Oh dear, bad news!
Discussion
I got a phone call at 11.30 this morning from the local vet to say sorry your cat has died, I was a little surprised as she had been fine this morning. It transpires that she had been hit by a car and some kind sole had taken her to the vet who had checked her microchip to identify her.
I know the kids (who are 6 and 8) will be very upset, especially my eldest who had really bonded with her. She was 5 months old and we knew her from birth, my eldest held her at a day old so considered her to be his cat really.
We have had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she was a great character. In the short time she was with us she proved to be the most affectionate cat I have ever known, having had 5 cats during my lifetime, and she will be missed.
When our first cat died young at 11 years old, two years ago I was a blubbing mess, this one not having been with us for so long it isn't as upsetting.
I am more bothered about how upset the kids will be, but they have had various small pets (guinea pigs / hamsters)that have died so the concept of pets passing away isn't new to them.
I am leaving work early to collect her from the vets, then will be digging a hole in the back garden to bury her.
I have a pang of guilt and wonder if we should have let her out yet. She has been using the cat flap for several weeks and was free to come and go during the day whilst we were out, and has done so happily.
We live on a typical residential street with 30 houses so there aren't many cars up and down, and there are loads of cats on the street, so Molly getting run over is probably just an unfortunate accident.
The next question must be do we get another cat?
I know the kids (who are 6 and 8) will be very upset, especially my eldest who had really bonded with her. She was 5 months old and we knew her from birth, my eldest held her at a day old so considered her to be his cat really.
We have had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she was a great character. In the short time she was with us she proved to be the most affectionate cat I have ever known, having had 5 cats during my lifetime, and she will be missed.
When our first cat died young at 11 years old, two years ago I was a blubbing mess, this one not having been with us for so long it isn't as upsetting.
I am more bothered about how upset the kids will be, but they have had various small pets (guinea pigs / hamsters)that have died so the concept of pets passing away isn't new to them.
I am leaving work early to collect her from the vets, then will be digging a hole in the back garden to bury her.
I have a pang of guilt and wonder if we should have let her out yet. She has been using the cat flap for several weeks and was free to come and go during the day whilst we were out, and has done so happily.
We live on a typical residential street with 30 houses so there aren't many cars up and down, and there are loads of cats on the street, so Molly getting run over is probably just an unfortunate accident.
The next question must be do we get another cat?
hman said:
sorry for your loss
My advice would be upgrade to a dog.
Shouldn't have made me laugh; but it did.My advice would be upgrade to a dog.
Sorry to hear of your news.
We always had cats; over the 20 or so years we have had 7 come and go with 3 being the most at any one time; one of which met their maker, under the wheels of a bus.
Our 21 year old cat was PTS almost 2 years ago and we are now left with Jazzy who is about 15, I've told the wife though that as much as I do like cats, we aren't having more; we have discovered dogs and two dogs is far better than 1 dog so unfortunately for any cats out there who need a home; it won't be with us.
Thanks for your comments, and no we won't be getting a dog.
Yesterday evening wasn't too traumatic. As predicted the kids were very upset, they wanted to see Molly and say good bye, as she looked like she was asleep I let them which I hope helped them.
My eldest blamed his mum for letting her out (and she blamed herself), but she was the kind of cat who made a dash for the outside whenever a door was open so she didn't want to be locked up inside, it would have driven her bonkers.
As soon as I got in from work having gone via the vets to collect her I dug a very deep hole in the garden. So deep that she won't be disturbed by general gardening activities! The boys placed a few of her toys in the 'grave' with her and helped me fill it in. I explained that although she had a short life she was loved from the minute she was born to the minute she died, and still was even though she had gone.
They went to bed okay and slept all night so hopefully will be okay.
Out of the blue and without knowing that our cat was dead the friend who we got her from offered us their cat yesterday (our cats cousin). They are moving to a rented house that doesn't allow pets. I said yes but my wife said no, as she felt it was too soon to get another.
Yesterday evening wasn't too traumatic. As predicted the kids were very upset, they wanted to see Molly and say good bye, as she looked like she was asleep I let them which I hope helped them.
My eldest blamed his mum for letting her out (and she blamed herself), but she was the kind of cat who made a dash for the outside whenever a door was open so she didn't want to be locked up inside, it would have driven her bonkers.
As soon as I got in from work having gone via the vets to collect her I dug a very deep hole in the garden. So deep that she won't be disturbed by general gardening activities! The boys placed a few of her toys in the 'grave' with her and helped me fill it in. I explained that although she had a short life she was loved from the minute she was born to the minute she died, and still was even though she had gone.
