My Kamikazi went home to be with God on Saturday. I did not notice much of a change in my other dog, Cinnamon that day. Sunday night we went to get get some ice cream. We took Cinnamon with us. It started lighting and thundering and gently sprinkling while we were going from the car to the house. I noticed Cinnamon was shaking. She shakes a lot because she is very temp sensitive. We have only had her for about 2 months. We have never been through a thunderstorm with her yet. She started shaking more than I have ever seen her shake before. Panting heavily too. I can only assume she was upset, because there was no reason for her to act that way. She did this for about an hour or so. I dont know if she was scared of the storm.... It was not thundering anymore.... just raining really hard. She eventually calmed down..... but it took a while. When we went downstairs.... into the master bedroom she went under the bed. This is where Kamikazi normally sat if he was not with me. He would sit under the bed. I think it is because the cats would leave him alone there. She only went there for a second, so I think she was looking for him. I had to get up again to do something and she went there for a second again. I dont know if the shaking and panting fit had anything to do with kamikazi being gone..... but I do get the impression she notices he is missing. I dont know how best to help her. Any suggestions?

My Angora CC has been experiencing changes since I lost my Ambie ~ What I do is hold him when he looks confused or manifests any symptoms that I can see are not his usual behavior ~ I have spent time re-assuring him in a quiet comforting voice (I have to speak into his side or neck as he is deaf and does not hear in the traditional manner ) however it has been a confusing time for us both since Ambie ruled the household and now all has changed ~ Also I have been giving him lots more pets and I carry him around with me alot more too ~ It helps both of us ~ So Sorry You Have to Go Through this ~ Kathryn

First of all, I am so so sorry for your loss of your baby, Kamikazi. I'm preparing an email to you as we speak.

In regards to this thread, I was just considering creating a post like this! I've noticed that over the last few days, my other two kitties really seem to be starving for my attention. These two usually are very independent and come to be every once in a while for cuddles but the past few days-- they are glued to my side. At first I didn't think they realized that their brother was gone. They may have, they may not have. But they definitely know something is up now. Eben (the youngest) just sits in the living room and lets out this heart-wrenching yowl until I come out and pick him up. It hurts me to know that they miss Felix but I don't know how to help them through that. I don't know how much of it they understand.

I've just been trying to give them as much love as I can. It's tough because Damien keeps jumping up on my desk while I'm trying to type. He wants all of my attention. He meows his head off if he doesn't get it. Does anyone who's going through the same thing have any advice? Other than lots of love and affection. I don't think I realized that animals grieve, let alone have any clue how to help them through it.

The one thing I have to be grateful for is that my surviving dog, Bailey, hasn't exhibited too many signs of stress. He has kept to his routine in terms of eating, sleeping, bathroom, etc. He came with us when I rushed Jazzy to the emergency vet and he knew something was wrong. He was okay the first few days but he did seem glum by that weekend. I think he thought maybe she would come back. He's a couch potato anyway so it was hard to judge...I didn't want to "read" into anything he did. But he did seem to sleep more that week. I found a site that listed stuff to watch out for and excessive sleeping was one of them. If I can find the site, I post it for you.
It forced me to keep the routine though. It also forced me to not totally fall into a black hole of despair. Well, I sorta did, but Bailey helped me get out, even if it was temporary. Plus, I knew he would pick up on my emotions and I felt so guilty because I didn't want to bring him down. So I had to force myself to be happy around him. Not easy.
Like I said, keep your routines the same, make sure she eats normally. Play with her, give her lots of attention and love.

First off I want to express my sincere sympathy for your loss of Kamikazi.

I have 3 kitties that were attached to Shiloh, 2 of which spent most of Shiloh's last day with her, 1 of which actually stayed with her through the whole euthanasia process. The interesting thing is, the one that didn't spend much time with Shiloh that day, was the most traumatized. After Shiloh died, my cat, Hobbie, started pulling the fur out on her back. After many trips to the vet, we decided that Hobbie was just grieving. It's taken several months for Hobbie to get back to normal, but she is pretty much back to normal. What my vet recommended was that I keep routine things the same. I had changed some of my routine after Shiloh died, but when I changed back to the the regular routine, Hobbie started getting better.

I hope this helps.
Kathleen