Memories of pets loved and lost...a place to share.

I guess my favorite animal we had was a cat name of Mook. One of those flat faced cats , Scottish foal or something like that. Reminded me of Edward G Robinson. She had some type of neck injury so she couldn't make any noise but she had a unique personality. I liked that cat.

I just saw this thread. Sorry for your loss Ron.


We lost a cat just this March ... Herbie. He was an orange Tabby in his 20th year. We had pretty much written him off 5 years ago but he was a trooper ... very senile -- you would feed him and he would be looking at you 2 minutes later "where is my supper?".


A couple years ago we lost another cat ... Boogersnot ... Maine Coon. Just got sick and died in a span of about 48 hours. Not even time to decide he needed to go to the vet. He was psychotic but always loved sitting on my lap when our youngest (at the time) cat would let him.


These all hurt but the one that really stings is the loss of our crazy dog Fred about 4-5 years ago. We had to put him to sleep after about a months deterioration. We got him 6 months after our son was born so it hit him pretty hard too.


Several other pets in my youth: Joey, Sam, Rex, Caesar.


Nice thread (well it would be nicer if it wasn't needed).

Sorry for your loss Ron...

At least he had a great life with you and your family... the years he spent with you and the joy shared is truly worth it.

all good dogs go to Doggy Heaven:

Tama the stationmaster cat elevated as goddess at funeral
Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
First posted: Sunday, June 28, 2015 06:01 PM EDT
TOKYO - Tama the stationmaster, Japan's feline star of a struggling local railway, was mourned by company officials and fans and elevated into a goddess at a funeral Sunday.
The calico cat was appointed stationmaster at the Kishi station in western Japan in 2007. Donning her custom-made stationmaster's cap, Tama quietly sat at the ticket gate welcoming and seeing off passengers. The cat quickly attracted tourists and became world-famous, contributing to the railway company and local economy.
Tama, who had turned 16 in April, died of a heart failure on June 22. During Sunday's Shinto-style funeral at the station where she served, Tama became a goddess. The Shinto religion, indigenous to Japan and practiced by many Japanese, has a variety of gods including animals.
In one of several portraits decorating the altar, Tama posed in a stationmaster's hat and a dark blue cape. Sake, as well as watermelon, apples, cabbage and other fruits and vegetables were presented to the cat. A stand outside the station was heaped with bouquets, canned tuna and other gifts left by thousands of Tama fans who came to pray from around the country.
Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima thanked the cat for her achievement, and said Tama will be enshrined at a nearby cat shrine in August.
Before Tama's arrival, the local Kishigawa Line was near-bankrupt; and the station was unmanned as it had lost its last staff.
Kojima said appointing Tama as stationmaster was initially an excuse to keep the cat at the station.
"But she was really doing her job," he said. The rest was a miracle, and his company's success story also gave hope for dozens of other struggling tiny local train lines, he said.
"Tama-chan really emerged like a saviour, a goddess. It was truly my honour to have been able to work with her," Kojima said in his speech.
During her tenure, Tama had contributed an estimated 1.1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to the local economy, Kojima said.
Kojima said that when he visited Tama at an animal hospital the day before she died, the cat woke up and reached out to him with her paws, as if asking for a hug, and looked straight into his eyes. He said he told Tama to get well so they can celebrate the cat's upcoming 10th anniversary as a stationmaster, and said the cat responded with a "meow."
Tama is a popular name for cats in Japan, where they are considered spiritual animals. The word could translate as treasure, ball or spirit.
The cat had climbed the corporate ladder from stationmaster to "ultra-stationmaster" and vice-president of the company before receiving the additional title Sunday of "honourable eternal stationmaster."
Tama will be succeeded by another calico cat, Nitama, now an apprentice stationmaster.
Tama the stationmaster cat elevated as goddess at funeral | Weird | News | Toron

I'd like to think my flat face cat Mook is there.

