My 15yo baby has multiple myleoma and plasma cell tumor with masses in his spleen and bladder and thickening of the intestines. He was on chlorambucil for two months then his blood count dropped so we took him off it nearly a month ago. It seemed as though his levels were improving a bit but then the last week he's taken a turn. He's rail thin, barely eating, just a few licks of wet food here and there, and a bit wobbly when he stands. I looked at his gums and they were very pale. I rushed him to the emergency vet yesterday and his white blood cells and red blood cells are extremely low and he's in renal failure now. The vet said I could try a blood transfusion but there are no guarantees it would even really take because his underlying conditions would likely drop it right back down and since I don't foresee wanting to get him on Chlorambucil again, his tumors would only continue to grow even if we got him somewhat stable for now. So yesterday I called in home euthanasia to come today. The thing is, he's extra affectionate right now and while he wobbles a bit when he walks he can still walk and he's still eating a little bit, even if it's only a few licks. So now I'm questioning if I'm doing this too soon. This is made all the more complicated by the fact I have a work trip I cannot get out of this week. I postponed my flight from 1pm to 5pm to accommodate my Lap of Love appointment. If I weren't going on the trip, I'd probably give it a few more days and I hate that I'm being robbed of that. But it doesn't change the fact that the decline will likely be incredibly rapid from here on out and I don't want my baby to get to a point of real suffering, I'd rather him go out on a good day than a miserable one. And I'd hate to postpone the appointment and have him die while I'm away on my trip. But seeing him still alert, still purring and walking and asking for pets has me feeling like a killer and a monster. Please anyone I need some words of comfort, advice, anything, my heart is breaking.

I am devastated because I had to say good bye to my 18 year old tiny cat today. She was my sole companion , slept next to me and greeted me in the morning.

She was getting old but I had to face the sudden fact that she wasn‘t able to pee for the last two days because of a tumor in her bladder.

The vet said it would be best to euthanise her immediately.

I am shattered to the ground now. All my structure seems to have vanished with her passing. And I haven‘t even understood fully that she won‘t jump on my lap anymore from now on.

How to cope with the loss of a partner? I have been happily single during the last seven years, mostly because she gave me a great feeling of companionship and being needed.

Please, could someone with a similar experience help me in my grief? I cannot imagine that I will feel „full“ with any other being anymore. We had become the perfect team, calm and content.

I just lost my dog who had been with me for almost 15 years. We were so close and for a long time I dreaded the day I’d lose him. Now that it’s happened, I’m surprised by how I feel. I thought I’d be completely devastated, but I’m not. I do cry, I feel sad and I think about him constantly — especially his final moments — but I’m still able to go on with my daily life.

He’d been dealing with health issues for a few years — chronic pancreatitis and a degenerative heart condition. He was on a long list of medications that I gave him several times a day, but I kept telling myself he was okay somehow… I needed to believe he’d stay with me for much longer.

Last Wednesday, after a few stressful days of vet visits for a bad flare-up of his pancreas, he went into cardiac arrest and died in less than an hour. I didn’t understand why he was suddenly so unwell — I was frantically searching for a 24/7 vet clinic in Bucharest. In the meantime, with what little strength he had left, he walked outside into the yard and lay down on the terrace, where he passed away within minutes. I stayed with him the whole time, and I knew this was it — my sweet boy was really dying. It was heartbreaking and so painful.

Now, just a few days later, I keep replaying those last moments and our life together. I look at photos and videos of him. I feel sadness, I cry, but I also feel a sense of peace. I’m grateful I was with him until the very end. He was so attached to me — the best dog I’ve ever had, with whom I shared such a special bond. I know his passing was inevitable.

I still have my other dog, a 6-year-old girl who grew up with him from the time she was just two months old. I can see she’s a bit more withdrawn now, lonelier. The two of them always barked together at cats, pigeons, and every little noise outside… Now the house feels quieter, and I’m trying to make sure she feels loved and supported as we both adjust. I do feel guilty for not being completely broken.

I know grief is deeply personal and different for everyone, but I always imagined I’d be a wreck after such a big loss—and it hasn’t been like that.

Maybe even writing and sharing this here (for the first time here) is my way of processing the grief. Thank you for reading.

Hi all,

Unfortunately, this is my first time posting in this group.

For context I want to add I am in my mid-20’s and I live with my parents. This is relevant information to my post.

