A Perspective on Death
One way to consider death is to explore the notion that it is a pause between living in physical and nonphysical forms. Your cat will continue loving you and being loyal even after they continue to the afterlife in spirit form. This relationship goes beyond obligation.
You may not feel that you are sensitive enough to be aware of your cat’s presence right after death, but your cat may make its presence known to you in a quiet and reassuring way.
They can do this by giving you:
a brief sighting of them out of the corner of your eye or in a cloud formation;
a glimpse into their life by way of a dream;
an opportunity to hear them meow or purr; and/or
a feeling in your heart that they are close to you.
Case Study—Kate and Willa
My client Kate had a beloved cat named Willa that died of cancer. Kate told me, “Willa died in her sleep in May from terminal cancer. I continued to hear and feel her in the house for days after her death. I could feel her brushing my legs at dinnertime, and I could even hear her purr every night at the same time.”
At first, Kate felt a mix of fear and excitement that she was having these experiences. Once she understood that Willa wanted to make sure Kate was okay and remind Kate of her loyalty, Kate allowed herself to explore the possibility of being receptive to future messages.
Months later, she emailed me and shared, “Every time I am stressed about work, Willa comes into my dreams and purrs in my ear. I get the sense she is telling me that I am doing okay. This makes me feel so much better.”
When Kate first started to work with me, she had many questions about the afterlife. She feared that Willa was disappearing into nothingness. When she understood that death is the juncture between two worlds, a portion of her grief dissipated.
This is not to say you won’t feel suddenly desperate or alone at the death of your cat. The silence and stillness of their body can be a traumatic experience and bring up many unexpected emotions. Yet, when you can witness through an energy connection that your cat’s body is physically free of pain and suffering, it can help you gain solace by knowing that when they are in spirit, they do not feel pain.
Even knowing this, there are many questions that you may have. I am going to share with you five of the most common questions that I receive from my clients.
Common Questions Concerning the Afterlife
Question #1 – What happens when my cat dies?
When your furry feline companion dies, they move into spiritual energy or existing as a soul spirit. They exist without sickness, pain, or fear. Your cat in energy form is cherished and respected for the work they did with you on Earth, which is extremely honorable. Since they are living in spirit, their role is to prepare and transition for their next role.
Right after they die, there is a transition period that can take up to two weeks. This may be the time that you see, feel, hear, and/or sense their presence. Know that it is okay. They are just making the transition in their own way and reminding you they love you.
Question #2 – Why did my cat behave the way they did before dying?
If your cat exhibited any new behaviors days, hours, or minutes before dying, this was their way of transitioning their energy. There will be a period of time when they are in-between bodies, which means they are partly in the physical form and they haven’t quite made the full transition into death or the spiritual form.
Question #3 – Does my cat that died have a special message for me?
The answer is YES! When a cat dies, they are still contactable and often want to continue to contact their people for many years. Even though they are not in the physical body, their spirit is alive and well. You can still see, hear, or sense your cat, even if for a fleeting moment.
When they do contact you, there is purpose in that connection, so having an animal medium help you sort out this message can be helpful. You can consider your cat as your lifetime guide or guru, helping you to find peace amongst the chaos of being human.
Question #4 – Will my cat come back to live with me?
They can and they do! They will come back as an animal companion. Animals do not reincarnate as humans.
Also, parts of their “personality” can also come back as part of another pet’s personality.
A cat named Cassy definitely came back to Sally years later after Cassy went to the afterlife. Sally got a new kitten from her local humane society. She named her Banjo and as Banjo grew and developed her personality over a few months, Sally started noticing very similar traits to Cassy’s, like using her paw to drink water while lying down. Sally had many cats, and Cassy and Banjo were the only kitties that had this behavior.
Question #5 – Does my cat know that they are going to die?
Yes, they do! Cats are fine-tuned and highly evolved beings. They are part of the divine plan to help us be better human beings. They are okay with death, so when they die, it means that their work with us is complete, according to their Earth plan, and that they taught us what we needed to know.
Even though your cat knew they were going to die and entered into a new soul-spirit life, they are always accessible to you. By quieting your soul or spirit, you will be able to contact them and hear what they have to say. My clients are often calmed and relieved when they get their special messages from their dear animal friends.
Chapter Wrap-Up
Connecting with your cat in the afterlife is a healthy way to cope with your grief. Listening to what your cat has to say in spirit form will strengthen your forever bond in a new way.
If you are having a difficult time with the fact that your cat is no longer physically with you, please revisit the five steps to discovering your “new normal” in chapter 14 and consider doing an animal mediumship session to get some answers to your questions. This will help you feel comfortable with this stage of healing.
