Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope Madeleine will adjust soon. Some of my kitties and dogs in the past didn't even seem to notice a "missing" fur family member. But sometimes there is a strong bond between them and surely they must miss them very much. I think lots of attention and play time will help Madeleine somewhat... time will do the rest. Hugs to you both.
__________________
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
The loss of any pet is always hard (for people that love their animals). I feel for you. When my cat Paco died his sister Jenny searched and searched. I drowned her fur with my tears, both for myself and for her. This was several years ago and Jenny now puts up with the other furry kids in the house. She is difinately the matriarch. It took her a while to grieve though. As some of the others have said, time will heal. Love her lots
lottamoxie: That is such a sweet photo of the two of them. I got two young cats in 1996 who were brothers and nearly identical, Siggy and Willie. Siggy had to be euthanized on 21 January 2010, and Willie spent a great deal of time looking for his brother. It was so very sad. Best of luck with poor Madeleine.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved Chloe. I know how difficult it is to watch another pet grieve over the loss too.
I almost lost my special needs boy when he lost the cat who had raised him, he was so devastated.
Get some Rescue Remedy and rub some on her little face every day. This will help reduce her feelings of stress. A feliway plug in diffuser might help too, but definitely the Rescue Remedy.
One other thing. Put her in her carrier, drive around the block with her, then bring her back in the house. The reason I say this is because for my boy, taking him out away from the house, then back in, seemed to break the thrall of his grief. He did not come fully back to himself for a full year (and even then he lost a bit of spark that never came back) but he did stop looking for her so much after I took him out, then brought him back. He seemed to realize after he was taken out and then brought back, that she would not ever come back.
Ever after though, he gets very upset if I leave with another cat in the carrier and don't bring that cat back. (like if I leave a cat for a dental for example) Anytime I leave with another cat, when I come home I find him sitting at the door waiting for us. So. even though it has been five and a half years, he has not forgotten his loss.
However he is a very happy boy and bonded to the others. He lost another "mama" last year, who, if possible, he was even closer too. She was ailing for even longer than the other kitty. However this time I handled it properly and made sure he said good bye and knew what was happening. I didn't do that with the first kitty he lost, as I was so distraught it did not occur to me to let him say good bye.
Keep us posted on Madeline, and go get some Rescue Remedy!
Madeleine is doing better and not pacing/yowling anymore. In fact she's enjoying her new corrugated scratching pad I brought downstairs, and the fresh/organic catnip a friend of mine brought over!
This is so hard. Time seems to be the best healer. I think a lot of us have gone through what you are going through now. All I can offer is my love and hugs and prayers that the two of you find a "new normal".
My cats and her sister dog are missing my Cleo. She was put to sleep a week ago. She couldn't walk well with the hip problems, and had developed a twitching in her back legs which would make her fall, and the vet said any treatment would be only a short time thing. She was ready, too. She didn't move on my lap when we drove there nor do anything but lay on the table at the vet's. This was not the dog who insisted looking out the window and would not for anything stay on that table. She went very peacefully, and I'm waiting to get her ashes so we can have a circle for everyone to say good bye.
But all of the cats, even the females who are still in seperate space from their brothers, were sniffing her before, and giving her little licks of comfort. They knew. The males and the cat who she raised as surrogate mom checked on her, even when she growled at them (which she didn't do normally). When she didn't come home they all looked, but I think they knew. The box with her body was on the front porch for about a half hour before we got a place to take her, and I considered bringing it in and letting them sniff. But decided against it as it just didn't feel right.
My other dog lays where she was laying and doesn't look for her but is noticably sad. I have been offered a puppy and will probably accept. A puppy would be okay with the cats over a dog who may not be used to them. The house, with all the furries I have, is just so quiet and still. I didn't know how much noise she made. And Cleo would too. She's here. She isn't ready to move on, and sometimes I just tell her its all right and she can stay as long as she needs, and we all love her.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