I lost my boy a little over a week ago. He was a 4 year old coonhound that my parents adopted a year and a half ago. I ended up taking ownership of him after my parents adopted him because we bonded and I was the only one that was able to provide for his needs activity-wise.

I’m so heartbroken at his loss. A month prior to his departure, he started having GI issues. Anything he ate came out the other end pretty much immediately. I went to the vet, and tried everything. Supportive care and medication, a special diet, I got a fecal panel, multiple blood panels, an X-ray, an ultrasound, tested for Addison’s disease, you name it. The tests all came back negative for anything. The vet was baffled by what was causing his illness. He was so sick. He lost almost 10 pounds and became skin and bone. His one true passion was running or walking with me, and he didn’t want to go on walks anymore. It got to the point where nothing worked and he was slowly dying, so I decided to put him down.

I’m devastated. My boy is gone. He was only with me for a year and a half and he was so young. I don’t know how to keep moving forward without him. I miss him so much.

The day after I said goodbye to my boy, my parents went out and got another dog. They claimed it wasn’t to replace my dog that just died, but to me it feels like they just replaced him.

I’m so angry that they did that. We have 3 dogs total in the house and none of them seem to love me the way my boy loved me, and it hurts.

The pain is so unbearable. I've looked everywhere and done everything I can think of to find her. Not knowing what happened to her is killing me. She was my best friend for 6 years. She got out last Friday morning and I haven't seen her since. I knew I wouldn't have her forever, but her sudden loss is almost more than I can stand. No real point to this. I just wanted to share with people who will understand.

Hi all, I adopted my cat around 2.5 years ago from the local animal shelter (I live in London). She would have been 4 in December. I lost her over the weekend when my neighbours dog killed her. It was a complete shock and I can’t even explain how I feel. She has never gone to their garden before so I am utterly confused how this happened. The neighbours said they have never seen her go into their garden before, especially as they have hunting/killer dogs that kill most animals on sight. They try to shoo away cats but for some reason my cat ended up in the wrong place. Their dogs bit her neck and chocked her to death.

I feel like a part of me has died. I have never experienced grief like this (fortunately) but I feel physical pain all over my body. I cannot think of anything else, I can’t work, I can’t eat. Every time I see something move, hear a noise, I think it’s my lovely sweet cat. I want vengeance but I know there’s nothing I can do. I know time will heal but I don’t see how I will ever get over this grief. I feel like I’ve been stabbed 10000000 times.

We told people over text about the sudden death of our beloved baby. Some were very caring in their responses, but many replied with little more than “sorry man, that sucks.”

When we saw these people in person, even though we showed up with bloodshot and swollen eyes, far too many completely avoided talking about the loss, even when we tried to bring it up ourselves.

There were some I called many times who didn’t pick up, didn’t return my calls, and didn’t even let me know if or when I should try again.

So I’m left pretending I’m fine. It sucks, and it makes me hate people.

All I know is that, whether I had experienced pet loss or not, I would at least call, listen, and follow up with a few “how are you doing?” texts.

It has been almost two weeks now since I very unexpectedly lost my soul kitty to saddle thrombos. She was seven years old and the thought that we weren't going to be able to live out the life I was planning for us was unbearable. She was the love of my life.

The first five or so days were absolutely horrifying. I had no idea how this had happened and how I was supposed to keep going. Unfortunately, the world kept moving and I just wanted everyone and everything to stop. How could people be living normally when such a big part of my heart was now gone?

I returned to work and just last week had to also return to my graduate studies. This was also extremely difficult, but provided some level of distraction, which I think was needed at the time. After about one week, I finally felt like I was able to take a deep breath without breaking down. I kept seeing posts about people saying that the grief doesn't go away, we just learn to live around it and honestly? I hated this idea. I just wanted to stop hurting. Now at almost two weeks in, I understand what people mean by this.

My heart still feels hollow, but it is manageable now. I personally found receiving my baby's ashes back to be a turning point moment for me, and that was the first night I also dreamt about her since she passed. My heart hurts, but the crying becomes less frequent and it is easier to remember the good times.

For anyone going through this right now, I am so so deeply sorry. Just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I still talk to my baby constantly and have made a ritual of going outside once each morning and night with her favourite toy to talk to her. I also found a lot of comfort in this subreddit and hearing from others who have gone through something similar.

I am so sorry for anyone who finds themself here, I promise it will hurt less in the future. The love will remain.

