The Loss Of A Friend
By RavenPhoenix
@RavenPhoenix (97)
United States
January 17, 2007 3:37pm CST
A year ago I lost my cat to a rattle snake bite. I loved him dearly he was a one of a kind. I was there when he was born I hand raised him when his mother abandoned him. He went through countless moves with us, lost a toe to a rouge skateboarder and took it all in stride. So it came as a shock when we moved to a new neighborhood I heard him cry I my daughter called up stairs to me saying that the cat "Austin" was acting weird. I went downstairs and he was on the kitchen chair crying a low i in pain cry his pupils were dilated and he was panting. I couldnt see what was wrong but the subdivision we moved to was new and there was alot of construction still going on and the workers had killed quite a few snakes. I put austin in a carrier and drove him to a 24 hr vets. They examined him and said it could be a bite but he wasnt letting them get close enough to see they gave me an estimate on how much it would cost to treat him for a snake bite but we couldnt afford to pay that so they gave us pain meds to give to him and told us to see the regular vet the next morning. The rest of the evening I stayed up with him giving his medicine to him regularly and just talking to him he seemed to enjoy the company. The next morning we took him t the vet up to this point i was holding on to a slim chance that it wasnt a snakebite and was a minor hit by car. The vet however confirmed the worse. He had been bitten by a snake in the worse possible place he could have been bitten right in the armpit the distance between the fang marks was an inch. My cats kidneys were failing and there was nothing else she could do and I had done all I could the most humane thing I could do at that point was put him to sleep. The vet asked me if I wanted to leave while they gave him the shot and I said no I had been present when he took his first breath I would be there when he took his last. With tears in my eyes I said good bye to a very good friend that had helped me through a separation and various other hard times. I miss him very much he was my first pet loss. I know to some he was only a cat but to me he was a friend and I hope the pain of his loss will eventually pass. Has anyone else lost a pet they were close to and if so how long did it take for the pain to dull?
14 people like this
59 responses
@feelinggood (217)
• Canada
18 Jan 07
There are so many people on Mylot here, that love their pets. You will often see posts similar to yours, people who are grieving for a pet that has been lost. Please spend a moment, go to my profile and you will find a discussion I started called The Rainbow Bridge. Please read the poem, it will comfort you. Your kitty will wait for you on the other side.
2 people like this
@SwayingThunder (444)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I have that poem framed. My best buddy Lucky was born on March 11,1986. I was there when he was born. In fact I had to help the Mom deliver him. He wasn't breathing so in desperation I shook him and blew in his face. He started breathing and I named him Lucky. In the 19 1/2 years that he lived he saved my life once by alerting me to a fire in the breaker box right by my bed. He had countless infections, was gone for a week when we moved once and came home covered in mud and his throat slit. I think I spent more on vet bills for that cat than I did on doctor bills for my girls. He always knew when to come comfort me and when to keep me company. Of course he also knew not to bother me before I've had coffee. lol I lost him on Aug. 1,2006 and it's still painful. I had him cremated and that poem is with him. When I go...Lucky is to be buried with me. I have another cat now and sometimes I wonder if she's not him reincarniated. She does some things just like he did. Weird. My heart goes out to you. It will get better but only time truly heals. Angel kisses to you.
3 people like this
@TAURUSGIRL (735)
•
17 Jan 07
my heart goes out to you and i'm sorry for your loss. I lost my best furry friend in December he was 16 years old I had him since 6 months old and he wasnt just a cat he was a very good friend. He was always there when i was stressed he knew when to leave me alone and when i needed cheering up, for a few weeks after he had gone i could hear him meow through the night i know that sounds silly but its true you'll have many happy memories and i dont know that you ever get over loosing a pet I was given a kitten a few days ago and hes just settling in he's not a replacement and never will be its early days and were just getting to know his ways myabe you should think of getting another pet to ease your pain good luck xx
2 people like this
@RavenPhoenix (97)
• United States
19 Jan 07
Thank you so much for the condolences. I have gotten two kitties one male and one female the male is an indoor out door and the female is strictly indoor they have helped to ease the pain. The feamle remindes me most of Austin. Some of the things she does I could almost swear its him. The male also does alot of stuff that remind me of Austin I know they aren't him but they help keep his memory alive. As each day passes I enjoy the new friends I am beginning to know and love.
@firemansgirl001 (916)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I lost my shepard dog in november right after thanksgiving. He had a nerological condition. He lost complete control of everything. I still miss him, but I am glad he isnt suffering. It just takes as long as it takes.
1 person likes this
@samsonskola (3357)
• United States
18 Jan 07
i'm so sorry for your loss! i'm sitting here in tears because i can feel your pain and the love you felt for this special friend. I've lost quite a few over a good many years, and it still hurts and tugs on my heart when i think of them...i now have a cat that's almost 13. He's been such a wonderful friend all these years, and has even survived tangling with a young bobcat..i've worried so much about him getting around a poisonous snake, but so far i've been really lucky. I just don't know what i'm going to do when i lose him, he's the reason i come home after work, he has to be touching me or has his paws wrapped around me when we're sleeping, ...someone that special will hurt for quite a while, and i don't think i've really ever gotten over any of them, specially the ones who truly loved me back, like my cat does. Take your time to grieve, it will get a little better as time goes by...someone obviously that special will always be in your heart. I admire you for being there when he passed, as i hope i am with mine, i don't think they should be alone at that time.
