MUSINGS OF A LOCAL By Iris Mead - Grieving for a Pet

We know the sorrow and loss that losing a pet can bring to your life and for a long time after. Some pets have a way of getting into your heart and soul that never leave you. The bond, their daily presence and emotional support they give us makes the loss deeply painful. 

For most people the family pet is an extension of our family. When that pet dies, the pain can be palpable. And when that pet has lived a long and loving life it is even harder to face that loss.  There is a hole in your heart that will eventually heal but dealing with that loss in the short-term can bring on deep grief and even depression.  The bond that we have established with that pet is unique and not easily forgotten.

Not only do members of the family suffer the loss of a dear pet but other pets in the family also share the loss, especially if the deceased pet has been a member of the family and part of the pack family for a long time. How we as humans handle our grief may be easier than the way surviving pets do since we can verbalize our feelings of sorrow but they are unable to communicate their feelings to us.  Some pets stop eating, some whine or cry, some lie in the deceased pet’s bed or living space.  We are told to keep the surviving pet(s) on their regular schedule and show them a lot of attention and affection.  There are products that can help with calming.

For us humans, sharing stories and pictures of the deceased pet with friends who knew the animal helps with grieving as they too have remembrances of the pet, some good, some bad, I expect.  Putting together a photo album or hanging a collage of the pet’s photos on a wall gives an owner some inner peace and a smile as they walk by the photos.

We all handle grief differently, be it a relative or friend or a pet.  Many factors trigger grief; age of the pet, the circumstances of their death, was it sudden or expected, a major health problem, unforeseen accident, etc.  All factor in how we react and express our grief.

The column is the result of my grieving for my 18-1/2 old cat, ZaneGray, who had to be put to sleep because of his advanced age. Watching him fail in the last weeks of his life caused so many emotions in both me and my other cat who had known him the 12 years of her life with us.  The gentle handsome “Big Guy” accepted her immediately when she was introduced to him and they played together, ate together and slept near each other.  She sensed that he was not doing well and laid and slept next to him in the month prior to his death. Since his death, she has shown many signs of grief and I am attempting to console her and she me.  We will move on together remembering Zane.