Saying Goodbye to Your Cat – Your Beloved Feline Friend

As best as you might take care of them and love them throughout their lifetimes, there comes a time to say goodbye to any beloved pet. It’s an emotionally tough time for a lot of people, naturally, but it’s also one that comes with some practical considerations to make. Here, we’re going to look at some of the tips that can help you get through it, leaving you the time and space to grieve and heal.

How to Cope with Euthanizing Your Cat

If they have to be put to sleep

Often, a cat that has lived a long healthy life will eventually get to the point that the health issues affect its quality of life so much that it can be a kindness to put them to sleep, rather than to continue to let its condition get worse. When this happens, it’s important to steel yourself and do the right thing. Work with your vet to understand the process of putting a cat to sleep and understand what it’s going to entail. Make sure the family has time to say goodbye. As to whether or not you want to be present, that is up to you. It is commonly expressed, however, that those pet owners who are not can feel regret after.

What to do when your cat dies

Handling the remains

Once they have passed, then you have to think about what to do with the remains of your pet. There are a lot of options, so you should consider those that apply most to you. If you have the space and the land to do it, you might want to bury them. However, it can be a lot more convenient and easier for you to schedule a cat cremation. Either way, it’s good to give yourself and any family members the opportunity to gather and even say something if they have the words in their hearts.

Find a way to remember them

If you want to keep your feline friend in your heart, there are a lot of ways to do just that. There are a lot of cat memorial ideas you can make use of, from having photos of them around the home to even creating a little spot for them in the garden with a memorial plaque or display at their favourite spot. 

Expect some emotional fallout

You might feel a need to keep a stiff upper lip and go on with life as normal but the truth is that cats are family to a lot of us. Not “like” family, they are members of the family. It is very natural to grieve and feel emotional. If you feel like you need help processing your emotions, then there are pet loss counsellors who can help you work through them without feeling like you have to stuff them down inside yourself. Give yourself the room to grieve most of all, even if you need to take a little time off work to do it.

It’s not something that any pet owner likes to think about but, when the time comes, it’s important to know how to handle the loss of a pet cat.