I feel overwhelmed by grief. My Siberian cat Andrei was only 3 years old and he died suddenly 2 days ago. He was perfectly okay and his usual self, he ate some food and hopped on the couch to take a nap while I sat at the computer. I heard him make an unusual noise and when I turned to look at him he was totally limp. I raced over and his pupils were already fixed and dilated and his tongoe was blue. I raced to the vet who said he probably died from cardiomyopathy.
We are all devastated. My kids went to school and he was fine and when they came home I had to tell them that our Andrei had died. That is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
I can barely function with this heavy grief. He was so young and never had any symptoms of being sick, he was chasing our other cat Gracie in the morning and playing just as usual. I am tearing myself up trying to think if there were any symptoms that I missed and the only thing that gives us comfort is know he had no pain and didn't suffer.
But he was only 3 and it was so sudden and and unbelievable.
I feel that I'm barely coping.
sarha

thrombic clot would be my guess, same as tribble died from. very fast and unexpected i am so sorry to hear about andrei, and know exactly how you feel.

Dear sarha,
oh dear I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful cat, Andrei! What a colossal shock this had to be for you and I don't doubt that you are just reeling!
Most of us here seem to have had a little warning...a trip to the vet..a few days maybe to let something "sink in"--but something like this in an animal so young..so much out of left field, well I can just imagine how shocked and confused you are!
It never seems to matter what the cir%%stances when one loses their pet...in nearly every case the owner is totally grief-stricken...but, It does seem like it would be especially hard to take when there is no prior problems!! My cat died after an accident and I considered him to be young..although I guess he is considered more "middle aged" since he was 8. I, like you no doubt, felt I would have him for a very very long time--so when they are ripped away like this the pain is HUGE..(!)
It is still so early for you but maybe after a while you can post some information about your Andrei on the memorial page. Many of us feel that is helpful...along with a photo. It just helps to get some of your feelings "out" and it is nice that all the pets of most of the posters are over there..together..just as they are now all together at the rainbow bridge.
It is so difficult for you and your family but your Andrei is 100% happy and whole at the rainbow bridge...he is playing and cavorting --dashing all around with our fur-buddies until the day in the future when he can be re-united with you. We can not even hope to understand why such a thing like this should befall your special Andrei. Perhaps, just like with people, there is a "master plan". Down the road (not now but in the future) you might be able to point to this occurence as very meaningful and you will be able to attach some "result" to it all--until then how it will all work out will continue to unfold for you day by day. Just take each day as it comes. I am so sorry you do not have your sweet Andrei's physical presence anylonger! It must be so hard for your children too!! If you are like me you have considered that the physical body is just one of our components...there is the spirit too--and nothing on heaven or earth can separate those who love ! animals included--so Andrei is still with you!
(What is perceived as the ending for the caterpiller is just the beginning for the butterfly.)
My thoughts and prayers are with you! Please come back when you can and write more about your relationship with Andrei. We'll be here to listen.
{{{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}
Love,
Patti

I am so sorry for your loss. Since it was so sudden, please don't feel guilty about not noticing anything. There is no way you could have known, particularly since he was such a young kitty. I can't add anything to what the others, particularly Patti, have written. I just wanted to post my support.

dee dee

It had to have been very tramatic to lose Andrei so suddenly, with no warning at all. There is no possible way you could have known something was wrong and even if he had a vet right beside him when it happened, nothing could have been done to save him.

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with the pain of losing your beloved pet. I fully understand how you feel. Things will eventually get better for you--there will be brighter days.

You're in my thoughts,
__Jim

Thankyou all for your support and understanding. My grief is still so raw. We had pictures of Andrei as screensavers as well as pictures of our other cat Gracie. I walked into the room as Andrei's picture flashed on and I just was overwhealmed with sadness.
I know that this black wall of grief will slowly lift so that we can think of him and smile, but sometimes I don't believe it.
Claire

Claire,
Just keep coming back here and posting with us..whenever you want, about whatever you want. We have all been where you are right now in the overwhelming sadness place!
It has been written here many times: "go ahead and cry the healing tears"....I just wish I could give you a real life hug...because I know how devastated you are!
{{{{{{{Claire}}}}}}}}}}}
Love,
Patti

Claire, I'm so sorry for you at the loss of your cat, Andrei. There is never a good way to lose our little babes, fast or slow, with or without warning, under our control or not. It hurts to the core no matter how it happens. I think we all come to this site because the pain is darned near intolerable, and we find others who know exactly what we're going through and we know we have someone to lean on until we CAN tolerate the pain. And I can attest that it works. We're here if you need to talk, to scream, to remember . . . and know that it is okay to cry and to "barely cope." The fact is you made it here - you are coping. I'll be thinking of you.

Nanci

Sarha,

I think Nanci said it best. There is never a good way to lose our babies. 1 year or 15 years we love them all the same.

I wanted to let you know how sorry I am for the loss of Andrei. You came to the right place we can help each other. Thats what we are here for.

