Pet Care

Grieving for the loss of a Pet.

The loss of a treasured friend and companion Pet is for many people comparable to the loss of a family member or friend. Indeed, for some people the loss of a Pet can be as hard to bear as the loss of a child. Grief is the price one pays for love.

Pet loss is a socially misunderstood and trivialised loss. Consequently, feelings of grief are often bottled up, hidden away or denied. In our western culture there are no socially accepted ways to mourn the loss of a companion animal. This is due, in part, to the belief that pets are easily forgotten and replaced. Also the fact that for years the church never acknowledged that animals have souls, just like you and me, has not helped. Pet loss is as traumatic psychologically as being severely injured is physically. The grieving process is the healing process necessary to recover from loss. Grieving takes time and is not "over" in a matter of days or weeks.

The signs of grief can be many and varied and vary from person to person. Sadness, anger, depression, a desire to blame, aching, fatigue and disbelief are but a few of the more common signs.

Coping with loss can be traumatic and your first step on the road to recovery is to talk about the loss to people who can understand your feelings. Your author has experienced this loss several times and decided to share his feelings with you; this is the reason this page is here for you to read.

Human beings are by nature nurturers. People form strong emotional attachments with their pets and these attachments are sometimes very special and different from the ones they form with people. Animals serve as a source of unconditional love and support, (something that is virtually impossible to obtain from another human being for thinking always gets in the way), comfort, safety, security, fun and laughter and stability. Pets have distinct personalities and in many cases are considered friends and family members.

Dependent on the circumstances of the loss, a person goes thru a great many emotions. Often, when the loss of a loved pet occurs as the result of an accident, those emotions can be so strong that they overshadow everything else. People who we try to explain our sense of loss to often react in general ways and might say: "Stop crying and just get another animal to replace it", or: "Well, it was only a cat or dog". Those responses don't help, you can never "replace" one animal with another, they are as unique and individual as we humans are. Statements such as this tend to make the grieving person feel guilty and stupid for feeling sad and upset. This only adds to the problem. If their partner or companion died, would we tell them to go out and "get another one"?

People suffering from the loss of a companion Pet must be allowed time to heal and incorporate and accept the loss into their daily lives, one never truly "gets over" the loss of a loved one. One should accept their grief as normal and healthy.