Yesterday at 1 pm my heart died with Jack's. He was a little mutt that was supposed to live with me for years. He had cancer when he was five, had chemo, did well, but it put him in heart failure several months ago. The last week I was his nurse 24/7. He got to lick my face yesterday morning and then he just stopped. He was my significant other. The only soul on earth that not only liked and loved me. He was the only one that really needed me. I feel so damned lost now.

I am very sorry to hear about your loss.
My cat, which I described as "the one", died a few weeks ago. I know exactly how you feel. Please continue to post here. This is/was my only outlet to express my sadness around people who understood what I was going through (many of them going through it right along with me).
Part of the great things about pets is that they love you no matter what, and always forgive you. And of course, they think you're the greatest thing on earth.
As your subject line said, no more pain, so Jack is in a much better place now, although I know you aren't. You'll probably feel lost for awhile, but eventually it'll get better. I'm starting to feel a bit better, not a whole lot, but I'm much better off now than I was for the 1st week when I just felt crushed and heartbroken and the pain was so intense.
I know as the weeks and months go by I'll start remembering the happy times with my cat without bursting into so many tears.

Hope you are doing ok
-Tammy

I know just how you feel. I lost my little Sweet Pea last week. She was all I had and she was everything to me. I thought I would die of a broken heart. Things are slowly getting better and I'm finding that after the first few days, I'm able to function a little better each day. It's still really hard; I expect it will be for a long time to come.

I was looking through old posts here and someone had posted this website on grief and I found it to help me a lot. I'm reposting it here in case you or anyone else may find it helpful.


Coping with Grief

Please know that you are not alone in your grief.

LoneRed

First, I'm sorry you're going through this. I am dealing, well, as best as I can, with an incredibly broken heart and a loss of a magnitude of which I have never felt before and never knew was possible, too. My ferret, my son basically, of 6 years died Saturday morning.

It's a dark, cold, lonely place and I don't want to visit here very long, but it's natural and grieving is something we must do. The pain, the tears, the hole in your heart and soul that is there, seemingly to never be filled again. The blame, the "what if'" factor.....all of it is normal and only says that you were an incredibly caring person who loved that animal beyond belief.

You (we) have lost a family member. It's that simple and that's a hard thing.

Let the process flow, don't stop it or bottle it up. Cry, get mad. Break something. But just remember that it takes time, and probably a long time for most of us.

Talk to people, surround yourself with things to do and be occupied. It helps. Friends are the best, and it helps if you have a friend or friends who understand you as a pet owner and lover. Those who don't have pets can be understanding, but it makes all the difference to have someone who knows what you're going through to help you do it.

I miss my ferret SOOO much and it just is killing me that he won't be walking around the corner or following me down the hall biting on my toes or coming out of the closet where he loved to sleep in his ferret sleeping bag inside his travel carrier. His licking the mayonnaise out of the corner of every sandwich that I ever made.....all of those things and so so many more, never to be repeated again. It is one of the most painful things in the world to feel that empty feeling of not going through those daily motions. Painful beyond words.

So grieve and know that pain is part of it, but the healing will take place and you will be okay.

My heart goes out to you and a hand as well. to give you support.

Best of luck in getting over your broken heart as fast as time will allow and know that Jack still loves you and he knows you're there and he's with you in spirit.

Buddy the ferret's dad

When I read your post it brought tears to my eyes because your story of Jack is so similar to my story of Shiloh. Shiloh was a little mutt dog who was supposed to grow old with me. She was diagnosed with lymphoma when she was just shy of her 5th birthday. She handled the chemo very well, but her cancer was too aggressive and she came out of remission before her chemo regime was over. I lost her almost one year ago. She was my friend, my companion, and my comforter. I loved her more than words can describe and I still feel that when she died, a part of me died with her.

As I said, Shiloh died almost 1 year ago...I've shed a lot of tears, I've been angry, I've been sad, I've asked why, and through all that I've healed. It's taken a long time and I still miss Shiloh on a daily basis, but that searing pain has subsided. My best advice to you is to be patient with yourself and allow yourself all the time and space you need to grieve for Jack. This website was a life saver for me. I found kind caring people here who knew exactly what I was going through. I encourage you to post here as often as you need to. I think you'll find that hearing words of support and comfort from others will help you.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.
Hugs,
Kathleen