I haven’t had a dead one on my hands in a long time.
But the plan is:
Regret that I hadn’t started working on the Pyramid that was to house them and all the supplies they’d need for the afterlife. In Egypt, these were started when the pharoah was born. So I know I’ll be SOL.
For cats especially, I try to fill the “cat-shaped hole” left in my life immediately. I know that I need a cat, but I pick out the next one on its own merits. I can miss one and simultaneously enjoy another.
I lost my kitty soul mate in Oct. of 2011. I finally started to not burst into tears every time I thought of her this past fall. She would sleep snuggled up to me under the covers, greet me at the door and lick my face, and even though she was an inside cat we would go on leash walks outside. She was only 8- and got fibrosarcoma that was embedded in her abdominal wall on her belly. If she had been old and it was her time, I probably would have handled it better.
Time was the thing that helped the most. And right after I put her to sleep, I ended up trapping a feral cat that I had been working on getting, who then got loose in my basement. And I worked on befriending her so I could get her spayed, and then finally she started working her way upstairs. Now she is my kitty. Nothing like the last one, of course, but helping her helped me get over the loss of my beloved.
I lost my heart dog last July. Spencer was 14, and in my heart I knew his time left was short, but I had hoped he would see me through the loss of my mother, who is terminally ill. No such luck, I’m afraid. As it turned out, my girlfriend and I adopted a second dog from a rescue the week before Spencer suddenly became ill and left me no choice but to let him go. Having another dog in the house has helped, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss my little buddy, and wish he was still with me. Suzy is a great dog, and a total departure both physically and personality wise from Spencer. In some ways this has been good, I can’t really compare a Lab mix who wants nothing more than to run like a loon to the bossy-pants Schnoodle that was Spencer. Sometime soon I hope to find another one.
I think the choice to wait has been taken out of my hands. Saturday afternoon, while I was trying to take my mind off the “it was exactly a week ago now I was giving him his last treats/taking the last pictures/setting up the spare bedroom to say goodbye”, I took the dogs out to play and special dog re-injured her hip. I’m going to take it as a sign to keep the focus on the animals we have for now. It would be just like that rotten old guy to run my life from the grave. 
Really appreciate the stories. I’m doing much, much better but it helps to come back and read about all the different ways people work it out. Still know I want to do it again but I’m going to wait until there truly feels like an empty spot in our house, not just one in our hearts.
So ummm… The rescue contacted me about an older cat needing a foster and made it very easy for me to get him. He is the spitting image of the cat we just lost, who was a pretty unique color. Super friendly and sweet, happy to let the kids love all over him and rubbed up against my dog that slipped in his foster room.
It’s too soon to say that he’s a keeper but we are enjoying the nice old man energy for now.
That’s wonderful! You get to foster with no pressure to keep. Congratulations!
My deepest condolences 
Normally I like to jump in and get another ASAP and my parents are always the, “No more dogs ever!” for a few months. But we just put my Boxer girl down Monday and the tables were totally turned, I wasn’t ready at ALL and they wanted a new dog STAT. Everyone is different, and I’ve now found out even you can be different pet to pet. I gotta say though, the new little feller only took about 5 minutes to win me over 
Just a quick note to offer my sympathies. I went through the same loss of a treasured cat last weekend and still just about lose it every time I see one of his “special spots” without his cute furry little self curled up on it.
I did change out the duvet on my bed because I simply couldn’t handle seeing the old one there without him. I don’t know why that was such a big deal but it is far easier to cope now that the bed/room looks different than it did before. I’ve also not run a vacuum over the rug in the den that has all those precious grey hairs on it nor have I done the laundry that he slept on before we took him to the emergency clinic. We nursed him round the clock for ten days with the help of some truly wonderful vets but we lost the fight in the end.
I do think everyone is different but I think it will be a long while before I get another cat. We do still have the brother of the one we lost and another one that we rescued after her original family abandoned her, and that is enough for now.
Sending many hugs. It is so hard to lose one.
Update on the new cat:
He’s perfect for us. It’s almost like getting a do-over of the cat we lost. The very few ways they are different are VERY different and make me appreciate each one more. Because they look and act so much alike, I catch myself calling him the old cat’s name sometimes but it’s not upsetting anymore. Maybe even comforting?
It’s taken the kids a while to get over losing him and one of them told me the Maroon 5 song, Daylight, brings it all back. I’d never paid attention but, yeah. It’s the saddest “we’re going to euth our best friend tomorrow” song ever.
[QUOTE=CrazyGuineaPigLady;6905944]
He’s perfect for us. It’s almost like getting a do-over of the cat we lost. The very few ways they are different are VERY different and make me appreciate each one more. Because they look and act so much alike, I catch myself calling him the old cat’s name sometimes but it’s not upsetting anymore. Maybe even comforting?
It’s taken the kids a while to get over losing him and one of them told me the Maroon 5 song, Daylight, brings it all back. I’d never paid attention but, yeah. It’s the saddest “we’re going to euth our best friend tomorrow” song ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1q9ojtZqiI[/QUOTE]
So glad the New Cat is filling the bill!
Oh, and I think I would need something softer and less rockin’ for the last night with a cat packing her bags for a ride across the River Styx. I’m not saying we’d have to go all the way to Barry Manilow, but a cat does like some easy listening.
I’m a head banger and my kids are teeny boppers so that would be considered soothing music to us, and Simon. :lol: New cat would appreciate something a little more mellow, though.
I am so sorry OP. ((hugs))
Just finished the list, am glad you have a New Kitty and that he’s fitting in!
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