, am I right?

Ok cool story. Too bad that doesn't apply to everyone. Some people have or had bad parents stemming from things like abuse and their pets were there for them, comforting them.

[Felaris Stormrage]

It could be the autism, but I don't really get emotional over death.

My condolences go out to you, though.

[lagmoose]

I had 3 cats and a dog ranging from 14-18 years. I used to joke with my oldest cat how he was such an "old man" and then I'll realize "wow, I had him since I was 16. I'm an old asshole, too." My first cat died at 14, she had been sick a really long time, but we would joke about how she was a vampire cat and just sucked the lives out of other animals to keep hers going. The next year, the oldest cat died at 18. That one really messed me up as I knew he was going to die. He had been not very active as he used to be (he never really at all looked nor acted his age until 6 months after he got sick) and the day he died he kept wandering to the fridge and licking the side of it. I put him back on the ottoman in the living room and he laid down. Looked up at me and meowed, then he was dead in 10-15 minutes. Our dog died that December (she was 14) and then in Feb of the next year we had to put our last cat down because she had kidney failure. That was the hardest thing I had to do at that point. I handed her over to the vet so they could look at her to confirm and I completely lost it, gained composure then lost it again when I saw them go for the vial so they could put her to sleep. We were told before that, that we could in theory keep her alive for another few months, but I'm not that cruel. I loved my animals but I would never be so selfish to keep one alive and them be miserable for a short while longer. The shitty part is I got ripped into by a friend by saying "I robbed her of her life before she was ready to say goodbye to everyone." So I felt like a pile of shit for about a week afterwards, even more so.

It still hurts sometimes today (it's been almost 3 years now since we put Juju down) and I do tear up when I get caught just right thinking about them. Sometimes you just know these things but I'm fairly certain that all pets know that they were loved and you did the very absolute best you could for them. Letting go really sucks and it's never easy, but at least I had a some sort of piece of mind (at the time I made the decision anyway, before being blindsided with passive aggressive guilt that I mentioned before) that at least I could ease Juju's suffering and not let her die the way the others did when I couldn't do anything for them at the times of their passing.

[Ghostpanther]

Until they lose one.

I have lost family members and close pets. There is really not any difference. Unless you do not love your pet. Any time you lose a loved one ( which can be a pet ) it hurts. It is one of those things about our lives which is going to happen if you live long enough yourself and love others. But for myself, I take comfort in knowing it is not going to be the last time I will see them.

[ravenswood]

I have lost family members and close pets. There is really not any difference. Unless you do not love your pet. Any time you lose a loved one ( which can be a pet ) it hurts. It is one of those things about our lives which is going to happen if you live long enough yourself and love others. But for myself, I take comfort in knowing it is not going to be the last time I will see them.

I have lost 3 cats in my life, and I have also lost my mother two years ago. Yes losing a lifelong pet hurts, but there is 0 comparison. If you don't feel worse after losing a family member than a fucking dog or cat, I really have no words to express my bewilderment.

[Deleted]

I have lost 3 cats in my life, and I have also lost my mother two years ago. Yes losing a lifelong pet hurts, but there is 0 comparison. If you don't feel worse after losing a family member than a fucking dog or cat, I really have no words to express my bewilderment.

But hey, we're being insensitive if we say that.

On the topic of being insensitive, what I find insensitive is people having pets in the first place. I mean, the kind of situations where the world would be better off if the person just had a toy bear instead. Working dogs are fine, when they've got a purpose, and are treated as working dogs. Purse chihuahuas are not fine.

Also, it's funny how people took me saying that losing a family member may break them really hard as me claiming that they aren't supposed to be, or can't be, completely broken over losing an animal companion. Oh well. I mean, if one thinks that the worst hurt one can feel is over losing a dog or a cat or some other animal, in their entire life, then...well. To steal a perfect line from the person I already quoted above there, I really have no words to express my bewilderment.

[Crissi]

if you're posting just to piss in other people's cheerios, then I suggest you just avoid the thread instead of making fun of others sadness

[Radaney]

I have a 15 year old Dog. He has a big ass tumour just under one of his legs, I have no idea how he's alive still I'm convinced it's keeping him alive rather than killing him lol.

He still doesn't have anything which decreases his quality of life to the point of having him put down, just has the standard old dog stuff where occasionally shits on the floor without remorse and sleeps a lot.

He can still walk around, still eats, gets excited and manages to run around somehow. Isn't in any noticeable pain whatsoever and his personality has deteriorated so no sign of depression or anything.

Still only a matter of time though.

[TJ]

If losing a pet has you in shambles, imagine losing a family member or a loved one. You can probably look forward to that, too.

A pet is a family member, you grow up with them and they're always there when you do new things or move to new places etc. When mine died I felt like I'd been shot it hit me that hard and you never thought it would. Dreading the time my current two go, that's going to hit me even harder because I have a lot more memories with these as I can remember everything with them.

[pionock]

It's so hard to lose something like a pet, after you spent any amount of time forming a bond. I've lost a few in my time, some to age and some to sickness, but I take solace knowing that they had the best life ever. They were showered with affection and care and fun. I could only my life is even a fraction of what they experienced. That's what keeps me owning pets, because I love giving a home to something and showing affection to it.

[Celista]

Sorry to hear that man.

At least your cat isn't a human, or someone really close to you like your family.

