Losing A Pet

Ok, I'm going to challenge myself not to reach for the box of Kleenex tissues while writing this post! Possibly easier said than done, but we'll give it a go.


For those who haven't looked at my social media profiles lately because you were on a social media detox or something like that, my beautiful cat Charlie passed away at the end of May. He was a huge part of my life for 11 years and I miss him very much. Me and my Mam made the heartbreaking decision to have him put to sleep due to ill health. He had an operation back in April to have a couple of teeth taken out and he wasn't the same since that day. It looked like he had developed cancer over a short period of time and eventually it just took over.





As you can imagine, I was utterly devastated driving him up to the vets, it felt I was driving in my car for 5 years, not 5 minutes. We got there, saw the vet, she checked him over and said the dreaded words - there was nothing more that could be done for him. I made the decision to stay with him when he was having the injection. I didn't want him to be on his own when he died, well, not just leave him with the vet anyway. I wanted him to have a familiar voice and face near him when he died, even though it was killing me, I knew I would have regretted it even more if I had just left him. After he passed away, the vet left me with him to say my goodbyes. Probably one of the hardest and gut wrenching goodbyes I will ever have to make. I left the vets a broken woman. Knowing I was never going to see him again broke my heart. The pain of losing a pet never gets easier.


I cried for three days after Charlie died. People will probably say "It's just a cat" , I'm telling you now, you say that to my face, be prepared to have a broken nose. It doesn't matter what type of pet it is, whether it's a cat, a dog, a hamster or even a pet snail, it's still your pet, you show them so much love then they break your bloody heart when they die.


Before Charlie passed away, I watched this debate on Good Morning Britain about whether people should be granted compassionate leave from work when their pet dies. This is something I am totally for! To some people, their pet is all they have and it can be very devastating to lose that one pet who always greets you when you come home and gives you cwtches on your lap.


It isn't required by law for employers to grant time off when an employee's pet dies. Maybe it depends on how compassionate and how much of an animal lover your boss is. I wouldn't say have umpteen days or weeks off, but a day or two wouldn't go amiss. People may think I'm a bit of a snowflake or an oversentimental sap for being pro on this subject, maybe it's just because I'm an animal lover.


It's an upsetting time for any pet owner, it's important for everyone to show compassion to someone who has lost a pet. I would fully understand if someone wanted to take time off work for the loss of their pet, I wouldn't begrudge them or think they were being completely stupid for getting upset over it. It was half term for me last week so thankfully I wasn't in work. I honestly would have taken a couple of days off if I was meant to be in work, I couldn't sit at a desk helping the kids when they got my tears staining their exercise books. Let me know what you think of about people taking time off work for the death of a pet


So did I make it to the end of writing this post without needing tissues? Of course I bloody didn't! I starting blubbing after the first couple of sentences! All that's left for me to say is sleep tight my little boy, thank you for being the best cat I could ask for.

Lucy
22 comments
  1. If I could give you a big hug I would. I have a 17 year old dog and literally fear the day that we had to say goodbye for now to him. One day at a time, and just think how lucky you are to have had all the lovely memories.

    xoxo
    Jess
    The Crown Wings | UK Travel & Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Thank you Jess, give your dog a big hug from me! xx

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  2. I am so sorry for your loss, what a beautiful kitty! I've lost a few cats over the years but the one that always sticks with me is Ozzy. Even though it was 9 years ago to this day I still think about him and having to say goodbye at the vets. I decided not to stay with him while he died because my mum and I thought it would be too upsetting but I seriously regret it. As upsetting as it might have been I wish I had been there to cuddle him as he passed. I agree with you 100% on people saying "it's just a cat" - no it definitely isn't. I hated being made to feel that your loss isn't valid because it's an animal. It shouldn't matter, they are still a huge part of your life and its bloody heartbreaking to lose them. As for the taking time off, again, I completely agree with you. Just a day or two works wonders for getting your head together and allowing yourself to grieve however you need to, and more employers should be aware of that. Dealing with the loss of a pet is awful, but the best thing I've found is to focus on the lovely memories you've had with them and to remember that it's okay to get upset when you start to miss them. Sending you lots of love ❤️ x

    Amy | sassycatlady.com

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    1. Your comment has made my day Amy thank you! It is a grieving process you go through when a pet dies so it’s right to ask for time off work, Ozzy must have been some cat! I’m sure he was beautiful! x

