Christmas without my Bud, Dante

danteshuman

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Last Christmas I was panicking about my cat and I think I put him to sleep on the 27th. The point is though I love Jackie, I still miss my Bud. I find myself thinking about rushing him to the vet the Saturday before Christmas because he was having trouble breathing!

Any idea on how to deal with it? Here are pictures of Dante (grey) and Salem with a Santa hat mini hair clip from years ago. This year I got them Christmas badanas and I did order Jackie a special Christmas 🎄 scarf that arrives on Friday. I’m trying to enjoy the present but it is hard when Christmas was the time Dante was gravely ill.
 

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MissClouseau

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❤

Try to add new fun things to keep yourself occupied and distracted with something positive. Maybe binge watch a comedy sitcom, humor books, a new video/mobile game, take walks to take pictures and share online...

You might also donate to a cat's shelter in Dante's name, it helps me to donate in the name of our lost ones.
 

rosegold

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Those pictures are adorable! :hearthrob:

I know what you mean. I lost Chai last year in December... she had her first seizure right after I had just finished putting the Christmas decorations up. :( I think holidays without our lost loved ones are hard enough as it is, but even more so when they left us around the holiday season. There are a lot of painful reminders for sure.

I am trying to focus on the cats I do have, to let them have a fun and enjoyable Christmas (not that they know or care it’s Christmas, but... yay for treats and toys!).
 

Maria Bayote

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Never gets any easier, but hey, Jackie's with you now. Better to buy some gifts for him and wrap them up so he has something to tear apart on Christmas morning.

I love the suggestions above, "binge-watch" some comedy shows, "donate" in Dante's name, write poems, or go out for an adventure with Jackie and takes lots of photos of nature (but it's cold out where you are so maybe this wont be a good idea :) )

Hang in there.
 
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danteshuman

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Jackie has presents and I let him ‘open’ some early because it was raining and he was getting serious cabin fever. I bought him a 3 way tunnel I can’t wait to see him play with with his siblings! 😻 I think I will get him a Christmas bag and tissue paper though.
 

les26

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It is so very hard I know, we can't stop thinking about them and times when this happened and that and they are usually bad thoughts, it is easier to think bad than good thoughts, but it is normal, and we just for the most part have to endure the pain and let it happen, live through it the best that we can and we HAVE to hurt, we can take things to help us cope with it but there is just no easy way around it, we have to hurt and feel sad as it is a part of the healing process, and slowly we will start to heal. And the holidays make it 10 times worse, we lost Deb's dad last 12/27 so we are "reliving" moments from a year ago and it is so very hard, but we must do that in order to let the healing process happen, but it is so so hard I know.....

I know I've said it before but I dread THE day that Sylvester passes, I say it at home at times and Deb asks me why I am talking about it, but I know that I will just be devastated and probably not have much will to live myself, the bond is just so so strong with him, we helped each other out from bad times, I just love him so much and hope that he has many years left with me here but I know when that dark day does come I will feel like you all do about your little friends; I have lost many over the years but none will affect me like he will. Deb says "just enjoy the time you have with him now" and I do, but I fear that day.

Stay strong, he is still with you, and your other kitty needs your full attention now, God Bless..... :alright: :grouphug2::rbheart:
 

di and bob

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I lost my Chrissy right before Christmas too. Her death was compounded by the mass shooting days later of all those little children in school at Sandy Hook. So much grief.....
It's hard to get into the 'spirit' of Christmas when your heart is distracted and grieving. You can't 'make' yourself be truly happy again, but you can involve yourself in activities and family to distract your heart from going there. Take some time and allow the pain to find it's way out by doing something for yourself at this time that will make you feel better. Get a memorial Christmas ornament and insert a picture of your little one to honor their memory and have them close this Christmas. I pay for the adoption of a cat at the local shelter at this time of the year in my little girl's memory to hopefully make it easier for them to find a home. Tell your other cats about your little one, and what they were like. Most of all, just gather those that are with you now and love them all you can. None of us will live forever and we must make the most of the time we have here on this earth. Life marches on and sweeps us with it.........
 

solomonar

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This year Winter Solstice is on 22nd of December. The Solar events are universal, animal world included.

Why not celebrate it in memory of all Beings who marked your life, no longer on Earth? We all are what we are because many Creatures loved us - some we did not notice, some we remember.

Then you can celebrate Xmas as a human -oriented event.

Great Soul - to remember the Cat!
 

Mamanyt1953

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So many excellent suggestions here...I'll only add, BE KIND TO YOURSELF! And if you need to, go aside for a little while and grieve. That's entirely normal, especially the FIRST Christmas. We don't "get over," we "get through." This is the roughest Christmas of all. The next one will be a bit easier, and the one after that still a bit better yet, until Christmases become bittersweet, still missing him, but with good memories outweighing the bad.
 

CatLover49

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Last Christmas I was panicking about my cat and I think I put him to sleep on the 27th. The point is though I love Jackie, I still miss my Bud. I find myself thinking about rushing him to the vet the Saturday before Christmas because he was having trouble breathing!

Any idea on how to deal with it? Here are pictures of Dante (grey) and Salem with a Santa hat mini hair clip from years ago. This year I got them Christmas badanas and I did order Jackie a special Christmas 🎄 scarf that arrives on Friday. I’m trying to enjoy the present but it is hard when Christmas was the time Dante was gravely ill.
❤
 
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danteshuman

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Here is Jackie my ‘new’ kitty & his siblings: Cami (fluffy) & Nick (black)
B03D4E86-6195-4050-BDBF-750284E60DAE.jpeg

I’m thinking of burning a candle in honor of Dante & I’m printing out a photo of him on canvas in Jan.
 

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