One cat died, left her sister behind..

mark_steps

On Monday night, i had to put my beloved cat to sleep. She leaves behind her sister of 10 years. They done everything together, slept, ate and played. Night always liked to hear her voice, but since Fllic died, she has not made any sounds and has been very withdrawn. Just lying on the sofa, or wandering about lost.

I know she is greiving, and i cant do anything to help her! Im utterly destroyed. Tears are welling up as i write this. We saw online suggestions including not to remove Fllics bed (they shared the bed so we wouldnt have), leave her food bowl out and still put something in, which we did (they ate between bowls) and to talk to her a lot, but not show love any more than we would normally do.

Are we doing the right things? Should we do something else? It will take time for Night to get over this i know, but i want to make it as easy as possible.

I took yesterday off work to get Fllic cremated, we have her ashes, but i couldnt let her go

heartbreak_star

I honestly wish I knew what to say. I am so sorry.

Definitely give Night lots of love and cuddles. If they shared the bed is it worth putting a plushie in there so it doesn't feel too big for her?

HBS x

Artytarty

Aw, poor you and your cats the same thing happened to me in August. We lost the sister of our two maine cons very suddenly aged ten. They had never been apart. Our remaining boy adapts fairly quickly, within two weeks or less I'd say. At times I found that hurtful!
We didn't do anything social, well I suppose the two of them used to do their own thing in the evenings and now we make sure he is in with us for company. He has become more friendly in the last year.

My son says that cats are essentially selfish and solitary creatures and that he would be fine. He was right and I'm glad I did not get another cat now despite being tempts. I think it would have been more for me than for him.

stir_crazy

Oh, I do feel sorry for you, and poor Night. One of my mum's cats went through the same thing when he lost his brother. Keo became very withdrawn and almost anti social, he just moped around. Since he was very young when his brother died, we did end up getting another cat, which helped him a lot. They bonded very well and are still best of chums.

mtbbuxton

So sorry for your loss. I have sisters here and it's what I dread the most about their future
Maybe a Feliway diffuser would help Night to feel a little less anxious. I also think the suggestion of a plushie in her bed is a good idea. I hope you all find some peace soon and can start to remember Fllic without the sadness overwhelming you.

M x

McKneff

Your cat will not know her sister has died, cats have no concept of death or grieving after a death.


She is acting the way she is because her sister is simply not there and she is missing her.


Lots of cuddles and time is what it will take.

geri1965_2

I'm sorry for your loss. I had my 17 year old girl cat put to sleep two weeks ago, and it's really hard.

My boy cat is a lot younger than her, and they are not related, but I think he misses having her around as they used to have a little run about most mornings.

As others have said, just give her extra attention and spoiling.

Gold_Dust_2

Sorry for your loss . We lost two cats within a week of each other last December, and the remaining one became very clingy and vocal as a result. She stopped going out by herself and would yodel to come straight back in if she was put outside. She also mostly went off of her food and became very picky and skinny. I'm not one to advocate the idea of sentimental cats, but I saw with my own eyes how she'd seek out places that they used to sleep and curl up and purr there.

We gave her plenty of love and attention, and after a few months she has finally (mostly) gotten back to normal. It happened in stages - she slowly started venturing out for longer periods, started eating her usual food again, and stopped following us around from room to room. She vocalises more now, but other than that she is almost there. All of that came about from her losing two older boys who she never really got on with!

Give her time and she'll get there. Perhaps you could get a new little one when the time is right? We've recently had a persistent visitor and she's been getting up and around a bit more as a result of it. When the time's right, of course.

kitty08

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. When we had our first tom cat PTS over 12 years ago, one of our other cats was distraught, crying, looking for him all over the house and "seeing ghosts". My vet said that they do grieve, but not to worry unless it goes on for longer than about six weeks, unless of course they're not eating! I definitely agree that a feliway diffuser may help. Also, it might be worth trying Zylkene (a natural product designed to help cats and dogs cope with stress and change) and also Rescue Remedy for Pets. (This is a special pet version of the rescue remedy, which is alcohol free). Both have calming and soothing effects.
HTH

mark_steps

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Slowly but surely im not bursting into tears every two minutes. Night is still lost and wanders around aimlessly. Sleeps on the bed for most of the night (comfort thing i guess). Doing our best. Once again, Thank-you.

Shineyhappy

I am sorry for your loss, it is a heart breaking time.

I think the Feliway idea was good, or maybe getting some new toys to distract both of you?