Your journey with the loss of your cat is unique to you and your cat. Although your cat is now in spirit form, they are still reachable. You can do this on your own or with the help of an animal medium.
Here are your final Contemplation Questions to help you explore the option of connecting with your cat in the afterlife. Dedicate yourself to these questions only if you believe in this concept or only when you are ready.
Chapter 15 Contemplation Questions
What are your experiences of “sensing” your cat’s presence?
Have you had any dreams of your cat? What do you think is the message your cat wants to share with you through the dream?
How are you still spiritually connected to your cat?
Final Thoughts
You and your cat shared an incredible life together. These times were special occasions for you that you will always cherish and hold in your heart. You experienced many escapades, joys, and adventures that will continue to help you understand all that life with a cat has to offer.
Together you gave each other an incredible sense of belonging, purpose, and joy. Your cat connected you to other animals, people, nature, the universe, and new ways of looking at life. Their ability to listen, teach, and heal was acquired when you listened to them and acted upon the lessons they showed and shared with you.
Your cat gave you stability when you couldn’t get that from family, friends, and co-workers. Together you made each other’s life full of purpose, a little easier, and much more fun.
Learning about living life in the present and freeing the soul to experience happiness is what your cat excelled in. They never wavered from this. Your cat constantly reminded you to never give up on yourself and that you are awesome. Your cat taught you to spend your valuable time with people and adventures that matter most.
The daily conversations that you had with your cat were profound, life-changing, and sometimes silly. Your cat had the uncanny ability to help you see things for what they truly were. Your cat changed your outlook on life.
Without judgment, complain
t, or impatience, your cat listened to your secrets that many a human being would never consider doing or will never know about you. The confidentiality that you shared with your cat was your special pact, a special bond not to be accessed by any other living being.
It is, therefore, your right to feel raw, angry, sad, depressed, etc., now that your cat has died and they are no longer snuggled by your side. This unavoidable event that ultimately happens in every cat-lover’s life is mind-crushing and heart-splitting. And some people just don’t understand. When your cat is ripped from your life, you can expect changes and some not all that comfortable.
You can expect that you are going to feel chaotic, isolated, irritated, ravenous, perplexed, bewildered, mixed-up, and all the other normal and common feelings of grief.
In order to soothe your soul, keep in mind that your bond with your cat was not shared by anyone else. It was entirely exclusive and exceptional to the two of you. Therefore, what you experience is going to reflect your personality, your cat’s personality, and all the things that you shared together.
Your job now is to mourn and experience the changes in your life without your beloved feline. Learn from them and ultimately fill your heart again with the joy that is now lost.
You are going to experience that some people are just not going to get what you are going through and will encourage you to move on before you are ready. That is okay. It is not your job to change their opinions. Turn your attention to your memories and your cat.
Be ready for the fact that you will be faced with some tough and annoying decisions that will demand your attention, and that is what you can spend your valuable energy on to fully process your loss. You want to be able to make these decisions without regret, guilt, or remorse.
The important thing to do is to get in touch with your feelings of grief and learn how they are going to help you throughout your life. Do not allow the non-believers to take your beautiful memories from your heart.
Mourn your emotions and celebrate the life of your cat with supportive and non-judgmental friends, family, support groups, or a pet loss coach. Through this experience, you are going to find a remedy for your personal pain by taking care of yourself, your beliefs, and the gifts that you received from your cat.
Your life purpose and journey will not end now that your cat has died. Instead, you will gain some incredible insight that will split your heart open to receive a continued relationship with your cherished feline on a spiritual level if you so choose. Your life will be enriched and soulfully balanced.
The changes you are experiencing and your feelings of being lost without your feline companion result in a tremendous impact in the way you are now moving through life. This book took you by the hand and supported you with tools and options on how you can walk this part of your pet loss voyage with a warm heart and a gentle nudge. I hope you took me up on my offer of the free, downloadable Healing Cat Loss Meditation.mp3. By engaging in this short meditation, daily or even a few times a week, you will soften the rough patches of your journey of grief.
With my program Rescue Joy from Pet Loss Grief, which is your next step after this book, you can continue to receive support as you continue the journey. This time-tested program that has already helped many others has been created with you in mind to bring you wisdom and personal growth, so you can reach a place of profound understanding that is different from what you are experiencing now. If you would like to experience support on this level, please go to the resources section to contact me.
Stephanie, who lost her beautiful calico Anja, explained the Rescue Joy from Pet Loss Grief program in this way:
Without this program, I couldn’t have understood the crazy feelings that I was having that kept me from functioning in my daily life. What it did for me was give me tools, help, hope, and strength to keep going and not give up. I was able to focus on my grief, mourn, and see that I could continue having a relationship with Anja even though she had died. Without this program, I would have been focusing on all the stuff that would keep me believing all the negative myths that society expects us to believe about life, death, and the afterlife. Wendy and her course helped me experience and trust my knowledge, intuition, and process.
