I heard someone say the other day, "I don't know why they're so upset, it's only a cat". Dealing with the loss of a pet is traumatic.
Growing up, we always had pets, my childhood was a menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits and for a while terrapins. As an adult, nothing has really changed, between me and my sister, we have 7 dogs and 3 cats. Most of them are rescues, or they've come to us because someone we know needed to re-home and we couldn't say no!
For me, my pets are my family and my motto is, they live here too, so of course they can sit on the sofa! Having a pet I think is good for the soul, they get you out of the house, you strike up random conversations with people whilst you're out and about and they can be an ice-breaker.
During Lockdown, I had to have one of my cats put down, his name was Pudding and I'd had him since he was a kitten. Pudding got diagnosed with cancer and was given a few months to live, I decided to make this last few months the best I could, he had as many cuddles as humanly possible from me and the dogs, he could eat whatever he liked and there were meat sticks on tap.
I knew that when he'd had enough, he would let me know and 7 months after his diagnosis, Pudding decided it was time . I took him to the vets and we said our goodbyes and then I came home and I cried.... I cried a lot!
Losing a pet is really hard, they're part of your family. Pudding was 14 when he died, that's a long time to have someone in your life, we'd been through a lot together and I still miss him. I miss him giving me a headbutt when he wants to kiss me, I miss his loud purr and I miss his ridiculously long whiskers.
Some people won't necessarily understand how much it hurts to lose a pet and you might hear comments like "it's only a cat / dog / rabbit" etc, those people in my opinion are wrong!
These are my tips to dealing with the loss of a pet.
Give yourself time to grieve and don't feel embarrassed if you want to have a cry.
Chat to your friends, don't bottle up your feelings.
If you have other pets, try and maintain a normal routine with them, they're still around and they still love and need you.
Do something to honour your pet, you could plant a tree in their memory, or grow flowers where you've scattered their ashes.
You could speak to a professional organisation such as the Pet Bereavement Support Group, who offer a free, confidential service, offering support over the phone, or via letter, e-mail or text message. They work with pet owners nation-wide.
Above all, give yourself time and be kind to yourself.
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