Coping with Pets who've passed

Hi, MizMargo:

Several possibilities exist. Sometimes pets come back again and again to the same people. Some of the lesser evolved animal souls dissolve back into the World Soul of their species, contributing to that species inner evolution. Some of them keep going up the long ladder of soul evolution, may even change species.  I do believe that when it is time for you to pass on, your beloved pets will be there in spirit. 

Time is an illusion, these things are not linear. They can be with you in spirit, reincarnating, and transmigrating to a higher level all at the same time. It's only the limited dimensionality of our nature that keeps us from perceiving this.

-R1-

MizMargo, I am so sorry for your loss. But, really, I think nothing is ever really lost. I know that your kitty may seem to be gone, in a sense,,but the love you share is still very much present. You loved that baby as best as you could,and that is the all we can ever do for each other, my beautiful cat friend. If Cat Heaven exists, it is probably something like ,just being in your arms, purring the world around

I'm so sorry for your loss MizMargo. For whatever it's worth, I think pets go where we do, and I think we go somewhere. A few years ago I lost a beloved dog very suddenly, and was led to a pet behaviorist/psychic (yup, they exist!) who could not have given a more spot-on reading of my little one. She confirmed what I'd always felt, that our little companions' souls live on.

I've always thought that if there is a true "heaven," it's where I'll get to see all the pets I loved and lost. I think you'll see your kitty again. In the meantime, be kind to yourself in this time of grief. Society doesn't always validate the feelings of loss that come when I pet dies, but those feelings are very real, as is the loss. xoxo

Finally! A topic that I know something about! Yes, all sentient beings have souls and all souls live on. And just like us, they usually need multiple lifetimes to complete their journey. We use an animal communicator (don't knock it until you have tried it) who can also communicate with animals that have passed. 

 On several occasions I have had vivid dreams involving pets that have crossed to the other side. Once a dog who had passed came to me in a dream and beautiful rays of light started shooting from her body (I'm crying now as I remember) until her whole body was a glorious white light. Another time a dog that had passed from a terrible infection came bounding up to me in a dream and I was so excited to see him that it woke me up. After our last dog passed I noticed flocks of goldfinches along the country road where I go on my morning run. When we talked to the animal communicator a few months later, Maggie, the dog who had passed, said that she sent the goldfinches to let me know she was okay and to show me some of the beauty of the other side.

We later got two golden retriever pups and one of them looked and acted just like the dog that had bounded up to me in a dream. He has the same behaviors, plays with the same toys, has made the same friends in the neighborhood, etc. We asked the communicator about this and she confirmed that it was the same dog. I'd tell you more but a lot of people will think I'm half nuts.

I would also add that people who have near death experiences often talk about seeing family pets on the other side.

Hope this helps.

MizMargo -- If I focus inwardly on your little kitty, I see her near you still.  Sometimes she is standing on the ground near your feet, tail up, waiting for a petting. Sometimes she is curled up on the bed or on something soft near you.  She looks young and sweet and healthy.

Everyone -- these are wonderful sentiments and they all resonate with me. When my little bichon Sandy died, my husband and I buried her near our woods and I spent days  making a beautiful grave for her.  I would go there every day because it gave me comfort.  But the grief was so unexpectedly painful.

Then something happened that showed me Sandy was still around. As I was approaching the grave a deer appeared about 20 feet away.  She stood there and did not move as I moved towards the grave and towards her. I could feel Sandy's presence in the deer.  Usually the deer where I live are elusive and dash off as soon as they see us.  But this creature just stood there and gazed straight at me.

Oh, I know this too is a deer behavior to stare at you, but I sensed something powerfully different this time was going on.  I felt  Sandy was there saying goodbye to me or perhaps she was saying hello to me, assuring me that she was still there.  

I don't see animals as separate from people (or trees for that matter).  Whatever  is true about people passing, the same is true for pets.  They are not really gone, just transformed, and transcended. They will stay with us if we need them to be. And they will return to us when we reach for them.  Right after my puppy died I saw sleepiness in her.  Within a week, when I imagined her, she'd be prancing around like she was a puppy again. I worried about her because they are our babies (and our protectors, and our friends, and our advisors).  I noticed when I tuned into her after she passed that there was a change, from tired old dog to lively happy puppy again. 

This brings me to the subject of reading animals. 

Reading animals is the same process as reading people, which is the same process as reading the future. Everyone reads intuitively in a little bit different way, so you will  find your own way to read her.  Mostly, Margo, trust what you sense, what appears in your imagination when you are not crazy in your head, but calm and focused. 

