Not Just a Pet
/ Photogrief : Eleanor Haley
by Jacquelyn Kates
Today marks 12 days since I said good bye to Maveric. There are many components to his loss that are complicating my grief experience, but the primary difficulty is that I am disenfranchising my own loss. The continuous thought churning in my head is that I should not be so deeply saddened over the death of an animal. Yet, rationally, I know that Maveric was not just a pet. He fulfilled many roles in my life including roommate, confidant, door greeter, alarm clock, pillow, best friend, and furry-baby.
As I mourn the loss of Maveric, and others grieve the loss of their four-legged family members, we need to remind ourselves that our grief experiences are unique, valid, and deserve to be acknowledged. I feel Maveric’s void in many places, but most vividly in my heart.
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Geneviève October 21, 2015 at 5:32 pm
I know how you feel. My cat Pumpkin is 18 she was my husband’s cat, my husband died in a mountain accident last year which is the reason I follow WYG posts that I find very helpful. I wish you the best, I think the message I got from my husband was “keep going”! Your cat will remain close to you.