I am so sorry that you have lost your wonderful Sabrina and Sasha - and both within 4 weeks. What a blow you must feel. I often wonder at the great affection and bond with my cats - it is a wondrous thing - and how I will ever bear to lose them when it is time. Sure don't have any answers. But aren't we fortunate for the time we do have with them?!
A garden memorial planting sounds lovely. Keep us apprised.

So sorry to hear about your kitties :( It is hard to lose them...
But, you have to continue doing the good work - rescuing, spaying/neutering, and giving hope and good homes...
Planting a little garden/plants is a great idea.

When I lost Bubba - he got hit by a car - I decided to start volunteering at ACT, helping lots of ferals in his honor. At ACT, we have "Street Kitty" program - you could foster a few little kitties as it is fun and very distracting to have a few loving crazy kittens entertaining you for hours.
Olya

I can relate to your losses. Last year I lost Mack and Scrappy. Mack lived to 18 and was a sweet and gentle cat from the day I got him. Scrappy lived long enough to soothe our son when he came back from Iraq. He'd sit with him nights when he couldn't sleep. He must have sense his job was done so he died. They are both cremated and buried under our Angel Trumpets. SOme people don't 'get' cats but you have to live with them to understand their subtle ways.
I have other cats too but I still miss these.
Sorry for your loss.

My heart aches for you as I know the pain of losing a pet can cause. It leaves a hole in your heart. Hope it helps to vent a little. ;o)

I am sitting here reading your post with tears streaming down my face. I know exactly how you feel. I had to have my "old lady" kitty "Sugar Baby" put to sleep in October.
She was 21 years old and I had her for her entire life. She slept with me every night and was truly my baby. I too have other cats that I love but none of them compared to her. I still walk into the house and expect her to come meet me.
My next door neighbor and best friend who is also a cat lover and has lost 2 of her special pets have a shared cemetary in my back garden. There is nothing wrong with keeping a special place for remembering, along with a special place in your heart. I truly am sorry for your loss.

I visit the Pet Forum too and recognized you from this forum. It is so hard to lose a furry child - I lost my garden buddy, Chelsea nearly two years ago and even though we have gotten 2 beautiful pups since, I still miss seeing Chelsea laying in the yard while I garden.

Sweet Peas sound nice. I noticed Wal-Mart just put out their new seeds this week. What else do you think you would choose to plant for them?

Saintpfla, So sorry to hear about Sabrina and Sasha. I can imagine how you are feeling. I have my stories of my losses
also. It is good to mourn and cry for our furry love ones. After the time of mourning it is good to remember the good times that you share with each other and be thankful that
you had such a wonderful relationship with both of your sweet peas. It is good to hear such a closeness that you've had with them. Do plant something in their memory. By the way this is on topic since we are talking about a memorial planting/gardening.
My best to you,
Felix

Oh I'm so sorry. I too have lost a couple beloved buddies in the past 18 months and it leaves a terrible hole in your life. Especially with cats that interacted with you so closely. Thanks for sharing the story about Sabrina alerting you to the burglar - she was a very special cat!

I like your plan to plant Sweat Peas for your babies. It will feel like a good thing, even if you cry when you see them bloom. For my 18 year old Roxy I planted a sanbo lemon tree. Then a few months later we lost Crazy Putter to an illness. It was shortly after my mother passed away last spring and so we had her cremated and buried with Mom. (If hearing that we buried a cat with a person makes you crazy, I'm sorry, but for us and for my mother it seemed like the right thing to do.)

A totally unexpected thing happened in our house after the loss of the second cat though and you may see a similar change. One of our boy cats - who had been a tough and independent little guy - has taken over as The Cuddler. It took a couple months but now it's a regular thing. I've wondered if my increase in attention to Jack brought about the change. Or maybe it was a cat caste system and the older cats had privileges. I hope your boys fill some of the gaps and help you through this.

Hugs,
Kate

I am so very sad, and honestly, it's hard to stop crying long enough to do any work. Thank goodness, I work from home. I think focusing on Sasha and trying to save her delayed my grieving for Sabrina. Now, I can't seem to do anything else but grieve.

I haven't lost a pet since I was a child. I'm single and have no kids (which I am fine with that status), so my pets definitely are my little 'family'. I'm having a hard time with losing both of my cats at the same time, for sure.

You go day after day thinking your pets will always be there and then, one day, they are gone. It's so hard and there's no way to prepare emotionally for it and you miss their little spirits and the daily routine so much.

I've never done a memorial garden before, but thought I'd get some ideas of what to do here. So far, I only came up with Sweet Peas. My cats were indoor only but enjoyed viewing the yard and gardens. Right now, I don't know if a memorial garden would make me feel sad or at peace.

Thanks for listening and for sharing your own experiences and for understanding what I'm going through.

