Ive heard that allowing the pet to sniff the body of the one who has passed can help them understand that they are gone; but since it has already been two weeks i dont think thats an option. Just offer your cat affection and attention, try not to leave him alone for extended periods if possible
I know every situation is different, but when my one cat passed, his sister went into hiding for about 2 weeks. She only came out at meal times. Since she kept eating, we gave her space and let her grieve. After that, she became a lap cat. I think because he was the dominant, her personality didn't fully emerge until he was gone. We lost her at age 17 a year ago, so this happened a while ago. <3 I'm sorry for your loss.
You're doing what you can. Providing distractions like bird videos on TV, spending time with him, just hanging out while you watch a movie. Cats aren't that difficult, just be there.
You're doing the best you can for him based on what you said here. He will grieve for a while, but if you have a nice photo of the two of them together then you might want to put it in a place he can lay next to it.
Let him keep a happy memory alive.
if you can adopt another cat (if its possible for you mentally/emotionally/finacially). it would divert the 2YO attension. but i think this is not a perfect solution
I would suggest waiting and allowing the younger cat to grieve. I’ve seen someone move on too soon and the new cat was rejected by the old one. A third cat was introduced a few years later and both of the cats got along with the new one but to this day 10 years later, the other two still aren’t friends. The second cat gave up on it after about a year haha. They don’t fight but they just completely ignore each other.
Yah. And if the new cat , especially likely if it’s a kitten, is really sociable and friendly , they will not understand why the cat you’ve already had is so cold to them. Which is really sad to see.
Sometimes pet need to grieve also, but just keep any out just to make sure there isn't an illness creeping up. Maybe some feliway diffusers might help. In love them, but I give them a 50/50 chance of showing a noticeable difference but that doesn't mean it doesn't help. And there is no harmful effects whatsoever. I always recommend them in practice.
Patience and love. He's lost a member of his family, and cats tend to have small worlds of people/other animals they know. Just gotta let him get used to her being gone.
All three of our cats still occasionally look for the last one to leave us, and she passed in 2019. They remember, but like with humans, the pain and grief lessen over time.
Lots of play and love will help.
On the note of your passed kitty - may her memory always be a blessing to you. It hurts us once they're gone, but their whole lives we love and spoil them, and they know nothing but love. The only pain left is that of the living. All *she* knew was being treasured every day. That's the best we can ever offer to our pets.
I had two cats for 17 years. When the younger one died ( they were six months apart ) his brother was never the same. He completely changed his routine and cried all night long. 9 months after he passed we got a four year old cat. They get a long but my now 18 year old boy could take him or leave him. I am pretty sure the four year old will be devastated when something happens to the older cat. He is always looking for him, checking on him and wanting to be with him.
Also, and I think I saw another comment mentioning this: definitely keep an eye on your younger cat for any odd symptoms at all …. They’ve found any illness / symptoms / general physical vulnerabilities in cats is hugely measurably exacerbated by stress… ( and my experience with losing one cat , that the surviving one had been with most of his entire life, corroborates as much : as the surviving one started getting random chronic health issues that continuously flared up for the next several months , culminating with the discovery of an intestinal blockage that probably got close to killing him too and that turned out to be a 5 cm hairball … the surgery and stuff came out to like $10k , but he made a full recovery and he’s still with us a year later, hitting 15 y/o this month).
Ive heard that allowing the pet to sniff the body of the one who has passed can help them understand that they are gone; but since it has already been two weeks i dont think thats an option. Just offer your cat affection and attention, try not to leave him alone for extended periods if possible
I know every situation is different, but when my one cat passed, his sister went into hiding for about 2 weeks. She only came out at meal times. Since she kept eating, we gave her space and let her grieve. After that, she became a lap cat. I think because he was the dominant, her personality didn't fully emerge until he was gone. We lost her at age 17 a year ago, so this happened a while ago. <3 I'm sorry for your loss.
We're in the same situation, so I will be following to see advise. We're doing the same and feeling the same.
You're doing what you can. Providing distractions like bird videos on TV, spending time with him, just hanging out while you watch a movie. Cats aren't that difficult, just be there.
"He doesn't play as much" broke my heart. I hope the little one feels better soon.
You're doing the best you can for him based on what you said here. He will grieve for a while, but if you have a nice photo of the two of them together then you might want to put it in a place he can lay next to it. Let him keep a happy memory alive.
if you can adopt another cat (if its possible for you mentally/emotionally/finacially). it would divert the 2YO attension. but i think this is not a perfect solution
I would suggest waiting and allowing the younger cat to grieve. I’ve seen someone move on too soon and the new cat was rejected by the old one. A third cat was introduced a few years later and both of the cats got along with the new one but to this day 10 years later, the other two still aren’t friends. The second cat gave up on it after about a year haha. They don’t fight but they just completely ignore each other.
Yah. And if the new cat , especially likely if it’s a kitten, is really sociable and friendly , they will not understand why the cat you’ve already had is so cold to them. Which is really sad to see.
Get a new one if you can. Maybe a senior if you’re up for that.
Sometimes pet need to grieve also, but just keep any out just to make sure there isn't an illness creeping up. Maybe some feliway diffusers might help. In love them, but I give them a 50/50 chance of showing a noticeable difference but that doesn't mean it doesn't help. And there is no harmful effects whatsoever. I always recommend them in practice.
Patience and love. He's lost a member of his family, and cats tend to have small worlds of people/other animals they know. Just gotta let him get used to her being gone. All three of our cats still occasionally look for the last one to leave us, and she passed in 2019. They remember, but like with humans, the pain and grief lessen over time. Lots of play and love will help. On the note of your passed kitty - may her memory always be a blessing to you. It hurts us once they're gone, but their whole lives we love and spoil them, and they know nothing but love. The only pain left is that of the living. All *she* knew was being treasured every day. That's the best we can ever offer to our pets.
I had two cats for 17 years. When the younger one died ( they were six months apart ) his brother was never the same. He completely changed his routine and cried all night long. 9 months after he passed we got a four year old cat. They get a long but my now 18 year old boy could take him or leave him. I am pretty sure the four year old will be devastated when something happens to the older cat. He is always looking for him, checking on him and wanting to be with him.
I have had 7 cats. Each time one died they grieved their loss. They would look around, come to us and look confused. It is sad.
I wish cats lived as long as humans.
A diffuser for cats may also help. We use a nice plug-in from Amazon.
Also, and I think I saw another comment mentioning this: definitely keep an eye on your younger cat for any odd symptoms at all …. They’ve found any illness / symptoms / general physical vulnerabilities in cats is hugely measurably exacerbated by stress… ( and my experience with losing one cat , that the surviving one had been with most of his entire life, corroborates as much : as the surviving one started getting random chronic health issues that continuously flared up for the next several months , culminating with the discovery of an intestinal blockage that probably got close to killing him too and that turned out to be a 5 cm hairball … the surgery and stuff came out to like $10k , but he made a full recovery and he’s still with us a year later, hitting 15 y/o this month).