They went to bed okay and slept all night so hopefully will be okay.
Out of the blue and without knowing that our cat was dead the friend who we got her from offered us their cat yesterday (our cats cousin). They are moving to a rented house that doesn't allow pets. I said yes but my wife said no, as she felt it was too soon to get another.
Edited by PH5121 on Thursday 5th November 12:09
I can understand your wife's reaction but please tell her my absolute honest feeling is that she should reconsider, would she have said yes if you hadn't lost your cat? If so she should not feel bad/ guilty for saying yes now.
I see people struggle with this a lot, there is no right or wrong response but if she spoke to me at work as a client for advice (happens a lot) I would tell her it was meant to be and she should really think about taking this cat in.
Children can be more accepting than we think/ give credit for but I am sure they may ask questions (sometimes awkward ones) just be honest and allow them to talk about her and what happened if they want.
I see people struggle with this a lot, there is no right or wrong response but if she spoke to me at work as a client for advice (happens a lot) I would tell her it was meant to be and she should really think about taking this cat in.
Children can be more accepting than we think/ give credit for but I am sure they may ask questions (sometimes awkward ones) just be honest and allow them to talk about her and what happened if they want.
My wife knows the cat, it is a house cat and when the owner was on holiday a couple of weeks ago she went around twice a day to feed it / clean out the litter tray / play with it. So she knows it is another great friendly cat.
It is a bit of a strange situation as I said no to having the cat we just lost (I like cats but to be honest didn't want the hassle and expense) but was out voted by the rest of the family, and now she is saying no when I am saying yes.
My eldest wanted to leave all of the cats stuff (food bowls, scratching post, toys etc) where it was as if she was still with us. For his happiness I would get another cat.
It is a bit of a strange situation as I said no to having the cat we just lost (I like cats but to be honest didn't want the hassle and expense) but was out voted by the rest of the family, and now she is saying no when I am saying yes.
My eldest wanted to leave all of the cats stuff (food bowls, scratching post, toys etc) where it was as if she was still with us. For his happiness I would get another cat.
)I am in a similar situation but with a dog, we lost her less than 10 days ago, she had to be pts and it killed me inside 
having had her for over 14 years it was an additional issue that seemed to appear and caused her demise
I personally am not a cat person so the outlook on this may be slightly different, but you miss the companionship with a dog, she can never be replaced and there won't be another like her, totally individual and you will feel guilty looking for another cat, in the same way I still feel guilty about looking (and now having found) another dog as a successor to my beautiful girl who passed away (though she is an adorable little thing and she picked me rather than the other way around
).
I say take the cat, it will help with the healing, it is never really too early if you find the right companion and they really will help with the pain of loss.
having had her for over 14 years it was an additional issue that seemed to appear and caused her demise I personally am not a cat person so the outlook on this may be slightly different, but you miss the companionship with a dog, she can never be replaced and there won't be another like her, totally individual and you will feel guilty looking for another cat, in the same way I still feel guilty about looking (and now having found) another dog as a successor to my beautiful girl who passed away (though she is an adorable little thing and she picked me rather than the other way around
).I say take the cat, it will help with the healing, it is never really too early if you find the right companion and they really will help with the pain of loss.
Well I was told last night that we are getting a new cat tomorrow!!
My wife was chatting to her friend (that our cat came from), who said that she was moving house next week and still had nowhere for her cat to go, so my wife said we would have it.
My wife has cat sat it when her friend was on holiday and says it is lovely, and it is the cousin of our deceased cat, my son is a classmate of the girl who is / was its owner so she can still come and visit. So hopefully a good ending for all involved and the cat.
The next dilemma is that this cat has been a house cat all its life (6 months old), so we will have to decide if we can start letting it venture out as we have a decent size garden which its other owner didn't, but it will have even less road sense than the cat we had.
I am not a great believer in keeping cats indoors, but at least they don't get run over if they are.
My wife was chatting to her friend (that our cat came from), who said that she was moving house next week and still had nowhere for her cat to go, so my wife said we would have it.
My wife has cat sat it when her friend was on holiday and says it is lovely, and it is the cousin of our deceased cat, my son is a classmate of the girl who is / was its owner so she can still come and visit. So hopefully a good ending for all involved and the cat.
The next dilemma is that this cat has been a house cat all its life (6 months old), so we will have to decide if we can start letting it venture out as we have a decent size garden which its other owner didn't, but it will have even less road sense than the cat we had.
I am not a great believer in keeping cats indoors, but at least they don't get run over if they are.
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