Saintpfla, I too am sorry to hear about your loss. I know all too well how devastating it is to lose beloved pets, but never two so close together as you have.

I think it is a great idea to plant something to remember them by, but I would suggest that instead of planting an annual that maybe you should consider something that will grow for many years to come. That way you will be able to enjoy the plant and remember your cats in the years to come when the pain has faded.

This past summer I had to have my dog put to sleep. I buried him in the garden next to the pond and planted an orange bird of paradise there. Now when I see that plant I feel that in a way my dog lives on, and hopefully in a few years when it starts blooming I will be reminded of my little buddy.

I am so sorry for all your losses. We almost lost our baby last year...we were sure she was going to leave us....she had cancer.....but her vet saved her.....I know how you guys feel....when she was in the vet I couldn't do anything but imagine her being alone and dying without me...i could barely go to school...thank god she pulled through...now when I look at her I thank god for every day she is with us....she does not even look like she was ever sick....we have decided then when she does go we will cremate her and bury her under a fruit tree of some kind. I hope I don't have to feel your pain for a long while...just reading these post make me want to cry.

Hi, Saint,

I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. There are really no words to make you feel better. The pain is something you just have to work your way through. And you WILL, eventually. Then you can remember the happy times and special moments.

We lost our 16 year old cat to lung cancer (believe it or not...in a smoke free home, too) in 2000, and less than 3 months later, we lost his best buddy (besides Mark), our 13 year old Persian. It was a hard time, to be sure. Then the new kitten we rescued who looked just like our 16 year old was diagnosed with FELV and I had to have HIM put to sleep. I will never forget that summer!

We buried the cats in a semi-circle, with a slate marker over each, but had to leave them behind when we moved a couple of years later.

Shortly after we moved into this house (which we don't plan to leave, god willing), we lost my beloved dachshund, Oscar. I created an entire flowerbed for him, with a birdbath in the center, right over where he is lying. I am still experimenting with the plants, but my basic plan is to have something structural to define the area (in my case, bricks) and then both perennials and annuals inside the bed. The perennials will give more structure and a sense of permanence to Oscar's Bed, and the annuals will add seasonal color.

Whatever you choose, it will make you feel better and help with the healing to create something special in honor of your very special cats.

Good luck! And we'll all be thinking about you during this difficult time. Let us know what you decide to do for your memorial.

Marcia

I'm sorry to hear of your losses; althought I'm not a cat person (my sister has over 50 and that's ruin it for me) I do have pets and know (truly) how much they enrich our lives. Be strong and know that times heals all wounds.

I'm so sorry. I too know the pain of losing a pet. There is nothing like it. Here is a link that might give you comfort.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here

People have said that dogs are mans best friend but I think that for some of us cats are our true soul mates. It's been many years since I've been in a position to have a feline partner but I do remember those I've had in the past. my condolences on your loss. Two at a time would be more than I think I could take. As for planting something in their honor the first thing that comes to mind is catnip of course. No telling who would come along to help you with your loss.

R'

saintpfla, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know we're not supposed to have favorites, but I also have 1 favorite cat out of the 7 I have left.

I, too, lost a furry loved one recently. It is devastating, all I can suggest is that you go ahead and cry for her, think of her and miss her. Eventually you will heal, the other cats will change and life will go on.

It's not every day you meet that special cat who reads you and understands you. When you are ready to move on, you will be thankful for the experience and you can cherish that memory.

Peace be with you.

Lets face it, a cat is part of your family and you are grieving a death in your family. Animal people "get it" and non animal people never will. I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending you (((((hugs)))))
Kristi

I really appreciate all of your shared experiences and sentiments and the link. It's nice to know how much our pets have meant to us all and how much their presence improves and adds value to our lives.

Give your pets a big hug and a smooch and tell them how much you love them for they are gone out of your life far too quickly.

Thanks for understanding what I am going through and for letting me share this with you all.

I'm so sorry for your losses. Can you show photos of Sasha and Sabrina so we can know their faces?

We lost our beloved clinic cat "Tommy" yesterday. He had lived with us for 12 years at our Animal Hospital, an FIV+ Feral Tomcat that became a much adored "Healer cat" and talented writer, who had regular columns in our clinic newsletter.

Losing pets is incredibly difficult. I tend to wall off each death and pretend that I will think about it later. So, I find myself crying, unexpectedly, while driving, when I think of my lost animals.

I always blame myself, wishing I could have saved them, even when there was no hope. No matter how long a special pet lives, it is never enough.

My girls send love and hugs to you.

Lisa

I had a horrible dog as a grooming client for over 5 years. His name was Chainsaw and he was a cage guarder. He was a cockapoo who sounded like he would kill you if you got too close to his cage. Getting him out was difficult enuff.I always had to muzzle him to groom him, but we made our peace and he liked you to rub the top of his head.
He was boarding over Christmas and one day couldn't walk. The Vet found a tumor and he was put down last Monday, and now I'm crying as I think about it.

