#losing a pet

[sensorybin]

There’s a part of me that feels empty when I remember you’re no longer here. And I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with being left with so much love left to give.

—1:19AM

[greyaugustuspoetry]

a letter to my younger self.

The shed we hid in got taken down

Our like looks different farther from the ground

The girl next door stopped saying hello

She figured out we sucked a long time ago.

We don’t even dance with mama nowadays

Those little moments become such a haze

We’re to big to be carried inside

We stopped knowing how to be held when we cried.

Our dog is in a wooden box sitting by the mantle

Mom made her a spot right next to the candle

We threw rocks at the stars to get her back down

Don’t tell your little brother but she’s not coming back down.

I really am sorry that daddy was so mean

I dont think we’ll get over it and he never got clean

Little brother is becoming too big to hold

I don’t know why but he became cold.

One day you’ll see mom breakdown and cry

All because of our words that we try and justify

You’ll start to understand why people make choices

But the reasons aren’t good ones and they just make us joyless.

And I don’t know why but none of this stops

It will keep coming like heavy raindrops

The growing pains get bigger until our head explodes

What do you do when your whole world corrodes?

One day you’ll start crying and you won’t stop

We will always be waiting for the next shoe to drop

I’m so sorry that I couldn’t get you the moon

I know you thought it could fix things but there’s nothing we can do.

Our dogs are in wooden boxes sitting on the mantle

Daddy made them a spot right next to me and the candles

Our brother screamed at the sky to get us on solid ground

Who will tell our mother that we can’t get back down.

To: Younger me

From: Grey Augustus

P.S. I’m so sorry.

[sugar-pastries]

people always downplay the death of a pet. i grew up listening to adults dismiss and roll their eyes at the grief of losing an animal. "it's just a dog", "it's just a cat", "it's not that bad," etc etc etc.

only my mom had the guts to tell me the truth. she told me i'd be crushed when my dog passed.

and, as always, she was right.

[echoarts03]

Just had to put my cat down last night.

TW below the cut: Starvation & death

My gray tuxedo cat, Clouseau [clue-so], was put down at 9:10pm EST on March 4th, 2024. He was my unregistered emotional support animal, a major lovebug, and a *velcro cat. Even when he was sick and could hardly walk, he came to me and climbed into my lap when I cried. He was one of the best cats I ever have had/will have and will be missed dearly by so many people.

*Velcro cat: Feline companions that follow their humans everywhere are often referred to as “Velcro pets” because of their desire to be attached to your side.

You may be curious; why did we euthanize him? Well, not only did he have thyroid disease, kidney disease, and POSSIBLY lymphoma, but he was also starving himself. And on top of that, he was FIV+, meaning his body just couldn't fight these things off like a normal cat's immune system could have, even with the plethora of medicines we were giving him.

My brother, who wanted nothing to do with this cat, broke down into tears before we left, holding the cat for the first and only time ever, grieving just like me, my mom, and my cousin were.

He said he wants to be a part of the next cats' lives.

It was my first time being a part of the euthanasia process, and it was the longest hour I've ever experienced. I held him when it happened, and my mom and I held each other for a long time when we got to the car.

I went to bed at 10:30 last night as opposed to 12/1 am.

He's been so sick, though, that this morning, I feel a lot less awful than I thought I would be feeling. He's out of pain, He's with his brother now! And as much as I miss him, he wasn't living the life he deserved to live. He was suffering. My mom thinks I did a lot of my grieving before he died, and I came to terms with it relatively early on.

Of course, I still miss him, though.

All I hope is that he was greeted with open arms by his brother, who we not only lost last February, but was also his best friend.

We will be going to the shelter on Friday in hopes of adopting 2 new cats.

Hold your animals close, guys. The void they'll leave once they're gone is suffocating.

