[Siamese_Lover]

I'd like to post this poem i found about losing a pet thats close to your heart and the pain it brings when people just dont understand what your going though.
I lost my siamese kitten a few days ago and i get comments like "there will be worse things that happen in your life"
Right now she is the worst thing that has happened in my life and I hate the fact that people see my pain as irrelevent or less because she is a cat. Do people just think I say "oh look, my cat is dead, i'll just get a rubbish bag and put her in the bin"??? No!!!...to me it was like finding my child dead!!!!!....to say I loved my baby is an understatement, this has to be the worst pain I have ever had in my heart...there are times I just dont want to be alive. So sad to know there are people out there who have never experienced the type of love like I have had with Portia.


"Its Just A Cat"

From time to time people tell me, "Lighten up, its just a cat," or "Thats a lot of money for just a cat." They dont understand the distance travelled, the time spent or the costs involved for "just a cat".

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a cat".

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a cat" but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a cat" and, in those days of darkness, the gental touch of "just a cat" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think its "just a cat" then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend", "just a sunrise" or "just a promise".

"Just a cat" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy.

"Just a cat" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person.

Because of "just a cat" i will rise early, stay in all day and look longingly to the future.

So for me, and folks like me, its not "just a cat" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a cat" brings out whats good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that its not "just a cat" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human"

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a cat" just smile.......because they "just dont understand"

Author unknown

[Heather Sharada]

That is very very sweet and I am sure that all cat lovers will understand what the "just a cat" people don't. I know it is early days yet but continue to take strength from the experiences that you shared with your little Portia....thanks for sharing.

[Joy]

It says it all. Thank you

[Voula]

Dear Siamese Lover,
I send you my deepest condolences on the your loss of your beloved Portia. I am another person who understands how deep your loss is. I still hurt when I think of my two old cats who passed on nine and eight years ago. I did lose two of my children, my feline children. The piece you posted is understood by true cat people. We are blessed to be able to love our furry family members so deeply and to receive their pure love in return. I hope your memories and the love you shared with Portia will sustain you in your grief. Hugs to you.
Love, Voula

[russianblue]

My cats are my family, and I too have felt the deep pain of their loss. Thankyou for the poem. Those that see them as "just a cat" are the ones who are missing out. Hugs to you at this very sad time.

[oriental cats]

Thank you for sharing this with us, you know that your CW family share with you the love of cats and we are here to support each other.
Grief belongs to the person who has suffered the loss, it is their grief and belongs to them, so the depth of that grief as felt by the person is what is truly is, like pain it is not for the outsider to judge, it is what is felt by the sufferer that is the truth level of suffering.
I suspect you are feeling very angry and guilty now, my love for the way that little Portia (what a beautiful name for a beautiful cat) died, the overwhelming feelings are normal, this is not just a cat but she was a much loved family member, you are alllowed to grieve for her this is your journey of grief, I am so sorry you have to travel this path.
Please accept the support yo will find here on CW.
Sue XO
ETA: I don't know if I would have survived some of the heartache in my life without "just those cats" to get me through each day.

[kirty]

That was so beautiful. I have tears in my eyes. It is so true. My cats have gotten me through my darkest days. Sometimes when there was nobody else to turn to, they were there. Still thinking of you too.

[Britzobeauty]

Gentle hugs for you.
That was gorgeous. Those that dont have a fulfilled and enriched life with just a cat have just half a life.

[love.shop.scrap]

I was happy to find this forum with people who 'get it', that you can love an animal as much as any person, or even more.

As the saying goes, the more people I meet, the more I love my cat.

Sympathy to you on the loss of your precious baby.

[charleycat]

Fortunately this is a place where people DO understand that it's not "just a cat". I'm sorry you've lost your companion and definitely know the pain of that loss.

When my father died, Charley kept me company when I locked myself away and cried. After I lost Charley, Hershey came along and helped me to recover from that loss.

Each cat is so very much an individual, each loss is equally painful.

[sher]

That was beautiful, thankyou.
Hugs to you at this sad time.

[Roland Deschain]

That was Gorgeous.

[Yashodhara]

Hi Roland,

My deepest condolences for the loss of your beloved friend Portia and thank you so much for sharing that beautiful poem. I know exactly what you mean by the pain.