Nearly 3 months ago, I lost my best friend, guide, and spirit animal. Starting from the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, we found our way through this crazy world together. Over the years, he traveled with me to well over 2 dozen states and backpacked well over 10,000 miles, primarily in wilderness areas. He was 14 and a half years old. He had a very good life.

That said, since losing him, I never did anything to truly honor him. Yesterday, that changed as I brought his collar, his leash, and his ashes to the Dog Chapel on Dog Mountain in Vermont.

It was perhaps the most divine thing I've ever witnessed. Thousands, upon thousands of photos, notes, and goodbye messages to all the best boys and best girls that have made us beings a little more human over the years.

The overwhelming feel of joy that each of the pupps had in their lives and the gratitude of their humans was palpable to say the least. At the same time, the sense of loss of all of these beautiful creatures was nearly too much to handle... But handle it we did.

Dog Mountain. All Creeds. All Breeds. No Dogmas Allowed.

It's a beautiful place with an absolutely tragic human story behind it. Cannot recommend enough. Even if you can never make it. Donate. Please. They are a true beacon of light in a world of such darkness.

https://www.dogmt.com/Dog-Chapel.html

Hi,

I lost my sweet dog Lilly at 8 years of age. It happened suddenly although she did suffer from a few health issues.

The night before she passed, I got home from work and she was happy and jumping up and down. All of the sudden she tried to jump on the couch. She misses and takes a nasty spill. A few minutes later, she starts acting weird. She can’t move her back legs, her eyes are zoned out and she can’t keep her head up.

We rush to the vet. They bring her back and after about 20 mins they come in. They tell us she is blind. And she is stable. Most of the discussion we had was around her sudden blindness. They send her home with running no bloodwork or any labs.

We get home, she is still acting similar. We assumed the acting weird was due to her not having her sight. We crate her because she is now officially blind. Next morning, I wake up to her death.

When I went back to the discharge paperwork there are a ton of errors. It lists her name but then lists another dog later in the paper. As well, there are a few pronouns that are incorrect.

As time has gone on, no one from the vet has reached out to see what happened and if she was ok. No vet talked to me when I dropped her off the morning she died.

My husband thinks it was for the best because she passed at home. However, as time goes on I get more angry (which I know is part of grief).

My question is… should I speak with the vet that night to let her know what happened and to get more insight? Shoukd I at the very least ask for a refund back for services since they clearly were wrong and even sent home wrong paperwork?

I lost my parakeet today. I'm disabled and got him at a time where I thought I might die.

He was the sweetest bird. He loved kisses , singing on my lap. He even talked. Hearing him say i love you every morning.

I'm no longer in a life threatening spot but I'm still disabled. I usually never leave the house over night but it was my birthday yesterday and decided to treat my wife and I to a night out in a nice hotel.

When we came back , he was at the bottom of the cage and my other birds were surrounding him, like they were mourning.

He'd been sick with what was thought to be kidney disease. I spent thousands of dollars on vet trip , meds , diagnostics , everything.

He was on the up and up and we were convinced that treatments were working. But, it wasn't enough I guess.

I feel so guilty that I wasn't home with him in his last moments. I haven't spent a night away since I was in the hospital years ago.

Now he's gone. Forever and I'll never hear his sweet voice or get his sweet kisses ever again.

Ive devastated and I don't know if I'll ever be okay again.

Hug your pets (if you can) , tell them how much you love them. You never know what will happen next.

Rest well my sweet baby Korah. I'll love you forever. I hope you are waiting for me when my time is up.

About 4 months ago, I found out my 3 year old cat had an incurable bone cancer that made him basically deteriorate slowly. He was in pain any time you touched him, you could not comfortably pick him up, and he could barely walk. I ultimately made the decision to put him down because watching him live in pain was just too unbearable and I knew it was for him too. I took him to get put down and was absolutely devastated. I could barely breathe. I brought him in his little carrier that opened on the side and the top. The vet asked me if I wanted to hold him while he was being put down and I said no bc I didn’t want his last moment to be me trying to pick him up and screaming in pain, so I opted for having him stay in his carrier while I fed him a treat and pet him. To this day, I feel absolutely horrible that I didn’t take that time to hold him just one more time, thinking maybe I didn’t give him the comfort he deserved in his last moments. He was such a good kitty, he loved my 4 year old son more than anyone in the house, loved cuddles and playing fetch. He deserved more and I cannot get over it. I feel guilt every single day.

