Dealing with a Pet’s Sudden Death
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I found my cat, Cheetah, whom I have had since kindergarten, dead last night. She was 15 years old and I don't know what happened to her. She had been fine that morning and I’m in complete shock. She grew up with me and I don't know what to do or how to deal with this.
- Heather
Heather, I know it is a terrible shock when our pets die unexpectedly and we don't even have a chance to say goodbye. However, we can draw some comfort from the fact that when an elderly pet dies suddenly, they have avoided days, or even weeks, of suffering.
As much as we don't like it, our pets do have to die of something after they have lived their normal life spans. It is best for us if we have some warning and can do some anticipatory grieving. This is especially true when the pet was with us during a very important phase of our own lives, such as your cat was for you.
Your main focus now should be to take good care of yourself. Your ability to concentrate will be diminished for a few weeks, so be careful driving and at work. Certainly Cheetah, who watched you grow up, wants you to be well.