How to cope with a dead pet?

[SolarSonnet]

My cat, Tiny recently died. 4 days before the 11th anniversary of my first cat's death. Which is on the 25th.
He was 10 years old, we had to euthanize him because he had a blood clot cutting off blood flow to his legs. He couldnt walk and he was in a lot of pain. It was the first pet death in my family that I've been old enough to really understand. I've been crying over it for the past 13 hours straight and havent gotten any sleep at all. I keep thinking about what pet I'm going to lose next. We have two dogs and a hedgehog as well. The oldest is a golden named Sunny who's 13. We got her when I was 6. I dunno what I'd do without her and I'm pretty sure she's near the end of her life as well. Sometimes my mom wakes up in the middle of the night and has to make sure she's breathing okay. I dunno what to do anymore, I can't lose another one.
I know a lot of people on here have lost pets.. Is there any way to deal with it? Coping mechanisms? A way to sleep at night? Because as it is I don't see any sleep in my future until I can get over it or pass out from exhaustion.

[noch]

hello!
losing a pet it really difficult, as you know. i've been around to witness two of
my beloved pets (a dog and a cat) pass, and it's really heartbreaking. in fact,
my dog passed away via. euthanasia because of something similar to your ca
t, and i know how it feels.
it was years ago, but reguardless, i still remember the pain i had to go throu
gh in order to move on. I do have some tips that may help you out, though.

firstly, hang out more with friends. if you're having a tough time, at least do
something else to get your mind off of that subject. it helps you heal, espec
ially when what you doing is with friends or family; it replaces the bad mem
ories with good, happy ones.

as a second option, talk with someone about that pet. but don't focus on the
bad, think of the happy memories you had with that pet. I found that talkin
g about the positives of a seemingly very negative situation lifts your spiri
ts, and it's easier to move on <:

and lastly, let it out. it's okay to cry, it's normal for someone to feel incredi
ble grief when losing a loved one. it took me a while to get all of the tears
out of the way, and afterwards, i felt more confident talking about that pet
and being able to even speak about them was way easier.

as for sleep, thinking about your family or friends interacting with that ani
mal (maybe the first time you got them, playing with them, etc.) and your
mind will eventually drift off into sleep.

i hope any of this helps, feel free to pm me if you want to talk further on
anything. have a wonderful rest of your day, and feel better soon. <3

[Brynmala]

This is a little after the fact now, but I'm really sorry to hear of Tiny's loss. Losing a pet who has been part of the family is never easy, but I hope you are starting to see a little beyond the immediate pain now. Honestly it will pass, but it takes time and that amount of time is different for everyone. Concentrate on the good things about Tiny, and talk about her to anyone who will listen. Just ignore anyone who tries to tell you 'it was only a cat'. She wasn't, she was a valued family member, and as such just as deserving of your mourning as any human in my view.

Also try to enjoy the time you have left with Sunny, fixating on the fact that she will die (as everything has to) will not help you, and isn't healthy. You are strong enough to deal with it, but your vet can probably put you in touch with a pet berevement councellor if you need more help.

And yes, I've been there myself... I've had 14 cats, of whom only 3 are extant, we've lost 3 family dogs, 4 house rabbits and two horses. The only way you can avoid having to deal with the deaths of pets is by not having them in the first place - and only you can decide if that is an option for you. It certainly isn't for me.

And I'm sure TIny and the rest will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge, like mine are for me.

[ayyyhh please delete]

hey, maybe you can draw a nice little picture of your cat as a memorial for him!
you can draw him with little angel wings, a halo, anything you want.

you can ask a family member to help you out, and make it really special.
you can keep it somewhere, in a photo album, or even a photo frame.

it doesn't matter if you draw good or not, you're making it special still.
he may be gone, but he won't ever be gone from your memories and your heart.

[KawiKake]

Losing a pet is one of the most difficult things to cope with. Over the summer, I had my first pet loss. She was a 16 year-old dog named Sasha. I grew up with her around, she was older than me. She was bitten by a rattlesnake 3 times on the same day. After about 6 months, she recovered. She led a normal life until she reached year 14. Her spine began to fuse together. By year 15, arthritis began to set in. She started to bloat in her abdominal area. We feared it was cancer and to make she she suffered no longer, we put her down. Like I said, she passed over the summer, a few months ago. On the last day of November, My dog, BamBam passed. She was 13 years old. I was 2 we we got her as a puppy. I grew up with her around. She was perfectly fine until a few days before Nov. 30th. She started to get tired and she wouldn't eat. We took her to the vet and they ran some blood work. She was severely Anemic and extremely pale. They said there was nothing to do. We couldn't afford a blood transplant, so we put her down. I now live with 2 cats. So.Cal and Meeko. So.Cal is 5 years-old and Meeko is 16, older than me. I cannot imagine a life without Meeko. But I don't look towards the day I have to let go. What I did to cope with the consecutive losses, was music. I picked up a new instrument and found new things to listen to. But that doesn't mean I didn't cry. I cried for days, but I knew I couldn't cry forever. BamBam and Sasha are now buried in our backyard. Just know that when a pet departs from this world, they leave behind a piece of their heart for you. They still live on, but not in a material form. As long as you don't forget them, you will be okay. I hope that helped

[cocoawolfz]

im very sorry to hear
i had a hamster
harry he lived way longer then a normal hamster
2 in a half years
i hope you are doing ok as tiny must have been an amazing pet
do you have pics of him?oh maby a plush of him?
what i do is i take out there fraveit toy and put it in my room
it makes you feel like tiny is there!
i hope you get better soon as its heart breaking to lose a important family member

[Sockss]

It's hard.
My kitten died and we had him for 5 months.
All you have to do is say "They went to kitty heaven" XD That's what I said.
Cause if you kept them for longer they would be in pain. So ya

[Firefoxx01]

I know this is kinda late.

I have lost two of my cats a few years ago in the same week: One to Oral Cancer and one to Arthritis so bad she could walk. It is very hard to lose a pet that you've be know for most of you life that you loved. Kinda similar to your scenario, I have a small, 8-9 Year old dog. My family has had her since she was a small puppy. It's hard to also think about the future and what will happen to that pet. I guess, just try your best to think about the present, and how you have your dogs with you now. It also helps to think that the pets you lost wouldn't want you to grieve. It's hard, but you just need to tell yourself to get through it. That's kinda what I told myself when Lucas and Isabella were put down. (That's the names of my old cats) I hope this helps you in someway. I'm sorry about your lost and I hope that you'll feel better soon.

-Firefoxx01

[Capoo]

I'm so sorry a about your pets, I know to well how hard it is when a pet dies. I had a pet praymantis and she looked like this...

I miss her so much, and that's just one of the many pets I had that died.




PS.I know she was just a bug but I loved her.


-Flawless fur18

[Agamid]

i have a dog that past away his name was zack we had him since he was a puppy.he had cancer and the vet said he would not live till a week we started giving him home cooked meals he was alive about a year! we went to go pick up pumkins for him after that the next day on sunday he started barfing and could not get up my mom went to go drop off my dad when she came back he was gone we are crying.