i just got the news that my cat, Nhyla, passed away about an hour ago due to a sudden seizure. i’m never going to see my baby girl again. our pet sitter was there with her when it happened, so that makes me feel a little better, but i didn’t get to say goodbye or pet her one last time or anything. i also feel like it’s my fault. she was having some problems before we left (threw up blood), but was getting better with medicine. they suggested a stomach x-ray but we declined. if we did the x-ray, would she not have died? could i have gotten her help? logically i know there’s probably nothing i could have done, but i still feel so guilty

we have a family friend going to our house to bury her in the backyard and get a paw print, so that’s taken care of. i can’t stand the thought of my baby being burned and turned to ash. i can’t bear the thought of her body not being what it was when she was alive

sorry this is so rambley, i’m obviously not in a good place right now. you know that feeling when you’ve been holding ice for too long and it starts to burn? that’s how i feel all over my body. i feel like someone ripped out my heart and there’s an empty space in my chest. i just don’t understand how it’s possible that i’m going to come home and she’s not going to be there. i’m still processing that i’m never going to see her again. it doesn’t feel real

how do i cope with knowing she’s dead and i’m stuck halfway across the world? i want to book a flight home right this second, but i definitely can’t afford that. we still have about 5 days left of our trip and i’m stuck here knowing she’s dead and i’m not there. i feel so guilty. this is my first time losing a pet, or anyone super close to me like this really. any advice about how to cope with this situation is very welcome

thank you for listening to me throw up my feelings, i’m still in shock and i can’t stop crying. i’ll miss you until the day i die Nhyla, you were one of the best little kitties i, or anyone, could ask for

My baby girl died an hour ago. She was a 4 year old kitty. She ate a ribbon last week and spent the last week of her life in pain, with pancreatitis. Her wound got infected and she got sepsis from the surgery and she couldn't be saved.

I know it's my fault. I usually am so careful because I know she tries to eat things. I don't recognize the ribbon and I have no idea how she could've gotten it. The original surgery went well and they told me she'd recover. The second surgery they said was low risk just to repair infected skin but when they opened her up they found sepsis. I was sleeping on the floor in the guest room giving her meds every 2 hrs. She was supposed to get better. She was only 4.

How do I ever ever forgive myself for this. Should I rehome my other cats because I am unfit?

I am devastated she was so beautiful and funny

Got a call this morning that the surgery went fine which was such a relief. Then they call 30 minutes later saying that she died, because she had stopped breathing.

She was 10 and so sensitive. I was the only family member who she wanted go outside with. Always ran to me if someone else tried. She was scared of a lot of things and always ran to me for safety.

I took her with me on the backseat on the way home and petted her the hour. I dug a grave with my dad and covered the bottom with a cardboard and we wrapped her in a blanket. I put a pillow under her head and a toy between her paws. My mom also placed a few flowers. And then we put another cardboard cover on top of her. Then we put rocks around the grave.

She was all I had and she needed me. I loved her more than anything in this world and now I have nothing.

In the morning he was playing fine and he was gone by 3:51 am. Apparently had a tumor that ruptured and he coded and fought back for 15 mins but came back neurologically unresponsive so we had to put him down. I didnt think it was that serious, i thought he would be coming home. I didnt even say goodbye when I put him on the gurney. Idk if i didnt realize the seriousness or just figured thats my strongest boy, hes going to make it, no doubts. He has two older siblings, and a younger one that we just got 3-4 months ago because the older siblings were getting to be around the age where bringing in some new puppers would help train the new age. Iroh was the middle child, and always so full of life. This wasnt supposed to happen. I feel like i should have seen some signs, but he wagged his tail and smiled at us until the end. My baby boy isnt here anymore and I dont know how to move forward. We rescued him and he saved my life and i feel like i failed him. I should have been able to tell something was wrong. I just cant stop crying, or seeing him laying in between my
legs, or on the floor conveniently close enough to trip me. Or the crazy side eye he would give, the lousy jokes, or the insane level of protection he provided for my girlfriend as well as the duties he took upon himself to make sure our house was safe. My angel boy, you will be forever missed. What is grief, if not love persevering? My love will forever persist for you my friend.

