my cat... very sad...

[anchor31]

I''m very sorry for your loss, Novia! I lost a cat four years ago, and I can''t imagine going through this again for my two babies I got since... Tons of hugs for you.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am SOOO sorry! We love our two cats like they are our children and I know when they pass it will be so hard for us. Whenever our pets died growing up I would just try to remember how much they were loved and how much they loved us. Just remember it is okay to be sad.

 

[zhuzhu]

I am so sorry to hear the sad news. I think your beloved cat is in a good place thanking you for having given her such a wonderful home. I hope you feel better soon. {{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}

 

[ephemery1]

Date: 6/11/2006 6:17:33 PM
Author: novia

my beloved maya was the only pet i''ve had. she was so much more than ''just'' a pet and it''s very comforting to hear that many others understand this. it''s sad how many people are callous (not here, i mean in life in general) and think it''s no big deal. i loved reading ''rainbow bridge'' and would give so much to kiss her furry little head again.

Novia, I began reading this thread with tears in my eyes, thinking of my own beloved Maya-kitty... and only realized yours was a Maya too when I got to this post. She is only 2.5 years old, but the love of my life (and FI''s too). When we got engaged on Thursday, the first thing I did was come inside to show my kitty! Suffice it to say, I know how quickly a cat can steal your heart, especially one that has been with you for so long.

I think only time takes away that empty feeling of no more baby to greet you at the door... but when my childhood cat Domino died recently, it helped me to remember what a happy, full, satisfied life he had. He could have stayed a stray on the street, but we came into each other''s lives for a reason... and both benefited from our time together! And I think you''re absolutely right when you say that she may have known her time to go... cats are smarter than people about some of that stuff. Dom had a vet appointment scheduled for the day after he died, and I think he sensed he would rather pass on peacefully at home, rather than deal with the stress of the vet one last time.

Hopefully someday you will consider adopting a new kitty, not to replace your Maya but to save the life of another little guy who needs you... who you need too! I really think it would help (and be a tribute to your love for Maya) ...but only when you''re ready. Please know that everything you''re feeling is totally understandable... and it will get easier. But in the meantime, there are lots of people thinking of you and sharing your sorrow.

 

[Leila]

Novia, I''m so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet. I don''t have any pets now but I remember how heartbreaking it was to give up a puppy I had when I was younger. I hope when the time comes and you are ready, a new pet will bring you lots of joy.

 

[monarch64]

Novia, so sorry for your loss. I am a kitty lover as well and it is just a hard time to let them go no matter what the circumstances are...I''ve had to "give up" a kitty and that''s the hardest thing I''v ever done. I''ve also lost a kitty ( my parents'' cat, who died of FIV) and that was tough, of course. When I was a kid, I used to write a book using construction paper and crayons about the animal''s life and everything I remembered about them and that helped me cope...my mom still has them (2 dogs, a cat, some goldfish, etc.) It''s kind of soul-cleansing and heart-warming to just write down your favorite memories/moments of your time with the animal and what you gained from the experiences you had together. I hope this helps.

 

[movie zombie]

Novia, very very sorry to hear about your cat......having ''lost'' two of mine last year within 3 months time, i can only say that time does not heal all wounds but the pain does eventually lessen. the love and joy of their companionship far out weighs the pain of their loss. we are indeed privileged to share a path which such wonderful and caring creatures.

movie zombie

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I''m sorry you lost your dear friend. My cats have been gone a long time, and I still miss them and think of them every day.

Poem For Cats

And God asked the feline spirit
Are you ready to come home?
Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul
And, as a cat, you know I am most able
To decide anything for myself.
Are you coming then? asked God.
Soon, replied the whiskered angel
But I must come slowly
For my human friends are troubled
For you see, they need me, quite certainly.
But don''t they understand? asked God
That you''ll never leave them?
That your souls are intertwined. For all eternity?
That nothing is created or destroyed?
It just is....forever and ever and ever.
Eventually they will understand,
Replied the glorious cat
For I will whisper into their hearts
That I am always with them
I just am....forever and ever and ever.

