First time since 1984 that I haven’t had at least one cat.

My heart is broken.

My heart is broken, I wished they lived as long as we did. 💔

We lost our girl this week. She was only 7, and we’re still in shock.

She was completely fine one day, and the next morning she wouldn’t eat and seemed lethargic. My husband rushed her to the vet, who found fluid around her heart, they drained some and sent him straight to an emergency hospital and told him to drive like hell. She didn’t make it. I feel so sad for my husband who had to make that drive alone and deal with the guilt of not getting her there in time. Even though, I know that would not have changed the outcome. They found a mass on her heart, an aggressive cancer we never had any sign of, and we assume the tumor must have ruptured.

She was with us since the very beginning of our relationship and was there for every big moment. She adored our kids, and she was the happiest, sweetest dog. Everyone who met her loved her.

The hardest parts have been explaining to our little ones that her body stopped working, and replaying that morning over and over, wondering if we missed something. I know this kind of cancer often gives no warning, but my heart keeps asking the what-ifs anyway.

If you’ve lost a dog this suddenly, how did you get through the first days?

Run free, sweet girl. We love you beyond measure. 🌈🐾

At the start of this summer, my buddy Leo was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney failure. I felt my vets were not doing enough additional testing to find the root cause or explore every possible treatment.

their initial recommendation was euthanasia, with no treatment options offered, i was shattered,

But even with stage 4 kidney failure, he still wanted to go for walks. I couldn't give up on him, so I fought for him and pushed for IV therapy, hoping to give him every possible chance.

Four days after discharge from IV therapy, during his followup appointment, I lied to the doctors about his appetite, truth was that he had almost no interest in food. I told them he was eating because I had lost faith in the doctors and was afraid they'd give up on him.

last week while reviewing his ER records, I discovered a note stating that the referral doctor had declined dialysis because he was still eating at the time.

I keep wondering if my lie affected the dr's decision to deny him dialysis

I don't know if dialysis could have saved him, but I wish I had told the truth and given him every possible chance.

I lied because I wanted to save him, not hurt him. I thought I was fighting for his life

I had to let him go in Sep, i don't know how to feel about it now

I said goodbye to my sweet, resilient girl yesterday of almost 17 years. She’s been with me since a puppy and I honestly don’t know life without her. She brought me the greatest joy and unconditional love. I’m utterly heartbroken, but I know it’s because of the bond we shared.

My forever soul dog, we’ll stay connected always in some way 🤍 I’d choose you right back in every lifetime.

My sweet boy passed yesterday suddenly. On Monday I noticed he wasn't feeling well, went to the emergency avain vet and was discharged with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. He was at home in my hands as he passed, loved, spoiled, and cared for even now in the afterlife by myself and my husband.

These are some of his favorite things, i wasnt sure what I was going for in the picture. Yes that is a cheese stick.

I am a person who has never had much family or love in my life, so losing my little stink is immeasurable and life changing. Just as he changed my life entering it in May 2012 as a baby. He was born on pie day, 3/14 and would of been 15 next year. I always said we were egg to grave, I thought I had a solid 30 to 50 with him so wrapping my head around this loss of my best friend brings so many emotions. I told my husband, how am I to have a "good morning " now? He was the first thing I looked forward to every day, really and truly every day. I don't think that will stop.

RIP Watson Higgins III (doesn't he sound like hes from money?) you were smarter and funnier than anyone knew, my best good friend. 💕

She was 12 and starting to show the signs of slowing down for a while. I know it was the right decision, she still had some time left, I just couldn’t watch her deteriorate and become nothing. I’ve done that before and couldn’t stand to watch it again. She went out in a high note, and we get to remember her that way, even though I cried so hard for 2 days straight. The guilt and sadness ate my soul.

My baby Luke it’s been one month since I last held you.

I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were sick until it was too late.

I’m sorry I didn’t let you outside because I thought it would keep you safe and let you live a longer life. You were gone at 9 I wish I let you do what you wanted to do in the short time we had.

I’m sorry I took too long to get a catio.

I’m sorry I was too busy with work sometimes to spend more time playing with you and your brother.

