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Edited: 4/8/2010 2:52 PM
Depressed Over The Loss of My Pet
I'm just feeling really down...someone close to me just died. It was only a pet, but my cat seemed like a part of the family to me. Everyone says i should just get over it, but its hard to...i can't cry around anybody. So i resort to my room and cry while talking to the wall. There is ONE friend i can actually be sad around, but i hate being sad around her because I'm afraid it puts too much stress on her, and makes her become depressed too. Maybe i am overreacting, but I had that kitty for a long time, practically grew up with him. Then one day, he passed from a heart attack. The hardest part was the fact that my sister was down visiting, and i never get to see her. We came home from getting ice cream that night and my mom said she couldnt find my cat. We looked and looked, until late that night, i found him. I thought he was okay because his eyes were open, but i realized it was because he was dead. I found out my cat had died from a heart attack. The fact that my grandmother had passed not too long ago also didnt help. I can't cry in front of my parents because it makes stress on them, and personally i think it makes my dad mad. And my mom gets emotional also. I hope you guys can help me not be....depressed...
Edited: 4/8/2010 2:52 PM
We are so sorry to learn about your cat passing away.  The good thing is that it's great that you found our website because this may really help you while you grieve over the loss of your cat.  You are not the only one who feels that pets are family members too!  Many people form such strong bonds with their pets, and pets have been known to help people through rough times in their lives and help them to be happy.  You were very lucky that your cat was like that for you.  It seems that the two of you had a wonderful relationship with one another, so of course you are going to miss him, especially now.  Do not feel bad that you have to grieve and be sad because of your loss; many people react in this same way, so there is nothing to feel ashamed and/or embarrassed about.

It is very natural to associate the passing of your cat with the previous passing of your grandmother.  Since the two events happened at around the same time, it is easy to think about your grandma and feel sad and miss her too.  Allow yourself to have these feelings, and to cry about them, because when people keep their feelings inside too often, things could start to become even worse for them.  It is not healthy to keep feelings bottled up inside.

You may begin to feel better by sending us other emails, writing and posting a poem or story, and/or reading what other people post on our website, Your Life Your Voice.  Keep in touch with us, and we will help you out any time that you need us!

Take care of yourself,
Jacque, Counselor