a strange experience

[Katie Brookes]

just a moment ago my little cat Tommy passed away in my arms, he was 10 years old, he had been sick for a while. I have never been present for the death of a person or animal i cared about at the very moment life left, it is the strangest thing. maybe it was the dark room and the other cats who were sitting by, knowing what was happening. maybe it was something else. but i could feel something right by me, and then he was gone. He was a terribly sweet and gentle cat, i loved him very much, i don't know that i quite understand that he is gone yet.

i just wanted to share this and see if anyone else had a similar experience to share. i know my mother always talks about how at the moment her grandmother passed a strong wind blew a bunch of the doors in the house open, and there were other relatives present who can attest to that.

 

[Empyrium]

i feel sorry for you katie...

 

[PADDY]

I am so, so sorry to hear that Katie.

I truely am. It is never easy losing a loved one and always hard to accept that they have moved on. I really feel for your loss Katie. Take good care of yourself.

With sympathy, Paddy.

 

[Flora]

I really would be so incredibly upset if I lost my Oreo! (my cat)
Many sad thoughts for you

 

[ohairas]

Katie I'm so sorry to hear about Tommy. I'm glad he had you to comfort him in the end.

My cat while growing up died when he was 17. He used to hop on the bed and dig to get under the covers, and then knead his paws.
After he passed, both me and my mom felt this "digging and kneading" sensation when we were in bed trying to sleep. I mean you could really feel the weight of him. This went on for a few weeks... We were stunned when we both realized it was happening to both of us.
Nikki

 

[imoldfashioned]

Oh Katie, I'm so sorry for you. Being present at a death is such a profound experience. I'm sure you were a comfort to Tommy at the end. I firmly believe that other animals know when the end of one of their brethren is near. Take care of yourself in the next little while and let us support you if you need it.

 

[Fletch]

I'm sorry you lost your good kitty cat.
My kitty is a healthy and agile 9 year old we only just got this year. So it gave me a pause to read yours was just 10.
I have to go skatch my kitty some now.

 

[LocktownDog]

My condolences Katie. That's never an easy moment.

Its been a year and a half since Shaman passed away. He was a 15 yr old Malamute-Wolf hybrid. Biggest lovebug anyone ever met. We adopted him from a shelter 7 years earlier and he grew to be the best friend any of us could ever imagine. But his hips deteriorated with his advanced age, infections wouldn't heal, and it got to the point where he couldn't stand anymore. We had him put down at the vet. He laid in my arms through the whole process, staring up at me. That was the hardest thing I've ever done and it still hurts to this day. But I can't help to think of all the great times we had. I'm so glad I could help him have the best life possible.

Richard

 

[goldwyn girl]

I am very sorry to hear of your loss Katie.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Mu condolences to you on the loss of your pet. It was good you could be with Tommy when he passed. You probably felt his little spirit beside you for a brief moment.

I know of several people who have had their beloved pets pass on and had some experiences afterwards, the feeling that the animal has jumped up in their beds or made some sort of noise. My chiropractor held her little toy poodle when she died and said that, at the moment she passed, she saw the dog's skin relax and saw something like a vapor or shape float up out of the dog and into the air. She felt it was her dog's spirit.

My beloved hand-raised lovebird, Luna, died several years ago. She was 18, had a good long life and was dearly loved by me. I heard a shriek when she was in her cage, I found her on the cage floor, picked her up and held her against me. She died about a minute later, I assume of a bird heart attack or something. I talked to her, told her I loved her, stroked her soft feathers, and even sang to her.

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to be with her when she died. I'd like to think my presence was a comfort to her. For sometime aftewards, I swear I could hear her chirps and squawks in or around the apartment. Perhaps it was in my mind, or perhaps it was just the mockingbird in our neighborhood that used to exchange bird noises with Luna.

I was also with my little chihuahua when he died. I felt awful having him put down and, when alone with him in the vet's office, I apologized for my act but told him I could not bear his suffering any longer. He had been pretty out of it, but, just after I told him this, he came to just long enough to kiss my face.

I see both my pets in my dreams all the time. I am not aware they are gone in dream-time and I wake up feeling like I was visited by them.

karol

 

[Spitfire]

Dear Katie,
It is a loss, but you have also experienced something greater than life - death. In my life I have been close to death of loved ones - humans and animals - too many times, and everytime I have had this strange feeling afterwards of being part in something bigger, stronger and more powerfull than myself.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

My condolences to you, Katie. The loss of a pet can be as tragic as the loss of a family member. I've experienced both in a last few years.