MizMargo so sorry to hear about your beloved cat passing away. As I read this thread  tears were streaming down my cheeks. So moving to read  these recollections, theories and thoughts about were our 4 legged friends go when they die. I have a little white dog called Cubby who is 3 years old and the love of my life. I can not imagine being away from her as she brings me so much love, I call her my little prozac pill. Jeanne even picked up on her and described her to me when I did a reading. Amazing the power they have to heal us and this planet. A thank you to all of these beautiful animals, wild and domestic??

Thank you, everyone. This all helps and I really appreciate your support and compassion. I'm a mess and will be for a while, but I made Cleo a lovely grave last night when I buried her in the garden -- the yard she loved and never left (she was too fat to get under or over the fence, lol, but she never even tried). She was the queen of my herd, always busting up fights (she hated fighting) and protecting whoever was getting picked on. A really lovely lady, and I ordered a beautiful black Egyptian cat statue for her grave marker -- Bastet, the protector of cats. She will be the center of everything forever. I do hope I see her in a dream or elsewhere sometime. I don't tend to have visions or visitations, as far as I'm aware, but that would be a wonderful gift. If not, your testimonies of where our babies go afterward is comforting. Thank you, again.

I had a cat that died, and that night she walked across my bed as if to say goodbye. My daughter has seen one of her cats that has passed. Recently, I have been seeing a phantom cat at my sisters home.  My sister is 87 and I've been spending almost all day there so I picked out a room to use. I was doing my bills, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the cat jump up on the table next to me. I few days later I took a nap in the room. When I woke up, I felt movement down at my feet like there was a cat grooming. I have named her Sandy since she is brown.

The morning I moved into my current home, a black cat walked in and sat down to watch me moving my removed link  Having not grown up with animals, I found this somewhat removed link  Over the next few months, he continued to visit and resisted all attempts to evict him from the removed link (He actually belonged to one of my neighbors who traveled a lot).  Eventually, Elvis wore me down and moved in, at first on a part-time basis and then removed link  We shared a freakishly close bond, and I was heartbroken when he passed a few years later at the ripe old age of removed link

For about a year after he passed, random black cats would come up to me to say, "Hi!", including one who sat by my parked car and waited for me to pet it before darting back into a nearby removed link  I've always interpreted them to be little furry messengers from the Kitty Beyond who Elvis sent to let me know he was okay and still watching out for removed link  

Since then a little Siamese has moved removed link  Definitely a different cat for a different phase in my life, but I think Elvis still watches removed link

I love this topic. 

When my beloved father died, I had a vision (of sorts) that the spirits who greeted him first after he crossed over were his mother and the family cat that adored him. It's always felt real to me, even if it was something my mind did to help ease my grief at the time.

On a funny side note, a friend of mine once said that the greatest reward for a life well lived would be to reincarnate as one of my family's pets! She was kidding but why not? The connections we make are so strong that there must be more to it than we understand. 

Ten years ago, my husband and I were staying at a bed and breakfast in Edinburgh, Scotland.  It was the end of May and there was daylight until late at night.  One night, I felt a cat jump on the bed, walk across me and curl up against the small of my back, purring.  I was amused because my own cat did the same thing at home.  When I looked down at the cat, it lifted its head and stared at me.  It was a yellow tabby with ears curled forward.  When we woke in the morning, the cat was gone.  The windows were closed and there was no way a cat could have entered the room.  The b&b owners said there were no cats in the house.  When I got home, I did a little research and discovered the cat I saw was a breed called “Scottish Fold.”

Bluebelle, I love that story! Dunno what cat that was, but clearly it liked you!

-R1-

MizMargo,

Our beloved kitty passed within the last week, also.  She was 17 years old.  My daughter had rescued her when she was only 3 or 4 weeks old and fed her round the clock to keep her alive.  I'm so sorry for the void you must feel and understand it well.  She was our baby.

I don't know what happens to our pets (or to us) after death, but I believe that certainly animals have spirits as strong as human spirits, intensely devoted in many cases, and would not be surprised to hear you post that your dear departed kitty has shown up in another form.

Our kitty, very ill with cancer, was put to rest at the vet's office, and while perhaps there is a kindness in that, one always wonders if the right thing was done... and feels an added loss because of the cold, sterile, somewhat jarring and sudden goodbye.  We live in the city in a rented apartment, and there was no way to bury her; not even sure it is allowed in the city.  I say this because when I read your account of burying your kitty in your yard, and creating a monument for her, I felt such a feeling of regret and sadness at not having been able to honor our sweet girl in that way, to return her to the earth with honor and care.  How lovely that you were able to do that.  Hugs.