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  3. So sad to read this Lucy! It must've been absolutely horrible. I hope writing this post has managed to help you through the experience though :) x

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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  4. I'm so sorry for your loss! He looks like he was such a gorgeous boy and it sounds like you had a great relationship. Losing a pet is one of the most heartbreaking feelings. The pain of losing both my dog a few years ago and my cat a couple of years ago is a pain I can't even describe. Pet's are like family members not just animals. It is so hard to let them go but they'll all be on the rainbow bridge with all the other amazing pets. Sending you so much love and best wishes xx

    Lauren | itslaurenvictoria.co.uk

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    1. Thank you Lauren I really did! He was an amazing cat, I miss him dreadfully! I get you babe, the pain is unreal and it’s so incomparable to anything else! I’m so sorry you had to go through the pain of losing two pets, that really is heartbreaking, I lost another cat Lily 9 months ago, she went missing and never came home xx

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  5. So sorry for your loss! Losing a pet is heartbreaking! I was a mess when I lost my cat and know that I'll be devastated if anything happens to any of my other fur babies! And I completley agree with the compassionate leave, even if it's just a day or two!

    Hannah
    www.writtenbyhan.com

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    1. Thank you Hannah, it's so devastating when a pet dies x

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  6. I did see this on Twitter and I'm so sorry for your loss. I've seen quite a few pet loses and tragic pet stories on social media recently - it's so upsetting. I definitely think you should be granted compassionate leave. My boyfriend's dog had to be put down last November and his boss let him have 4 or 5 days off because obviously he was upset and wouldn't have been any good at work. Which I thought was really nice of him x

    Jenny
    http://www.jennyinneverland.com

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    1. So have I Jenny! I've noticed more tragic pet stories in the last couple of weeks which is really sad! Your boyfriend's boss sounds like a kind man for doing that for your boyfriend, not many bosses are that nice and considerate x

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  7. So sorry about Charlie. I'm not normally an animal person, but I can understand how difficult it must be. My cousin has a dog who I love so much and it's weird to think about him not being there. Sending hugs x

    Megan | https://meganelizabethlifestyle.com/

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  8. I'm sorry for the loss of your cat, losing a pet is truly awful and heartbreaking! :( I'll never understand the people who say "it's just a cat/dog/rabbit/etc", pets are WAY more than "just a pet"; they are members of the family. I agree that people should be given compassionate leave from work when they lose a pet, even if it's just a couple of days to allow that person a little time to grieve. It's very hard to work when you're dealing with a loss.

    I lost my first pet in 2011. Thankfully, it was a few days after the school year ended though so I didn't have to go to school and I had the summer. The loss still hurt though, and it was my first real experience with grief, as I'd never lost anyone actually close to me before that day. Literally the day after he was put down The Sims announced their Pets expansion pack for The Sims 3 though, and it made me feel a little better (considering gaming was my way to cope), although I cried watching the trailer for it.

    Sending you lots of love during this time. 💖

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    1. A pet's loss always hurts lovely, this is the third pet I've lost but it's still heartbreaking every time, I used to be one for playing the Sims! I haven't played it in at least 10 years! x

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  9. I'm so sorry for your loss princess. Loosing a family member can be such a hard thing. Please know that I'm sending you all of my love and support. 💜

    With love, Alisha Valerie x | www.alishavalerie.com

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  10. So sorry to hear about your cat, I get what you mean when you say your animals are family, I felt the exact same with my dog. When we made the hardest decision to have my yorkshire terrier put to sleep it completely broke me, but it just wasn't fair to keep her alive just for us to be happy when she was clearly not well and in pain and nothing more could be done to help her.
    Mine lived a happy and loved 16 years with us as a family, as I'm sure you cat did with you aswell in he's 11 years, and in the end he knew you were doing what was right for him xx

    Claire || www.clairejoanne.com

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    1. Aww I’m sorry about your Yorkshire terrier lovely! It is such a difficult decision to make but you know you’re doing the right thing in the end xx

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  11. So sorry to hear about your cat. :( I lost my girl cat over 2 years ago, and it was horrible. She had kidney disease and just got worse in a couple of days. Still miss my girl. Thinking of you. <3

    Zania
    x

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    1. Aww I'm so sorry to hear about your cat! I can imagine that you still miss her, pets have such an impact on your life! x

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