It's never easy saying goodbye to someone you love and when that someone comes with a tail, four legs and fur it's worse. Can you really 'grieve?'
I want readers to take from this what they can. It is a different type of post for me though one I felt I needed to write. I lost my cat Tiddles last year after suffering two fits and the vet believed a stroke which left her with brain damage. She was apart of my family, her adoption papers say Tiddles McDade. I received her as a gift for my 6th Birthday from my parents and I couldn't have wished for more. Tiddles brought life, fun and laughter into our household and for me when it came to saying goodbye, I still believe it was the right thing to do.
Having had Tiddles for 17 years it is quite along time to grow attached. She was fiesty, playful and difficult to get close to. (Which is something I loved) I was one of the few people Tiddles would let lift her and if she didn't like something she would surely let you know like the time I dropped part of a veggie burger on the floor and she turned her nose up at it and sauntered off, she had her own little personality.
Tiddles always sat in the rain so trying to get her to come inside was a nuisance when the weather was bad as she would roll over and think you're wanting to play, more often than not we had to run out and lift her in or use our imaginations to bribe her in with treats.
The night it came to saying goodbye is one of the most difficult times of my life. For the last few months of her life Tiddles was blind, although when the vet agreed she was in no pain we got to hold onto her a little while longer.
On the night it came to saying goodbye she had got herself wedged behind bins and couldn't hold herself up. Taking her to the vet I knew in my heart I wouldn't be bringing her home. The vet advised us that the best option for Tiddles was to let her go, giving us the option to see how things could go during the night I knew Tiddles would be in pain and I didn't want her suffering no longer so I made the decision to say goodbye.
On 09/07/00 my dad took me to pick a cat from Assisi Animal Rescue Sanctuary, I chose Tiddles, the quiet, sleepy, purring cat on her bed and on 04/10/16 my dad was with me as we said goodbye. Losing a pet is not the same as losing a family member I understand some will share although when pets are also a family member it can be just as crucial to grieve their loss which why I believe it is important to grieve.
When it comes to pets you spend a long time with them. They see you at your worst, your best and still love you! They can also be the best kind of comfort after a bad day so when it comes to saying goodbye take your time and make sure it is the right decision for you. My family and I are not ready to adopt another pet and we even agree when we are it couldn't be a cat.
Special Memories:
* Tiddes eating my sisters cheese from her cheese and ham sandwich when she left the room!
* Tiddles bringing us presents in the form of live field mice when we lived close to a farm (including one she brought in our house on Christmas Day which hid beneath all the wrapping paper)
* Playing with a caterpillar in the summer
* Hiding underneath my bed when I was a child at night then coming out and scaring my sister by jumping on our beds
* Sitting on nearly everything I was using just for attention
* Letting me dress her in dolls clothes as a child whilst pushing her in my dolls pram
Have you lost a pet? What impact had it made on you?
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