I lost one of my cats yesterday. She was hit by a car and died soon afterwards from massive internal injuries. It was the loveliest day of the year so far and minutes earlier she had been rolling around in a patch of sunshine on my kitchen floor. I feel so sad that she's no longer under my feet, scratching my stair carpet, in the corner of my eye. She was so gentle and lovely and I feel so sad that she suffered and I could do nothing to help. Waves of grief come over me and I keep crying.

Pipsqueak,

I'm really sorry for what happened. Please allow yourself to cry as much as you need. Grief is sure one of the hardest things you'll get through in your life. But you'll come out stronger, I promise you. I lost my one true friend 5 days ago, a ferret named Nick, and I sure know how you feel. Right now, life suddenly seem so weird and out of place, and you can't get your mind set on anything. That's completely normal, and only reassures the fact that you and your cat had a strong loving relationship.

You can count on me if you want any support. Just remember, this throbbing pain will, someday, go away, and you'll be able to remember the nice moments you had with your cat and smile.

God bless you,

Etchart

Hello pipsqueak and Etchart

My heart goes out ot both of you for the oh-so-recent passing of your beloved ferret and cat. Animals related so much differently than people do (thank goodness). They don't have an agenda - you love them, they love you. Every once in a great while a very special spirit-animal finds you - his or her soul-mate. You get to experience the best loving connection there is in this world. And then they're gone. But they're not gone. people and animals are made of the same soul stuff. They came to us from the Perfect World, so vastly enriched our lives and our hearts, and then went back. But, like us, they live on in that Perfect World, watching over us, protecting us, loving us and being loved by us.

I lost my Gretta almost a year ago. She's the kindest Chocolate lab who ever lived. The first few weeks were like being constantly shot in the heart with a high powered rifle. After that it's the Robot-walk. You're on the verge of tears all the time and are just mechanically walking through the "stuff" of life.

Please know that you have come to exactly the right place. Everybody here is going through or has gone through the pain and grief that you're going through now. Most of us would take it on ourselves again rather than have someone else - like you two - have to do now. We're a band of brothers and sisters who hold each other up and are just trying to live lives worthy of the spirit-animal who loved us.

Peace and blessings to both of you.

Gretta's mom

Hi, pipsqueak, please permit me to add my sincerest sympathies to the physical loss of your beloved cat. Losing a companion is never easy regardless of the circumstances or how long we are blessed with the privilege of their company. Losing a companion so tragically intensifies our grief.

Pipsqueak, this grief journey is filled with many different emotions often times overwhelming us all at once. There are so many ups and downs, twists and turns and turnarounds that we can literally begin to wonder if we are going insane. This journey is frequently referred to as a horror roller coaster ride. Please let me try to reassure you that what you are feeling is very normal - - very painful both physically and emotionally - - yet still very normal. This grief journey is one of the hardest experiences you will know on this side of eternity. It is very obvious that you love your beloved cat. You did everything you could to give her a loving and healthy earthly journey with you. The good news is that the love bond you share with each other is eternal. It is not restricted to the physical laws of time and space. Your beloved cat's sweet Living Spirit continues to be a part of you just as she always has been. She is forever in your heart and your memories - - she is forever a heartbeat close to you.

Pipsqueak, I know right now there are no adequate words in any language that can soothe the seering pain of loss that is in your heart. I can only hope that the words I share with you will in some way offer you a measure of comfort, support, encouragement and hope as you travel your grief journey. One of the many important things for you to remember is that you are not alone in your journey. Each of us are here for you for as long and as often as you need us.

Thank you so much for sharing your beloved cat with us, pipsqueak. Perhaps sometime you will feel up to sharing a picture of your cat with us - - but only when / if you want to. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, pipsqueak, and look forward to knowing how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you all for your kind words. Etchart, I am sorry for your loss of Nick, I am sure you'll see him again one day. I'm very new to this and not as eloquent as other posters.

I slept a little better last night and the waves of grief are a little less frequent, allowing me to function better. I think the double blow of having witnessed her suffering as well as the loss of her has knocked me for six. The last two cats I lost were euthanised and at those times I of course suffered the guilt of my decision. With hindsight, their deaths were so much more dignified than this.

Her name was Raven. She was a rescue cat and I didn't choose the name. Something prettier would have been more appropriate as she was beautiful, but I didn't like to change her name as well as her surroundings when I adopted her. We gave her a nickname of Rave but she was quite a nervous cat and not at all a Raver so she was Ravey Baby - or Raven when being troublesome

I didn't realise how vocal she was; the house is so quiet without her. I have another cat and assumed it was both of them together (perhaps it was and he's not feeling much like chatting at the moment). There is no random chirruping at me, the house seems very flat at the moment. Not even gentle snoring under my bed (her daytime retreat when the children were around).