Hi Becky,

My condolences on the loss of your beloved Cat. Losing a pet can be traumatic, they are also a member of the family. As a vet tech I can assure you that when Euthanizing an animal it's always harder on the human/owner than it is for the animals, I have always been inclined with communicating with animals. When I first tell people this they laugh until I say something only them and the animal would know. LOL  I'm kinda know as the animal whisper around town/ Crazy cat lady. I can tell you from witnessing and communicating with my share of animals they all say the same thing- They are aware that life is short, and know when it's their time. They are higher beings and more evolved then humans give them credit for. Most are spiritual and full of pure love. In the final moments of their life they wish for the owner to be happy. That tells me how selfless animals can be. Your cat loved you without a doubt. And if he/she could communicate with you they would thank you for giving it a respectable death. Cancer is debilitating, the pain is unbearable. Becky you did the RIGHT thing by letting your cat go. Please don't second guess yourself.  You also gave it the best life you knew how with unconditional love and that's all that matters.

As part of your question, my past pets have come to visit me through dreams. And in psychic readings. In particular my first Dog from Childhood will ease my pain when I'm stressed or pop up in visions with my late grandfather which gives me hope that they do go to a higher place with humans. And my Rabbit who outlived the average life expectancy comes to me in dreams when  a serious message needs to be pass on. After my Rabbit passed I was grief stricken. I went home and cried myself to sleep, I remember my dream vividly that night. She showed herself in a meadow at sunrise, leaping around like a silly girl that she was and chewing away colourful flowers with her family next to her. It gave me the peace of mind I needed to move on. Just because your pet hasn't visited you (that your aware of) doesn't mean they don't look after your from the other side from time to time. I have asked various animals if they go to heaven or what happens when they die. Their answer is always followed by questions. Just like Humans we don't know what comes next until that day arrives. That being said they too believe they have a soul and hope to be reunited with their loved ones. 

Hopefully that helps.

Dharma

Oh, Becky.... I am so touched by your story. I've had many special cats in my life since the age of four (I'm now 48) and this is the first one I've been able to be with at the end and bury, so I do understand the feelings of regret that can overwhelm when you aren't able to do things the way you really want to. So many lingering feelings I still have over pets long, long gone -- but the strongest feeling is how much I loved them, and that is truly the only important one. You did right by your kitty when it really mattered, and while the vet thing can make us feel badly, you were WITH her, and that's what mattered. I watched my kitty die in my arms naturally and it is not for the faint of heart. I had some leftover morphine-type medicine from when another of my cats had a urinary procedure last year, and was at least able to dull her pain, I hope. But, I still wonder if I did the right thing. I didn't have many options and Cleo went quickly -- just 24 hours after she stopped eating. I also don't know if I can do this again. Home euthanizers that I called were quoting me $400-$600, which I could not afford, the vet prices were not much better. I was between a rock and hard place. SO -- don't be hard on yourself. Really, no matter what decisions we make, we're going to always question them, searching for assurances that we did the right thing -- which I think is just our way of expressing how much we want our pet to be alive again ("If I'd only have..."). The kitty (or doggy, etc.) is in a good place now -- at least a place free from pain. You gave your kitty that, and that is love. This is how I'm getting through my own feelings, day by day. But yes, you replay it over and over. 

Thank you for your input, Dharma. It helps to know that Cleo was okay at the end. I know a lot of people warn against the ouija, but I've had a long relationship with it and rarely use it -- but when I do, I know how to and it's the main way I've been able to communicate with the other side, mainly through my grandma, who seems to be my spirit guide, and it's been very effective in times of trouble. When I was in a panic over what to do at the end, I asked it if Cleo was dying. The widget flew to "yes." I asked if she was in pain, it flew to "no." Then I asked three times if I should take her to the vet and it said "no" each time. I still was unsure, but gave her the morphine and held her until the end. Still very very hard.

I have absolutely loved the posts here from everyone and appreciate the stories of our beloved pets (thank you MizMargo). I have a story of loss to share, too. We lost our best girl, Bubba, a while ago. Bubba was a shorthair grey feline and the most intelligent animal that’s ever graced our lives.

I had the privilege of “owning” Bubba since I was 19. She lived to the age of 24, so basically we grew up with her. She died in my arms while a home-visit vet provided a peaceful death via injection, and we buried her outside our bedroom window under the pine tree.

Bubba was our softball mascot, wore our colors proudly as a bandanna around her neck, and hung out under the shade of the dugout bench when we took the field. One night while we played under the lights, she decided it was time to trot out and visit me in left field. Play stopped while people cheered until she made it out to me and had a good belly rub. Then when I carried her back to the dugout, every team member had to rub her head for good luck (the umps did too). She settled down and fell asleep until the inning was out.

