My beautiful George

[Rhall]

Crossed the rainbow bridge last night. I am so sad. I don't know what we missed. I wish I could have done better for him. My heart is broken.

 

[Norachan]

What a beautiful boy. I'm so sorry he's not with you anymore.

 

[Kat0121]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, these things happen. One of mine passed in his sleep one night. We do the best we can with them and we need to cherish every moment we get with them. This was not your fault. He knows you love him. He loves you too and the bond you share is forever.

 

[di and bob]

He died at home, surrounded by comfort and love, on his own terms. Cats can hide illness and injury very well, don't dwell on missing something he did not want you to go through. It's natural to have guilt and second-guesses after we lose someone we love, grieving is something we all have to go through, and it is personal and intense for each and every one of us. You loved George as no one else can, and the bond he has with your soul will be there for eternity. He will forever be as close as your thoughts and prayers.
Loving another means that as you would want for him if you were the first to go, so he wants for you, to go forward into life, living life to it's fullest and seeking its joys and beauty. That is how life is meant to be lived, not being in the past and spending the present in grief and tears. He lives on through you now, wants for you to be happy and accept love, adding on to what he left you, what he built for you, letting it grow and be nourished by the happiness it brings to you. His love is unique and personal, held in your heart and waiting there to bring comfort to your broken heart in this time of sorrow. "Death cannot take that which never dies", and love is thus eternal.
Nothing but time will ease the pain you feel right now, time has a way of dulling the sharp edge of recent loss. Grieving your loss is something that will always be with you, it never is something that goes away, or you get over, it is something you learn to live with. It's crippling hold on your emotions and your life will be buried in your heart, and it will resurface from time to time with an intensity that takes your breath away. But you will become stronger from the fight, especially when you realize what that boy brought to your life's journey, what his life meant to your own life, and how grateful you are to have had him share it for a while. All things end in time, even life itself. It's how we live in the present that counts, how we have our past to learn from and to bring comfort when we need it, and the future to look forward to because it holds the promise of more love and happiness to cherish.
My heart aches for your pain, I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers, let your grief out, but don't let it own you......RIP beautiful George. You will be dearly missed, you will forever have a secure place in a loving heart. May the good Lord bless and keep you, until you meet again!

 

[betsygee]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, these things happen. One of mine passed in his sleep one night. We do the best we can with them and we need to cherish every moment we get with them. This was not your fault. He knows you love him. He loves you too and the bond you share is forever.

Yes, this is all true. Sometimes there are things going on with them that we can’t possibly know. George was well cared for and loved. Please don’t blame yourself.

Rest in peace, little George.

 

[Grayson’s Mummy Julia]

Awww I am so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful gorgeous man he was. Thank u for giving him a beautiful life and u will see him again

 

[susanm9006]

I am so sorry. When we have older cats we at some point start thinking about their passing. But when it is a young one like your Georgie it is doubly crushing. Not right for them to go so young.

 

[les26]

I am so sorry for your loss, when I look at him I see my Sylvester and I just said to Deb last night "I love that little guy, I don't know how I will handle it when he goes". I don't know why I think about that, he is about 8, and I hope that I have many more years with him, but then I see and hear something like this and I know these awful things can happen. But I am sure that you did the best that you could for him with what you had, it is normal for us to think that we "missed" something when they pass but they are oh so good at hiding things and fooling us, but we as their caregivers feel that we failed them when they go because we feel 100% responsible for them. But you did the best that you could, and he knows that, and when you meet again one day he will thank you for it and it will be wonderful.

"Their last breath on Earth is their first breath in Heaven"

I am so so sorry to see him go, another Tuxedo which hits me even harder.....

I hope that your heart heals a bit more each day, God Bless........

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Rest you gentle, George, dream you deep. Your pawprints are on someone's heart forever.

What a beautiful boy he was, is, and always will be! Remember this...he left as he wished...on his own time, in his own place, and with the people he loved (and loves still) nearby. When we leave this Adventure for our Next Great Adventure, our love is translated and purified into Love. We send it back to those left behind, to comfort them until we meet again. George's Love is with you still, for Love abides. Always, forever, Love abides.

 

[gilmargl]

So Sorry!

 

[wily1]

So sorry for your loss....one of the hardest things we pet parents have to go through is putting a beloved pet down. I know when I had to put the family dog down years ago it seemed like the hurt would never end. I don't know how many nights I woke up and for the briefest moment thought she was on my bed, or I thought I heard her barking outside. I have a 7 year old cat who means the world to me and when its his time I know I'm going to be a mess. All I know that as hokey as it sounds I believe that we love our pets and vice versa so we will be reunited with them one day.

 

[Andrepartthree]

I'm so sorry .. as usual di and bob's amazing post above summed it up better than my poor words ever could (but of course everyone else posting here is awesome too don't get me wrong ! ) ... it sucks, it sucks SO bad when the feline member of your family passes away it really breaks your heart ...Gareth put it much more elegantly than that in his post here on this thread which I found was an enormous comfort to read, the other posts there too .. sincerest apologies if you've already read them but ...

