Grief is a complex emotion and it can and be very different for everyone. And even for one person it can vary from instance to instance. The journey for each bereavement is as unique as each cat.
Circle of Life
You might find that you are able to accept the loss quickly and do not need any support. This does NOT mean that you did not love your cat pet deeply and miss them hugely. Perhaps you are just able to come to terms with the circle of life, you love your cat and now they have gone.
However you may be absolutely devastated and need help and support to get through this painful journey despite feeling okay about a previous cat death. Our ability to deal with grief varies on a huge number of different factors. It does NOT mean that you are weak or incapable. It does mean that you could benefit from support and that this particular journey may take a little longer. And that is okay.
Suppressing your feelings
You may find that you are ‘coping well’ and that nobody is aware of how you are feeling inside. It is important to recognise that you may be suppressing feelings and that they might pop back up at a later date. This is also very common and you might be putting these feelings aside until you are ready to deal with them.
Shock
Sometimes you might have experienced deep feelings of loss when you were aware that your pet’s life was nearing it’s end and that you had dealt with the grief. It can then be a huge shock when your pet actually dies and these feelings re-emerge. Again this is normal and you are not alone with this.
Loss
Has your cat ever gone missing? Our Nubia once escaped for a while 48 hours and we were worried sick during this time! We went to all the neighbours and put up posters and almost gave up hope that she would reappear but luckily she did.
Stages of Grief
There is no right or wrong way to grieve, each grief will follow its own unique pattern and will differ according to our state of mind, our previous experience of grief and ultimately our relationship with our pet.
The experts suggest that there are stages of grief:
- Shock and denial
- Bargaining
- Anger
- Guilt
- Depression
- Acceptance
You may find that you naturally flow through these stages or that you jump around many of them at once and that some stages are repeated it really depends on each individual.
One thing to remember is, that their memory will live on with you! Of course the saying that each pet takes a piece of your heart is correct and no pet will ever replace a previous one but there are ways and means to remember the happy times with them so that their memory lives on and you are able to cope better with the loss.
Some people like to put up photos of their pets in special places. Some cremate their pets to keep them in an urn or a statue of their pet.
But what if you could always carry them with you at any point during your life? This is where Everence provides a number of unique solutions to help you honour and remember your pet.
Through the Everence Collection kit you are able to create the Everence for a special piece of jewellery or even a special additive for a tattoo. For this Everence needs Hair, a cheek swab or the ashes of your pet to create the so called Everence that will be used for your product.
In terms of jewellery they offer a wide range of necklaces, rings as well as bracelets that will utilise your Everence source to create something that will enable you to remember the happy moments with your pet forever.
Alternatively to jewellery you can provide a Source to create a unique additive for tattoo ink. If you were thinking about getting a tattoo of your pet done to remember them this provides a perfect solution so that they are truly with you.
To find out more about Everence click here. And if you use the code KATZENWORLD you will get 10% off any order placed with Everence.
Conclusion
The death of a pet is often a difficult, painful and often confusing event. No matter how old you are it can be difficult to cope with these life events and it’s important to remember all the positive, happy and fun moments you’ve had with them in your life. But be honest with yourself, it can years to truly cope with the loss. And that is ok, because if we didn’t would we truly have loved our pet?