Uggie, canine star of Oscar movie The Artist,' dies in Los Angeles
REUTERS
First posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 10:36 AM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 10:46 AM EDT
Uggie, the energetic Jack Russell terrier who captured hearts when he appeared in Oscar-winning silent movie "The Artist," has died in Los Angeles at the age of 13, his owner said on Wednesday.
The white and tan dog, who charmed audiences and the media in red carpet appearances to promote the movie, had a prostate tumor and died last week.
"We regret to inform to all our friends, family and Uggie's fans that our beloved boy has passed away," Uggie's owner and trainer Omar Von Muller said in a Facebook posting.
"Uggie had a cancerous tumor in the prostate and is now in a better place not feeling pain. Thank you for your support, I will not be reading any comments for a while as it is too painful at the moment," he added.
Uggie starred as "The Dog" alongside French actor Jean Dujardin in the 2011 movie which won five Oscars, including best picture. Fans of Uggie conducted an unsuccessful campaign to have him nominated for an Oscar in his own right.
His stunts and tricks led to numerous television appearances and in 2012 he became the first dog to have his prints cemented outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, alongside acting legends such as Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne and Judy Garland.
Uggie, who also appeared in the movies "Water for Elephants" and "The Campaign," retired in 2012.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XLx_mHuwX4
Uggie, canine star of Oscar movie The Artist,' dies in Los Angeles | Celebrities

When a beloved pet dies
By Joanne Richard, Special to Postmedia Network
First posted: Sunday, August 13, 2017 07:00 AM EDT
There’s no getting over Rover.
Losing a pet is devastating – our beloved Mugsy was euthanized a month ago. We cried like babies, overwhelmed with grief, despondent that our 12-year-old red poodle wasn’t coming home ever again.
Mugsy wasn’t your ordinary dog, and our hearts are broken. Other pet owners can empathize –“your own pet is never ‘just a dog,’” says Dr. Frank McAndrew, psychology professor at Knox College and blogger in http://pyschologytoday.com. He had his dog Murphy put down in January.
Our affections are never objective when it comes to pets. Losing a dog can be harder than losing a relative or friend. “We have more contact with our pets than with most other human and our relationships with dogs can be even more satisfying than our human relationships,” says McAndrew. “They are a companion who does not judge us as well as an integral part of our daily routine.”
We’re lost without them and grieve the end of the unconditional positive feedback, the emotional comfort. There’s little in terms of societal rituals to help get us through the grief. “Recognize that your feelings are normal and that there is nothing to be embarrassed about,” adds McAndrew.
Brian Kilcommons has grieved the loss of six dogs over his lifetime, and although each death has been agonizing, living without a dog is a no go. He’s on another short, intense and joyful journey with his bull mastiff Sam and tiny terrier, Victoria.
“Every death has been emotionally crushing – it’s involuntary heart surgery. It feels like someone has reached down your throat and ripped out your heart,” says Kilcommons, premier dog behaviourist, author and trainer at http://greatpets.com.
Animals rescue us. Chronic loneliness is a modern-day epidemic. It’s considered a bigger health risk than obesity or smoking – loneliness kills. Human were not designed to be solitary creatures; we crave connection and research concludes that pets can compensate for the absence of human companionship. Animals boost oxytocin levels, stimulating bonding and relaxation and easing stress.
Richard Waxman calls them four-legged healers. The first person who says, “It was only a dog, you can get another one,” run the other way!
The loss of a dog is so intense because the life span of a dog is a relatively short period of time in a human’s life, says Waxman, who runs a pet bereavement support group at Paws & Hearts Welcome.
Many people feel guilty because they grieve their pet’s loss so very much, sometimes even more than a human loss. “Most friends and relatives don’t share the intimacy that we share with our four-legged companions that’s why losing them is so unbearable,” says Waxman.
Prepare for feelings of abandonment, the closing of a chapter, that nagging question, “did I do enough to take care of my dog or cat at the end? Should I really have euthanized when I did?”
If you had to euthanize your pet don't give yourself the guilt trip, stresses Waxman. “If the vet and your dog or cat told you it was time, then you did them a world of good to let them slip gently away. The word euthanize means 'good death,' and as rotten as it is to say good-bye, sometimes it has to be done.”
Coping with loss
Pets have become substitutes for children and even spouses, says pet grief counselor Brien Thurston, of Pet Loss Canada | mourning is a journey as well as an experience. “The death of this pet reinforces the loss of a person and exaggerates the loss.”
Here’s help to deal with the loss:
Do not rush the grieving process, nor allow any other person to try and make you “get over it,” says Thurston. “Even the government legislates how long we can grieve by allowing a list of times away from work according to family/other ties. There are no recognitions for animals.”
Invite those who may understand and share your grief to discuss it with you, he says. Avoid those who have no positive experiences with pets since they will have very different emotions and disinterests.
Celebrate the fact that your dog or cat had an amazing life with you, adds Richard Waxman, of Paws & Hearts Welcome.
Keep talking to your departed dog or cat - they are at the Rainbow Bridge (http://rainbowsbridge.com) and they can hear you, says Waxman.
Cry as much as you need to and get it out.
Do not rush out and immediately get a new pet, stresses Dr. Frank McAndrew. Until you have fully grieved and come to terms with the loss of the old pet, it will not be fair to the new one.
Do allow another pet into your life eventually, adds McAndres. “Some people are so grief-stricken that they never want to go through it again, but for pet lovers the rewards will always outweigh the loss.”
Dog owners vs. non-dog owners
Dog owners are happier in life and work than those who don’t have a dog, according to http://OnePoll.com:
80% of people who have a dog are happy or very happy with their life in general
70% of those without dogs claim to be happy or very happy
86% of people with a dog say having a dog reduces stress
63% of dog owners report being content with their work life
Only 44% of non-dog owners were satisfied at work
When a beloved pet dies | Life | Toronto Sun