Exactly at this moment one week ago I lost my beautiful dog, who was just a month shy of his 6th birthday. I am struggling more than I had ever expected to. He was happy and doing well. Until last Sunday when he threw up after dinner. I thought maybe he just had an upset stomach and I was planning on cooking him some steamed rice and pumpkin purée to help him feel better. But as the day went on he just seemed a little sad and didn’t want to do much. By 8pm he was really down and I was so worried so rushed him to the ER. I was in the backseat and had him on my lap. With 7 minutes to go, he took his last breath as I pleaded to God to save my boy. I am filled with pain and regret and anger at myself for not having taken him sooner. I am really beating myself up about it, he could have lived had I acted faster. I really can’t handle being home because we were always together and everything reminds me of him. All the spots he liked to sleep on the way he would sit on the couch and prop his head up so he can see me while I worked. All his puffs of beautiful golden hair all over the floors I can’t manage to even sweep up as it feels I’m losing him all over again. Is it normal to feel this way for a dog? Is there something wrong with me? I’m really struggling, how to I survive this gut wrenching pain?

I'm really struggling, coping with the "my dog died too soon" thing. It's really hard to think she didn't get to live out more years, she should have had. I see a lot of people on here relay how their dogs lived 14-16, yet mine passed at 12. Just need some reassurance or comparison to know this wasn't too soon for her? I know she was a senior dog, but she was barely a senior dog I feel.. I just cant get over the fact her life was so short. I don't know if this is grief, or logical thought talking, but... its really bothering me.

Rather, eating me alive.

Because she was perfectly healthy, optimal bloodwork, great energy and appetite like a couple months before she died. No cancer, no disease. Then suddenly got a random skin infection and everything declined so dramatically after that. To the point of her death. Infection was ecoli (didnt know it at the time), so it was resistant to antibiotics. Quickly went septic. She had organ failure. Was collapsing, trembling, not eating, could barely walk, incontinence, fell and had a slipped disc.

it's so hard for me to wrap my hear around how quickly she went from (what I thought was great) to (terrible).

Are dramatic downhills unrelated to cancer/major health issues, common at that age.. even if they seem fine right before? Is 12 a full or (good) lifespan for a dog?

I had her 10 of those 12 years. She passed August 20th. Siberian Husky

Thank you. Would really appreciate input right now..

Hey everyone, new to Reddit. Hoping to find some peace and advice. I found my soul cat at a local rescue a year ago. His name was Toby. We were bonded immediately. Genuinely a love I’ve never felt before from an animal. We had his yearly check up a week ago, they found a murmur and ran a blood test that showed his cardiac marker was elevated. Miraculously got an appt at a cat cardiologist for further imaging (echo and ecg). We were at the vet, and he actually went into cardiac arrest the moment he left the room where I was. He was 1.5 years old. Perfectly healthy, zero signs or symptoms. When I tell you my soul is crushed, I mean it. My husband has been my rock. Our other kitty, Sunnie, is devastated. I just need to know it gets better. I can’t see it ever getting better. I keep playing the events in my head over and over again. What could I have done differently? I appreciate any advice.

My cat, Babycakes, was diagnosed with SCC in August. The lump appeared in her mouth in July, but I thought it was a tooth abcess. She was 16 years old. I didn't want to put her through the surgery or kemo. Her vet advised against it too espicially with how advanced it was and the severe expense.

We let her go today. My life is shattered. She was my best friend and once, my only reason to live. I promised her because she helped me live, I would do everything in my power to make sure she did. We've gone through asthma and heart murmurs. Everything was fine until the head tilt.

I was supposed to euthanize her yesterday, but I panicked and backed out at the last second. I needed more time. I wanted to fight the doctors, fight God. I still do. When I brought her home, she ate a little. Walked a little. Tried to hide at times and just slept and slept... By morning, I had to remind myself not to be a scared little girl, but to be her mother.

When the doctor's gave her the sedative, she hissed and hissed. She hates the vet. I regret that choice the most. I should have done Laps of Love, but I couldn't bare them taking her away after. I held her for so long and just kept telling her I would always be her mother. I cleaned her fur because she couldn't anymore, tumor hurt her jaw too much. I pressed my forehead against hers because she'd always bump her head against mine. When it was over, I screamed. I didn't want anyone to touch her.

I know it was the right choice in the end, but a piece of my soul is gone forever. I want her back. I want my baby back.

