Thank you for sharing your story with us. It serves as a reminder of why gun safety is so important and how quickly honest accidents can happen. I’m glad you could move forward after such a tragic event. I think talking about it and reading other stories helps us heal. I’m glad you could gather the courage to open your heart to some kitties that needed you.
As requested…pictures 
[QUOTE=PiaffePlease;6279689]
guns can be dangerous in responsible hands, too.[/QUOTE]
This is the absolute truth. It helps to know that we can create something positive out of her accident. And it really is comforting to hear that this thread has been helpful to others.
This is the cat that we lost in the accident - one of my favorite pictures of her (she loved sunlight patches).
http://imgur.com/vOoex
Our new girl:
http://imgur.com/FOza3
Our (bonus) new boy who is quite shy:
http://imgur.com/Fpbli
[QUOTE=Sunlight_patch;6292396]
This is the absolute truth. It helps to know that we can create something positive out of her accident. And it really is comforting to hear that this thread has been helpful to others.
This is the cat that we lost in the accident - one of my favorite pictures of her (she loved sunlight patches).
http://imgur.com/vOoex
Our new girl:
http://imgur.com/FOza3
Our (bonus) new boy who is quite shy:
http://imgur.com/Fpbli[/QUOTE]
They are beautiful! I am so happy for you to have these two special ones join your family.
They are both adorable and you are very lucky to have each other :).
What pretty kitties!
Every living creature has a purpose in this world. Sometimes it takes years for a creature to accomplish its purpose. Sometimes only minutes. Your kitteh had a short beautiful sunlit life and served her purpose with love and chirps. Your two new kitties are grateful to her.
Wishing you even more healing and happy memories.
I like your new kitties. Very cute. May you have many wonderful years together.
I am so sorry for everyone who has a lost a pet in this manner. I am so heartbroken and ashamed to even post this. I cant cope very well right now at all. Yesterday our 3 month old kitten without my knowledge got inside my dryer. It killed her. I had no idea. This is more traumatic than I even have words for. If i hadn’t have turned it on or checked the dryer she would still be here. I cant eat, I can’t sleep, all I can do is cry. I loved her so much. This is unbearable. Not to mention my kids who are heartbroken. I cant get these horrible images out of my head. I just want other people to know that they are not alone. I pray this gets easier in time.
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I am SO SORRY for your loss. Please know, the pain does get better. Last month, I accidentally killed a cat that I bottle raised. I became terribly depressed and cried for days on end. This is a cat that was my world. I would cry until I would vomit and then cry even harder. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I was a WRECK. My husband was doing everything he could just to keep me in one piece. I happened to buy a goat and needed him to drive me to get it. While we were there, I fell in LOVE with a kitten they had just gotten. As it turns out, they had gotten two kittens together. That kitten and I bonded instantly. When it came time to leave, this young child (maybe 8 years old) told me she wanted me to take the kitten. There was NO WAY I was taking a child’s new kitten!! I’m not that type of person. She persisted though and then her mom said they wanted me to take her. I HAD NOT told them about what had happened to my cat. I was so ashamed. We ended up coming home with two goats and the kitten. That kitten is by my side all the time. I have never had a kitten love me like she does. It is like she was sent from heaven to heal my heart. Right now, she’s laying beside me and I’m bawling. Not because I miss the other, but because I know she would not be next to me had the first cat not died. Everything happens for a reason, even if it doesn’t seem possible. Your heart will heal. Allow yourself to cry. Allow yourself to talk about it. I’m here if you need anything.
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I am SO SORRY you went through that. I am happy to hear that you were blessed with a little fur ball that you very much needed at that moment. Receiving that little kitten was meant to be! I took my boys to a shelter and we brought home a 6 week old little girl. They begged me for another kitten, but I truly didn’t feel ready. She is absolutely adorable but I am so paranoid that something is going to happen to her as well. Sometimes i look at her and it reminds me so much of our little Boo not being here I just cry. Other times I am filled with joy for such a sweet little one. I’m all over the place. I thank you for sharing your story and I am thrilled you have a wonderful fur baby there with you! 
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That was sad. Sorry for your loss. I also lost my favorite shih tzu when I was pregnant. I wasn’t able to take care of her personally coz I was feeling sick during my first trimester. I handed her to my father-in-law. He didn’t tell me that she passed away coz she didn’t want me to feel upset. I knew it when before I gave birth.
Our beloved corgi Pickles had to have emergency surgery on Thanksgiving to remove an obstruction in his intestines, they had to make 4 incisions to remove what looked to be a paper towel. On Friday morning while still at the emergency vet he developed a complication, his blood pressure rapidly fell and he passed as they were x-raying him to find out what was happening. They performed CPR but he couldn’t come back. He would have been 9 in January.
He had this type of surgery in fall of 2016 and came out of it beautifully. And also had to have surgery to remove his eye due to a tumor in his cornea a couple of years prior, came out of that fine too. I really wasn’t worried about this surgery, so naive.
We have no idea where he got the paper towel from and if he hadn’t had the previous surgery it probably would have passed through. But because that area was more narrow, it got stuck. I am going through the if only’s. If only I had take him to the vet as soon as he threw up that morning instead of waiting a couple of hours, if only I had taken him to a different emergency vet maybe the outcome would have been different. I am racking my brain to think of where he got this paper towel, we were so careful especially because of the previous incident.
