i'm so very sorry for your loss. i've been down this road too many times to count and i have to agree with you...the older i get, the harder it becomes. i wonder, does it make us think about our own mortality? i don't know...

it also seems to take me longer each time to be able to look at pictures and remember my dog with smiles instead of tears. some have been much more difficult than others even though i have loved them all with my whole heart and soul.

(((hugs))) to you in your sorrow.

I am so sorry for your loss. They do become members of our families and it is hard when they pass.

So so sorry to hear of your loss. Yeah, the older I get the harder it is.... and I think also the older the cat, the harder it is. .... Just because the bonds are that much stronger ... you've shared so much. Sure they've lived a long happy life, but that doesnt necessarily translate into it being easier to accept. In fact the opposite. I lost my old girl (22 y.o.) a few yrs back and its still hard to think of her without pangs of missing her.

Do cry, as hard and as often as you need to - its nature's way of releasing stress hormones. And make no mistake, this is a major loss in anyone's book. In time the sharp painful edges of the grief will soften.

One thing that's always helped me is to write your cat's biography now while its still fresh - every little detail, how he came into your life, funny stories, quirks, the sound of his meow, everything.... maybe even read it aloud to your friends/relations. It helps to honor him, which helps with the grief... and also Ive found that when I read these stories years later, Im so glad I wrote them down because otherwise I surely would have forgotten.

Thanks to all for your kindness. I know time is the only healer here. I do have great memories of him, and I like the idea of writing his bio and it may be a good therapy for me. My daughter's boyfriend gave him to her while she was a college student. She couldn't keep him at school, of course, so he came to live with us, with the understanding that once she graduated and found a job and an apartment, she would take him with her. Well, of course, we fell in love with him, so by the time that happened, we couldn't give him up. She got another kitten for herself, we kept him and had him for 15 yrs. Right now, I keep feeling like I'll just walk into a room and he will be there. My other cat has been sleeping under the computer table, a place he liked to sleep but she never had until now. So, I do think she is missing him in her own way too.

I'm so sorry for your family's loss. :(

My heart goes out to you, there is no greater love for our pets but to be able to end their suffering, I had to let my 18 year old cat go and the very next day I went to the shelter and adopted another and I never regretted it, I believe it also helped my other cat & dog with the loss they were feeling. My deepest condolences

Sorry.

I'm so sorry.

So sorry as well. Heartbreaking every time. :(

Sad. I'm sure that your cat at some level knew how much you cared.

Thank you. He did know he was loved, we spoiled him terribly! He had a good life for 15 yrs. I just wish we could have kept him longer. We still have one cat left, she is now the queen of the castle. She's elderly too, I hope she stays healthy for a long time, I can't go through the heartache of losing another one for a while yet. I know when the time feels right, I will probably find a kitten (or it will find me, as often is the case) but right now, I am not ready and my little "queen" probably prefers to the the one and only.