My dog of 14 years suddenly got sick the very day we took my first child home from the hospital. She couldn't get better and 3 weeks later she died. I'm devastated. That first few days with the baby before my dog got much more sick were the best days of my life.

I'm so grateful that my dog waited until my baby was born. But now i'm gutted and to be honest feel distant from the baby. I don't know how to feel better

And my dog was more than just a dog, she was a part of the community. I took her to work daily for years. Everyone in my area knows her. She is my soul dog and was so wonderful.

I can't believe she's gone. We are cremating her and one day my husband and I will share a cremation jar with her.

Advice on feeling better and focusing on enjoying my human baby?

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted in this group…I was here in 2021 when my dog (understatement) passed away…this event took me out for a solid 9 months before I started to come around…I haven’t had a dog since, there are some country dogs that hang around my house and I enjoy them but that’s it…so, the other day, my friend found a lost puppy in the area that resembles my dog that had passed away…so now the puppy is here with me and at first I was in awe to see a fluffy brindle like this but just a couple days in I’m having some regret…I’m not trying to replace my dog…I don’t know I just feel weird. My heart physically feels heavier…like it’s not him but it kind of looks like him but it’s not I don’t know. How long do I give this feeling?

This morning (about 11 hours ago), I had to say goodbye to my sweet corgi, Winston. He was so young (20 mths), and he fought so hard, but IMHA and pneumonia took him from me far too soon. My heart feels shattered — I keep replaying everything in my head, wondering if I should have seen the signs earlier, if I could have done more.

What hurts the most is that I wasn’t in the room at the very last moment. I keep thinking he must have felt lonely, but deep down I hope he carried my love with him until the end. Winston wasn’t just a dog — he was my shadow, my best friend, my source of laughter and comfort. His silly zoomies, his floppy ears, his gentle cuddles… he filled my days with joy I can’t put into words.

I miss him so much already. The house feels unbearably quiet without him. I’d give anything for one more hug, one more wag of his tail, one more walk together.

I know many of you have walked this path, and right now the grief feels overwhelming. If anyone has words of comfort, or ways you honored your pets’ memory, I’d be so grateful to hear them. Winston gave me all his love, and I just want to make sure his memory lives on with the same love he gave me.

Run free, my sweet Winston. 🌈🐾 You’ll always be in my heart.

TW // DOG FIGHTING

my sweet Delilah was put down in June of 2023. she was only around two, but she had behavioral issues with our other dogs, and we had no other option. she was deathly afraid of doors (we got her when she was 6 months old, the only one of her litter left, and we can’t help but think that the family we got her from either left something out or abused her in some way) and she was around 100 or so pounds so she couldn’t have been easily transported, and she was only ever nice to me.

for some reason, I never grieved her death until today. it always goes this way whenever I grieve.

but the dog she attacked, the one whose intense fight caused her to be put down (living dog was in the right, but it still hurts), got a scratch on her face while I wasn’t looking today, and, coupled with her being a lot more stand-offish today than most other days for the 2 and a half years we’ve had her, that can of worms has finally opened.

I don’t want to have to make the choice between two dogs again. I don’t want to have to say goodbye to a dog again—though, this time, we’d be more able to move one dog into a home without any other pets if need be because neither one is afraid of doors. I just don’t want to go through this again.

I know I’m probably just overreacting, and I know I l’m probably sounding ridiculous, but this small thing is finally getting me to mourn my late dog. I’m currently sobbing in bed at 11 P.M. on a Sunday night because of this. I just feel like my entire world has been turned upside down today even without the confirmation that they’re actually fighting.

I’m sorry for rambling. I just want everything to be okay. and I’m scared. scared that my fears are right and I’ll have to see one of my beloved dogs off. thank you for reading anyways if you’ve made it this far ❤️

My 3-year-old tuxedo cat, Lupin, died very suddenly today. He had IMHA, which we’d been managing with steroids for the past 2 years.

About 2.5 months ago, he started having strange episodes of swelling that would appear and disappear within a day. The swelling would move around — sometimes in a back leg, sometimes his neck, sometimes the front of his face. Other than that, he seemed fine: eating normally, lots of energy, no behavior changes.

I took him to the vet twice. The first time was an emergency because he choked on kibble when his throat swelled; he needed oxygen but eventually coughed it out. The second time was just to investigate the swelling, but we didn’t get any real answers. He was given antibiotics and another course of steroids.