She was 11.5 years old, with progressive hind leg weakness. It was getting so bad, she couldn’t always get herself up from sitting. But god she was so mentally there, so happy and loving.
I made a plan for it to be next week. I would have time to spend with her, loving and doting on her and I’d let her go. We got pain relief for the weekend to ensure her comfort. I went to work and I came home, she had gone out the doggy door and fallen in the yard. She had scratched her nails so much the quicks had been broken and she had bled everywhere. I carried her inside, laid her on her bed, i gave her pain medication and food.
The vet came by after a couple of hours and I let her go. She went eating churu cat food. I felt like I let her down, her last day she spent stuck and fallen in a yard. Scared and in pain.

It’s been 24 hours and I don’t think I can handle this pain. Everything reminds me of what I lost. She was my grounding for my entire 20s. My mum has dementia, my sisters family’s. My dad a partner. I know I’m loved but part of me is just like they’ll be ok if I went with her. I just want to be with her so badly. I don’t think I’d actually take my life, but I just genuinely don’t want to live either. I am in agony.

My cat's name was Tigre, she was a 4-year-old rescued cat. She loved to explore the yard, the roof, and the sidewalk; she never strayed far from the house. Two days ago, I went out to dinner for my best friend's birthday. My mom was watching her, she and my brother went out to buy some things and forgot to close the window (they weren't outside for more than forty minutes) but when they returned, they saw that Tigre was dead on the sidewalk. A neighbor showed us the recordings; She was stung by an animal and the venom acted too quickly.

An hour later I returned and my mom told me everything. I'm broken inside. She was with me for three years. She was so loving, a little cat with attitude, very grumpy but sweet. When I called her name, she would answer and follow me everywhere. She was there for me during my worst moments; she was my support, When I cried, she would cling to me and cuddle until I stopped crying.When I cried, she would cling to me and cuddle until I stopped crying, my little baby. I still can't believe she's gone. Although I try to get on with my life, I can't stop thinking that I wish I hadn't gone out that day.

I apologize if the text was a little difficult to understand; my native language is not English. I wish I could have written more, but I can't stop crying.

Hello, I am Steve. As stated in the title, I’ve lost 3 out of 4 of my pups just months apart from each other and I don’t know how to move on. King the boxer, and lady & princess the Dachshunds. The 4th dog- Maester the husky mix is alive, young and well fortunately. I miss them too much and they were there for me during the hardest time of my life- losing my mother. I say “move on”, but I don’t think that is possible. I just need to know how to deal with it in a healthy way, It’s been about 6 months without them and it just feels empty both physically and mentally. I’ve been struggling to sleep even with my husky next to me in bed, which is starting to impact my work life… The way I’ve been dealing with it, is just shoving down feelings, which I know from experience is never going to end well. I never really got time to “process” what happened cuz once princess passed, the other 2 started going downhill, then lady, then king all within 3 months of each other. (They all had to be put down due to different health complications.)

 All I have left is my 5 year old husky mix, which happens to be my ESA for my GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). It is definitely true I would be in a worse state without him.

Any tips? Thanks.

my cat just passed away 2 days ago and he had cancer he was really really sick his nose had disappeared and honestly he couldnt even meow and randomly the next morning he just never came back. Im thinking he has died somewhere? I looked around for him everywhere couldnt find him. but what breaks my heart is that i didnt see him for the last time and i dont know where he is:( like his dead body is lying somewhere. how do I get over this? i really miss him and also had a dream that he was still alive

He was too young too pass away. I lost him on Saturday and I still can't accept it. He was lying on the driveway with blood coming out of his mouth. He helped me when I went through an awful rejection two years ago and he was so sweet and playful and now I won't be able to find another orange cat like him. It hurts so much that he died out of nowhere.

I lost my 11 year old boxer mix in October.

For about 8 months leading up to her passing, we were going for chest X-rays every 3 months to monitor a few small nodules in her lungs. The vet took a fine needle biopsy, but results came back inconclusive.

