Re: For Those Whose Pets Have Crossed the Bridge

Black Cat Back · ‎03-21-2010

I've lost two wonderful pets (friends)... my collie dog and a wonderful cat. This poem is so beautiful. I think it can apply to people in our lives too.

Thanks for sharing!

wishd4it · ‎03-09-2010

I came to get some words of wisdom from everyone & saw this thread & now I am crying again.

Buddy crossed the bridge last night. He was with us for 16 years. My head knows letting him go was the right thing to do, based on his physical condition--my heart just won't listen. My head knows he couldn't stay with me forever, but my heart is broken.

When will the empty hole in my throat & stomach ease? I can't stop crying. My soul aches. Will it get better or am I doomed to feel this constant grip?

This is the hardest thing I have ever experienced.

I am lonely without him & miss him terribly.

View Raw Image" href="http://oi62.tinypic.com/2j3fr78.jpg">

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/5/2015 wishd4it said:
I came to get some words of wisdom from everyone & saw this thread & now I am crying again.

Buddy crossed the bridge last night. He was with us for 16 years. My head knows letting him go was the right thing to do, based on his physical condition--my heart just won't listen. My head knows he couldn't stay with me forever, but my heart is broken.

When will the empty hole in my throat & stomach ease? I can't stop crying. My soul aches. Will it get better or am I doomed to feel this constant grip?

This is the hardest thing I have ever experienced.

I am lonely without him & miss him terribly.

View Raw Image" href="http://oi62.tinypic.com/2j3fr78.jpg">

Wishd, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved Buddy - what a handsome gentleman he was! But I see more in those wise, old soul eyes than good looks: love, lots of it, reflected back to the one he knew cherished him most.

The hearts that shatter into the most pieces are those who loved most deeply. You acted completely selflessly, and because you did, Buddy is free -- and waiting to see you again.

I know how badly you feel, how physically sick grief makes you; DH and I lost all of our pets within the past several years. Grief takes what it takes and the ache it causes is a tribute, in a way, to how much Buddy means to you and always will. Let the sorrow flow over and through you -- it's the path toward healing. And you will heal.

Although you write that your head says he can't stay with you forever, he already is -- because you love him so. Buddy claims that part of your heart that he stole long ago; that will never change.

There are so many wonderful people on this pet forum that helped me through those early dark days. They -- we -- understand like no one else can. Stay with us as long as you like. We have all the virtual kleenex you'll need and more. And I hope you and your family can feel some comfort in knowing that our prayers are with you.

Buddy looks special, and I hope in the coming days you can share with us some of the ways he changed your life.

wishd4it · ‎03-09-2010

Thanks for your words, Sammy. I am so sorry for your losses. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been.

Right now my emotions are so very raw. My routine revolved around him so I feel very lost & feel like I can't function. I look forward to the heartache easing & allowing me to remember the gift he was, instead of the grief & loss I feel.

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/5/2015 wishd4it said:
Thanks for your words, Sammy. I am so sorry for your losses. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been.

Right now my emotions are so very raw. My routine revolved around him so I feel very lost & feel like I can't function. I look forward to the heartache easing & allowing me to remember the gift he was, instead of the grief & loss I feel.

I know just how you feel. Our last pet, our loving boy cat, got heart failure, kidney failure and a whole list of ills -- requiring 24/7 care for years. One day our house revolved around him; then the next, it didn't. We we lost with nothing much to do and a house so empty it felt like the largest of tombs. But gradually it got better. And I'd do it all over again just for the privilege of having him -- although of course I wish he'd never gotten those illnesses to begin with. But if he did, we'd do it again -- for the gift that he was and the gift that he still is in our memories and hearts.

Be patient with yourself. Make sure you eat well, try to get some decent sleep. Talk to friends or family who understand...they ease the journey so much.

wishd4it · ‎03-09-2010

Thank you, my friend. I so appreciate your wisdom & will follow your advice.

okBlonde · ‎09-23-2013

On 1/5/2015 Sammycat1 said:
I know just how you feel. Our last pet, our loving boy cat, got heart failure, kidney failure and a whole list of ills -- requiring 24/7 care for years. One day our house revolved around him; then the next, it didn't. We we lost with nothing much to do and a house so empty it felt like the largest of tombs. But gradually it got better. And I'd do it all over again just for the privilege of having him -- although of course I wish he'd never gotten those illnesses to begin with. But if he did, we'd do it again -- for the gift that he was and the gift that he still is in our memories and hearts.

Sammycat, do you think you'll ever get another pet? You and your DH have so much love to give. I know Abigail and Maggie have helped me with my losses of Stinky and Tiggi.

NChgOfMyAttitude · ‎03-10-2010

Beautiful. I'm crying my eyes out. The pain of loss is always there.

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

On 1/6/2015 okBlonde said:
On 1/5/2015 Sammycat1 said:
I know just how you feel. Our last pet, our loving boy cat, got heart failure, kidney failure and a whole list of ills -- requiring 24/7 care for years. One day our house revolved around him; then the next, it didn't. We we lost with nothing much to do and a house so empty it felt like the largest of tombs. But gradually it got better. And I'd do it all over again just for the privilege of having him -- although of course I wish he'd never gotten those illnesses to begin with. But if he did, we'd do it again -- for the gift that he was and the gift that he still is in our memories and hearts.

Sammycat, do you think you'll ever get another pet? You and your DH have so much love to give. I know Abigail and Maggie have helped me with my losses of Stinky and Tiggi.

OK, thanks for your kind words about DH & I. After 2 1/2 years of nonstop critical care, DH and I needed a break...and to properly grieve Schmoo. His loss knocked our lights out unlike any other, and we've had pets for going on 40 years now as adults. But we've gone through the heaviest of mourning and we've healed from the sharpest sorrow of it--and have many, many more positive thoughts about Schmoo than sad ones!

As you know, I'm an author...and now I'm writing a book about Schmoo for national publication that will be the work of my career, so I want to keep clear on that until I'm finished--I want to get the word out about his story but also the plight of senior or ill pets...and maybe the love we showed Schmoo and our other pets will make a difference on a greater scale.

It's like a calling to me and is requiring great effort; I truly believe Schmoo was put in our path not just because he needed the right people to save him and care for him in toughest times, but also to inspire others through his story to save old/sick cats and dogs who so desperately need saving. DH, Schmoo's vet, the shelter from which we adopted Schmoo, friends and family, & several other nat'l groups are with me in this project.

Lastly, and on a personal front, it's not a good time. The least of it is that between the two of us, DH and I need 4 major operations, some of which were put off during Schmoo's illness. It's not the right environment in which to bring a pet; it's not fair to them. And because we always adopt the oldest or most sick pet in the shelter as a matter of principle, we're not equipped right now.

We've said to each other if our last pet is Schmoo, we're more than content with that. As a dear friend said to me, it's long past the time that you channel the love and care you put into Schmoo into yourselves for awhile. And so we will, knowing he would want it that way.

I hope this makes sense. Thank you, Debby, for thinking of us in the highest and kindest way. ${#emotions_dlg.biggrin}$

okBlonde · ‎09-23-2013

Sammycat, I fully understand - count me in to be the first in line to purchase your book whenever you are finished. And my thoughts are with you and DH that you both are back in the best of health very soon.

And I have some good news to report: I have a meeting tomorrow at a company I interviewed with right after Christmas, and they are presenting me with a job offer! Maybe this is the way employers do it now, I used to get them by telephone but that was ages ago.