I’m sorry I ignored you in those times when you needed me. I took you for granted. I always thought I would have more time with you but I lost you so quickly.

I’m sorry I had to make the decision to put you down. I wish it was on your own terms after a long and fulfilling life. Did you want to go so soon? How much pain were you in that you hid it until you couldn’t anymore? I wish you didn’t have survival instincts to hide it so I could’ve known sooner. You were purring in my arms before they gave you the shot. I wouldn’t have done it if there was a chance you would make it. I just didn’t want you to suffer to stay with me.

I can’t sleep in my room anymore because it’s so weird that your little head isn’t resting by feet on the bed.

I pass by your cat tree every day it’s full of your fur I can’t get rid of it but I always cry when I find a strand of your hair or your broken nails.

I still have all of your catnip toys they have your drool stains you loved them so much.

The scar from last scratch you gave me is starting to fade. I wish you were still here to get annoyed with me every time I pet you too much.

I miss your meowing no matter what time it was.
I miss you just being near me.
I miss you peeing in any cardboard box you would find.
I miss chasing you around the living room.
I miss your slow blinks.
I miss you being there for me through every bad and good moment in my life. Now I’m going through the worst thing and it’s because you’re not here.

I love you so much. If I could go back in time I would do so much better maybe that’d mean you’d still be here. I don’t know I hope we meet again. I hope you’re at peace. I hope you forgive me for everything. I hope me, you, and shay get to spend the afterlife together.

My girl’s health issues finally got to be too much to bear and she crossed the rainbow bridge today
Rescued at three, I’d like to think we gave her 10 good years in a loving home
She was such a loving baby and always ready for a car ride or a snuggle in the blankies
Fly high baby girl, I’ll love you forever 🌈❤️

I think she was around 13 or so?

Her name was Chloe and she was a Rescue Waggin dog when Petsmart was still doing that. We had no history on her because of that, but she was a seriously amazing dog. Clearly someone's pet that had run away because she knew what a dog bed was and how to use it. She knew to go outside and even learned how to tell us she wanted to come in.

She was also so gentle with my elderly grandma when my grandma was still alive (she died a year ago). Clearly knew how to be around elderly people.

The only real issues we had with her were that she would run if we let her out without a leash. We did tie her out but it was literally just until she told us she wanted to come in. She had a specific yip she would do in order to let us know she was ready to come in. We just don't have a fenced-in yard. The worst part was my stepdad was working on that, but he didn't finish before we had to put her down.

She'd been having trouble coming up the stairs for a few months where she'd stand at the bottom and whine. She literally sought me and my brother out to get permission to go back up. I'm wondering now if it was tied to what happened.

Her spleen ruptured last night due to a tumor which was most likely cancerous.

Seriously, she was the sweetest, gentlest dog. She loved ice cubes and I never had to be afraid of putting my fingers in her mouth. She would hold her mouth open and ever so gingerly close around the ice cube. She would bark at people going down the street, but I would trust her around little kids. She was just so sweet and gentle and she'll be sorely missed.

I lost Oliver December 19 2025. He was my best friend and the best part of my life. He lived to 17.9 years, still not enough. He was adventurous, strong, brave, loving, funny, and so sweet. Last year he supervised me while I set up an ofrenda for my grandparents, this year I set one up for him. I’ve been crying for two days straight, I miss you sweet boy. I hope he enjoys his favorite puppy patties and salmon.

JJ, my best friend of 13 years, crossed the bridge on Saturday. I've never missed anyone so badly in my life. I miss our walks, I miss his hugs, I miss the constant sound of his panting. It's so quiet now.