My husband is having an even harder time than me, he lost his mother in June and leaned heavily on Pickles to get him through his grief over losing her. We feel cheated that we don’t get to have a few more years with him. We have two other dogs, one rescue dog and one 2 year old female corgi. But it isn’t the same, Pickles was a great cuddler and was happiest in your arms on the couch or bed. She doesn’t have much interest in being cuddled for very long, she’s all business. And is closer to me than my husband… This is also bringing back how much I miss my previous corgi who I lost to a brain tumor in 2013.
While I know that time can only make it better, it’s so hard to be in the house and he not be there. He was the one who would wait by the door when I came home, and our bedtime routine … and how he would sleep right between my husband and I. Sometimes in the middle of the night, we would both wake up and pet him at the same time, it’s so hard with that space being empty now. I’m trying to get through work without crying and am not being very successful right now.
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This is very hard for me to write. I lost a loved, fun, sweet kitty on Monday and it was my fault. He was so cute and tiny and we named him Diego. We adopted him from a shelter. My entire family fell instantly in love with him. He was the best! On Monday I was getting ready to leave for school. I am a 2nd grade teacher. As I left my bedroom the kitty ran straight up to me. I picked him up, loved on him and put him back down. I was going to the kitchen to get my lunch and I stopped to put my bag down. During that moment the kitty got under my feet and I tripped and stepped on him. I watched my poor baby die in seconds. It was the most awful and horrible thing I have ever seen or done. I am physically ill and engulfed in guilt. I can’t believe I did something like this. I want my Diego back so bad. I am heartbroken. My family is not blaming me so that is good but I don’t know if I can get over this. Why? Why? Why? That’s all I want to know. Something so precious was taken out of our lives by me. Help please!
I hate to say it because it sounds callous but this is the best remedy for a broken heart over the loss of a pet–Get another pet, as soon as possible. The new pet will need much attention and nurturing and will become your full time job. It is a new journey and a new adventure to bring a new animal into your home and your life. We will never forget our past beloveds but it serves no positive purpose to grieve and grieve and grieve for weeks and months and even longer. A new pet is the perfect redirection for a heart that needs to heal. And there are SO MANY that need homes. It is a win-win for everyone.
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And Ps, everyone who has accidentally caused the death of a pet through accidental means has a new opportunity to do better by the next pet. It is a redemption of sorts, a chance to do better going forward, to learn, to balance out the universe. I know I am a better pet owner each time around. You learn from the successes and the mistakes and you do better given the next opportunity. And it’s a wonderful legacy for your dearly beloved that passed.
I hope everyone who shared their stories and the readers who related but did not share, find peace out of tragedy. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. All we can do is vow to do better going forward.
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Thank you OP and for everyone else who shared your stories! While very sad, this thread has helped me confront a latent anxiety I have about animals (and I’m sure eventually children) in my care. It was so uplifting to see everyone share kind words with the OP, and to hear about the rays of sunshine at the end.
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I am so sorry for everyone who has lost a pet so tragically. This thread has helped me cope with the recent loss of my beloved horse. He was injured when someone was leading him and he slipped and fell. With great veterinary care, he seemed to be making a steady recovery. Then suddenly, his health nosedived when the injury led to a bone infection that didn’t respond to antibiotics. The vet was amazing but she said there was no hope for recovery and I couldn’t let such a sweet, loving animal suffer as he was suffering.
I had to make the heartwrenching decision to have him euthanized and honestly, I have cried more over the loss of my dear horse than I did over the deaths of my husband and my father. It just about kills me that an accident in someone else’s care led to the situation that ultimately ended his life. The ‘what-ifs’ definitely magnify the pain of loss. However, the woman who was leading him was truly sorry and I never asked for the complete details because it was too painful - it just happened. I forgive her but it is still so very difficult to really comprehend that the center of my life is gone.
Reading all your posts reminds me that time is a merciful healer. I’m not there yet, but I’m hopeful.
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I accidentally killed our dog. I typed out the details and then hit back space. It felt to difficult to read and wasn’t sure it would be too difficult for anyone else to read.
We rescued a new dog the next day. It felt like a step towards atonement, though also selfish in a way. I think it was the right thing to do in the balance. I still feel I need to do more.
Everyone has been supportive, but it is really hard because there is no measure for what is enough. If you are convicted of a crime, there is a definite penalty and you can pay it or do your time. Not knowing what the dept is and having killed an animal that was so special and irreplaceable feels impossible.
I am both afraid of never forgetting the pain and the feeling that losing the pain will be losing part of myself.
We are taking it one step at a time and the new dog is a great comfort, but it is still very hard. Also making an appointment to see a counselor.
Edit: I forgot to thank the other contributors to this thread. It really helps.
Your update made me so happy!
I’ve found some comfort in reading this thread so thank you to everyone for sharing their stories. I’m going to share mine and hope it helps me, and others to feel less alone.
My beautiful bunny rabbit Maisie has lived with my Dad for the last 3 years. She moved to my parents with me after I split from my husband and my Dad was so attached to her we decided she would stay when I moved.
My mum passed away after a long and difficult cancer battle last year and Maisie has been keeping my Dad going, she was his company and reason for getting out of bed in the morning.
Yesterday he was decorating and didnt know she was underneath him and when he stepped down he trod on her head. I wasnt there but saw the blood after. He said she was wriggling and squirming and he picked her up and put her in her carry cage and took her to the vet. By time he was in the car her body was limp and she died at the vets. Sorry for the details I can’t stop picturing it.
I am heartbroken. It sounds ridiculous but right now this pain feels worse than losing my mum and I dont know how my Dad will ever cope with the loss and guilt. It all feels unbearable. I dont blame him at all. I’m struggling to function. I want to suggest him getting another pet but I dont know if I should as that’s my choice and for him that might not be the right thing to do.
