Do you view your pets as family?

[Stacey]

A friend of mine recently lost a cat she had for many years and it has been hard on her. She is trying to move forward but she keeps having moments where she just can't and cries/sobs at random when certain thoughts or memories of her cat flood in. I have been told and have read that it is healthy to grieve this way and allow your emotions out when they have to come out so I encourage it. I know for me, my cats are my family and it would be heartbreaking to lose them. I would imagine most people here have experienced what it was like to lose a pet. Do you view them as family and mourn their loss as you would a family member or close friend? 

[James]

Yes pets quickly become part of the family. We worry and care for them just like they are our own children. Your friend is grieving which is the first step of the healing process. The best thing you can do for your friend is to be supportive while they heal. 

I can still remember when I had to put my first cat down. I had her for about 19 years (yes she lived to be very old). Driving her to the vet was the hardest thing she had to do but she was in pain and it was the best thing I could do for her. I brought her down with her favorite blanket. I told them to please keep her with that blanket as it made her feel comfortable and safe. They asked if I wanted to be there for the process. I had to get out of there. It was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. 

To this day though that cat still gets to live with me. I had her cremated and she lives on my work desk. 

The loss of a loved one is a hard process to heal through. It takes time. I am sorry for your friends loss. She will heal soon. 

[Emma]

I don't handle loss of a pet well. I lost my first dog at a young age. I believe I was only 6 years old. She had to be put down (she was only 2 and a half) due to medical issues. I guess the breeder sold my mom a sick dog. She was a beautiful all black German Shepherd. That loss was with me for years. When my parents moved out of the house I grew up in, I was helping clean out the attic and found a notebook I wrote in. I must have been 10 years old. I wrote a letter to God to look after her and the other dog I had growing up that had to be put down a few years later due to old age. 

I had a cat growing up too. I lost him when I was 19. I wasn't home when it happened. My mother found him dead in the basement. I never knew what happened but the vet thought it to be a stroke or heart attack. I cried for months. I know what she is going through. It is hard to lose an animal you love, trust, and adore. I get terribly attached to animals very easily and they become a part of me so much so, I feel like they are my children. 

I know it will get better as time goes on. If she has any other cats, she should lean on them for emotional support. They understand our pain more than we realize. 

[Ella]

I never viewed them as "pets". When I am raising them, they are my children and when they become adults, they are my friends. I have felt this way since I was a little girl. I never liked referring to cats or dogs as "pets" because it implies it is something disposable, at least to me. They are 110% my family.

[Damon]

Oh for sure. Pets are very important to our lives. For me, I had a few pets over my lifetime, so I've seen pets pass and I've seen my pets hurt, and it hurts me too. Seeing my pets sick or dying, depresses me so much. 

Pets are for sure part of our lives and are family imo. 

[Sophia]

Pets are family and will always be. I adore my little boys. I wish they lived longer. I know many cats out there live well into their 20s but very few do this with great health. I wish we could figure out a way to level off the lives of cats (and dogs!) to live to be at least 30 years old. 

[Scarlett]

Once I bond to an animal, they are not only my friend but my family. I have felt this way for cats, dogs, even birds and hamsters. I know for some people this concept is silly but I know there are plenty of people who feel the same way I do and this thread is proof of that.

[Quinten]

Pets are part of the family, no doubt about it for me. When they pass, it's one of the most toughest things to deal with. I don't know why we put ourselves through it, because when we adopt another pet, we know they will likely die way before we do. So it sucks seeing your pets pass away, but I know at least I gave my pets the best lives they could ever have. Knowing that, I know their final days won't be so tough for them. 

But yeah, they're part of my family no matter what. I have pictures of the pets that passed since I was a kid, so we don't forget our pets here.