My beautiful cat died yesterday.

So, so sorry.This thread on the loss of pets made me cry as I remembered my faithful dog that I lost 38 years ago. And my wonderful black cat that I had to have PTS 7 years ago.
We never forget our wonderful furry friends and hope we did the best for them in their short lives.
God bless you.

I sympathise with you too Denil. My lovely old Parsons Russell was PTS in my arms at the Vet's just after Christmas. I still get tearful thinking about her. They are a big part of our lives, and leave a hole when they are gone.??

Denil I am so sorry you have lost your wonderful furry companion. I know the pain. Many of us do. They are such caring creatures who often seem to sense our distress and anguish, and yes, they trust and love us too and in their own way try to comfort us. To lose such a lovely boy when life generally is so difficult for you is awful. I am so sorry. You gave an abandoned cat a good life and you loved each other. Be proud you did your best for him.

I do hope life starts to be good for you again soon. My condolences.

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Denil so so sorry. Like many of us, I know the pain. You have had a horrible year. My heart goes out to you. xx

denil there are man y of us who know how you feel. In our case it was dogs and we lost 3. One died of a brain tumour which was a big shock but the other two we had to have put to sleep. It is a terrible decision to have to make but if you love them you can't bear to see them suffer. So sorry for your sadness.

No words - just hugs (((( )))) - it hurts so much

And more hugs from me too. So many people do understand how very sad and alone you must feel but remember you are not alone, you have your friends on here for support and, you have so many memories of your boy

So sorry for your loss, hope that you will have many lovely memories of your darling boy.

Denil
Be sad, but also be glad that you gave him a good loving, if short, life.

So sorry to hear this. It is so hard loosing a much loved pet. They leave a massive hole in our lives when we have to let them go. You gave him a very good life, but I know that this will be of little consolation right now. Hold on to the lovely memories that you have. Take care.

So sorry Denil, I too know the sadness of losing much loved pets. Try to comfort yourself with the knowledge that you improved what life he did have by a thousand per cent.

Denil I understand your sense of loss completely. Felines have always been a central part of my life since teenage years. I know the loss of a dear furry friend is hard. Please console yourself that the puss in question was given a wonderful new lease of life with you and died feeling safe and secure with you. In time another feline will gravitate towards you. They always do! In the meantime ?

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I’m so sorry, it’s hard to loose those we love.

You gave him extra years and love ❣️ then you let him go in peace xx

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done
For this, the last battle, can’t be won.

You will be sad, I understand,
Don’t let the grief then stay your hand,
For this day more than all the rest
Your love and friendship stand the test.

We’ve had so many happy years,
What is to come can hold no fears.
You’d not want me to suffer so;
When the time comes, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they’ll tend
And stay with me, if you can, to the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time, you will see,
It is a kindness you do for me.
Although my tail its last was waved,
From pain and suffering I’ve been saved.

Don’t grieve that it should be you,
Who must decide this thing to do,
We’ve been so close, we two, these years;
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

Smile, for we walked together for a little while.

Author Unknown

So sorry denil. I have 2 old pussies and I know I will have to face losing them soon.