2 people like this
@seewhy (231)
• Australia
17 Jan 07
I understand exactly how you feel and I'm sorry for your loss.
I lost my cat just about 2 1/2 years ago and it can still hurt pretty badly some days. It took about a year before I could look at photos of her and actually smile at the memories instead of cry. I had her from a kitten and she lived for 18 years so it was a fairly major portion of my life that she was in.
I know people say 'it's just a cat' but some cats are just that extra bit special and it sounds as though that was the type you had. It does get easier with time but I truly don't think that the pain will ever go away completely.
2 people like this
@copperkitten (3473)
• United States
18 Jan 07
first off love your name. My sons name is phenix. So sorry for your loss. I dont think the pain will ever go away but eventually it will be easier for you. I had a cat long time ago that we found as a stray. she lived to be 17. we came home one day to find blood on the walls. Come to find out she had tumors and was sneezing blood. We had to put her down. My dad big tough guy he is broke down and cried like a baby. It was sad but shes in a better place now where she cant hurt. I hope you keep austins spirit alive by remembering the good times. In time the pain will heal. But the memorie will last forever. I hope all goes well for you and your family. Best wishes!
1 person likes this
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
28 Jan 07
It doesn't. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes remerbering the lost of a couple of dear cats. The pain will dull a bit but every time you remember them you'll choke up and smile to yourself at the same time and feel blue for a little while. Get another cat, and don't let him out. My cat never ever goes outside. My neightbor, for whatever reason feed ferral cats that roam our neighborhood right in between our fences so we have a neighborhood full of her wild outdoors cats that are for the most part related to one another and inbred also and I wouldn't let them near my kitty so she remains inside. We also still have to get her fixed which is another reason to keep her in. Get another cat! You obviously have plenty of kitty love to give it.
@feralcat (426)
• Canada
20 Jan 07
First I want to say I am so sorry for your loss of your cat. I too have lost hand raised kittens and understand the bond and the pain of losing them and I have also lost some feral cats to coyotes and a tomcat.
I wish I had the answer to how long before the pain dulls. I lost Smokey four years ago to cancer and to this day I still have times when it hurts like hell. I still have problems sometimes finishing discussions about her.
It's been over a year since I lost one of my dearest feral cats Katherine and to this day the pain has not lessened. I guess we have to learn to adapt to the loss and continue to live day by day. I don't think we ever get over the loss we just learn to live with it but it always remains there in the back of our minds and sometimes the smallest things spark that memory back and we go through what is known as "waves".
Memories eventually to make us smile but to be honest with you for me it's a sad kind of smile and memory.
@maru_047in (1007)
• India
19 Jan 07
ya i have lost many pets which i loved but i think this is a sad story and i feel very bad if i see or ear to the stories about the pet and i m too sentimental too i think many humans like pet more than humans cause what ever v do they tolerate and again come near us to play or something.
@diannebcrs (1549)
• Philippines
18 Jan 07
pain isn't really an light burden. i know because i've felt pain when i lost my cat.. yikes.. he ate this frog and got poisoned. i felt so devasted. anyway, i think you should buy a new one... i did. i named him after my old one. he even looked like him. i don't know. it's kind of hard to really move on if you really loved a pet. so, uh, i just think it would be better if you find a new one in a pet store and consider it as your new found friend. it's just my advice.
1 person likes this
@dimigroup (186)
• Bulgaria
17 Jan 07
I'm sorry for your loss. This is very dreadful
1 person likes this
@Centregeek (500)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I know what you are going through. I lost a beloved dog a couple of years ago and I still miss her, but you do begin to feel that pain ease up as time passes. That doesn't mean that you forget them or that you don't still miss them from time-to-time, but you will begin to see other things to focus on. I was fortunate enough to have other pets to ease the pain. They are all a joy and not one of them is a replacement for another, but they have a way of showing you that they are there for you too. Though we will lose them at some point in our lives, I wouldn't avoid the experience of getting to know a single one of them. My heart goes out to you.
@JustSimplyLissa (547)
• United States
18 Jan 07
Hugs! I know your pain. I've lost pets too, and it truly never goes away. Especially when they are more then just your pet. They are like your child.
@deathlord (234)
• India
18 Jan 07
I lost my dog in a accident and felt bad for 3 years.I know te problem in loosing cats.....
@Garcia5 (77)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I also found my cat. I found her and her siblings abandoned in a bush on my front lawn so I brought them in and bought them formula from petco and raised them. In the end I only kept one cat. A white cat we named Hermione. She was perfect. Came and went as she pleased and was very affectionate. One night our neighbor ran her over with his truck. At first I didn't put much thought into it but as time went on I began to realize that she was a one of a kind cat that could never be replaced.
@as2490 (90)
•
18 Jan 07
well my dad told me this but anyway, when he was young he used to own a dog back in Africa. He had it for about 4 years and always used to spend time with it as there wern't that many kids around at that time as most of africa was struck by poverty. In 1960 his mum and dad decided to emigrate to england so unfortunately they had to give the dog away to someone else. My dad said that when he arrived in England he was so sad that he wouldnt eat for days and days, his mum and dad tried everything, buying him toys, taking him out to the park, but he said it took about a couple of months for the pain to go, but even now he does think about it from time to time. He said its very hard to forget memories.
@mobyfriend (1017)
• Netherlands
18 Jan 07
Oh that is a horrible story. Hugs to you. Losing a friend (yes our animals are our friends) like that is awful. I guess the pain never goes away but it will soften over the years as you remember the good times.