Rest in peace, Clouseau. Mommy loves you. ❤️

[oohnotvery]

Feeling quite sad as we are having to put down our cat of 16 years, Dietz. I’ve had him since he was a kitten, and I was just a teenager then. Now I’m married with a young daughter who loves Dietz so much that every morning he’s the first thing she wants to go say hello to. She brings him treats, all the toys in her toy basket, books, my makeup 😂, and “gentle pets.” I have watched Dietz love her back, even though toddlers and cats notoriously don’t get along. But he follows her around the house, coming close enough to get a quick pet and then slipping away before she can grab his tail. And before bed, she always wants to give him a kiss on the nose and he tries to sneak under her crib to sleep with her. When I first brought my daughter home from the hospital 18 months ago, I remember worrying that Dietz would never be able to tolerate a baby in the house. I was so wrong. He knew that baby was my baby and he loved her immediately for it.

And of course, Dietz was my first baby. He followed me to law school where he sat on my chest at night when I had such severe panic attacks I would pass out. He kept me company on my darkest nights when I wanted to do anything but live to see the next day. He sat on the porch and watched birds, reluctantly welcomed a second cat Clara into the household, and then when it was clear she hadn’t been taken care of in her first home, he nurtured her in only the way an older cat can. When Matt and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary, Dietz’s picture was on our cake.

Having Dietz gave me (and Matt) a firsthand look at how I’d be as a mom to a human baby: the first time he got sick, I abruptly left a work trip and drove 300 miles as fast as I could to get home to see him in the hospital; when a cat sitter let the temperature in our house fall to 40 degrees one night, leaving our cats to huddle in bed for two days alone, I threatened to sue the shit out of that company (lawyers are litigious!!); when our vet told us recently Dietz had just weeks, maybe days to live, I fainted at the hospital. This cat owns a part of my heart. To see him suffering so badly from a disease no one can cure is excruciating. Why do our pets have to die? Why can’t they live forever? My heart is breaking open and it’s so painful that I feel like the breath is leaving my chest.

[itwasallanaesthetic]

Art Credit: ladybug art on fb

Missing my big guy in the sky something fierce tonight. So thankful for my Sky girl…she’s getting me through this. I love her with my whole heart, too. But Oreo & I had such a special connection… I just wish he was here too. I don’t love you any less, Sky mama. 💔

[rinacam]

It is with such a heavy heart we had to put our furbaby Pickles down. Been a wreck. Miss him so much. LOVE YOU PICKLES!

[gh0st-g1rlx0]

Lost both of my cats in the space of a year now I've finally got a tattoo for them <3

On the left is Kitty and on the right is Betty

[juuls]

Bad news and good news both.

So I didn’t really speak of it while it was happening as it was really traumatic, but we said goodbye to one of our tuxedo kittens a while back, just shy of 2 years old. He swallowed a string and went through surgery (the cost was insane but if you bring an animal into your home and you have the means to help them, we felt we should) but passed from sepsis a few hours later. This little guy was one of the best cats we’ve ever had, even for a buddy named Havoc. Which he definitely caused in funny and dumb ways especially. This is him in my favourite picture of the guy:

He will 100% be missed and cherished in our memories. We wept and mourned and blamed ourselves and forgave ourselves some, and then decided to do what we always do: get another cat so that our remaining kitten, Leia, wouldn’t be alone (it was her brother we lost).

We set out with the aim of one. We came back with two! We’re still not 100% on the names but they came to us as Patti and Maple, respectively. Aren’t they beautiful?? And their purrs are just so… so soothing. Here they are!

You cannot replace the love you gave to a missing pet, because that love remains with you. The heart, and love, is infinite. I look forward to loving these two as well. ❤️

[sensorybin]

I think it’ll be a while before I’m okay.

—9:45PM

[greyaugustuspoetry]

Would you look at that sunset

It’s just like that night

When I was walking with you

Under to skylight

I’ll always miss you

And those sunset filled nights

But now when I look up

You’re here,

Right before my eyes

-Grey Augustus

[homoheroine]

Oh my fucking God. My heart. It feels like it's ripped out of my chest. Fuck. Goddammit. Stupid. Loosing an animal, let alone two at once is the most painful thing ever. I've never lost a pet. I've never really experienced grief in my 32 years but I this is miserable. Horrific. I'm sick. My voice is gone. My eyes are swollen.

