Any advice for a grieving cat owner?

Question

My beloved cat, Tiger, is facing an illness that only 60% of cats survive. How do I deal with my constant worry and steadily growing sadness?

Answer 1

Hayley, I am so sorry your kitty is ill. It is terrible to face the idea of losing someone you love, be it a person or a beloved pet. I lost my favorite cat ever in December due to cancer.

What I would advise you though is that the only true difference between now and before you knew your kitty was ill is that now you have a better idea of when and why he might leave you. All of our kitties will leave us someday though - you just have a clearer idea now of how that might happen with your kitty. Use this as a strength. Instead of worrying and becoming sadder, remember that he is still here now, and focus on making each and every day with him as special as it can possibly be. Love him as much as you can. Take pictures. Buy him treats and toys. Hold him and pet him. Be comforted in knowing that you are being given time to really love him and say goodbye if need be. All the worrying and sadness are just taking away from quality moments you can be sharing with him, so try to stop focusing on the negative and sad things, and make your time with him something that will give him comfort during the rest of his life and you comfort and happiness when he eventually is gone, either from this illness or whatever ultimately takes him to the Rainbow Bridge at the end of what will hopefully will be a very long kitty life.

I hope that Tiger will be in the 60% that survive. He has my prayers.

Answer 2

I am so sorry! We have a similar problem with our cat. She is a carrier of FIP and have been told that she may actually develop the disease herself in her old age (she is over 15 yrs old). I would suggest doing research on the illness and see if there is anything out there that can help Tiger. If not, just spend as much time as you can making sure Tiger is well cared for and loved. You might want to look into some kind of support group for grieving pet owners. Or talk to an understanding friend/family member. Talking about your feelings can help a lot more than you think.

Answer 3

You can help yourself and your cat by staying in the best emotional balance that you can. Anxiety, sadness and dread are very detrimental to maintaining optimum health and to easing peacefully into what may be inevitable.

Please go to: http://www.spiritessence.com and consider getting some of Dr. Jean Hovfe's "Healthy Helper". I think the flower essences she uses in that are better for both you and your cat than the "Rainbow Bridge" combination.

A bottle is $16.95 mailed to you without shipping or handling charges. You just shake the bottle well and put three to four drops on your fingertips and rub gently into the fur between Tiger's ears. You will be "treating" both yourself and him by doing it that way. Do it three or four times a day, especially in the morning and before bedtime.

I have two cats now with aggressive and terminal cancers and I take each day as it comes. Tiger will sense your upset and distress so do not make him carry that burden along with his failing health and unease about his condition. Each day is precious and time to share your mutual love - not despair and depression.

Answer 4

All you can do is remember all the love your cat has given you, and all the good care I can tell you have given it. Unfortunately, we must all deal with the loss of a beloved pet. Have hope, 60% is better odds that I am facing. My beloved Santana has had multiple health issues, and has now been diagnosed with arthritis; not terminal, but quality of life and comfort are already issues. At best, I can give him one more good year.

Follow your vets instructions, love Tiger, spoil him with anything he wants, and know you gave him a wonderful and loved existence. You have my most sincere sympathy and I wish you both luck and good prayers.

Answer 5

I am so sorry that your kitty is ill. Let me say before anything else I hope every thing goes well with his illness--and he survives with flying colors.

My cat Felix died in December and I will be the first to tell you that it is hard to deal with---the constant worry and the sadness can overcome your whole being--but you have to be strong---and do whatever it takes for you to be strong---maybe you need the help of someone else---don't delay--go for it--seek help from anyone that is willing to assist you--you will need it and more.

I know it is a horrible thing to go thru--I hope everything turns out okay---but if it doesn't---there are a lot of websites that can help like petloss.com.

God bless you and your pet.

Answer 6

When my best friend Moggy was deteriorating due to old age, I knew we were going to have to do the hardest but kindest thing for him before the nest winter came around, and that was to put him to sleep.
I could not stand the thought of losing him because we grew up with him. He was nearly 15 years old.
I went with the greif. I spent as much time with him as possible, hugged him every chance I got (and he used to hug me back), and cried. Cried a lot, and still do sometimes. It's been about 5 year now.
A couple of years after Moggy died I adopted a kitten. Sadly he was ill and after only having him for 3 weeks he had to be put to sleep to as he only had a 20% of surviving with treatment and he would have been in too much pain.
Again, I let it all out.
It is hard to face the impending loss of a loved one. The best thing for it is to have a good cry, spend time with him/her and let him know that you are one of the most important things in the world to you.
My thoughts are with you during this time of worry and sadness and I hope that the odds are on TIger's side.

Answer 7

My cat is a survivor of an illness that usually takes their lives... so stay positive and maybe your Tiger will be in the same range as Demi, my cat, is!!! She is now 9 years old and still plays, fetches and chases the other cats around the house!!

Answer 8

Sorry to hear about that - It's awful losing pets, and even worse when you know something is wrong that may cause their deaths. Everyone has given you lots of good advice, but as we all live to be around 70, and our pets live much shorter than that, we all are going to have to deal with our animals passing on. It's the risk we bear when we love them. Just remember all of the fantastic years you have given your kitty - and remember that even though you know something is wrong, your kitty doesn't. We get so upset and worried, but our pets don't know. That's why I think pets recover so well from injuries that seem so awful, because they are not thinking negative thoughts or worrying themselves, literally, to death. Hold on the the hope that he will be fine, and console yourself with the thought that he doesn't know, either way...

Answer 9

First off I would like to say from one cat lover to another I know how sad you must be feeling, I just think about my cat passing away and I fall into tears. My cat Sarah is really old and is already having problems jumping and doing activities she used to love doing like playing and going crazy over treats, so I know our time together is limited. Here are some of the things I suggest that will help in this time of grief.

take lots of pictures- a photo album is nice to have because while you will never forget Tiger, a picture will catch that exact moment forever, like the time you caught him doing something funny or the way they looked curled up in their favorite spot

Try to make life more comfortable for them- make them happier with treats and allow them to get away with little things they always wanted to. My cat always tries to sit in a chair at the table with us while we eat and I like to let her get away with it when no one else minds

Make something or buy something that symbolizes Tiger and your bond with each other. When Sarah passes away I plan on getting a tattoo of her on my back in her Tinkerbell halloween costume, and for the meantime I have a charm of a cat on my charm bracelet to symbolize her

and of course spend as much time as you can with Tiger, although cats don't live as long as we do, the time we have with them impacts our lives forever.

Answer 10

I am sorry to hear about your cat's illness. The good news is that he has a chance to survive.

There are support groups out there if you need one.

Go to: http://www.humananimalbondtrust.org/
http://www.pawtoheart.org/
http://www.caaainc.org/petgriefsupport.htm