The Most Unkind Thing To Say To Grieving Pet Parents
They tell us “it’s okay”, they say to just “give it some time, things will be alright”. Whoever said those, do not understand grief at all. But the MOST hurtful thing we heard people tell us was “it was just a pet”. Please listen now and let me tell you that this is the most unkind thing anyone can say to a grieving pet mommy or daddy. Those kinds of remarks only prove that they do not understand the depth of attachment and the magnitude of love we have with our beloved pets.
I only fully understood the feeling of grief when our 17-year-old Himalayan passed away. I sometimes do not understand why I am feeling this way. I grew up not having pets because I was allergic to their hair… or at least that was what my mother told me. When I moved in with my partner she had 4 cats. Learning to live with them took about a year but I fell in love with them instantly. They truly are a GIFT.
They taught me patience, kindness, discipline, and most of all, unconditional love. I even started liking all kinds of animals now too. Thanks to these lovely fur babies.
Sushi’s death was such a painful experience. Whenever we talk about that day, we couldn’t help but feel the pain all over again. Sushi held on to us for as long as she could because she is strong and an amazing cat, but THAT day, we knew she was telling us it was time. Despite the limitations of being locked down due to the pandemic, we were still able to arrange everything with the vet in a short amount of time. Maybe God arranged everything for us that Sunday morning because when we got there, we found out that the clinic was actually closed for the day for a scheduled sanitation. But still, they accommodated us, the vet technician hopped in the back seat of our car to help sweet Sushi be put to sleep forever.
In a few days, it will be exactly 2 months since her passing and we still cry every day. We would be in bed with our 3 other babies, and we would feel incomplete because of her absence. The spot she would usually occupy is now empty. We would see her bell and miss the sound of it ringing as she walks by us.
At night I still leave a little space for her on my pillow as this was her favorite spot to sleep in. We have a chart for them and we still keep her name there and put hearts all over it. We still call her name whenever we do a roll call at night.
Sushi will always be part of this home. There will always be 6 of us.
