I'm so sorry, Jared. My sympathy comes from a place of empathy, as I too have felt this loss. Several times. Reading your story actually made me tear up, because it reminded me of my crazy cat Louie's passing. But I can tell you this - I'd go through it a thousand times over to experience the unconditional love you wrote about. Hugs.
I lived the first 45 years of my life without cats. Now I can't imagine life without them.
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and so appreciate the courage and sincerity of your writing, as well as your usual wit and honesty. Take good care of yourself.
Sorry to prolong the pain, but... a friend of mine wrote an article something like yours years ago, when he lost his feline companion of 15 years. Reading it back then really helped me to appreciate my cat, Myrtle (named after the Beach), a beautiful Maine Coon, more fully until she died 5 years ago. I got so much more out of our relationship thanks to that article, and I'm sure numerous readers of yours will get the same benefit from your articles. Thank you. Now I have Pumpkin Pi for a few more years...
Jared, it hurts now. I know. It hurts a lot. But, it will get better over time and eventually you will be left with loving memories of Uma and all the ones you’ve lost and not the searing, blinding hurt of this acute loss. Hang in there. We are all with you in this journey of love and pain and acceptance.
You just don't really get what someone or a pet means to you until they are gone. It's a shock to the system. I try to remind myself how I felt in the days after my dad died. You get this big jolt of sudden clarity that nothing else can give you. Hard to put to words. It's very human. We're humans not rocks.
A friend of mine lost his dog recently, a service animal of 9 years. They had been through a lot together. I forwarded this piece to him and he found it genuinely helpful in managing his grief. Thank-you for writing it.
Whew. Catching up on reading and this was a tough one. I've had to outlive 2 outstanding cats so far, and the one I have now, Marmalade Gazpacho, is so special. Not. Going. To. Think. About. It. Yet.
When our last cat, Mushi-neko, passed away - in my lap at the vet - that night I had a dream. (She was a solid black cat with green eyes.) In the dream she was just sitting calmly looking at me at my eye level with a solid red background. I'm pretty sure she was saying good-bye. Shortly afterwords we had our first son and kinda lost interest in pets since.
I'm truly sorry for your loss. When I lost my cat earlier this year, you were the only person that I do not know a small portion of the story. I don't know why I did, but I think it was how you mentioned your love for your cats in your newsletter and twitter. My cat had stage 2/3 kidney failure and had a urinary tract infection and I recommended Convenia (a "convenient" one shot antibiotic) instead of giving pills for 10 days. In 48 hours after the shot, he was gone. I didn't know how powerful that drug was and I wish I had known. That is the part that was so hard for me, but I think of the positives of the joy he gave me. Which brings me to the positive drug I gave the cat.
I was deathly allergic to cats and the cat had fleas when it first moved in with us and the fleas bit me giving me antibodies where I no longer was as allergic. My wife though, said the cat has to go if it has fleas. So I got a med that was $6 a day to kill fleas (Capstar). I looked up if I could break a dog's pill of the same med that was 6 times the dose (bringing the cost down to $1). So looking up the drug's active ingredient (nitenpyram) on the FDA site, I found I could break that pill in to 200 pieces and it would kill all the fleas on my cat. So cost was no longer an issue and that drug saved the cat for 9 years (where my wife left before the cat!) and before another drug cut its life a bit short. I prefer to think of the saving 9 years I got and the joy and the ability now to go into homes that have cats!
So sorry for the loss of Uma. I resonated with your words as a loss of a family member pet is devastating. We lost our German Shepherd last year and I am still not over it. He was special. And i have lost five cats, one, Cosmic Charlie last Christmas when he had a heart attack. Much love and hugs to you.
I'm so sorry, Jared. My sympathy comes from a place of empathy, as I too have felt this loss. Several times. Reading your story actually made me tear up, because it reminded me of my crazy cat Louie's passing. But I can tell you this - I'd go through it a thousand times over to experience the unconditional love you wrote about. Hugs.
