[luckylady]

Thanks plumseverywhere.  Toby seems to be coping ok and I think we are doing right by him - everyone knows their own pet best don't they? 
We have always allowed our horses to see the body of one of their herd members (we've had to have 3 put to sleep in last 2 years - that'll teach us to take on other peoples oldies!).  They seem to accept their loss sooner this way otherwise they go round screaming for them for days.  Horses have big separation issues.
When one of our cats got run over a few months ago, as I brought her body down the farm drive, her three siblings came from different corners of the farmyard to greet me as if they knew.  When I laid her body down they were straight in to clean her up before we buried her.  Quite amazing I thought.  Animals clearly have their own way of dealing with the loss of a companion and we owe it to them to try to figure out how best to assist them.  We are doing our best for Toby as I am sure you are for Snowball.  Hope your four girls are coping too. 
 

[Mammyshaz]

So sorry for such a traumatic loss plumseverywhere, and for the loss of Martha, ladyluck.
A very upsetting time for all concerned   

 cpd encouraged I went on a pet bereavement course which went into depth about helping pet owners and other household pets.
The one thing that was shown to help through most animals was allowing them to see the body. This also helps with children. It helps both come to terms easier than the deceased being there then disappearing. They still bereave but it helps them recover from this state correctly.
 It also helps to change routine slightly sometimes.even simple things like feeding in a different bowl in a different area, going for walk out of normal routine etc.

Hope this helps in some way.  ((hugs))

[plumseverywhere]

Thank you mummyshaz 


The course you went on sounds really interesting and helpful actually - I'm wondering if its something that I could perhaps try to do?

[plumseverywhere]

I've just twigged something today! Perhaps its not that Snowball is clingy because she is grieving - its because WE are! she has picked up on our sadness and is comforting us.   

[luckylady]

I second plumseverywhere's thank you to mammyshaz and apologise to plumseverywhere for tagging on to her thread with my loss when it is about yours. 
The course does sound very interesting and has given me food for thought also.
Plumseverywhere you have a very good point about Snowball's clingyness. 

[plumseverywhere]

luckylady - please don't apologise, if this thread has helped us both then that's doubly good! x

[luckylady]

Thank you.

[sabrina]

How terrible for you and the children. We are a bit of the road but our cats over the years did wander down. Cars speed up and down but the cats learnt to get off the road quick. maybe your older cats were not hearing 100 per cent. I have my old Burmese sitting next to me just now , she is 16 and quite deaf. I keep thinking she will pass away in the night but still going even although she is now thin and no longer grooms herself. Cannot bring myself to take her to the vet and have another animal put to sleep.It would be hard for the younger cat to lose its freedom. I shut my lot inside at night not just for cars but also foxes.

[plumseverywhere]

Oh Sabrina, I love Burmese cats - they are so beautiful (and talkative?!)  I think you've hit on something with the hearing. I guess that at 13, Tomsk (and his brother who was also hit) had less than perfect vision and hearing.   I know what you mean about having them PTS - having to make that decision is so hard, we had to with an old girl who developed asthma and I spend days feeling so guilty that I'd chosen for her life to end before she was terribly ill but the vet said she'd have to stay indoors (she was semi feral) and take medication that would make her feel poorly, so really the decision was made for us 


Enjoy every day with your lovely Burmese, as I am sure you already are, sounds like she is much loved and cared for xx