But life goes on and Lisa we had a 9 month old Mastiff in for puppy shots. It was a brindle? almost bluish and beautiful.

This may help.
I also suggest a longer lived plant for them. Neighbors gave me a hibiscus when my mother died a couple of years ago. Not an exotic double, just a plain single red one. Planted it where I can see it when I look out my den window and it immediately bloomed. The bright green leaves tell me its happy and when it flowers I know it is joyous.
Yeah, I know, gardeners are crazy.
ron

For planting, I would suggest a long lived plant which will bloom around this time of the year
Camellia comes to mind - Lowes have them now, in one gal containers, for a little less than 6 dollars. This is the only time of the year they sell it too

I would love to share photos of my two beautiful girls.

Sasha was a stray who found me 8 years ago this month, in fact. I has just bought my home and had only been in it for a about a week or so. I was making my morning coffee in the kitchen, looked out the window and saw this tiny, 3-4 month old kitty curled up in some over-grown grass. She was in awful shape.

You could see every bone in her body (hips, back, etc) and it appeared that someone had burned her head with cigarrettes. She had 2-3 round burn-holes on her head.

I didn't want cat #3 and tried hard to find a proper home for her. But, I ended up so very attached to her and her sweet personality I couldn't stand to part with her. She was absolutely the most sweetest cat - always gave tons of kisses. The below picture captures her little personality quite well.

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Here's another one of my favorite pictures of Sasha:

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Below is of Sabrina, The Super Model. She was sleek, 100% jet black and exotic looking. She had a very strong will and personality. She despised everyone except for me- whom she adored.

She went through alot healthwise - hyperthyroid, kidney disease and cardio-myopathy. Even my vet said she's never seen a cat with such an incredible will to survive. I think Sabrina hung on for me, knowing how devastated I would be when she passed.

She is the only cat I actually picked out from the SPCA. They rest have all come into my life on their own. Actually, Sabrina picked me as well. I had spent over an hour looking at all kinds of cats and decided to 'think it over' and return the next day.

Something made me turn around as I was almost to the exit. I looked and saw a cage of kittens that I had some how missed. All the kittens were asleep in a pile -- except for one. She was sitting straight up and staring intently at me and pressed against the cage. I "knew" she was the one. She was only 6 weeks old (they no longer adopt them out that young anymore, thank goodness...) and absolutely adorable. She grew up to be my most devoted companion and The Queen of the house.

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I sure do miss them both....

I am so very sorry to read your post... my heart truly aches for you. we have 2 schnauzers, and I know I will have to endure what you're going through someday. The wounds to your heart are too deep and too raw just now...but someday (soon, I pray!) you'll think of those two sweet babies and some of the fun and mischief, and your heart will be full of joy and happy memories. All of us on this board, in one way or another, have a desire to nurture - you will continue that with your other 'kids'. I wish you many good memories - know that we all send you warm hugs through the tears.

I've wanted to post my condolences for a couple days now, but each time I get so emotional I have to get up and do something else...you have my deepest deepest sympathies, and I understand a bit of what you're feeling - my Miicoh, whom I've had since the age of 18 and has been through everything with me passed away just before Christmas. He was my main man. I still cannot believe it, he's just always been there. One thing that has helped is creating his special garden around where he's resting now...lets him know how much he meant to me. I have also taken in a new baby that needed a home and getting my other cat & the poodle to accept him has been a huge distraction although it does not lessen the loss. Sending you thoughts of comfort, and thankful your special kitties had you, and have you!

Nat

Saintpfla...I'd like to add my heartfelt condolences as well.
Sorry they're a bit late...(I've not been online for a few weeks...I had to travel up north right before Christmas as I just lost my sister.)

Anyway...I feel your pain for your fur-babies.
The memory of having to let my sweet "Chong" go from intestinal cancer, some 20 years ago, is still, at times, disabling for me.

While some folks think "a cat is simply a cat", some of us know better.

These days...I am dreading the time, which is coming quickly, that my little "Scooter Pie" leaves this world...each time I lose a beloved pet, whether it be a cat or a dawg, I promise myself there will be no more...but in my heart, I know that's just plain selfish on my part as there are just so many critters that need safe, loving homes.
Consequently, I will cave again and again...perhaps I need them more than they need me?

Sending you soothing thoughts and huge hugs, saintpfl...I'm so sorry.

Here's a picture of my sweet baby, Maddie, that I lost in October. Picture taken the day before she died.

She was such a loving and gentle baby even though she was frequently in kidney/bladder pain. I am relieved that she is no longer suffering.

I think the ability to love and share our lives with pets makes us better people.