CLEVELAND, Ohio – Anyone who has ever shared life with a fuzzy four-legged family member knows how painful it is when a pet dies. Those who have never loved a precious dog, cat, bunny or other affectionate animal companion really can’t understand the heartbreak. It’s a different kind of grief. One that we’ve gone through three times in three years.
This week we had to say goodbye to Sneaker. She lived a long full life for 19 years. About three months ago she started giving signals that the end was nearing. I talked to her several times about how we needed her to be very clear when she was ready to leave us. Our previous two cat deaths felt like we waited a little too long and allowed some suffering we wished we hadn’t.
Masking physical pain and weakness is an evolutionary trait in cats. Their wild ancestors had to hide any vulnerability to survive. Our domesticated furballs can’t help keeping their pain a secret, but there are signs we can notice if we pay close enough attention. PetMD.com offers a list of signals every cat caregiver should know…