I'm glad no one took the bait and just ignored you.

[Grapemask]

On either my 4th or 5th birthday, in one of the first memories I ever remember, my mom took me to the house of a friend whose cat had just delivered kittens. They had 3 left and let me pick the one I wanted, each held up by one of the friend's sons: there were two really pretty, fluffy black cats with streaks of white in their fur, and one ugly, short hair, very basic-looking grey cat with white paws. I picked the grey cat.

I took that cat with me everywhere for the first few years of my life. In the day, he followed me and sat on my lap, or hung on my shoulder like Linus's blanket. At night, he went to bed with me, sleeping on my pillow, eventually learning to climb the ladder to sleep with me when I moved to a bunkbed.

As I grew older, we both grew a little more independent of each other, but he'd still sleep on my pillow every night. In my teens, I had a paper route, and he'd follow me around the neighborhood while I delivered newspapers.

In my mid-20s, my cat, now 20, started having kidney problems. It started with some reluctance to use cat boxes and no longer eating certain types of food, and I went on daily alert of cycling his cat litter and finding gentler/kidney issue-specific foods. After a few months, though, he had lost a huge amount of weight, his energy was down, and one day he just stopped urinating altogether. That was the week I realized I'd have to make a decision about what to do with the best friend I'd had for literally my entire known life. He was getting sicker by the day, and I didn't want him to die, but I also didn't want him to be in agony.

I waited one more day to make sure he didn't pop back - the vet had given us fluids to try at home - but when he tried to greet me the next morning and couldn't even lift his front paws, I knew it was time. I took him in a few hours later. It was sad to watch him go, but he looked so much more peaceful as he drifted off to sleep than he had in the weeks before then.

[Halyon]

I feel ya... I'd be heartbroken in the same situation with my dumbass little chihuehue... But, I'd give him the best, and try to not let it show that I'm despairing over the inevitable end. I'd put him down if the pain was too much though, as is the same I'd advise you; don't let her suffer needlessly. You want your time together to be good, not mired in medication that may not suffice... Let her die with a little dignity as well.

That's the best I can say, honestly. Just pay attention to her health, make sure she's as comfortable as possible, maybe treat her a little extra special, but don't let her suffer.

[Allybeboba]

Get a new one, remember the old one.

We lost our dachshund last year. We got another like him. It took us months to not call him by the older dogs’ name. I wanted to call the new dog by the same name but my wife said “no way”.

[Daws]

My advice keep what's best for the pet in mind when there suffering becomes to much say your goodbyes and have them put down. Never an easy process but try to make sure you get closure devote a day to saying goodbye, play with the cat, take some photos/videos then next day take them to the vet.

[Kuntantee]

I've lost two dogs and a cat. I've also lost all my grandparents, a father and a mother. If I could choose which one of those to bring back, it wouldn't be the dogs or cat.

But hey, that's just me. Priorities, am I right?

What's your problem man? One's family being more precious doesn't meant it's not going to hurt when your pet dies.

--

I had several pets, all dead, always bit too early if you ask me. I've concluded that the pain at the end is not worth the journey. I do not pet anymore.

[dd614]

I really have no goal as to posting this here other than to vent a bit of my pain into a community, some of which may understand. I've had my cat for 10 years and rescued her as a kitten (found her wandering my dorm common room). August 2016 I feel a lump on her belly and October 2017 and 4 surgeries later it's metastasized to lung cancer and I probably have less than 2 weeks left with her. I love her, I'm not ashamed to say it or that losing her is going to hurt immensely.

I've lost other pets - I'm 30, there's no way I hadn't in a pet-loving family - this is the first time I'll have to choose "when". How do you know? Have you had to let go of a loved pet? How did you know? How did you do it?

Sorry, this is heavy. I know...but isn't it great to see a post not about politics? LOL

With cats it is very hard to tell because they're hard-wired by nature not to show pain. My last cat towards the end of his life completely changed his behavior and everything was a struggle. One day I saw him sleeping in a corner that he never slept in and I knew it was time.

In the end I look at it this way: He had a tough last few months of his life, but I'll remember that 17.5 years of good times and not the last 3 months where he was struggling. You have your cat a wonderful life most cats never get to achieve, and they're "lucky" in a way to only suffer for such a short time period at the end. Some people suffer for a decade at the end of life!

[Paperfox]

I really have no goal as to posting this here other than to vent a bit of my pain into a community, some of which may understand. I've had my cat for 10 years and rescued her as a kitten (found her wandering my dorm common room). August 2016 I feel a lump on her belly and October 2017 and 4 surgeries later it's metastasized to lung cancer and I probably have less than 2 weeks left with her. I love her, I'm not ashamed to say it or that losing her is going to hurt immensely.

I've lost other pets - I'm 30, there's no way I hadn't in a pet-loving family - this is the first time I'll have to choose "when". How do you know? Have you had to let go of a loved pet? How did you know? How did you do it?

Sorry, this is heavy. I know...but isn't it great to see a post not about politics? LOL

A while ago I read an article on this subject and the author had to put a dog to sleep. His pet wasn't currently in pain so he asked the vet what the best time would be. He said: While your pet still has his personality. As the cancer starts to cause him pain, them his behavior will change in an attempt to manage the pain.

Maybe have it on on a Thursday then take Friday off.