I got him in the summer of 2013, and he was the cutest little thing I'd ever seen. He was the only one in his litter who came up to me and my then girlfriend (now wife). We were in love. He was rambunctious, conniving, and too smart for his own good. He liked to dance, steal your socks as you were putting them on, and wake us up with his sloppy licks. If you left anything on the counter within his reach, it was his. If you wanted to play fetch, you had to use 3 tennis balls to counter against this ball hog. For 3 years, it was just my girlfriend, me, and JJ. Eventually, we got his little sister. She was a 2 year old rescue, from somewhere down south, and the sweetest dog you would ever meet. They were instantly inseparable. They each had their own bed, but that didn't matter. They were always curled up with each other. On walks, they basically pushed against each other, as if they were trying to merge into one dog. We were a family. Fast forward several years, several new cities, a newlywed couple, to 2020. He was 7, and was starting to slow down. He was gaining weight, losing his fur, and just all around miserable. The doctor told us it was his kidneys, so we put him in special kidney food and watch him slowly get worse and worse. We moved to a new city, where the vet instantly knew it was a thyroid issue. We put him on his new medication, and he bounced back like nothing had ever happened. I had my goofball back. Around that same time, my wife developed puppy fever, and wouldn't you know it, now there were 3 of them. After lots of unease and reluctance, JJ finally accepted the new puppy, and the trio began. After spending time in a small town, we decided it was time to move back to the big city, where we could settle in, really work on our careers, and start a family. We bought a new house with a nice fenced in back yard. That first summer was great. Throwing the ball all day, laying in the grass, barking at all the neighbor dogs. It was everything he ever wanted. Winter came and went, and we find out we're expecting! Everything is going as planned! We decide to take them on their first big Springtime walk, and we notice blood on JJ's paws. We aren't sure whats going on, so we keep a close eye on him. We notice he is kind of dragging his back leg, so we take him to the vet for some x-rays. The vet doesn't see anything that stands out in his hips or back, but he did discover a mass in JJ's abdomen. If it's malignant, we have a few months, if it's benign, he'll be fine. He had the surgery, and had to get his entire Spleen removed. After a week or so of uncertainty, the doctor called me, with great news. It turns out it was BENIGN! Everything will be good! Just let him heal up and he'll be back to his old self. We kept watching... letting him heal... waiting for him to get better. But as we waited, we watched his back leg start to drag more and more. But he's still the happy-go-lucky guy he's always been, so we let it go. We thought maybe it was due to the surgery. Maybe he's just in more pain than we thought. We eventually brought him in to the vet, where they decide he probably has arthritis. So we put him on meds for the arthritis, and he keeps getting worse. We brought up the idea that maybe he had a slipped disk. Nope, just let the arthritis meds work. He continued to get worse and worse. 3 weeks ago, he completely lost the use of his back legs. He's miserable. He can't use the bathroom on his own, he can't get around without our help. We decide it's probably time. We set up the euthanasia appointment, but I decide to give it one last shot. I take him to the vet, tell her, this is a slipped disk, please treat him for it. So she gives us new meds, and says, if its a slipped disk, these have a 70% chance of getting him back to normal. So we cancel the euthanasia appointment and start him on his new meds... and things start to look up. He's moving his limbs again, he's holding his pee in all night, this might actually work! On Saturday, October 17th, he falls over while trying to go to the bathroom, and his whole body locked up. It wasn't a seizure, but a back spasm, which led to his entire body tensing. It was midnight, and all I could do was try to keep him calm, and ease him through the event. The next morning, all he could do was lay on his side. It was so bad, he seemed to helpless, and I felt so awful about letting this happen to him. I asked his vet the next morning if it was something he could still come back from. She told me that, if there's no improvement within a week, she didn't expect him to recover. So a week of watching over him, keeping him comfortable, changing his potty pads and cleaning him, and he has regained some strength. He can lift his head, his neck, his shoulders... but it's not enough. So we made the call, for Saturday, October 24th. The morning of, he started the day with eggs, steak, bacon, potatoes, and cheese. The best breakfast skillet you could ask for. He spent the day laying in the yard, taking in the smells, feeling the breeze, barking at the neighbor dogs, and eating all the puppy ice cream he could want. The vet came to our house. He was surrounded by his family. He wasn't scared. He wasn't in pain. We let him know how much we loved him, how good of a boy he was, and how much we were going to miss him. He went to sleep still eating ice cream.

I've lost all my grandparents. I've lost aunts, uncles, childhood friends. I've never cried as hard as when I said goodbye to my little boy. When I placed his fragile little body into the basket, the last time I'd ever touch his fur, the last time I'd see his face... as soon as the door closed behind them, I completely broke down.

