All cat lovers?

Question

Our beloved cat was put to sleep this morning. He was old with kidney failure, but SO loved. He had a great life, never neglected, never in pain, always carried about, always purring, always totally thoroughly spoilt ... the life of Reilly. Now he's gone for good. A great big male marmalade cat..
Somebody said to me not to get another cat because when they go they give you such heartache (true) and another friend said, Go out and get another one, because for years they give you such a lot of pleasure. What would be your advice?

Just one or two details. Our marmalade cat was a rescue cat, neglected, badly ill treated, half his furr missing, but we spent a small fortune healing him, and he purred, he ate, he drank, he got really well, he knew he was well loved and had fallen on his paws! Now of course I want to take in every neglected cat, dog, man, woman, baby .. I just want to look after everything and everybody, and relieve all pain and suffering and give all badly treated people hope and all badly treated animals comfort and fun and security. How do i do this? At work I care for 60 elderly vulnerable people with dementia and Alzheimers. I work 60/70 hours a week. What is to be done? This is certainly no 'hard luck' story but I also have a daughter with autism. She is 23 and lives with us, and will never be able to live independently. I love her passionately.
So much more to say. Why cannot more be done for all the disadvantaged people?

Answer 1

Yes it breaks your heart when they have to leave but they leave behind such wonderful memories and the love never dies! I 'rescue' cats and dogs, I recently lost a beautiful GSD who sadly died thanks to her mistreatment at the hands of a 'man' > too many hits around the head caught up with her, she was only 7 and we got her at 3! I miss her and it still hurts, normally I'd wait a longer period of time but The rescue centre called with an emergency so I've just taken in a beautiful GSD whose 3 years up till recently were spent in a 8x12ft shed rearing puppies. 8 adults and 4 pups were her companions! I'm going to make sure she finds out what fun life can be! I'm looking forward to the fun of getting to know her and she will repay me a thousand fold I'm sure! I also feel that my past animals 'approve'.
I'm a care-worker who was brought up by a disabled Mum and not sure whether animals or humans came first. My Mum was a magnet for every stray in the neighbourhood and we always had a 'rescued' animal around. I couldn't not be a carer!

my advice There's a cat out there waiting for you so as soon as you're ready............ don't rush, they are very patient animals!
They choose us, we just think it's the other way round!

Answer 2

Hi, Aww i feel sorry for you the loss of a much loved pet is terrible, i have lost a lot of my cat's over the years the most recent was Sweep he had cancer and i had to have him put to sleep last year they are part of your family and you love them. I think you are a wonderful person you look after the elderly and vulnerable people and most of all you look after your daughter. You do enough you don't want to make yourself ill because of doing too much. I know the urge to help is overwhelming at the moment because of your grief, but take time out to grieve. I would wait a few weeks before you get another cat let the hurt go away. Then you will be ready to look after another cat that needs you and wants a loving home. Good Luck to you and your family. x

Answer 3

Everyone is different - some people need a long time to mourn their loss without the distraction of a new pet, and don't want to feel like they're trying to replace an irreplaceable, unique pet. Others may feel that a new pet will help them to cope with their loss, and that providing another pet with a good home is a way of sharing their love with another animal in need. There's no right or wrong - do what you feel you should do, when you're ready. Just don't try to replace your lost cat - if you do get another cat, accept that it will be an entirely different individual, with its own personality and needs.

My heart goes out to you - peace to your dear cat over the Rainbow Bridge.

Answer 4

Oh, I feel for you so much. I had a lovely orange cat called Milo and he was run over my a car when I was away . I had another cat as well at the time so I still had a cat around but it wasn't the same.

It took me a few months but I eventually got another kitten. My son actually found it in a pet shop and I immediately fell in love with it. She's now 10 yrs old.

I reckon get another cat but at your timing - you'll know when. - such as not going past a pet shop without calling in and checking out the animals...

another cat will not replace your much loved one but it will still enrich your life.

Answer 5

First of all i am so sorry to hear about your beloved cat.Think of it like this A vet decides when its time to put an animal to sleep.so that they ha vent got to suffer.Humans on the other hand got to bear it out to the end.I too am a cat owner ,and have been for 18 years.I Dread the day when my cat will be no more.My advice is get another cat as soon as possible .Good luck.

Answer 6

So sad to hear about your beautiful baby leaving you, I know how painful this is. It all depends on how you feel and only you can answer this one x. I would recommend you leave it a few months to settle down after losing your current cat and then reevaluate the situation. You may miss the company and joy you get from a cat or decide the pain when losing is too much to bear. From expereince though the years of joy you get from having them, outweighs the saddness felt when they leave us and you look back and remember them with happiness :). Wait a while, and in the meantime, here's a .

Answer 7

Sorry to hear your loss. We went through something similar recently too. We gao another cat (and called him Marmalade) to replace the hole that Angel left. Time is a good healer, but i would recommend getting a new member of the family - not a replacement, but a new well loved pet.

Answer 8

And I'll bet his name was Rollo. Well, I am very sorry to hear of his passing. You now have what is called an emotional deficit. Where to put all that love you were showering on Rollo - ? You would be well advised to go to a nearby animal shelter and gently allow yourself to be adopted by one of the cats there. You could go with your entire family, if you would prefer, and surely as I am sending this to you, a cat there will adopt you. People think they adopt shelter animals, but it is the other way around.

Answer 9

That is up to you... when one of pets passed on I usually don't want to get another for a while. My beloved dog passed away last year in February and I adopted two cats from the animal shelter in June.

Answer 10

I had the same thing, Sammy was 17 and the sweetest thing... it broke my heart. and I thought no more !! well about 6 months later, a neighbor asked if I knew anyone who wanted to adopt a neutered male 7month old. She had 2 to choose from.. Guess what... I now have 2 great guys. and I still miss Sam.. but the company of the new boys sure helps!!!