Very Sad Cat - Any Suggestions?
 

Our female cat that was in our home for over 16 years passed away. Her male companion for the last 14 years is just lost. He goes through the house looking for her every few hours, even during the night. When not looking for her he just mopes around all sad. Any pet lover have suggestions?

I don't have any ideas. Maybe if you spend more time with him. You could try getting another older cat. I doubt at his age he would appreciate the energy of a kitten. My cats have never missed a cat that died. One did miss a toy poodle when he died. But, I got another and three weeks later I got another. They played together all the time. He was older and just liked other pets in the home.

I know when my dog Misty died Kitty Joe looked for her for about a month. It took a while but he gradually quit looking. Plus I have another cat. Jingle had a good idea of getting another cat and I agree an older cat would be better than a kitten.

Think about how we react, asking ourselves "is this real", "was there something more I could have done?" Our dear pets don't have the logic we do so they really have no answers for these questions. He is checking everywhere just to be sure the pet is really gone and not overlooked. He is mourning and is very confused, wondering "am I next?" Give him lots of love, just like we do our friends and the sun will shine for him again.

We had a male cat Frankie who we had inherited from my MIL. We had a female named Sassy who really didn't get along with the other cats but for whatever reason, she bonded with Frankie who was also older then her. The 2 of them were able to spend about 6 yrs together before Frankie passed away. Sassy looked everywhere for him. She still refused to have anything to do with the other cats or our dog. I even took her to the vet as she had started to loss weight. The vet said that they grieve the loss of a close companion. It was over 6 months before she even seemed like her old self again.
It might be best to wait awhile before bringing in a new cat if that is what you decide to do.

My dog grieved for a long while after my dad passed away.. I notice every once in a while he goes into the computer room, and hangs out sniffing around.. When in the kitchen, he always sits under dad's chair.. Dad has been gone for four years..

When my sweet Thelma passed away, I asked our vet what to do for her sister Louise. They said to be sure to give her extra loving and just keep an eye on her. She would come around. Louise did well but I think she got to say her goodbye because Thelma passed while I was at work. It was a surprise and very heartbreaking to me. It has been 1 1/2 years and I still miss her. I also think Louise did well because we had a smaller dog so he kept her busy.

I know cats are different from dogs...as we have 4 cats! I do hope your little Man gets through the loss without too much issues. Give him some extra snuggles tonight.

give him lots of love.

Several years ago, we had a very bad tempered cat named Oreo. We adopted a second cat who was being mistreated and was a very sweet cat (both were girls.) Oreo seemed to hate the new cat, but when she died, Oreo roamed the house calling for her for about a month. I was glad Oreo got over it, but happy that she actually did like the other kitty.
Molly

Sorry for your loss. Pets play such an important part in our lives. I have dogs and a few years ago our old dog Jake died from cancer and left our then black lab Buckley who was about 5 just so lost. He had no one to pester and be obnoxious to. It does take awhile for them to get over but they do with extra attention and love.