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I have today just buried my little Henry, beside my little Annie, who died only 2 months ago. The pain is unbearable. Annie was a 4 year old ginger and white moggie cat, found by a relative on a road when she was a very small kitten. We brought her into a VERY animal loving home and introduced her to her new sister dog and brother cat. She had a disability and couldn't walk very well so we kept her in and took real good care of her. From time to time we would let her out for a bit of fresh air but always kept an eye on her. On one of these occasions she wandered down to the road (a countryside road with little traffic) and got hit by a car. I found her a couple of minutes afterwards. The pain I felt was like nothing I felt before. She was a beautiful little girl who was the centre of our life. One of the things that had helped me cope at the time was our little Henry. I had found him as a small kitten, on the same road that Annie was to die on a couple of months later. He wa!
s a black and white with the most beautiful long coat, we nicknamed him 'fluff ball'. He was very timid and afraid of everything at first but with time, love and effort he became a real wee loving man and enjoyed nothing more than being cuddled and petted. People say I was meant to find him cos of what happened to Annie. Today I was supposed to be at a wedding in a town 5 hours drive away. As a treat to ourselves we decided to make an extended break of it because we hadn't been coping too well. We booked our pets into the local veterinary clinic/kennels and arranged to pick them up a few days later. It had been arranged with the vet to neuter wee Henry while we were away as we thought we were being responsible. During our trip we got a call from our vet to say that our little Henry hadn't made it through the operation. My world just turned upside down during that call. I was still coping with Annie passing away and now poor Henry. I never even considered that there was a ri!
sk with that operation. I am sitting here now at home with my !
wife, dog and our last cat and just feel numb. I miss the other 2 so much and miss the things we will never have. You would think to read this now I'm some soppy teenager when in fact I'm a middle aged married man. I'm not religious but always had a positive outlook on life. Now I can't see the point in giving these little animals so much love if they keep leaving/hurting me. Why are these things happening to us? My wife is equally as devastated and I am so lucky she is here for me.

Bryan - I understand your pain. I lost two one my precious ones, one in May, other awhile back. They don't leave you because they want to, its something that happens. All life is precious and temporary. Just look at what you gave your little ones and what they gave you. Remember the love and the pain will subside, I know its easier said than done. Just remember they needed you and you them.
There are others that need love, just remember the good of what sharing is about

Hello Bryan. I am so sorry for your loss. I understand something of how you feel and wish to pass on to you and your wife my deepest sympathy. Nine weeks ago on Monday I loss my precious cat Winston, a black and white longer haired cat like little Henry. I left Winston at the Vets for a routine dental and he died under anesthetic. You can read my post dated 20th Oct on the forum. Another of my cats had died ten months before. The call from the vet turned my world upside down. It is so difficult to accept. The vet told me it happens to one in every four hundred cats put under anesthetic. It is the waste of their life that hits the hardest, all the years of life loss. I cannot offer you any words of comfort as only time will ease your pain. I think all you can do at this stage is for you and your wife to talk about your wee cats and share your hurt and pain together. I contacted the Blue Cross bereavement service which you might wish to consider. You and me were the unlucky ones Bryan that we lost our lovely cats in this unexpected way. Hold on to your precious memories. Henry and Annie had a wonderful home with you and knew they were loved.

I am so sorry for your loss. And understand how heartbroken you must feel. I had to have my dog put to sleep last new years eve and I'm not over losing him now. I don't think I ever will be. Losing your cats in such terrible ways is so hard. I know we don't think about the risk of losing our pets when it's basically a routine operation, and my heart goes out to you. You and your wife are obviously animal lovers and you gave your pets everything and they knew they were loved. Please don't give up on giving anymore animals love. There are so many out there that have been abused, neglected and need a loving home. I'm not saying right away as you need to grieve.
One thing that helps me sometimes when I cry over my dog is to think back and know he knew he was loved. that I did everything I could for him. And when you see the cruelty that some cats, dogs and other animals suffer, at least yours knew and trusted you, knew you loved him, and he had a loving home.
It's a cliche but give it time. You will always grieve for him and Annie. But as you say, you were meant to find him. He was loved and he knew he was loved. There is nothing else we can give our pets but love. And losing Henry and Annie so suddenly is horrendous, you will still be in shock and go through the grieving process. But don't give up on ever getting another furry friend, there are so many out there who would love a home like Annie and Henry had. They are our family (in fact better than some of our human family members) so cry and cry and grieve. You have done nothing wrong and gave them the best loving homes they could have ever wished for.
You're not alone losing a loving pet hurts like hell but it will in time get a bit easier.
My condolences to you and your wife and my thoughts are with you.
Michelle xxx

Hi Bryan. I am so sorry for the loss of sweet Annie and Henry. I know how it is losing a much loved fur baby to the road in a quiet area. It feels like somebody has ripped your heart out. That was me, six months ago to the day when I lost my Tokyo Boo to the road. I cannot imagine losing another fur baby so soon. Please don't feel that you will never love another animal in fear of being hurt. I am certain Annie and Henry didn't choose to leave you heartbroken. I have no doubt they will wait for you. I adopted Simba only 9 days after Tokyo Boo crossed over. It was really hard but Simba was in desperate need of a loving forever home and I believe that Tokyo guided me to him. 4 months later I adopted Star who too was in desperate need of a loving forever home. I still cry over the loss of my baby boy. Nothing and nobody will change the way I feel for him. Loving and helping animals is good for the soul. Time will teach you how to cope with the pain. Big hugs to you and your wife xxx

Thank you all for taking the time in replying. Its good to know there are people out there that understand what we are going through. We know its going to be a long bumpy road to recovery so thank you all for giving us that initial 'push'