Have You Ever Had to Say Goodbye to a Pet?

Just to be perfectly clear, my cats (Biddy and Walter) are fine. They’re not going anywhere.

However, on the same day this week, multiple friends made the difficult decision to put their pets to sleep. They both wrote heartbreaking (and heartwarming) posts on Facebook honoring the lives of their dog and cat (respectively) and what those animals meant to them.

Despite how ill Biddy was last month, I still can’t imagine going through this with him. I know the day will come, but I rescued him as a kitten–he’s been with me for over 12 years! And Walter is coming up on at least 5 years in the Stegmaier family.

How do you say goodbye to a furry creature you love, especially when you’re making the decision for them? I’ve seen people try to give their pet some of their favorite things for their last day–a special meal, their favorite toy, one last walk around the block.

After it’s done, how do you tell others and celebrate your pet? Both of the Facebook posts did a great job of that (they explained the situation, talked about the pet, and shared some photos). Perhaps there’s some catharsis in sharing the news when you’re ready.

While I dread this day for Biddy and Walter, I want to be prepared for it. If you’ve lost a pet, how did you say goodbye? In hindsight, did the goodbye work for you, or would you have done something different?