How long did you grieve for after your cat passed away?

[Theoldwoman]

My dear boy passed away on Tuesday and I know it's only been 3 days, but I can't stop crying and thinking and replaying his last few days in my head.
It takes me ages to get to sleep at night too (unusual for me) fortunately once I'm asleep, I sleep well with no nightmares.
I keep thinking I'm seeing him in the house (shadows or items lying around make me think it's the cat)

I feel so lost.

It takes as long as it takes. Lost mine Nov 2019 & still feel cut up about it. We have another cat now but it’s not changed anything.

I’m sorry you lost your boy too.

As long as it takes. You've lost a beloved family member. It takes time, as with any loss, but you'll learn to live with it. It's 4 years since I lost my 19 year old girl (my username was inspired by her!). I still miss her everyday. We have two rescues now that I love very much but doesn't fill the gap she left.

So sorry op. There’s no right or wrong. You’ll slowly find it easier to live with. Right now you’ll be in shock and awful loss. I lost two cats around 10 years ago. Still think of them a lot and miss them. It’s a huge loss.
I was thinking I saw one fir a long time (bags or anything else on the floor). I still do things as if they were around. If I drop a pill I always immediately pick it up (‘in case b or b get to it first’).

I still miss her terribly and it's been 3 years. But getting another cat was the biggest thing that helped.

We lost our little girl to a road accident 3 years ago. We cried for several days following the incident. The whole thing was really traumatic as I had discovered her on the road when I'd opened the bedroom curtains in the morning. That moment still plays over in my mind all the time and I still check the road obsessively.

We found it really helpful to get another cat and weirdly the cat we got ended up being so similar to our cat that died. It's almost like we never lost our other cat.

We have a little place in our garden where she is buried and we got a stone engraved with her name.

Give yourself space to grieve. It's so awful losing a cat. They're so much more than just pets.

It took months before I could think about my beloved cat without bursting into tears. Now, 2.5 years later I think of him with a mixture of sadness and affection. I'll always miss but the hurt lessens.

When my last cat died (she was euthanised) I was sad for a day or two afterwards but that was all. I buried her at the end of the garden, next to our two other kitties.
She died in 1997, so a pretty long time ago now. I don't recall grieving for her particularly, but I did miss her. Every year when spring comes around and the bluebells bloom at the end of the garden, I think of our 3 "girls" who are buried there.

We lost our little boy in September. He was killed on the road too. I can’t walk past the spot where it happened without picturing him there. God, I miss him. DS (15) suddenly got really upset today, thinking about him. It’s not an every day thing, but I still have a little cry sometimes when he pops up on my phone memories.

Still cry about our boy who was killed by a dog in our garden in January. He was a very special character and we're devastated that we couldn't give him the love and care he was due in his twilight years

We all loved him so much and the hole he has left huge.

My last cat was old and unwell, and it was a relief to have her euthanised tbh. I was very upset on the day and cried, but then I only really had a wave of sadness when I thought I'd seen her out of the corner of my eye.

There's no 'normal' though. It very much depends on the circumstances.

I still think about my boy Zazzles two years on, I wish he was here every day.

Still cry for mine who was run over and left to die slowly in the gutter until a neighbour found him and rushed him to the vet. It was too late.
It was metres from my house and I didn’t hear him crying probably all night.
Full of guilt and rage at the driver who didn’t stop. I would run them over twice if I ever found out who it was.
We got a rescue cat within a week and I am so glad we did. New cat mended my heart considerably. Not a replacement but an immense comfort.
I hope you heal soon xx

We lost two cats inside a year and we still miss them, especially as they both died young and had so much more living to do

I've lost several cats over the years but one of them in particular I still miss every day, she was so special. It's very early days for you, don't be too hard on yourself

It was 2 years before I could face getting another. The desperate sadness probably lasted about 2 months, then settled down to grief.

I wasn't over her when I got another but I decided I would never be totally over her ever. She was 21 when she died and she was my darling

I'm so so sorry you are going through this. Xxx

Take your time
I lost my horse (had her a decade) in august 2019 and I still can't say her name without my voice cracking
My legs physically went from under me when I found out and I think I cried most nights for months

Grief is grief , it doesn't matter what has died be it human or animal , if you loved it and it has died , you will grieve.

Ah OP it takes a long time to recover. The little fluffy individual was a big part of you daily life and routine. It took me months before I stopped being upset daily. I had moments where I forgot she wasn't around anymore which upon realising felt terrible. I still think about my cat every day and fill up with tears every now and again. It'll be two years for me on 31 August. I miss my cat Lola every day. You need to give time time. There is no short cut out of this situation but you feel better in time. Be kind to yourself

I couldn't sleep after my cat Otis died in 2018, because he used to sleep on my hip and I missed the weight of him (still do). Losing cats is hard

We lost one of ours in March and I still well up thinking about him sometimes 😢

FancySomeChips I’d run the bastard over before you got to him/her.. your darling cat was loved it’s whole life. I’m so pleased your recent fur baby has helped you heal.

My old boy died in 2011, he remains the Very Best Cat, I'm still sad to think of his passing, but mainly glad to have known him.

Though if you want to hear something slightly weird, sometimes, after a long hot day, DD's hair smells a bit like him, sort of warm and dusty.

She is less fishy. Thankfully.

We lost our girl a few months ago.
I felt devastated for a long while, jittery and shaken up. I feel awful saying it but I was more upset by her death than having relatives die which surprised me.
I’m fine most days, and go about my business but then the grief hits me and I feel floored.
I found an old blanket she had slept in this week and felt gutted by it. I think it comes in waves after the initial upset and you just have to ride it out.
We did get other cats, it hasn’t really helped but has taken our minds off it.

I'm welling up now reading these stories. A well loved cat is so much more. Our first cat adopted us. He visited all the other houses in the close before settling on us. We couldn't have wished for a better companion. We enjoyed his company for about 10yrs, before he died. That was over 20yrs ago and we still remember him and talk about his habits and foibles. We've had several since but he was still the one.