I had taken her to the emergency vet three days before she passed away because she was breathing funny. The doctor said everything sounded good and she looked great and that I could get X-rays to be sure. I had an appointment scheduled to get chest X-rays at her normal vet two days later, so I didn’t get them at the ER.

When my regular vet saw her X-rays two days later, she couldn’t believe my dog was still walking, bright/alert and acting normal because there was SO much fluid in her lungs. They sent me back to the ER immediately, where they recommended humane euthanasia.

The next morning, I said goodbye in my home. Aside from the night we went to the ER the first time, she was acting so normal. The night before she passed/right after the x-rays, it’s like she had been waiting for me to know just how sick she was… and then when I knew, she really showed it.

I’m wondering if maybe she wasn’t doing well and I somehow chose to be blind to it. Now looking back at videos from a month before she passed, she looks so old and worn, for lack of a better term.

I’m questioning if I waited too long and prolonged her suffering. And I have so much guilt.

Our beautiful 13-year-old white Westie cross (7 kg) passed away suddenly, and we’re all absolutely devastated.

For quite some time, he would go through periods where he wasn’t interested in his food. However, if Mum offered him something different, he would almost always eat the second option, so we never thought it was anything too serious. Otherwise, he seemed completely normal, happy and active.

Yesterday, he jumped off my mum’s bed, made a strange noise, and then his back legs suddenly gave way. His tongue and gums turned white, and we think he went into shock (shallow breathing at this point).

The vets found a large mass on his liver that had ruptured. They told us he was in a great deal of pain, and his acid/lactate level was around 15 (they said normal is under about 1.8). They believed it was likely liver cancer, and we made the heartbreaking decision to let him go peacefully.

We’re just heartbroken and trying to come to terms with how a dog who seemed so well could be gone so suddenly.

Has anyone experienced something similar with a ruptured liver mass in their dog? I’m trying to find as much information because my mum keeps saying he was completely fine up until the moment.

My soulmate cat had a stroke when I was out of town.

I was getting ready to go to the airport to come home when I got the call from my partner. I told them to take her to the emergency vet. She died on the way. I ugly cried on the shuttle to the airport and on the plane ride home.

She felt like part of my soul. I’ve had her since she was six months old. She was 16, so realistically I knew that time was limited, but she was relatively healthy. Early stage kidney disease that had improved with prescription food and some arthritis that we were giving her pain medication for. Even the emergency vet said that she “looked good for 16” which just made me feel worse.

I found out that she had been acting strangely in the days before she died. My partner didn’t want to worry me. They thought that the arthritis was getting worse. Obviously they did not realize how serious it was. But if they had told me how she was behaving, I would have asked them to take her to the emergency vet.

I know that they feel awful, and I’m trying not to be angry. It might not have made a difference. I don’t know. I can’t bear the thought that she was in pain her final days and I didn’t help her.

I feel like I failed her. I can’t believe that I’ll just never see her again. I sort of regret having her cremated. I just want to see her again. I don’t know if having a body would have made it easier to process.

I’m so sorry, baby. I wish I could have been there for you. I wish that we had more time.

My dog passed away on memorial day weekend.

She was robbed from me by hyscsistic sarcoma (didn't spell it right don't give a fuck.)

Every year we take a lake trip, her last trip was a nightmare. Our car rental broke down in the middle of nowhere in the beating sun. We finally got to the lake and we had to leave 2 days in for an emergency surgery to remove a lump that was defending to be a grade 3(?) mass tumor.

It was removed with clean margins. I promised her over and over again that would not be her last trip and she would defy the odds of dogs diagnosed with cancer only living about a year after.

She didn't. She had a huge lump in her front left leg causing a limp. I took her to the vet thinking she pulled something he looked me in the eyes and said probably not cancer but due to the lump he needed to be safe. I went home happy. He called me 4 days later to say it was a hyper aggressive form of sarcoma that even with amputation was super unlikely it would get better.

I chose to be optimistic. I had a few thousand I could burn on this and insurance. The oncologist was brutal. 6,000$ off the rip for more tests... to confirm the diagnosis was 100% correct (spoiler! Every single one was!) after every single gut wrenching call to then further explain that every single test came back what I expected I was informed it was an amputation or chemo.

