As with a human death, there are many options. Then there was a decision about what to do with the remains. Many veterinary offices have developed a very sensitive and caring process for the procedure which is sometimes done in an office, in the person’s home, or even on occasion in a person’s car. She spent some time with her beforehand, and continued to stroke and comfort her while the procedure was administered, and remained for some time after the cat had died. Marian courageously insisted on being with Pebbles to the end, needing to see the cat passing peacefully and without pain. Seeing the constant pain, as well as having to undergo difficult and stressful treatments that didn’t seem to be helping, as well as Pebbles general lack of interest in life, Marian chose to end her beloved companion’s suffering, and the vet concurred. Vets may be the best judge of physical condition, but Marian was the best judge of her beloved pet’s quality of daily life. In Marian’s case, she spent an extraordinary amount on treatments hoping to give the cat a few extra years of life, and her some more time with her pet.īut after 8 months, she saw the writing on the wall. While there are many common factors in grief over any relationship, there are issues that are unique to the situation that often trouble the grieving pet lover.Ī major issue is guilt, especially in those frequent situations where the pet owner had to decide to euthanize the animal or where the cat was killed by a speeding car or a veterinarian treatment was unsuccessful. Little wonder she was devastated by the loss of that relationship. Pebbles provided Marian a source of comfort and companionship, unconditional love and acceptance, and even fun and joy after Bob’s death. The loss of any relationship can cause intense pain, and even if others may not understand, a pet is often a significant and constant part of your life. Animal hospitals, and pet cemeteries are also growing exponentially, and cremation urns and other funeral paraphernalia is becoming big business.Īnd so, not surprisingly, grief counselors for pet loss are emerging. A buyer for a major national chain recently stated that the response to the store’s new pet boutique has been “absolutely phenomenal”. Stores in the UK are increasingly responding to the growing trend of the “humanization” of pets by providing accessories and products beyond leads and water bowls. But non-food pet supplies such as litter, toys and over-the-counter medicines are the fastest-growing segment of the market. Pet food is the largest segment accounting for 42% of the total market. Report Buyer, a UK based online destination for business intelligence, has now added a new market report titled “The Pet Industry” which predicts that last year, North Americans will spend over $43 BILLION (£25 BILLION) on pet supplies and services, and that pet owners in the UK are fast catching up with their North American friends when it comes to spending money on their pets. In case you haven’t noticed, the Pet Industry is big business these days. “Too bad they didn’t bring over some younger guy to replace BOB when he died”, she retorted, and the chuckle we shared helped put it in perspective. She managed a wry smile as she told me about it. In fact, within a week of Pebbles death, a neighbour showed up at the door with a new kitten for Marian, which she politely refused to accept, still too hurt from her loss to be able to invest in another relationship. Perhaps the loss of an animal is made more difficult because there is a lack of understanding of how significant this relationship can be, leading to little sympathy from those around. This loss has been just as devastating to her as the death of her husband, probably complicated by the fact that she was “their” cat, and Pebbles death cuts one more string that connected her to Bob. “After all,” many say, “it was just a cat … or a dog, bunny rabbit, hamster, budgie or any one of many possibilities.” Pet loss is often overlooked by society, so when an animal dies, owners grieve alone because they are afraid that they will be ridiculed, or thought to be crazy or stupid, because, after all it is “only a pet”.īut for Marian, Pebbles was “one of the family”.
No, it was not a child, parent, sibling or relative.Marian lost her cat!įor those who have never had a companion animal, pet loss is often hard to understand. In spite of heroic treatment with constant care and attention, they finally died. Then, this past summer, another family member got sick.
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