I'm so sorry for your loss. Pet loss is so very hard.


When my cat died a long time ago my vet's office gave me a book about pet grief. It was surprisingly helpful. One of the things it said was to take your time and you would know when you were ready to have another pet.You'd never replace the prior one, just develop a new relationship with a pet. It suggested when you felt you might be ready visiting the shelter and really paying attention to how you felt. I followed this advice and it really worked for me. I wasn't sure at all when I walked in but very quickly became attached to not just one but 2 kittens who I wound up taking home and loving through their entire lives. They were exactly the right cats for me.

In the more recent past I had a brother/sister pair. The boy had a lot of health problems and died when he was 3. I never even considered getting another cat even though I think they usually are better off in pairs. My Abbycat is much happier as a single girl and is the best cat I've ever had. That was another case of listening to how I felt in my grief and acting on those feelings.

You'll know when you are ready. Don't push it until then. There was just the cutest dog featured on the local dog shelter. Someone had adopted him, kept him 2 days and realized they weren't done grieving for their previous pet yet and returned him. That's obviously no good for anyone.

Keep posting here if it helps. We all love pets and many of us having been through losses.