10 Ways to Heal After Losing a Pet

A domesticated bird or animal affectionately reared for company or happiness leaves a void hard to fill after death. Especially with senior citizens, the constant companionship like with service dogs can lead to significant grieving when suddenly gone. While cats and dogs seem most common pets in the millions of homes along with birds and fish, many exotic pets abound. They have one aspect in common. Coping with the loss seems to be somewhat similar to losing a family member or close friend.

1. Feel the Grief and Give it Time for Expression

The intensity of pain and loss may differ across persons and the type of pet. Rather than suppress or sweep the feelings under the carpet, feel the emotion deeply. Even in over-busy professional or family lives, ponder the loss and revive associated memories. It may have been for many years that the Great Dane or German Shepherd lived close to the elderly and the children. Surely some images in the album or videos on the computer bring reminders of happier times. Go over them again. The youngsters would feel the loss to a greater extent. Some enlarged images could adorn the walls as if to remind of the happy presence. Watching the images daily is a substitute for watching them in real life.

2. Coming Face to Face With the Loss

A ceremony during or after the funeral with a picture, flowers, and snacks brings the family and friends together. Consider the meeting a farewell get-together. Maybe such meetings were held earlier to mark the birthday or the arrival of tiny ones. Maintain continuity of emotion except that the dear pet will no longer run around and play. Feeling the absence may arouse emotions of the days of magical presence that seemed to continue for an eternity.

3. Don’t rush Into Buying a Substitute

The kids may be insisting on buying another cat after the beloved Kitty is gone but it would not be wise to rush it. Vaguely similar to witching romantic partners, an adjustment process is in place to live without the presence. One of the problems is that the new cat may become a constant haunting reminder of the cruel absence. Consider a change of pet type like a small dog since these are certainly the most common preferred pet types globally. It might be a welcome change and memories of the departed pet may not bother the mind so much. If no succeeding pet comes home, it might be a void harder to fill. Many families continue the tradition of pets, especially during childhood for kids.

4. Overcoming Guilt Feelings

Surveys reveal that guilty feelings follow losing a pet, whatever the cause of death may have been. Life is fragile and naturally, the thought arises that more could have been done to save the life. That is not true for common cases of euthanasia which is mercy killing in old age or terminal illness. Euthanasia is then an end to physical suffering. Even then, guilt feelings are bound to arise, as vehement as ever. It is the transformation that needs acceptance and that takes time. How long is hard to tell.

5. Supporting Professional Care

If the grieving is getting terribly neurotic and emotionally devastating with no signs of consolation working, it would be wise to work with a counselor. The first round of support comes from family members and close friends. Getting over it may not turn out as simple as it seems. Support groups are found online even if local society does not have such a facility. If contact was established with an animal hospital, they may show the way.

6. Write and Publish the Pet Story

Just like writing a diary that almost everybody does, no matter the age, put the entire episode into writing. Having expressed routine thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a diary for so long, it is a common-sense strategy for coping with pet loss. Will it be a poem, a little biography with pictures and videos online, or an article in the local newspaper? Online messages travel far and wide globally within moments, perhaps on a website, social media, or emails. Read up on real-life stories of pet losses and how art and writing, technology, and memoirs put feelings into perspective. Nowadays, digital art is the new reality that expresses everything so meaningfully in a language the whole world understands. Websites online let visitors express their loss and upload pictures too.

7. Sharing the Feelings of Loss

Never forget that so many pet lovers had to say goodbye to pets even if it was years ago. Help them out too. Creative values help in making an impact by compiling a brief hard copy publication supported by the soft copy too. The booklet would help the self and so many others in libraries and reading rooms who are yearning to find such an outlet for pent-up feelings of grief. Photos and artworks, including contributions of family and friends, and coping approaches would attract a lot of attention. Sharing is what caring is all about. Caring for every pet is the idea, of those in the park and in the street. Leave some blank pages for readers to fill in messages about lost pets.

8. Helping Others Cope

Listen to what other pet losers have to say with compassionate patience. Empathize with the pain and offer to help practically by running errands or helping with the cooking and the children. Presence is far more important rather than online sympathy at meetings to condone the loss. While sympathy cards in soft or hard copy are good, presence is so much better. Anniversaries of birth or death are significant occasions when the feelings revive.

9. Let go and move on

Like spiritual literature teaches, after time has healed the wounds at least partially, look forward positively. The numb grief resolves through nature’s wand. Though the memory remains it is time to say goodbye for good with a heavy heart.

10. Help out at an Animal Shelter

Volunteering is universal and soothes by helping lonely and injured creatures like that lost pet. Those suffering creatures need a helping hand and a few hours spent at such a spot certainly brings solace.

Conclusion

Life will never be the same again but such is the nature of impermanence. Individuals differ and adjustments need to be made accordingly to soothe feelings and keep sweet memories alive. Media is awesomely important that carries messages across the world. A little artistic multimedia work on the lost pet encapsulates thoughts and feelings effectively. Carry out brief ceremonies to mark the passing.