Author Unknown

 

[Lorelei]

Madam B that was beautiful, thank you for sharing that with us.

 

[AmantdeChat]

So sorry to hear about your kitty.

I just love my two furballs and can completely understand the loss and confusion you must be feeling right now.

Don''t try to rush through your grief just because some people do not understand the bond you shared with Maya. I believe people like that are truly missing out on one of life''s greatest gifts, the gift of love from a beloved pet.

Take care and cherish the memories that you have. They will get you through.

 

[CdnBlingGal]

I am soo sorry for your loss. We have 2 kitties ourselves and we can't imagine what will happen to us if they left us.

Thank you FireGoddess and Madam B for Rainbow Bridge and the poem. Those were so moving it made me cry.

Hang in there Novia. You're in our thoughts.

 

[selflove]

Novia--I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Maya. I had a beloved kitty pass away a few years ago and I know how much it can hurt (and how long it can take to get over). It''s hard to walk into your home every night and not have her there to greet you, I''m sure. That was the hardest part for me, coming home and not having her run to greet me.

Do you think you will adopt another cat? Where I live, there is a strong network of cat-lovers who provide interim homes (ie. foster homes) to homeless cats. I have done that off and on in the past and it''s nice to have a furry guy to come home to and to care for, at least until you are ready to have another cat permanently. That''s how I got my Sammy...he wasn''t meant to be a permanent pet but he just got into my heart and I couldn''t bear to let anyone else adopt him.

Hang in there!

(((((((((big hugs))))))))))

 

[FireGoddess]

That made me cry, MB. Very nice poem. Still thinking of you Novia. My cat is 10 yo and I still can''t imagine a time when she won''t be here. I know it must be very hard.

 

[San Diego Bride]

i am so grateful to all of you for your kind words and the donations made in maya''s name. i can''t tell you how much i appreciate all of the support. the rainbow bridge is beautiful and the poem made me cry (in a good way). it''s very hard, but it''s helpful to know that others understand the bond i had with maya. i was able to look at pictures of her today (i wish i had more, but i never thought she''d be gone so soon) and smile. i bought a bunch of towels at target tonight and will take them to her vet''s office to donate them in her name tomorrow (towels were their choice).

i''m sure in time i''ll be able to find another furry friend, but not quite yet. i''m not sure what kind of fur it will have (cat, dog, etc), but i''m sure i''ll know when we find each other. when i found maya on that january day we rescued each other. i gave her food and shelter and she gave me companionship i needed to help me cope with the recent loss of a family member. our bond was instantaneous and will always be cherished. i need time to heal, but i''ll keep my eyes and heart open for the next friend that''s brought into my life.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/11/2006 9:30:33 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 6/11/2006 8:23:48 PM
Author: Pricescope
I am sorry novia, we have a tradition of sort here for memorial tribute to the shelter for the pets lost by community members.
I missed your cat''s name so another donation will be made in memory of ''novia''s cat'', it will help to save a life of an abandoned cat.
Hope this made you feel a tiny bit better.

Omigosh, I had no idea PS was doing this. What a thoughtful tribute and way to make this world a little better for our abandoned furry companions.

This is a wonderful thing that Leonid and Irina does for those of us who are grieving the loss of our beloved pets. It so helps to know that a less fortunate cat or dog will benefit and have an chance at life.

 

[justjulia]

This is so sad. I had a dog pass away from kidney failure and the next week, as dh and I were rounding a curve on a mtn road- there some one (dare I say a human) had placed a box of kittens in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. We retrieved two out of the 3 (ran off into the woods and we looked and looked and looked). We''ve had these two sisters for a year now and I cannot tell you the joy it brings us to watch them clean each other and sleep together, etc. They are survivors and I believe we were blessed to find each other. Our pain was replaced by love.