I admire how, in your grief, your words can make me smile by saying Chipolte helped to ease the pain.
I would vote Valium 10 times over Chipotle but that line cracked me up.
I lived the first 45 years of my life without cats. Now I can't imagine life without them.
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and so appreciate the courage and sincerity of your writing, as well as your usual wit and honesty. Take good care of yourself.
Sorry to prolong the pain, but... a friend of mine wrote an article something like yours years ago, when he lost his feline companion of 15 years. Reading it back then really helped me to appreciate my cat, Myrtle (named after the Beach), a beautiful Maine Coon, more fully until she died 5 years ago. I got so much more out of our relationship thanks to that article, and I'm sure numerous readers of yours will get the same benefit from your articles. Thank you. Now I have Pumpkin Pi for a few more years...
Sorry for you loss Jared. I hope the pain lessens soon. Hang in there.
So sorry for your loss
I lost a beloved dog in 2020...the pain is real....sorry for your recent loss Jared.
I felt your love for Uma through your words. Heal well, love deeply and be kind to yourself.
Jared, it hurts now. I know. It hurts a lot. But, it will get better over time and eventually you will be left with loving memories of Uma and all the ones you’ve lost and not the searing, blinding hurt of this acute loss. Hang in there. We are all with you in this journey of love and pain and acceptance.
Sorry for your loss. I have gone through this experience twice with pets and it is very tough. 🤗
You just don't really get what someone or a pet means to you until they are gone. It's a shock to the system. I try to remind myself how I felt in the days after my dad died. You get this big jolt of sudden clarity that nothing else can give you. Hard to put to words. It's very human. We're humans not rocks.
A friend of mine lost his dog recently, a service animal of 9 years. They had been through a lot together. I forwarded this piece to him and he found it genuinely helpful in managing his grief. Thank-you for writing it.
Whew. Catching up on reading and this was a tough one. I've had to outlive 2 outstanding cats so far, and the one I have now, Marmalade Gazpacho, is so special. Not. Going. To. Think. About. It. Yet.
When our last cat, Mushi-neko, passed away - in my lap at the vet - that night I had a dream. (She was a solid black cat with green eyes.) In the dream she was just sitting calmly looking at me at my eye level with a solid red background. I'm pretty sure she was saying good-bye. Shortly afterwords we had our first son and kinda lost interest in pets since.
I'm truly sorry for your loss. When I lost my cat earlier this year, you were the only person that I do not know a small portion of the story. I don't know why I did, but I think it was how you mentioned your love for your cats in your newsletter and twitter. My cat had stage 2/3 kidney failure and had a urinary tract infection and I recommended Convenia (a "convenient" one shot antibiotic) instead of giving pills for 10 days. In 48 hours after the shot, he was gone. I didn't know how powerful that drug was and I wish I had known. That is the part that was so hard for me, but I think of the positives of the joy he gave me. Which brings me to the positive drug I gave the cat.
I was deathly allergic to cats and the cat had fleas when it first moved in with us and the fleas bit me giving me antibodies where I no longer was as allergic. My wife though, said the cat has to go if it has fleas. So I got a med that was $6 a day to kill fleas (Capstar). I looked up if I could break a dog's pill of the same med that was 6 times the dose (bringing the cost down to $1). So looking up the drug's active ingredient (nitenpyram) on the FDA site, I found I could break that pill in to 200 pieces and it would kill all the fleas on my cat. So cost was no longer an issue and that drug saved the cat for 9 years (where my wife left before the cat!) and before another drug cut its life a bit short. I prefer to think of the saving 9 years I got and the joy and the ability now to go into homes that have cats!
So sorry for the loss of Uma. I resonated with your words as a loss of a family member pet is devastating. We lost our German Shepherd last year and I am still not over it. He was special. And i have lost five cats, one, Cosmic Charlie last Christmas when he had a heart attack. Much love and hugs to you.