She had very soft baby fur even though she was about five years old and if she got caught out in the rain she really looked like a 'drowned rat'. I would wrap her in a towel and rub her dry and she seemed to love that, even though normally she wasn't overly fond of being held for a long time. She would run up the stairs to bed with me, flopping onto a stair ahead so that I could tickle her tummy. I would then step over her and she would run up a few more. She was a bit nervous around my children but came into her own in the evenings when they were in bed.

My remaining cat (her brother) is very quiet but is keeping me in sight whenever possible. He is avoiding using the front door; the place where she died must smell very strongly of her. I wonder what he thinks and feels, will he be lonely?

I hope she is at peace, is with someone she loves and having fun.

I love my Ravey-Baby, she is sorely missed ***

Pipsqueak, I am very sorry for your loss, especially that your little Raven died so tragically. I know there isn't really anything that I can say to make it any better, but if I may suggest that you keep Raven's brother indoors. Our little feline friends are so much safer indoors than outdoors, as there are so many things that can happen to them out there. I once had a cat that slipped outside on a busy street and she did get 'slightly' hit by a car. The car just sort of grazed her and she was okay, but I could have lost her then. I don't let any of my cats roam outside anymore now. They have plenty of toys to keep them happy, and I sometimes let them go out on the front step supervised by me or onto the balcony, but that's about it. In my neighborhood I have seen quite a few cats get hit by cars over the years, and every time I see it I just get a lump in my throat and feel so bad for them.

Raven's little brother is probably grieving. Since the cats were siblings they shared a close bond. Please keep an eye on his appetite as sometimes grieving cats may stop eating and that is not a good thing. Make sure you give him lots of love and attention as he is hurting too.

Hugs,
DannysMom

Thank you DannysMom for the kind words and advice.

You've made me smile as only today I noticed that Tigger (my remaining cat) seems to be comfort eating rather than be off his food. I seem to be getting through just as much food if not more, since Rave has passed.

My home backs onto fields and my cats love it in the summer. I think the mice can live a little easier this summer as Tigger isn't a great mouser unlike Raven. He's a bit of a homebody but they do love to wander in the wheat field, you can just spot a tail every now and again.

Too many animals are killed by traffic. I live in the countryside and feel sorry about every dead creature I pass (and there are always plenty).

Evenings and bedtime are the worst aren't they as your mind mulls over recent events. Time for bed for me, I'm sure Tigger will join me and squeeze as close as he can to me - is he comforting me or am I comforting him ?

Peace to us all.
Pipsqueak

Pipsqueak, I am so glad to hear that Tigger is eating good. That is an encouraging sign. Living in the countryside is nice, and your precious felines should have been fairly safe there. It is such a tragedy that Raven got hit by a car. And I am sure you find yourself asking "Why". I am very sorry for your loss. I am glad though that you and little Tigger are comforting each other. It helps when a surviving pet is there to comfort us. I hope that you will be able to get enough rest. Grief can really wear us out.

Hugs,
DannysMom

Hi Pipsqueak

Just a note to let you know that my heart is with you - and the my Gretta has met your Raven up there in the Perfect World - where cats and dogs are the best of friends. Someone once said we hurt in proportion as we loved. That's how I KNOW Raven was one loved kittie.

Peace and blessings

Gretta's mom

Hi, pipsqueak, thank you so much for sharing with us how you and your precious Tigger are doing. Please let me try to add my reassurance to our wonderful forum friends responses that your beloved Raven is now restored to her former youthfulness in the company of the angels. She is safe and keeping a loving vigil over you and Tigger.

There is no doubt that you and Tigger are comforting one another, and this is a good thing. It does feel like even the house structure is grieving the physical absence of a companion when they are no longer there. This a major adjustment you, Tigger, and all of your family are going through, and it just takes time.

I hope today is treating you kindly, pipsqueak, and that you will have a peaceful evening. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and look forward to knowing how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you Gretta's Mom and moon-beam for your support.

I am feeling better today, fewer wobbly moments although she's still on my mind all day. I think I'm doing fine and then without warning I remember and it's like a body blow. I popped to the supermarket today & as I pored over the carrots it occurred to me that the last time I did that (Sunday morning), little did I know of the horror to come less than two hours later. I feel like a different person to the me of Sunday. I had also stocked up on cat food as it was on offer - it looks far too much for one cat, it will last us until August I should think

Tigger, apart from following me around, is looking bored. In the evenings (when the children are in bed), he and Raven would often play together, either chasing a pen or piece of lego around the floor, or chasing each other. He must be feeling a bit lonely. As I said previously, they were rescue cats and had been rescued from a home with too many cats to cope with properly so they had 'downsized' when they came to me and now he must be feeling very isolated.

He and I will head off to bed shortly; it seems far too roomy with one occupant missing

Peace,

Pipsqueak

Pipsqueak, you are a different person because of your loss. Losses redefine and change us. Added to your loss is the trauma of how your loss occurred. When we are grieving we can feel really disoriented and lost at times, like a ship adrift at sea. I am sure your little Tigger is grieving in his own way.