My husband and I had a beautiful cat named Muffin for 16 years. We were devastated when we had to put her down because of seizures and diabetes. He refused to get another pet for years. Then he had a stroke that was brought on by stress at work. My daughter got two kittens while he was in the hospital and after he returned from rehab he had an instant companion.
Ginger turned out to be a therapy cat for him and took to him immediately and was strictly "his" cat. She only went to him, paid attention to him, etc. The other kitten became "my" cat, Lumpy. When he passed away a year ago, Ginger went through a period of mourning. She always slept on a pillow with him at night and after he passed she refused to even go in the bedroom.
I tried to show her as much attention as she would allow and eventually, about 9 months later she would come in the bedroom. She then began coming to her pillow and now sleeps with me. It took a lot for her to get over him, but she is doing fine now. She wants to be with me all the time now. Of course, Lumpy gets a little jealous and we have a few issues over who was on the bed first. Animals too feel things and I was worried she would get sick over his passing. You just have to show them extra love and care.
My husband passed away at a hospice. The nurses gave me his pillow and told me to let our pets (3 dogs and 4 cats) smell it. I did as they suggested and it did help the critters deal with the loss of their beloved "dad".
Sadly, I have to report that his beautiful Ginger is now very sick. She has diabetes and we believe from blood work that she possibly has cancer.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. It's the hardest part about having a beloved pet. They never live long enough. So glad she has a loving family to help her through this final chapter.