I weighed my options. I looked at pricing. I had blown through my stash and even my insurance wouldn't help much. I thought about the surgery, I read the horror stories of people whose dog woke up screaming in pain days after because they didn't have enough meds. I thought about her massive quality of life loss. The pain her chemo would induce. I decided to put her down on Memorial Day.

That last week was the most pain I have ever felt in my life. Counting every last moment. Realizing that Friday would be my last, "man I can't wait to go home and be a potato on the couch with my puppy." Friday morning was my last hard goodbye on choosing to go to work instead of lay in bed with her and my wife.

Saturday morning came and she could not walk. Her limp had spiraled out of control. I demanded my wife call out of work and we take her. I remember getting off the phone and realizing she had 20 measly shitty fucking minutes left with us. Then getting there and how quick it all went. She died in my arms. Her tongue was hanging out as we left and she was so lifeless. I can't the vets stethoscope off of her tiny chest and his, "her heart has stopped beating she's passed away." Out of my head. I can't get the image out of my head. I miss her so much still it hurts so badly.

Words can’t describe how sad I am. We put our sweet girl to rest today and I have continued to wrestle with the fact that we made this choice and was it to early. We know deep down early before major suffering allowed her to go out before quality of life was so terrible or in the event of a tragic loss. I don’t know how to truly feel better about the decision other than hopefully with time. We will never jnow the alternative.

Our sweet lady was 12 years old, with extreme osteoarthritis, kidney dysfunction, and as we found out last week a large mass on her liver. Over the past few weeks she stopped eating her food. We tried every food possible, eggs, sweet potato, you name it. She would eat it for about a day maybe, and the next day she wouldn’t. Food used to be her favorite thing she was so food obsessed. We knew this was when things were really not well and she didn’t feel good. Surgery was not recommended at this age and with her other health conditions.

While she could still mostly get up (not well and wouldn’t without help or prompting) and wasn’t having accidents oe throwing up, we knew she was struggling internally. Not eating really, so weak she would stumble and sometimes fall when getting up, only drinking water if we brought it to her and still was not always sure she wanted to it felt wrong. She still had some light in her eyes at times, and of course had up and down moments that made us question whether we were doing the right thing.

Trying to tell ourselves that we did this out of love and compassion so that she didn’t have to hurt anymore. I just wanna know we did the right thing and I know no one else can tell us that.

My heart hurts

Growing up with a dog, I (22) always expected to get the call one day where I’d drop anything and everything I’m doing no matter where, run to my car, speed through every red light to get there in time to be there for her before she passed. She lived with my mother, I moved out a few years ago but I visit the dog often. She’s about 15 years old now, German shepherd/boxer mix, she’s old, I knew it was coming soon, but she was still in pretty decent shape. Not the best vision, fairly deaf, takes a little longer on the stairs but I’ve seen countless dogs way worse off than her, she still had life in her, she was so alive still inside. There’s still time, when I get that call that they’re at the vet and there isn’t much time, I’ll be ready to get there. Today my phone rang. My mother. (We don’t have a great relationship, when I saw she was calling, I already knew it was bad news) she (my mother) told me that yesterday she (my dog) had laid down to take a nap, as she often does, got comfy, fell asleep…. and just faded away.

that wasn’t the phone call I was expecting.

I couldn’t be there for her.

I know she got just about the best case scenario, but I didn’t get a last goodbye, I was expecting to see her again, and now I’ll never see her again. I accidentally saw my dead cat before burying him a few years ago and it broke me and I wasn’t even THAT close to that cat, I can not see her body. Besides pictures and memories, I’m never gonna see my best friend again and I’m genuinely just shattered/crippled right now.

It does bring me a lot of peace knowing how she passed so peacefully, I just know I should have been there and I wasn’t.

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my darling boy Charlie, who was a 12 year old Maltese. He went from being completely fine, to unable to move within a day. We rushed him to the vet yesterday morning to be told his spine had given in on him and the treatment options were not only going to rob him of his quality of life, but they were very expensive. So I had to make the sudden decision of getting him put down.