You wanted others' stories, here's mine:

For the last week of his life, my father was in a hospice. On the evening of September 22, 2003, the hospice staff called to tell us that it was just a matter of hours. His wife, our mother, and five of their seven children were with him at the end. (One daughter couldn't bring herself to be there and one lives in Canada.)

For the last few hours he was with us, we went in and out of his room to see him. He remained still and with his eyes closed. At a little after one in the morning, the staff told us he wouldn't be with us much longer.

For the last few moments, he lay there with my mother holding his hand and his children around him. At one twenty-eight, his eyes opened and he looked right at our mother. It was at that moment that he died, looking into the eyes of his wife of forty-eight and a half years.

My father never wanted a funeral or a plot. Instead, he wanted his body donated to science. He went with Genenesis Gift of Life Program and Medical Education and Research Institute in Tennessee.

Because of my father, surgeons throughout the country have learned a variety of procedures for the treatment of osteoporosis and the resulting spinal fractures, the development of better orthopedic screws and pins for hip, knee and ankle joints, and helped teach the newest procedure for removing the disc from the back utilizing the laproscopic approach. (The procedure allows the disc to be removed through a half-inch incision using a video-assited scope and camera.)

Instead of us receiving a small payment toward his funeral, Genesis donated that money to the Braille Institute in my father's honor. Genesis then cremated his body and sent us his remains.

My father gave his family as much as he could, and even after his death he is still giving. His last gift, though, is to everyone who suffers back and joint pain, as he did most of his life, and blindness.

Not to get on a soap box here, but science and medical research need more donations. Me, personally, I want my remains sent to a forensic "body farm", where I can help law enforcement.


Lee

 

[be_lovely]

So sorry to hear of the passing of your kittie. I, myself, went thru that about 2 years ago. My pride & joy tabbie cat Janis, was 13 yrs old. She started forming lumps on her belly, and when I took her to the vet, it was too late to do any kind of surgery to remove them. She had breast cancer, and it was because I didnt get her fixed til she was 8. She never had kittens, and for some reason, those factors make them high risk to develop cancer. Anyway, a week or so before my husband & I were due to move back to NJ, we brought her up from Virginia, and I had to put her to sleep at a local vet. I didnt want her spirit being left behind. Anyway, towards the end of days she had a tumor that was right under her arm, and it would get irritated, and so she wore baby onesies for the last month of her life, and she was just sad and Im sure in alot of pain. Not to mention my brat dog, Shilo kept nagging her to play, but she just stayed in her bedroom and would call for me once in a while to come sit with her. So, as hard as it was, we took her to the vet one June afternoon, and did the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. I still get vaklempt thinking about how great she was, and no cat since has ever had the spirit or life that she had. She would talk to me thru her meows, and we understood each other, I sware!!! When I had surgery, she would help me walk when I would get up, she would take a few steps, turn around, and make sure I was ok, and right behind her. She would guide me right to the bathroom and wait til I was done, and walk me back. When I was sad, she came to give me hugs and kisses, she slept on my side every nite, and would purr me to sleep. She was an awesome cat!!! So, I do know the sadness that you feel, and it gets better, but I can't say it goes away.

 

[Gilbey]

I'm so sorry for your loss Katie. I have lost my cat Marilyn, several years ago in the hands of a vet during complications in the anesthesia. It sure hurts when she was a part of the family for 13 yrs. and now she's gone. Her funeral on was attended by the whole family on our backyard . We have replaced her since with Jimmy, our orange tabby. Cats are sweet.

 

[Katie Brookes]

thankyou

thankyou everyone for the support and sympathy and for sharing your stories, it helps a lot. we buried him this evening with roses from the bush he liked to sleep under... would have buried him there but it is on our neighbors property! he looked very peaceful and looked like he was smiling in that strange way cats do. the other cats have been very quiet today; he was the only one of them that got along with everyone. he was a really wonderful cat, and would purr when anyone would even sit near him. he was terribly patient and let my dad carry him around belly-up like a baby, which irritates every other cat. he was a really unusual cat, he would always relax and become a ragdoll when you picked him up, and was very affectionate. as we waited to bury him i remembered being there in the yard with him as a kitten, we put him in a little pink barbie cadillac and he just sat there with a funny look, amused that we were so amused. I will miss him a lot.

 

[Private Eye]

We have four cats

The thought of losing any of our cats just tightens my heart. They're like our children. I don't know how I will cope with their loss and so, let me add my condolences to the ones you've already received, Katie. Take care.