Thoughts For Grieving Cat Lovers

Of course the pain is still going to be there and it's going to hurt that absolutely goes without saying but given our own recent loss I just found what Gareth, Margret and the others had to say there helped a lot ...

 

[Rhall]

Thank you. I guess what is so hard about this is he was only 1.5 years old. We never knew what it was but the vet suspected FIP. I know there is not much we could have done to save him - we tried - but it just seems so unfair and I am really struggling with this. He was such a good boy, he didn't deserve this.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I think di and bob have put it beautifully as always. I lost one at 2 years old and felt the same way as you, but no matter the age it is never enough time. RIP sweet George

 

[Andrepartthree]

Oh man.. Rhall I know what you mean (you too tik cat's mum I'm so sorry that happened to you too ) ... our own almost made it to two years old before being taken from us in a particularly horrible fashion (predator after going missing for two days) ... and you think to yourself " Why? Why couldn't I have had more time with him? (or her?)" ... and no of course they absolutely don't deserve that, to go away from us so young...

You may think I'm insane for even saying this , and I know grieving works differently for everyone so what works for me might not work for someone else but.. I've found myself doing one of two things to cope with the loss... imagine your little guy coming back as a ghost... human level intelligence, human level comprehension, he can understand just as much as you can everything that happened... then imagine him seeing you sad and imagine what his reaction would be.... I picture our little guy telling his humans " I know you're sad but... I don't want this for you because I love you.... I'm gone now, no pain, no fear, in a different place now... but I don't want my legacy to be see you guys hurting like this.... " He puts his paw on your face one last time then he heads towards the light...

The other thing I imagine is this.. I'm dead, our little cat boy is alive, the situation is reversed.. and he's grieving, he won't eat his food, he won't play with his toys he stares listlessly out the window (cat version of showing grief versus the human version).. then I imagine myself coming back as a ghost and imagining my reaction to that and the conversation I would have with him (in this scenario I'm able to communicate with him human style as well) and I imagine what I would tell him... the same thing, I'm in a different place now, no more pain, no more fear, I love you and it hurts me to see you like this.

Like Margret said here

Thoughts For Grieving Cat Lovers

the grieving process takes as long as it takes so by no means am I saying " don't grieve"... but when it seems to become unbearable I've found the two things I mentioned above help (plus the support of all the amazing people on this forum too of course ) .. again not sure if this would help you at all, imagining either of those scenarios..

 

[di and bob]

A Andrepartthree , I did have my Chrissy come to me in a dream and speak human, saying just about what you said. She loved life, being alive so much, I know she would never want me to miss out on being a part of life and all the happiness it should bring. not spending it in sadness for so many years as I did. Life is too fleeting, too precious......

 

[wily1]

This is what I like to think every cat (pet) we have ever loved would say to us.

I know the pain is always too great we always think we can never love another pet again....but we can. My dad never wanted another dog and used all kinds of excuses, I just think it hurt too bad losing his "little girl" and I respected his decision. I know in time my heart will be ripped out again (Tim is only 7 so hoping its a long long time). I just hope that when the time is right , I will have the heart to help "Another Lucky Cat".

 

[Andrepartthree]

A Andrepartthree , I did have my Chrissy come to me in a dream and speak human, saying just about what you said. She loved life, being alive so much, I know she would never want me to miss out on being a part of life and all the happiness it should bring. not spending it in sadness for so many years as I did. Life is too fleeting, too precious......

That is amazing ... I am so glad that you had that experience .. I just have to sit there and imagine it happening to me, in your case you actually dreamed it ... I realize not everyone on the forum might be religious or believe in the Christian or Muslim view of the afterlife which of course I totally respect.... but di and bob ... guessing you're Christian ? Apologies if I'm wrong on that but if so I can't help but wonder if it was Chrissy speaking to you from the pearly gates up above ...

 

[di and bob]

Yes, I am a Christian. I think the experience is when I realized that there is more to love than just ending when life does. It is the joining of two souls. I had another experience that raised this wonder and something I will never forget, when at the time of my Chrissy's death, my husband and I were grieving so very badly, we looked up at the cold, starry December night and cried out, "Chrissy, are you alright, please let us know you are alright?!" and at that very moment a falling star blazed sideways across the sky. I wish I could hold on to that feeling right then, of wonderment, of absolutely BELIEVING right then, it was absolutely breathtaking. But of course, time works on that, it brings up doubt and uncertainty, but when I think of it I still, almost 8 years later, I get a feeling of peace in my heart, and I know that it will never go away.......

 

[Andrepartthree]

Yes, I am a Christian. I think the experience is when I realized that there is more to love than just ending when life does. It is the joining of two souls. I had another experience that raised this wonder and something I will never forget, when at the time of my Chrissy's death, my husband and I were grieving so very badly, we looked up at the cold, starry December night and cried out, "Chrissy, are you alright, please let us know you are alright?!" and at that very moment a falling star blazed sideways across the sky. I wish I could hold on to that feeling right then, of wonderment, of absolutely BELIEVING right then, it was absolutely breathtaking. But of course, time works on that, it brings up doubt and uncertainty, but when I think of it I still, almost 8 years later, I get a feeling of peace in my heart, and I know that it will never go away.......
[/QUOTE

That is absolutely beautiful