Ron in Regina said:

Yesterday was 5yrs since our friend Shadow left us. Rarely a day goes by that he isn't on my mind or that he doesn't come up in conversation somehow. He touched the lives of so many, and so many got over their lifelong fear of dogs just by being in his company for a few hours experiencing his massive and fearsome presence to learn just how gentle and intelligent a dog can be. Everything about him was just BIG, from his loyalty to the love he shared with us. The big ones burn bright but not for long. I miss him so much even to this day.

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Grumpy Cat has died
Associated Press
Published:
May 17, 2019
Updated:
May 17, 2019 4:21 PM EDT
MORRISTOWN, Ariz. — Grumpy Cat, whose sourpuss expression entertained millions on the internet and spawned hundreds of memes, national television commercials and even a movie, died at age 7.
Its owners posted on social media that she experienced complications from a urinary tract infection. “She passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha,” they wrote.
“Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world — even when times were tough,” its owners said.
The cat’s real name was Tardar Sauce and the owners were never sure what its breed was. Its website said the grumpy look was likely because the cat had a form of feline dwarfism. They said despite its face, Tardar Sauce is cuddly and loved to be held and rubbed.
The cat rose to fame after her photos were posted on Reddit in 2012. Its owners said it was suggested the photo was a fake, so they posted a few videos to prove otherwise.
Since then, Grumpy Cat made appearances on Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, even American Idol and The Bachelorette. The cat did television commercials for Honey Nut Cheerios and took photos with hundreds of fans at South by Southwest.
In 2014, Lifetime produced a movie called Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. She was voiced by Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza.
Owner Tabatha Bundesen founded Grumpy Cat Ltd. and created a website that included an online shop featuring 884 items, including T-shirts and mugs with the cat’s picture.
The feline’s net worth was never disclosed but in 2013, her owners say it was six figures. Last year, online speculation estimated her to be worth in the millions.
Grumpy Cat had more than 8 million followers on Facebook, 2.5 million on Instagram and more than 1.5 million on Twitter.