 

[Lorelei]

How CAN people be so cruel?????

I have no words.....

except to say what a wonderful thing you and your OH did Julia. Bless you and your precious kits.

 

[ellaila]

Novia, sorry to bring up this sad thread again, but I just read it for the first time and had to offer up my condolences.

Losing a pet is such a sad and hurting process, and the only thing that will truly make you feel better is time. I lost my first kitty Jasmine a year and a half ago now, and I still cry about her at times even though we have a new baby (cat) in our lives now. I have Jasmine's photo as my desktop on my computer and we say hi and good night to her every day/night and rub her nose in the photo (she had an asymmetrical triangle on her nose

), and though it sounds silly, it keeps her in my life on a daily basis

The first few months after losing her, I thought there was no way I could ever get another cat, but then after about four months, I started to realize how much I missed not just Jasmine but having a cat around in general. We got our new cat Monkey six months after losing Jasmine, and I specifically wanted a different gender and different breed, so I would try not to compare the two (I had read this on a pet loss site). We love the Monkey with all our hearts -- he is an entirely different cat from Jasmine personality-wise too, and I am so thankful for that because the comparisons really are minimal!

So in time you will be able to focus on Maya's life and the wonderful years you had together and not on the hurt and sadness you feel right now. And hopefully in time you will be able to get another pet and have many more years of love and happiness with him/her!

Hugs to you!

 

[roppongi]

I am so sorry to hear about your beloved cat. I have tears in my eyes as I write this because I have the same cat. I adopted my cat after the El Nino storm''s of 1995. My boyfriend (now husband) and I found him in his car port where he went to die. He was kicked in the eye (collapsed eye socket) and had three broken ribs. I took him to 3 different vets before anyone would touch him. Two doctors told me to put him down. Boyfriend and I nutured him and loved him back to health. He is now 19 years old and I know that he isn''t going to be with us much longer.

Two years later we found our dog in our garbage can, he was just two weeks old and was being used as Pit Bull bait. He was a disaster. Husband and I ran him over to the Marina Pet Hospital and they were closing for the night but they took him in and they fixed him, just like they did with my cat.

I don''t think that there is anything better than rescuing an animal.

All I can say is just be thankful for the many, many years of happiness she brought you.

 

[ephemery1]

Oh my goodness, Roppongi, those stories make me absolutely want to throw up. And then give you a giant hug for being that brave. And then donate all kinds of money (that I don''t actually have) to animal hospitals like that.

I mentioned in a previous thread that I''ve done all kinds of pediatric volunteer work with sick and dying babies and kids, and though their situations are heartbreaking, nothing affects me more than hearing stories about tortured animals. It drives me absolutely insane with anger and disgust and fear and emotion.

Thank you thank you thank you for saving those lives.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am so sorry for your loss! Our pets are like our children and it is so hard when they do pass. Just remember it is okay to feel sad and miss your cat. It will get easier, I promise.

 

[bookworm21]

I''m so sorry for your loss. I''ve never had a pet before, but I''ve seen how attached my friends are to theirs, and I can only imagine the pain you''re going through.

Like others have said on here, allow yourself time to grieve and remember the good times you two had together.

 

[Gypsy]

Roppongi, you are such a wonderful person for taking in those babies. The hair on my arms is raised because your stories affected me so much. People are just cruel and vicious sometimes. But then there are people like you. Thank god for that. And for that hospital.

 

[dani13]

Novia-

I am SO SORRY for your loss. I can understand your attachment to Maya. Although I dont have a cat, I have a dog, and I don't want to think about what life will be like without our little Eddie in it

. We love our pets like we love our children, brothers, and sisters...they truly become parts of our families...

Let little Maya rest in peace, remember all of the good memories you have of her, of you together, and always remember how you gave her such a great life and of how much she was loved...I am sure she is looking down from above and would want you to know how much you changed her life for the better when you rescued her that day. Hugs!

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh Novia, I am so sorry for your loss