Bubba stood lookout over our first-born, from bassinet to crib to bed. She welcomed a new dog and cat to our household and made sure they behaved. She went with us everywhere and took car rides to parks, malls, and family visits, and was a star everywhere she went.

When she died we were totally devastated. Less than 3 months later, we took our weekly trip to the pet store and found another grey cat sitting on the counter. This one was NOT in a cage, as most of the adoptees were. Instead, he was the star of the store. Needless to say, we couldn’t leave without him.

When I walked to the counter, he came to me and looked me straight in the eye, put his paws on both shoulders, and just stood there on his hind-legs. In my mind all I could think was, “Hey, Bubba.” Of course I burst into tears.

We named him Greybear and had him less than a month. He died quickly of an undetected, aggressive illness (FIV that didn’t show up in screening blood tests). He was here, then gone.

Yet Greybear was Bubba incarnate. He looked just like Bubba. He purred like Bubba. He talked like Bubba. He ate like Bubba. He commanded our household like Bubba. He did everything Bubba did. Everything. Bubba came back for a very short time.

To this day, we both believe it was a gift from her to say, “It’s cool. It’s all good. I’m here and I’ll never leave. See? I came back for a little while to show you how it is.”

Bubba. Greybear. Love, just total love.

I want to tell you about Sweetie. She was mostly an outside cat because she didn't care for other cats much, but last summer, she started to come is the house. She wanted a lot of attention. curled up on my lap, just purring or sleeping. This went on for a week or more. Then she disappeared. I think she knew she was going to die, and was saying goodbye. She wanted me to know how much she loved me, as I did her.

Losing a furbaby is the hardest thing to deal with.  They are our family.  I am at an age where I have to think twice about becoming a parent again.  My cats live long luxurious lives!  But they never leave us.  I awoke a few weeks ago early on a grey cold morning, ve4y depressed.  I maneuver out of bed, not disturbing Harry and Peabody (the boys), to use the bathroom.  Halfway down my hallway sat Izzy.  She looked at me as if to say get over it, your fine.  Izzy died two years ago at the age of 23.  She comes to me when I need her.  I refer to her as my last girl.

I am so sorry for your loss.  I know how much my loss of pets has ripped my heart and I hope you are doing okay.

I've always been extremely close to my dogs and I've had several experiences that confirm to me that pet souls can and do continue on.  This started 30 years ago for me with my first dog in college.    I was convinced to leave him with a relative while on an internship, even though I knew deep down I should not leave my dog with the relative.   Two weeks into the internship, for three days in a row, I woke up with him beside my bed (our ritual) and reached out to pet him, but then realized where I was and that he was with my relative.  On the 3rd day I decided to go get him and called my relative.  My dog had died 3 days earlier but they hadn't bothered to call me.  I've always known that was his spirit saying goodbye to me.     I believe he's come back to me 2 more times as a smaller female of the same breed.   I've had 4 collies now (in my late 50s) and 3 of them have had an almost identical, happy, prancy but refined personality that is somewhat like the breed, but in many ways quirky and unique.   My dogs have all had the same strange habits -- ones that I did not share with many people, did not teach them and are the kind of things that people comment on -- "that's so cute but so odd".   

When my last one died in 2011, I was devastated, as this dog was literally like my child.  I've never been so close to another animal.   A couple of months after she died, I started looking for a new puppy and happened across a breeder 1000 miles away (I have a long affinity for collies) and talked to her by phone.  I was considering not getting another collie because they are too big for me to pick up when sick but this breeder that happened to have a runt of the litter they expected to get to 75% weight/height with some of the personality traits I was looking for and sent me a little video of the puppy.   I ended up buying her and when she arrived on the plane, the folks at the pickup area commented -- "all these puppies are crying their eyes out and yours is just quietly sitting there, happy as a clam, waiting to be picked up. "   I got the pup and realized she really looked quite a lot like my prior dog in where the spots were, etc, but there were a few that were very different.    As she grew up, the spots "moved" to EXACTLY where they had been on my prior dog.  When people look at pictures, they literally cannot tell the difference between my prior dog and the current one.

But most importantly, this new dog has literally EVERY odd and quirky habit that my old dog did, so much so that people who don't realize Callie died think that Hallie is Callie.   At times I think it's not possible she came back to me (even though I asked her to) and ALWAYS at that exact moment she does one of those weird things that NO other dogs do, as if to say, yes it's possible and it DID happen!

I am a firm believer that pets can come back and do come back if the relationship is one that is particularly special.   It may be in a completely different breed or even in a dog to cat or cat to horse etc, but if the souls are attached, I believe it's still a soul relationship that may repeat.