http://torontosun.com/technology/grumpy-cat-has-died
http://grumpycats.com

'STUPIDITY': Otter dead after visitors threw food into habitat
Washington Post
Published:
June 3, 2019
Updated:
June 3, 2019 10:52 AM EDT
Otto the otter at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium in Kingsport, Tenn. (Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium)Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium / The Washington Post
For nearly two years, anyone stopping by the otter habitat at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium in Tennessee would likely catch a glimpse of Otto.
“A cheerful creature, he could often be found swimming or playing with toys in his pool, even when it was snowing outside,” park officials said about the sleek brown river otter who had become a popular fixture at the sprawling nature preserve in Kingsport, about 100 miles northeast of Knoxville.
But now Otto’s days of delighting visitors are over.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the park announced that Otto fell ill and died after “guests threw food into his enclosure that his body could not tolerate.” It is not yet known what the otter may have eaten, but grapes, which are not part of the semiaquatic mammal’s usual diet, were found in the habitat, park manager Rob Cole told the Kingsport Times-News. A necropsy is being done to determine an exact cause of death.
“As a reminder, feeding the animals at Bays Mountain Park is strictly prohibited for exactly this reason,” the park wrote on Facebook. “Human food is often intolerable and, in this case, even harmful to our animals.”
Park staff grew concerned about Otto last week when the 2-year-old otter stopped behaving like his usual self, Cole told the Times-News on Thursday.
“Otto exhibited initially what we thought were balance issues,” Cole said. “He wasn’t real steady on his feet and his condition hasn’t improved, so it was time to make sure all is well and that Otto would be OK.”
That same day, the otter was taken to an animal hospital at the University of Tennessee for treatment. But within hours, the park shared a grim update on Facebook.
“We’re deeply saddened to announce that Otto the river otter did not make it,” the post read, noting that the critter was “beloved by park staff and guests alike.”
Cole said that once Otto’s body is released, he will be taken back to the park for a private burial.
Otto first came to Bays Mountain in October 2017 when he was 9 months old after he and his sibling lost their parents in a flood, the park said. The two orphaned pups were initially cared for by a rehabilitation center in North Carolina with the goal of one day releasing them back into the wild. However, the young otters lost their fear of humans, so Otto was moved to the park instead, where it didn’t take long for him to become a crowd favorite for his sociable nature. Posts on the park’s Instagram page show the otter balancing on a bright orange inner tube in the middle of his pool and propping himself up against a chain-link fence to “pose” for a picture.
While some fans flooded the park’s Facebook page with memories and photos from their visits, others expressed outrage that people disobeying the rules may have led to Otto’s death.
“Absolutely heartbreaking,” one person commented on Facebook. “A sweet, innocent animal gone because of stupidity. Very sad.”
On Twitter, another user wrote, “If you need me I will be crying about Otto the Otter from Bays Mountain for the next 10 years.”
The park, which has exhibits for creatures ranging from wolves to snakes, notes on its website that all its animals are fed “nutritious diets.” Otters normally eat fish, crayfish, meat and eggs.
“Grapes aren’t part of their diet and it’s not what we feed them,” Cole, the park manager, told the Times-News. “Even the most well-intentioned efforts to feed them is not a good idea and we’re dealing with the aftereffects now.”
Otto’s death is just the latest example of what can go wrong when visitors don’t follow the rules at zoos or other wildlife preserves. In perhaps the most infamous case, Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, was fatally shot in 2016 to save the life of a toddler who crawled past a barrier and fell into the animal’s enclosure. Last month, a flamingo at a zoo in Illinois had to be euthanized after it was injured by a child skipping rocks into its habitat, The Washington Post reported.
It is not clear whether the Tennessee park has plans to take action against the person or people who allegedly threw the food into the enclosure, but it said Otto’s fate should be a cautionary tale.
“The best thing you can do for the park and for Otto’s memory is to calmly, kindly educate one another on the dangers of feeding wildlife,” the park wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. “That goes for any wild animals – not just the ones at parks and zoos like ours.”

http://facebook.com/BaysMtnPark/photos/a.302418107214/10156398288237215
http://torontosun.com/news/world/stupidity-otter-dead-after-visitors-threw-food-into-habitat

I want to say goodbye to my pet slug Andy, who sadly passed away this morning at the grad old age of two. We had many good times together - and a few bad ones - and a lot of laughs.
Peace, bro.

Blackleaf said:

I want to say goodbye to my pet slug Andy, who sadly passed away this morning at the grad old age of two. We had many good times together - and a few bad ones - and a lot of laughs.
Peace, bro.

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It's about your pets, not about your Gran.

In memory of James, my beloved little spider whom I've just accidentally drowned in the shower. We had three good days together and now it's been taken away from us in tragic circumstances. Godspeed, old boy.

Sorry for that loss bro and at this point, I do wish to tell something. I was so keen to have a dog and my father was against it. But somehow I convinced him. And in just a few days, my father was closer to my dog than I was. 5 years later, the dog met an accident and died. My father literally cried at the moment and this makes us realize how much people can get attached to their pets.