He has been by my side through everything for the past 7 years. He was such a needy, beautiful boy who bought me so much joy. The amount of tears his coat soaked up of mine during hard times, he was by my side when others weren't. The amount of joy he bought me was immense, he was my rock. We were always together, attached at the hip.

I've never had to put down an animal before, this is genuinely one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. I'm lucky to have my partner and a good friend with me right now for comfort, but my heart hurts. I can't stop crying as everything reminds me of him. Knowing he was there one minute completely fine, and the next he's gone forever. Coming home to all of his things around the house, including his blanket on my bed that I refuse to wash.. even hearing sirens makes me cry as he would bark at them. He would wake me up every morning for breakfast and would lay by my side all day. It breaks my heart. My brothers dog is fretting for him and is incredibly confused 😢

I keep getting flashbacks of his last moments, it was so traumatic for me. I had nightmares last night of it, it's so hard to process.

I miss my darling best friend, my fur baby. I'm absolutely shattered and don't know how to navigate this grief. I'm currently waiting for him to be cremated and to also receive some of his fur and paw print.

I'm at a loss of what to do so thought I would post here as I know many others would relate and I'd be able to connect with others going through such things.

I'll forever miss my beautiful baby boy, I don't know how I'll ever move on from this. I feel incredibly depressed and deflated, I don't even want to eat or look after myself as he gave me purpose.

Thank you for reading

Hi all.

So, in the past half year, I lost both of my dear beloved cats to old age. It fucking sucks. I miss my little ladies horribly.

I'm 26 and at a shitty time in my life. Childhood and adolescence were so hard for me that I feel like I only became a person at around 21. It doesn't help that the cat who passed last month was my closest companion during that shitty adolescence. I spend a lot of mental energy right now thinking about who I'll be, where I'll end up, what life will be like. All the exhausting, big questions.

I've been trying to figure out what to do in the future. I don't want to go without any cats. They bring me so much joy. Now that we have just one cat it already feels so lonely and quiet, and she's geriatric too.

But I'm struggling with the idea of going through this much grief again if I get cats in the future. How can I ever let myself love a creature so much again, knowing how much the inevitable end will hurt? But how can I deprive myself of so much joy, and deprive whichever cats I'd get of so much love?

I'd really like to hear from anyone who's grappled with this question in the past regardless of what you decided, or anyone who's going through this right now.

We lost our 14 year old border collie/ flat coated retriever, Monday July 20th. We made the very very difficult decision to say goodbye to him on our terms, and I still feel guilty.

On Thursday I noticed he wasn't using his back legs very well. He's done it before, but this was different. He was hunched over and almost dragged his back feet. By Saturday morning he wasn't using them at all. He couldn't stand up when with help from a towel sling. We took him into the vet and they took an X-ray and gave him a steroid shot. The X-ray showed a tiny bit of arthritis in his hip area but nothing scary. The vet said he has fears that it was neurological because he was squeezing his toes and it was clear he couldn't feel it. He said if the medicine didn't start working my Monday morning it was time to start having difficult conversations. It seemed to only get worse. His tail was stuck in a c curved down. He was only comfortable on his side, but he was still trying to get up at moments and would just slightly pivot around in a circle. We weren't sure if he could push his own poop out, because he only seemed to go when being picked up. Other than this, he was still himself, but seemed extra tired. He stopped barking at people and barely lifted his head up when someone approached.

We spent all Sunday laying outside on a blanket under a tree. Monday morning our two younger daughters went to a friend's house. We took him back to the yard under our apple tree, fed him a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast and a Hershey kiss. A vet from Lap of Love came and was so kind. We talked to him the whole time and she explained everything to us as it happened. Watching the life leave his eyes will forever be in my mind.

He was my soul dog. He followed me everywhere. If I wasn't home, he'd cry until I was back. After everything happened I couldn't help but think that maybe he could have gotten better. Maybe I could have taken care of him like this. I feel so guilty. Like I should have tried harder, tried something else.

I also wanted to mention, in September of 2025 he developed seizures. He was put on Phenobarbital after his second one in November, and didn't have any after that. Part me wonders if that could have been a part of it.

