Remembering Rags: A Tribute to a Beloved Pet

March 30 marks one year since Rags died.    I cannot believe it.  He lives in my heart and soul everyday and I carry him with me wherever I am, so it is hard for me to believe I have not physically held him for almost a year.  I would do anything to do that again!

Since Tuesdays (March 30 is a Tuesday) are product review days, we will  be featuring Yeowww! Catnip on that day.  Mostly to honor Rags.  He loved that stuff!  So I hope you like the review.  In the mean time, I recently read that Kate Benjamin lost her kitty, Sophie, so with my year anniversary of Rags’ death around the corner and after reading about Sophie, I thought I’d talk about pet grieving.  Not a favorite topic, but a practical one, nonetheless.

Pets are family and when you lose a member of your family, you grieve. Pet grieving is quite a personal experience. Your pet who was your companion all these years, shared your happiness, consoled when you were sad, gave you unconditional love, is suddenly not with you and it’s heart breaking and traumatic.

Grief over pet loss can be shared with your family members and friends. I found that a pet talker (animal communicator) helped me get through losing Rags (I was told in December that I had about 2 more weeks with him – it ended up being 3 months – that’s the funny thing about chronic renal failure – it’s a hard thing to estimate). 

The reason I have been featuring interviews with animal communicators (watch the site on Sundays for a new interview) is for this reason.  I found that a pet talker can really help you get over the loss of your pet.

Of course, there are other things available for pet loss and grief, like pet loss counselors, pet loss support groups and pet loss forums and chat rooms who will be willing to share the pain with you and help you come to terms with the loss.  You can even leave comments on Floppycats.com and I’ll respond!

Here are some tips on how to deal with pet loss.

• Let the tears flow. Don’t hold them back. The tears will ease your pain. If you have the habit of writing a diary or blog, share it with your loved ones, or write about your pet’s loss before she or he is gone (if you know that you will lose them, like I did with Rags). Remember all the good times you had with your pet.  Here’s my dedication to Rags.
• Spend a lot of time with family and friends, share stories with them about your pet and recollect all those wonderful times you had together.
• Arrange for a small prayer meeting for your departed pet. Invite family and friends who loved your pet. They would love to come and share those pleasant times they had with your pet.
• You can start helping a sick animal by joining a local animal support group. This will help ease the pain to a great extent.
• Take your time to get a new pet home. Don’t rush into it.
• You can also join a pet loss support group who will be able to help you get over the loss.

Sometimes losing a pet can be one of the hardest things to go through because they are so much a part of your daily life, but unfortunately it is an inevitable part of life. 

What are your suggestions on how to move on after a loss of a pet?  Do you have any tips or thoughts to share with fellow readers?