Dear Denil1963,
I was crying before I reached the end of your post.
So sorry about your lovely cat, but you gave him precious extra time, and he left you knowing he was loved.
The reason I was crying so fast was because it echoed my own year : so many problems, husband's crippling debts, and the worry about my future if he died first, because we are poor, and have allmost no assets...rotting old mobile home that he won't mend, etc., etc.). My dear little old lady tabby must have been at least 15 I think, when she appeared around our mobile home site, then took up residence underneath us ! I took weeks to gain her trust, and set up a box with a duvet in, underneath, which she took to quite quickly. I'd go out in all weathers , and feed her, either by putting a bowl of food and milk down, and then later, she'd jump on my knee to feed (often under an umbrella).
Eventually, this routine got too difficult, so one night I gathered her up in a fleece, and took her indoors : this exiled my existing timid black (also stray )cat, who arrived here as a kitten from 'rough types' nearby who tipped him out with his 3 (?) siblings. "Cuddles" as I named her, because she had clearly been used to being a house cat), had the whole sofa, with covered bed, a place for food and milk (lacto free, naturally !), a cushion on the back of the sofa so she could soak up the morning sun, and a litter stray, which she did use, but also the carpets and rugs !
O.K. for a few years, but then, this year, she gradually became more and more tired, sleeping a lot, and not wanting to eat, despite a large range of tempting raw or cooked foods. It was clear something was very wrong...this June, we went to a local vet , and the discovery of an internal tumour made the decision to let her go...No point in attempting huge bills for surgery, and we couldn't do it anyway, being under crippling debts already (his doing, not mine), so that was 'it', the darling was purring as she had her last injection, I know it's humane and very 'easy', the animal just 'stops'...very quick...best thing to do....pity they don't allow humans that oprion ! We are put through a living death if we get cancer :I have watched it 3 times, and had major cancer myself, so I know what to expect if mine comes back : barbaric, in my humble opinion. No quality of life, just a long period of ever more disability and dependence, boredom, etc....
By the way, the black cat , now 5 years old, has been O.K., if annoyed by having 'his' space usurped by an interloper !
He is young, still, and must know he is loved, I have made a big 'fuss' of him throughout, and now he is gradually coming in more : he has selected a place on top of a pile of boxes, which I made into a comfy bed, with a sheepskin cushion cover he can snuggle into....he is much happier, but he needn't have exiled himself, becasue he also had my bed as permanent place to sleep , but wouldn't use it !
(Ah well , "not too bright"! ).
Anyway, I deeply sympathise with you and want to congratulate you for your kind actions in helping your poor cat. But it is so deeply shocking, isn't it.
I got ill 3 times directly after 'Cuddles' went, a tooth abscess (not had since 1983), then a U.T.I, then an ear /throat infection....on top of general depression brought on by 50 years' stress and relentless reduction in quality of life, plus loads of heavy work for nothing - 13 moves, no 'Pickfords' , 4 gardens built from wasteland / brambles, etc., all destroyed later, now this latest, WILL be destroyed when we 'go', under the site's awful 'strip it down to nothing ' policy, every time anyone moves out or dies...
All I can do, now I am losing mobility age 70 and getting bone spurs in one hip , I think, with much pain on walking, it eases with rest, but quickly returns)....as I say, all I can do is cast around to see if anyone wants some of my treasured,but excess shrubs...e.g., Bay, tree mallows, forsythia, juniper (?), linaria, etc., etc.
I'd rather give them away now, than leave them to be ripped up and destroyed later...
(Anyone else reading this, please note an address below )
I hope this Gransnet might have people who value the 'clothing' of a house with nice plants around it, not all BARE and stark, as this site always does. It was heartbreaking to see my 15 plus years hard graft in our last garden , just bulldozed all away, to nothing.
It was terribly hard to dig up shrubs, pot them, moves walls and patio, with no help from hubby...I think that started my hip damage....we can't inflict such heavy strain on joints at advanced age !
Anyway, I felt I just had to write to you, as I too was so 'knocked down' by the loss of such a sweet cat, who had clearly suffered a trauma (maybe owner died, etc...?). If you'd like to phone, please leave a message and your phone number on [email protected], and I will call back.
This is bona fide, just reaching out to offer sympathy to another person who has shown compassion for a poor animal, and has also 'paid' for it dearly with grief...but as our lovely Queen Elizabeth once said, "That's the price of love....". Do phone soon, if you wish....With Best Wishes, "Rosiebelle " .

I’m new to this and I can see this thread is quite old now however I’d like some advice on how to get over the death of my lovely cat. She was 18+ years old and I had her from a kitten so really part of the family. She was lovely company in lockdown and was so content just being with me and my husband. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism just over a year ago but was doing fine on her medication.
In the last few weeks she showed less and less interest in eating and I found it really hard to give her her meds. I took her to the vet a couple of weeks ago and they wanted to keep her in for observation- 3 nights in all, did blood tests, X-rays, gave her an appetite stimulant- all to no avail really and I feel so guilty that I didn’t make the decision then. Instead I brought her home - vet said she was eating a bit but of course she wasn’t- still had to settle the bill for £1,100 - she was home just over a week when I had to make the decision to take her to be put to sleep on Tuesday.
The thing that can’t leave my head is the guilt I feel. Guilt that I wasn’t strong enough to make the decision before bringing her home (I really think the vet should help in situations like this), guilt that she wasn’t eating when I brought her hone and even though she was drinking and using her litter tray she was wasting away before my eyes and I cannot forgive myself.
I keep imagining that she must have been so uncomfortable and was looking to me to put her out of her misery.
So I suppose I just want to say we should not ‘hold on’ to our pets when they have clearly come to the end of their life. If only I could turn back time I hope I would have done things differently - instead I find myself still crying and apologising to her. I just hope she knows xx

So sorry, it’s a hard decision xx