Snugs Is Gone- And I Am Struggling To Cope, What now? Options

[Sad parent]

My darling boy is gone. His cremation was today. I decided to observe the cremation. I was nervous, but I am glad I did this. It was a last chance to touch his soft fur. I am still struggling to move on. Everything I look at reminds me of him and then I feel so sad and empty. I am crying less now than I did a week ago, which is when my boy died. I have been reaching out for support, which is not easy for me. I even attended a pet loss grief support group.
How do I ever get another cat, when I will always compare that cat to my perfect Snugs, I can't imagine how I can be a good parent to another cat. I also don't want to go though this again.
My boy Snugs was beautiful, intelligent, and had a great personality.
Since he used to sleep with me, I am still having trouble sleeping. I know I took good care of Him, but there are times when I am filled with guilt, wishing I gave him more attention. I took him to his vet for regular exams, but I didn't know how important it was to have his blood pressure checked as he grew older. His regular vet never brought it up until it was too late. With vision problems and kidney problems, he bravely continued on a couple of more years, I wish I could go back in time and check his blood pressure before he had problems.

[DannysMom]

Sad parent, thanks so much for sharing this picture of your beloved Snugs. He sure was a beautiful kitty boy! You've spent almost a quarter of a century with him and you were so blessed to have him. I wish I could say something to make the pain go away. I know full well the pain and the emptiness and missing them at night. Please take good care of yourself.

[Sad parent]

Sad parent, thanks so much for sharing this picture of your beloved Snugs. He sure was a beautiful kitty boy! You've spent almost a quarter of a century with him and you were so blessed to have him. I wish I could say something to make the pain go away. I know full well the pain and the emptiness and missing them at night. Please take good care of yourself.

Thanks for your support. It helps to know I am not alone. How have you handled the night pain and emptiness ?

[DannysMom]

Thanks for your support. It helps to know I am not alone. How have you handled the night pain and emptiness ?

Dear sad parent, the only thing that I could really do to deal with the night pain and emptiness was to cry until the pain eased and I felt better. Crying helps to release the pain. After I lost my precious calico cat, Tina, I was inconsolable at night as she always slept with me. I missed her presence so much it hurt. I couldn't stand it no more after two weeks and so I brought home a sweet young calico cat. Shelley now sleeps with me every night, snuggled against me, and I take so much comfort in her presence.

[Sad parent]

Dear sad parent, the only thing that I could really do to deal with the night pain and emptiness was to cry until the pain eased and I felt better. Crying helps to release the pain. After I lost my precious calico cat, Tina, I was inconsolable at night as she always slept with me. I missed her presence so much it hurt. I couldn't stand it no more after two weeks and so I brought home a sweet young calico cat. Shelley now sleeps with me every night, snuggled against me, and I take so much comfort in her presence.

I find myself having times when I can't believe my Snugs has died. I almost look for him and expect to see him and then it hits me that I will not have him again and that overwhelms me. Snugs also slept with me. I have trouble sleeping now. I also find myself feeling guilty that I didn't pet him more and give him more attention. I know I did a lot for him, but there were times I was busy.
While I am glad I went to his cremation as I had a last chance to see his body, I didn't know what to expect and I now am haunted by images of his cremation . I miss him so much. I feel so old and tired now. I also wonder if I could have kept him alive a few more days. Did I act too soon? He had stopped eating and nothing was turning that around. I brought him to the vet. He had started whimpering and pushing my hand away when I tried to give him a pill or some food. I wanted to do the best for him. I am tortured by my decision to end his life.

[DannysMom]

I find myself having times when I can't believe my Snugs has died. I almost look for him and expect to see him and then it hits me that I will not have him again and that overwhelms me. Snugs also slept with me. I have trouble sleeping now. I also find myself feeling guilty that I didn't pet him more and give him more attention. I know I did a lot for him, but there were times I was busy.
While I am glad I went to his cremation as I had a last chance to see his body, I didn't know what to expect and I now am haunted by images of his cremation . I miss him so much. I feel so old and tired now. I also wonder if I could have kept him alive a few more days. Did I act too soon? He had stopped eating and nothing was turning that around. I brought him to the vet. He had started whimpering and pushing my hand away when I tried to give him a pill or some food. I wanted to do the best for him. I am tortured by my decision to end his life.

Dear sad parent, when cats stop eating and nothing helps to get them to take food then that is usually an indicator that it's time. While they can survive for some days without food or water it also means that their internal organs are shutting down and they are on a slow road to starvation. I think that considering that Snugs wasn't eating you did the most loving and humane thing. I found a good link to assess your fur kid's quality of life and that can help as a guideline at http://www.lapoflove.com/Pet_Quality_of_Life_Scale.pdf

I don't think you made the wrong decision to end his life. If Snugs wasn't eating anything then he was probably trying to tell you it's his time to go. You did all you could do. Snugs would not want to torture yourself.