[echoarts03]

Losing My Cat

February 25th I lost my 9-10 year old male Tuxedo cat to natural means.

This post is mostly just a way for me to vent, so if you guys don't care or just don't wanna read it, that's fine. It's kinda lengthy, and I understand.

Trigger Warnings:

Anger towards God

Death of a Pet

Detailed emotional descriptions

My cat passed away on the 25th and I don't know if I can keep doing college. I mean I have to, but it feels so much less rewarding when I know one of my cats isn't gonna be there when I go home on the occasional weekend or during breaks.

This cat was pretty much an emotional support pet but without the papers, y'know? I even considered getting him legally documented so I could take him places because I'm just such an emotional wreck in public, but I guess I can't do that now, lol.

He was completely healthy and only 9 or 10 years old. It was the suddenness of it all that hurts the most. He just went to sleep and didn't wake up. I'm grateful it was peaceful since we have always had to put our pets down, but it was an awful feeling to walk into the house and find out he was gone.

That Morning

My mom called me at 8 am on Saturday and told me I had to come home. She was sending my ex to come pick me up since we're still really good friends, and he said he would happily help us if we needed it.

She didn't tell me what was wrong because she didn't want me to be hysterical on the drive back, but she said I needed to come home ASAP.

I arrived home at around 8:45 - 9 am.

The moment I stepped into the house, my mom told me to take off my shoes, jacket, backpack, hat, and ETC and get comfortable. I knew something was wrong at that point.

The moment she told me was probably the most heartwrenching feeling I have felt in a long time. My knees buckled, and I couldn't breathe. My mom had to hold onto me because I was hysterical.

I got to sit with him for an hour or two, just praying over him and giving my final goodbyes before we took him to the local Animal Hospital.

Anger towards God

It felt like God was betraying me now that he knew I was getting somewhere in therapy. I was finally, slowly becoming happier with my life, and accepting my sexuality and my place in my family.

It was moments like those that really make me question what the fuck have I done wrong to make God do this to me.

Conclusion

I don't wish this upon even my worst enemy, I don't wish this upon anyone. That drive to the Animal Hospital was probably the longest yet fastest drive I have ever had to sit through, and the rest of the day was just plain exhausting. Even after 13 hours of sleep, I was exhausted all day Sunday.

I never thought that the last time I said bye to him would really have been the last time.

Hold your pets close, guys. You never know when goodbye may be your last one.

I'm sorry, my baby boy. I'm so sorry.

Mommy loves you. ❤️

[cottagewitchybitch]

Does anyone know if there are any fanfics for literally any fandom about losing a pet T-T. I’m coming to terms with the fact that my cat is likely not going to survive (he has an autoimmune disease) and I have a bad habit of reading fanfiction to cope. Anything. Please. /srs

[ohfersherbahd]

It absolutely breaks my heart to have learned about my favourite dog, Dash, having needed to be euthanized. 🥺😔💔 She was only 7 years old. On a walk she got a little tied up, and managed to hurt her back. She became paralyzed in her back legs, and then developed incontinence / bowel incontinence. She had to be euthanized 😔😔😔. I will forever miss this girl, and taking her out on walks, buying her deli bones, taking awesome photos of her with my camera etc etc.

Chase them squirrels in doggy heaven, my lil dasheroni! I'll love you for a lifetime.

[embersofhope19]

I woke up on a Sunday morning to find him passed away in his favorite laundry basket in my closet. I slept through it. He passed away essentially alone and it fucking guts me. Now i have horrible anxiety that it's going to happen to one or all of my other 3 dogs. I wake up several times a night to check if they are all breathing. The only slice of comfort I get is that he is no longer in pain or suffering from congestive heart failure. Dogs are just as much family as any human, if not sometimes moreso. It's been a year and a half and I miss my fur baby boy so much.