These last few days have been strange. I'll be doing ok, when the smallest thing will remind me of him, and I'll completely lose it. The other 2 are doing ok. They know he's gone. They were there when it happened. They saw him leave. I know it takes time, and I will eventually stop crying. I'm just so sad that this little boy who played such a huge role in my life will never be able to meet my daughter. Will never see his little sister. I was hoping against hope that he would at least make it till then...

I'm not really sure why I even wrote this... maybe I needed a release.... maybe it was therapeutic... I just wanted to share his story. To let the world know that he existed. That he was loved. And that he will forever be missed.

I love you JJ. You'll always be in my heart.

i lost my boy Dezil august 31st. we got him when i was around 8 years old, i’m 21 now. i moved 2 hours away for school and he stayed with my mom - he was my mom’s baby. we got him right after my dad left to protect us; he was the first guy to really show up for me, my brother, and my mom. he was my best friend, i never really had any friends and i still really don’t due to severe anxiety and idk, people just don’t like me that much. but he loved me. during panic attacks, he would lay on top of me to help. we didn’t teach him that. and if anybody got upset at me, he’d get between us and bark at the person, even my mom, even if i deserved to be scolded (i was a shithead kid lol). he was perfectly healthy 8 months prior, did x rays and bloodwork. but that day, he collapsed and his gums got pale. he got back up and even climbed in the car but i told mom to rush him to my work (i’m an LVT at a vet clinic). i thought it was just the start of a cardiac problem.
they did an ultrasound. fluid in his abdomen. they did x rays. a large unknown mass in his abdomen. his bloodwork was garbage, he was anemic with low platelets. they said it was probably a bleeding splenic mass. he was 14 years old. we didn’t want to put him through surgery and his gums were so pale at the end. he was so tired. it’s been almost two months and i still cry every day for him, i miss my boy, i miss my best friend, i just want to kiss his sweet, stinky old man head one more time.

October 27th is Día de los Muertos de la Mascota, the Day of the Dead for pets and I knew my dog Lu was with me, so I chose tonight to place her ashes in their final resting places. I have been missing holding my beloved Apartment Hippo in my arms more than anything, so I decided to sew a small pouch of her ashes into my favorite hippo stuffed animal so I can hug her anytime I want. I also sewed pouches into 2 other hippo stuffies that I am giving to her favorite people (besides me 🥲). I placed her remaining ashes into a beautiful urn.

When I first had this idea I felt like it was weird and kind of morbid, but holding my stuffed hippo with my dog’s ashes has given more comfort than anything else since her death. It feels really really good. So I just wanted to let anyone who needs it know that it’s ok to grieve however you need to, even if it seems weird.

They sent someone to my house this morning to help him pass peacefully, he had a mass in him abdomen that spread to his lungs, clusters of nodules in his lungs, and he had a hard time with his hind side. The doc was great, peacefully explained what was going to happen. I laid there scratching his chest, his favorite spot, while he drifted off. My heart is beyond shattered, I haven’t stopped crying since they pulled away.

This is Mr.Orange, the sweetest boy ever. He was put down on Saturday and it was a very had decision but it was time. I miss him so so so much. I told him several times before he passed that it was okay to go, that I loved him and appreciated every second with him and, to show me the color orange when he made it. On Saturday besides all the pumpkins and orange foliage, I saw about 18 different orange vehicles all day starting when we left the vets office and on Sunday I saw about 5. We don't live in a city or a heavily populated area. I took it as a sign that he made it safely and that's he's okay. I miss him so much but the fact he is at peace and all the orange is all I can ask for. He wasn't with us for a long time but it was an amazing time and he was an amazing companion. Forever my momo, forever my Chicka Chicka Owange, forever my MO🧡OFL (orange for life)🧡

We just had to very unexpectedly put our German shepherd down tonight. Came home from lunch 100% fine. Come home from work, he hadn’t moved from the spot I left him in. Didn’t get up to bark when I opened the garage door.

Walk inside and he was lethargic. His stomach was swollen.