Just to digress for a moment, the ignorant and insensitive comments such as "It's just a cat" and "just get another one" just confirms what I am already painfully aware of, is that we live in a speciesist society where all animals, not just dogs and cats, but sadly all animals are treated as property or used as products to be eaten or worn etc. In a legal sense animals are legally viewed as property. This must change. They all love life as we do. That's why I'm vegan.

Six weeks ago our beloved Zama (almost 5 yr old desexed male) went suddenly missing. We live in a rural location. We did everything to find and recover him but to no avail. Had we not been living in a speciesist society, his disappearance would have meant more to those around us including authorities. Unfortunately it is unlikely we will probably ever know what happened to him. It is hard enough losing Zama but not knowing what happened to him makes it very difficult to handle.

He was such a homebody and so we knew almost immediately when he wasn't
there to be bought in in the evening, that something bad must have happened. When we fostered and adopted our 4 cats from a shelter, we tried to make them all indoor cats from the time they were very young. Zama in particular resisted being indoors almost every day of those three years. Our other cat sweet boy Khensu was very territorial. They were both so unsettled and neurotic about being indoor cats, despite all the toys and the fact we were home most of the time, we decided to make them outdoor cats. They were just not suited to indoors. They were very happy being outdoor / indoor cats, although it did not improve Khensu's territorial behaviour.

Our other two cats Anjushri and Asrai have been very inactive and probably missing him. I've been depressed since Zama went missing, and we had an unpleasant person in the town make some really awful comments to us about cats which didn't help.

Prior to Zama's disappearance, only 3 1/2 months ago we had to rehome our sweet boy Khensu, which was the last resort decision but the only decision left. He was so territorial and all behavioural therapies including meds did not improve the situation. Some cats just want to be the only cat. So we are still missing Khensu as well. Fortunately we found a lovely home for him.

I feel like it's going to take a long long time to be able to manage this terrible and sudden loss of Zama, particularly since we don't know what happened. My little Zama was my beloved child, just as you say Portia was yours. I think many people feel that way about their fur family.

Zama has been around me almost 24/7 for the last five years. Had he still been here, he would have been laying in front of my monitor as I type this. I have to be honest, apart from my partner, I derive a lot more joy and love from my cats than I derive from humans.

Here is a photo of Zama when he was 1 yr old
http://www.lobsa.org...Zamacloseup.JPG

It's been hard getting through the days without thinking about him often. We have a photo of him on our Buddhist altar and a candle lit for him. Everything reminds me of him. I miss him so much at times it's almost unbearable. I will never ever forget my beautiful little boy. I still have a lot of difficulty believing I will never see him again. Zama was the most wonderful full of joy little individual and brought joy to us every moment of his short little life. How fortunate and privileged we are to get to spend our lives with these wonderful
individuals from another species.

I will have good thoughts for you that as each day passes, you will feel just a little bit more like a little joy is slowly returning to your life. I also hope that when you are feeling low, that you send out thoughts of love to Portia, letting her know you love her and you will always love her. Just know that this time next week, you will feel a little different than today and I hope that gives you some hope. Thank goodness time is healing or we would all be basket cases.

One day when you are feeling a little better, you may be able to give another sweet little one a loving home. We hope to adopt a little one in the future from a shelter and give him a loving home just as we gave our beloved Zama. My warmest wishes and good thoughts to you.

Trisha

[Becca D]

Such a beautiful poem - I actually read it a few days before my little Oscar passed away and it helped me so much. Oscar was my first baby to pass on and it was so hard. The insensitivity from colleagues and friends did not help my situation at all, so it was lovely to read this and realise that I am crazy - I'm a crazy cat lady and they just don't understand.

Thank you

Am so sorry to hear about your gorgeous Portia, hoping that you are coping ok.

This post has been edited by Becca D: 29 September 2009 - 10:16 AM

[luvkits]

Such lovely words very touching, i'm sure all other furlovers will love them and totally understand, for all our little angels who have blessed our lives
and left us too soon. It does take a long time to morn our little furfriends, they are our babies, our family, part of our heart and soul forever.

thankyou for sharing R.I.P Little Portia