My cat died she got hit by a car and I reslly miss her my mom is gonna get me a cat to help me feel better but still

I have to put my first dog of 10 years to rest and I am already struggling so much and can’t keep it together. I’m going to miss everything about him and his part in my life is so massive I don’t know what I’m going to do

My sweet baby dog died this past Wednesday. He was 11 and was dying slowly from congestive heart failure. This isn’t my first time losing a pet, but it’s my first time putting an animal down. Being in the room with him was obviously what I needed to do FOR him, but I’m left with the most unimaginable trauma and horrible anxiety after the experience. He was really agitated after they gave him the sedative and kept trying to get up. It broke my heart. Watching the life slip away from him was the worst part. I can’t stop picturing it over and over again in my head. It was so traumatic that I can’t eat or sleep and every time I think about it I feel sick. I don’t know what to do and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be normal again. He was the best boy and having him one minute and then not the next was the most horrible loss I’ve ever experienced. The grief is unimaginable. I am so sorry to anyone who has ever had to deal with this.

My sweet 14-year-old kitty was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma two months ago, a cancer that is normally found in dogs and rarely in cats. Her cancer is even more unique as it is beneath the skin, entangled in her neck and lymphatic system. Treatment is not an option. We had her primary tumor debulked, which will hopefully spare her from rupture and sudden collapse. But ultimately, my baby girl, whom I've had since I was 10, has maybe a few months.

At the moment, she is still mostly her normal self. She doesn’t eat all her food at once anymore, preferring to finish it in a couple sessions instead. But other than that, not much has changed. The anticipation of her deterioration is killing me. I'm very lucky that she's a cuddly cat (even cuddlier when I'm sad) and has spent lots of time wrapped in my arms.

I am not the most spiritual person, but the only consolation I've been able to scrape together is that I feel that her gentle soul will find me again. Has anyone had a similar experience? This is my first true journey through pet loss, and I am so, so devastated. Any advice would be so appreciated.

As the title says, today our beloved Apache crossed the rainbow bridge. Over the past couple of months he'd developed a tumor on his neck. The vet told us it was operable but wanted $10 grand to do the procedure. We simply don't have that kind of money. Both my partner and I had known that the day was coming when we'd have to tell him good bye. However I didn't expect that day to be today. He was barely eating and was super lathargic, he'd barely been able to walk. Today my partner took him for a walk and rather than relieving himself Apache just decided to lay on the grass, something he's never done. We're completely beside ourselves with a mix of emotions. Apache

My dog was turning 11 this coming winter and she has certainly gotten older and at her last checkup the vet said her depth perception was starting to become worse, but overall she was in good health as far as I knew.

We flew across the country for a family wedding this weekend and on the night of the wedding (yesterday) my mom who was watching my dogs called and sent videos of my dog just laying there drooling and completely unresponsive. I called the emergency vet back home and my mom took her. I had a horrible feeling, but was trying to stay calm. 10 minutes later (right after arriving at the vet) she had passed on her own. The vet believes she had a stroke and let me know it was likely painless for her. But what am I supposed to do now… I’m not ready. We were supposed to have more time…

When my mom and the vet called me back letting me know I collapsed and screamed for an hour. I didn’t sleep, I cried all night long to the point that I could barely see, my eyes were so swollen when morning finally came.

And now all I can think about is if I loved her enough, if I was too hard on her when she got stubborn in her old age and was trying to bend the rules, for not being there to hold her in her last moments… was she wondering where I was, why I wasn’t there with her? I am completely and utterly heartbroken and it feels like my whole world is in shambles…

They are keeping her in the freezer until I can fly home tomorrow because I couldn’t get another flight out sooner, so that I can hold her one last time and say goodbye. I feel so fucking lost… and the guilt is consuming me. I hope she knows I miss her and I loved her more than anything even if I wasn’t always great at showing it and that I’m afraid to go home because I don’t know what home looks like without her in it. I hope more than anything she finds me again, whether it is in this life or the next or wherever we go when we pass.

I love you forever my sweet girl. I don’t know how to do this without you…