Like Stephanie, trust that your ultimate journey is a reflection of what you experienced and what you are experiencing now. The life you had while your cat was physically with you will give you the inspiration and accountability to develop a different connection with your cat that will last your lifetime.
When you are ready to celebrate your cat with a pet funeral, memorial, or celebration-of-life ceremony, you will be actively making a commitment to your cat and recognizing them as an integral part of your life, family, and personal growth. Your cat was your best friend, and you are healthy to mourn their loss by creating a special service of celebration.
When you celebrate the special memories that you shared with your cat, it will help you experience your grief in a healthy way.
Resources
Ways in which I can support you
Center for Pet Loss Grief: Through Life, Death, and Beyond
Wendy Van de Poll, MS, CEOL
https://centerforpetlossgrief.com
Best Selling and Award Winning Books
https://centerforpetlossgrief.com/books
My Dog IS Dying: What Do I Do?
My Dog HAS Died: What Do I Do?
My Cat IS Dying: What Do I Do?
My Cat HAS Died: What Do I Do?
Healing A Child’s Pet Loss Grief
Free Book
Healing Your Heart From Pet Loss Grief
Free Pet Grief Support Kit
https://centerforpetlossgrief.com
Animal Mediumship
https://centerforpetlossgrief.com/animal-medium
Animal Communication
https://wendyvandepoll.com/animal-communication
Pet Funerals
https://centerforpetlossgrief.com/pet-funeral
Facebook
Center for Pet Loss Grief
https://facebook.com/centerforpetlossgrief
Pet Memorial Support Group
https://facebook.com/groups/petmemorials.centerforpetlossgrief
Veterinarians:
Veterinary Medical Association
http://ahvma.org
Home Euthanasia and Pet Hospice Veterinarians
http://iaahpc.org
Online Product Support:
Herbal Support: Pet Wellness Blends Affiliate
http://herbs-for-life-3.myshopify.com/#_l_1e
Magnetic Therapy Supplies: aVivoPur Affiliate
www.avivopur.com/#_a_CenterForPetLossGrief
Heart in Diamonds: Affiliate
http://www.heart-in-diamonds.com/?aff=CenterForPetLoss
Support Groups:
Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
http://aplb.org
International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care
http://iaahpc.org
Association for Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians
http://aahabv.org
Another Book on Pet Loss by Wendy Van de Poll, MS, CEOL
Healing A Child’s Pet Loss Grief
A Guide for Parents
Are you a parent of a child who is facing the loss of their pet and would like to support your child during this difficult time?
Are you really worried about your child feeling depressed, alone, or confused when their pet dies?
Do you know how to show your child how to view your pet as a compassionate teacher of pet loss and the cycle of life?
Healing A Child’s Pet Loss Grief: A Guide for Parents has been written for parents who are looking for a no-nonsense approach to teach their child about life, death, and beyond in an easy and concise manner. This book guides parents from the day they begin to think about getting a pet to when the family pet reaches the end of life and parents want to help their child manage the loss.
If you are a parent of a
child between the ages of 6 and 12, then Healing A Child’s Pet Loss Grief: A Guide for Parents will act as your close friend, confidant, and mentor to guide you so that you can support your child on how to care for the new family pet and how to manage their grief once the family pet dies.
Family pets make the best teachers for children, instructing them about responsibility, compassion, and, eventually, grief and loss. With this book’s guidance, parents can be sure that their children recognize and act on those valuable lessons that family pets impart. Healing A Child’s Pet Loss Grief guides parents in doing just that! You will find practical tools, case studies, and Action Planning Steps in each chapter to guide you on:
How to choose the right pet for your lifestyle and your child
How to introduce a new pet into your home and to your child
How to recognize opportunities when your pet is trying to teach your child valuable lessons; and how to support your child in learning those valuable lessons that your pet is teaching
How to help your child express and manage their grief once your beloved family pet dies
A family pet can bring your family closer together by teaching about life, death, and how death is not to be feared.
Be the family that steers your child to view the family pet as a compassionate teacher of love, responsibility, joy, loss, and healing. Teaching children early in their lives to recognize the cycle of life and not fear death helps them as adults to be more grounded in their own feelings and to be more compassionate and respectful towards all living creatures as a whole.
This book will help you and your family create a compassionate, respectful, healthy, and loving journey for your child and the family pet—from the time you consider introducing a pet to your family to when your beloved family pet dies and your child is distraught.
My Cat Has Died, What Do I Do Page 10