Sincerely,
Vic (Stymy's Mom)

Thankyou all for your support. I haven't posted earlier because my feelings are still so raw. I have at least come to believe that I didn't miss any sighns and that t\Andrei's heart disease was so advanced that even if I'd brought him in the vet couldn't have saved him.
But it is so hard. We misshim so.

Claire

Dear Claire:

I am so sorry to hear of the very sudden passing of your beloved furbaby, Andrei.

I can only imagine how shocking and very sad it was to see your sweet baby go from being his normal self, to dying
right before your eyes. His morning was normal....he had eaten, and was even playing & chasing your other kitty,
Gracie.

In reading your post from today Claire, I am extremely glad that you believe that YOU DID NOT MISS ANY SIGNS/
SYMPTOMS.

Andrei's cardiomyopathy/heart disease was very advanced and THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE TO SAVE HIM.

I'm sorry that you had to find a pet-grief site, but, if you had to choose one, I am happy that you came to "Lightning Strike".

All of the people here are absolutely wonderful......... They really are some of the nicest people that you will ever "meet".......Also, there is a lot of genuine sincerity here. There are several groups of people who
are in "different stages of the healing journey"...

We all understand the EMOTIONS that go along with losing a precious "PET", because we all have.

The reason I said, "PET", is because while most of us here have lost a cat or dog............There are other
people/families who have lost a different type of beloved animal.....Could be a bird, ferret, hamster, snake, fish, etc....

I could have just said: ALL OF GOD'S BEAUTIFUL AND WONDEROUS CREATURES......

Your quote,

Your feeling is absolutely normal, Claire. Right now, it has only been 6 days or so, for you and your family.... It hasn't
been very long since your precious Andrei went to "Rainbow's Bridge"...

Have you heard about Rainbow's Bridge?? It's a place where our "kids" go, when they pass over to the other side.
Most of us believe that this place exists.
It's believed that Rainbow's Bridge is a beautiful place, where there is enough water & food......and there are beautiful
meadows, flowers, butterflies.............
I guess, we could call it "PARADISE", FOR ALL OF GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CREATURES.....

I sort of remember back in the very early days, and I know that I was filled with so much guilt.....Like, "Why wasn't I
better to her???"...........or, "I should've.............." or, "Why didn't I..........??"

But, several of the posters here assured me that the questions I kept asking myself were "extremely normal"....
I now believe that they are!!!

But, after Ernestine was put to sleep............I couldn't stop crying, my chest hurt.........it felt like someone was shoving a serrated knife in my chest repeatedly...... My headache/migraine just wouldn't stop, constant pain....I felt so nauseous...

Please believe me...............there will be a day that will come when you think of your sweet boy, and you'll feel soooooooo much love and happiness in your heart.......and you'll have a smile on your face & you'll hear yourself laugh, as
you think of something funny that Andrei did.

You'll ALWAYS have your memories, and those will never be taken away!!! Thank you God for all of our wonderful memories...........

Please, I hope that you will write here in LS often and, definitely when you need to.........

In the early days, I was in a fog, and I wasn't sure that what I was writing was making any sense to anyone........
I just kept rambling and rambling. I used to write my thoughts and feelings in a journal........and, it felt like I was
doing that..........but, this time, I was writing my feeling on the computer, and into a pet-grief site.

It helped me so much to get all the feelings that I had, off of my chest.
To tell you the absolute truth.................."I AM NOT SURE WHERE I WOULD BE RIGHT NOW IF I DID NOT HAVE THIS
WONDERFUL WEB-SITE TO TURN TO".

God Bless all of the wonderful people here.....Other than giving each and every person a GREAT BIG HUG...., I DON'T
KNOW HOW ELSE I CAN SAY "THANK YOU...

It was soooooo wonderful to get responses from everyone.........to know that people (who I didn't even personally KNOW), cared enough to write me back...

And, We will be here for you; please let us know how you and your family are doing....Just know that you are among "your other family, and that we all care about you and your family very, very much!!"

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.....

Love, Denise & Ben

Claire i no how you fell about it being unexpected my victor got hit by a car and I didnt even no he didnt come back the night before because i went to bed alot befroe my mum did so i didnt no then i just woek up my sister screaming i though she was having a nightmare and then i could her things i was liek whats happening please tell me starting to panic then my mum went no i new what happend in a way but still asked and my mu walked up stairs crying sayin victors been hit by a car i ran off into my room and burst into tears staright away, my dad found him and he came back and got a towel and brougt him back for us (im glad it was mydad who found him imagien if the council just took him away i would have never even no or been able to bury him) i cried that whole day and cry alot I miss him so much i got all my pcitures of him out so i could look at him! I didnt want to see him at first but then i went up to him but his head was coverd his body was fine so i think t wa shis head that sufford the injuries an i just stroked his paw telling him i love and i just couldnt believe it dont want tobeleve it! Maybe youre baby and mine are there together looking down at us! i hope you are ok? Love JAymie