Allow Yourself To Get Another Pet And See What Happens
While my cat could never be replaced, I could fill the hole he left in my life
When my cat died, I thought I would never love another pet. He was only 10 years old. I was away when it happened. There was nothing I could do. My heart was broken. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.
It sounds silly to people who’ve never loved pets, but when you let a cat into your life, when you let their tiny paws and demanding meows and silly mannerisms into your heart, you open yourself up to so much joy and love — and vulnerability.
I promised myself I would never let myself be hurt again. Ten years was not enough, it could never be enough. I would never be ready to let another cat into my life. No matter how long another cat lived, I would never be ready to face this kind of sadness again.
Even as my immediate grief began to fade, another kind of sadness took its place. A more enduring sorrow. A persistent, relentless kind of ache. It filled the space on the couch where he used to sleep. It curled itself around my shoulders like he used to, weighing me down.
I missed my cat. I missed having him purr on my lap when I curled up with a book, I missed him sitting under the Christmas tree like a watchful…
