[ModestGoddess]

I take the loss of my animals very hard. Right now I have a male cat, Loki, who is 7 years old and very happy, loving and healthy. My problem is that every once in a while I have obsessive thoughts about him experiencing a painful or traumatic death. Sometimes I am there to witness, sometimes I just find his body. We are in a safe area aside from nighttime coyotes, and I get him inside for the night around 4 or 5pm. There is no reasonable point in having these thoughts, and they usually bring me to tears. I'm wondering how best to manage this irrational fear of losing my best friend before he has led a full life.

[Skeezyks]

Hello ModestGoddess: Pets are very special. We have a small dog who is the light of our lives. So I can understand how you feel. Anytime he seems to be "under the weather", so to speak, we worry until he appears to be feeling better. I don't know as I have any particularly useful suggestions for you here. But I saw that this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral… from the Skeezyks! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

PsychCentral is a great place to get information as well as support for mental health issues. There are many knowledgeable & caring members here. The more you post, & reply to other members’ posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are social groups you can join & chat rooms where you’ll be able to connect with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) Lots of great stuff! So please keep posting!