Take him to the emergency vet. They get him right back and within 10 minutes they told me the ultrasound showed a mass in his stomach ruptured. He was bleeding internally.

They said they could do emergency surgery but if he survived that he might live 3-5 months.

We had to make the hardest decision to put Kai down tonight. Totally caught off guard and unexpectedly.

They said there was no way to know he had that mass growing inside him through normal yearly check ups.

He was about 8 1/2 years old born on Valentine’s Day

He was the best boi up until the end.

Baby Kitty was my sweet angel baby. That wasn’t her intended name but that’s what stuck for the ~13 years she was with me.

It’s been tough. We didn’t know what was causing her to eat less (despite her best efforts to) and start hiding out on the stairwell for a month. We got the feeding tube on Friday and were about to start chlorambucil for suspected GI lymphoma as steroids worked for a day at most. It was too late and she passed with us by her side at an incredibly kind ER that didn’t pressure us at all. She was already fading by time we got there - that image of her laying on the blanket is the last one I got of her. It is bittersweet but tells me we did the right thing. In a way, I have found it helpful to find accounts from people who went through the same experience. It’s how I know that I did my absolute best for her. Her pain was very temporary and her passing gentle.

She didn’t really grasp how to play with toys, hated the outdoors, had an infinite stare, and was overall just a truly weird character (just like human mom!). We’re pretty sure she was an alien in a cat body.

She’s gone back to the mothership and I’ll feel so much better when I have her ashes back so she can follow and visit anytime.

Lymphoma sucks. Thanks for looking at my weird alien baby.

Apologies for this being long. Today marks 2 years that I lost Max (Maximus J Cat). He was my best friend in the entire world, I don't know if I'd still be here if it weren't for him. I loved him and I know he loved and trusted me, he showed it every day. Letting go of him was one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with and I still struggle with that every day.

One day I noticed he was not using the litter box, so I took him to the vet. They said he wasn't constipated, but looked like he had fluid in his abdomen. So from there it was ultrasounds, a trip to a specialist vet. Basically they gave me the option of surgery (that would not help him, would only be able to narrow down what was wrong), or a biopsy to tell what it was. I was going to do the biopsy, but he only made it another week.

I knew the day I was going to lose him. Not that anyone told me or I made the decision, I just knew. So that day I spent it with him laying on the bed, trying to get him to eat or drink. Sometimes he would get up and go lay down in the bathtub, I think he didn't want me to see him like this, but I'd go lay down with him and keep him company anyways. Then we'd go back to the bed and I'd comfort him more. I got him to eat some wet food, so it made me hopeful and I took him to the vet one last time, but ultimately it was the same answer: he was ready and they even said he was suffering and I couldn't do more for him. They wanted to put him to sleep right there, but I didn't like the feel of the office and it sounded like they wouldn't let me be with him when it happened. So I took him and headed home, but on the way he just looked at me and I knew it was time. I went to the vet that was closer to me (the first one) and made the decision.

There's so many things I wish I would have done different that day. I feel like I let him down. It also left my other cat, Ellie, confused because she didn't know he was leaving and for days after was looking for him.

There's been times where I still feel like he's around. One day shortly after I lost him, I saw a cat with a long skinny tail run into the kitchen. I got up to look and no one was in there. I turned around and Ellie came walking out of the bedroom (she has a shorter thicker tail as well). Sometimes I'll be laying in bed and feel like paws are touching my back, but I'll roll over and there's nothing there. Also, shortly after losing him, I had a dream where I was just holding him and he would meow and lick my nose like he used to. I never remember dreams, but this one stuck with me. I feel like these are all him telling me he's ok and he loves me. I hope wherever he is, he's waiting for me and I'll get to see him again.

Max, I thought we would have more time together, but thank you for 14 incredible and loving years.

Thank you for letting me tell you about Max

I can’t believe I am posting this. It has been five days since we had to say goodbye to our baby Happy, the love of our lives. Losing him was not on the radar at all, he was only 7, and we are devastated. His diagnosis still doesn’t feel real. Far too young, and far too cute. We will miss and love you forever, Happy. Part of us left with you.