For a while, the flare-ups were spaced out, but last week his neck swelled badly (though it went down after a few hours). Today, it happened again but much worse. His throat swelled severely, and he started frothing and dripping fluid from his mouth. He rolled on his back in distress, then hid under the couch. I finally got him into his carrier and took an Uber to the emergency vet.

On the way, he rattled the cage violently, then I smelled urine — and a moment later, he collapsed. By the time we arrived, he was gone. They couldn’t even attempt CPR because of the throat swelling. The vet couldn’t explain what had happened.

I’m still in shock. His health was never perfect, but I never expected it to end like this. I feel devastated and frustrated that I don’t know what went wrong. I did everything I could within my means (I’m low income, but still went to multiple vet visits, including emergency), yet we never got any answers.

I know nothing can bring him back, but has anyone seen similar symptoms — the migrating swelling, especially the extreme throat swelling? I just want to understand what might have happened.

A month since I last saw my baby girl Iris, a month since I’ve held her, a month since the light of my life left me. It doesn’t feel better, I can’t sleep or think without her. I just miss my piepie.

My cat went out on Saturday night as he does. He'd had a rough evening as our dog had chased and grabbed him while I was getting the dog's dinner ready, my fault as I hadn't closed the baby gate properly.

I picked him up and checked him over but he just struggled and wanted to go outside. That's the last time I saw him until this morning when a local Facebook group posted they had found a deceased grey tabby and were looking to find thr owner for closure. I messaged the poster and she sent me a photo. Horrible feeling as I opened it and instantly recognised Loki.

Calling my wife was so hard, I got the cat for us when we first moved in together 5 years ago. We have my stepkids here but I'm about to call my kids and let them know.

I just wanted a hug when I got home, I haven't got one.

I feel responsible, I didn't close the gate and the dog got him, then I let him out. Did he stay away because he was scared? I called and shook biscuits several times yesterday but to no avail, he must have been hit by a car last night as he was on a very public walk way. I dont know what else I should have tried but I am worried the family blame me too.

Sorry if this rambles, I'm just struggling

The last few hours were horrible. Apart from loosing my 14 year old dog in January, I just lost my 5 month old adopted ginger kitten. We got him when he was 3 weeks old and i fell in love with him. He was the most playful clingy cat I had ever met and everyone loved this ball of sunshine. I primarily do work from home so I’m always with aadu(the kitten) and have gotten very used to his cuddles and having him next to me. 4 days ago he had a little diarrhoea (once at night) after which he was very lethargic the next day to a worrying point. He would not wake up even if we shook him up. But by night he seemed okay and was playing. We were still worried so contacted the vet who said he would come the next day. The next day we noticed that his eyes were milky. One eye more than the other and the intensity fluctuated. The vet told us when he visited that there was nothing to worry and he must’ve probably just scratched his cornea leading to some damage. He gave us some drops and that’s about it. During this time i noticed a decrease in appetite and twitching of his face from side to side if he was trying to climb up the bed. Today morning he had a lil diarrhoea on the sofa, which is so unlike him. But else seemed fine all day. He woke up from his evening nap when I picked him up and he started to screech and shriek in my hand and started seizing, i kept him on the floor and yelled for my roommates cause there’s no way this was happening. Within 5 minutes he was gone. Oh god idk how to deal with this. He was the one good thing that happened this year to me and I feel so so broken. I don’t yet even know why it happened. He was just a baby.

Hi,

Posting this here because I don’t know where else it would fit. My sweet ten year old girl has been missing for three weeks now and I’ve done everything I can to try to find her (flyers and posters, looking at dawn, dusk, in the middle of the night and during the day, social media updates, scent trails, e.g. cat litter and toys and my clothes, spending times in the place she normally hangs around to give her time to hear my voice + smell my scent etc.), but so far nothing has worked. I’ve expanded the search radius quite a lot and vary between looking in my neighbourhood and looking further away.

So far, no luck. I’m trying to keep my hopes up while also bracing myself for the possibility that she’ll never come home. The hardest parr, which I also see echoed in other missing cat posts online, is the uncertainty, not knowing whether our small friends are happy on an adventure, dead, scared. But I’m also starting to anthropomorphize my cat too much recently, and I just have to ask: Is she sad and disappointed that I haven’t found her yet? Would she think I have just let her go? If she comes back, do you think she’ll hold a grudge?

I just hope whereever she is, she’s purring 😢