As you may know, I recently experienced the loss of my beloved kitty, Simon (Read HERE). It hit me pretty hard as he was such a light in my life and it happened in a short period of time. I did not have a lot of time between the initial shock and the depression “stages” of grief, so it was quite an emotional train wreck.
I also felt a little alone and lost in my journey, so I thought by sharing with you some of the things I learned in my own journey of the loss of Simon it would hopefully be helpful to others.
Surround Yourself With Those That Understand
Not everyone in your social circle will understand your devastation over your pet. But that does not by any means make it wrong. You just need to have your like-minded friends and family surrounding you the closest. I am lucky I have a few friends who really “get” my love for my fur babies. They still may not know exactly what to say, as there isn’t a whole lot anyone can say that will make it ‘better’, but knowing that you are not alone in your feelings is very important.
Get The Support You Need
I didn’t even know it existed until I was researching for myself on ways to cope with grief. There are Grief Support options out there. For example, there is a pet funeral home in Atlanta that offers a Support Group. I plan to go to the next meeting. There is also a list of Pet Loss Grief Hotlines here.
I have also come across some recommended books to read. I plan to read some of them myself and will share my opinions as soon as I do. I already have one on order.
Be Gentle With Yourself
This can be an emotional traumatic time, so always remember to be gentle with yourself. I let myself cry and I cried a lot. But it was in honor of my feelings for my sweet love bug. You will feel like utter crap and that’s ok. Take it day by day, even hour by hour at first. It will get better, I promise.
Remembering Your Pet
It is important for your healing to create a special memorial for your cherished pet. This could be a scrapbook with photos of them, a paw print, a special urn, some favorite toys, a collar, a framed photograph…are just a few ideas. Whatever makes you happy and feel really honors their memory and your love for them. I will be working on my own special memorial very soon and will share.
Love and Purrs,
Amy
