morbid question (triger loss of a pet)

candyisdaves · January 2015

Sorry I haven't posted here in a long time. I hope you can help me I have no where else to ask and it's not something I wanna ask on FB.

My cat passed away today. He was an amazing cat that we got as a kitten and had over 15 years. He was kinda lethargic yesterday and hasn't really been acting like himself. I actually had a vet appointment for him tonight. When I got home he had passed away on our living room floor while I was at work. I am devastated. He was my child before my child.

My question is we live in Ohio. It is less than 10 degrees outside. I want to have him buried in the backyard but the ground is frozen. We don't have a garage and I can't put him outside because there are coyotes and stray dogs in the area. Right now he is wrapped in a blanket and in a nice box . I can't put a clear thought together as to what we should do with him for right now.

My husband and brother are going to build a big bonfire to thaw the ground to be able to dig and lay him to rest but they can't do that till this weekend. But what do we do until then? Sorry this is a fucked up question but I can't stop sobbing to think clearly.

candyisdaves · January 2015

I called to cancel the appointment and they offered cremation but not to hold him. I was hysterical and didn't think to ask. I got pumpkin ( the one that passed today) and his sister at the same time. Unfortunately his sister passed when she was one. I would like to burry him next to her.

I don't have a deep freeze. And there is not enough room in our regular freezer for him. Plus yuck I don't think I am comfortable with that.

PrimRoseMama · January 2015

I am so very sorry for the loss of your fur-child, friend & family member. Especially since his death was unexpected & you didn't get an opportunity to be with him when he passed. You are still a marvelous Fur-mom that provided him a safe place to cross the Rainbow Bridge. He knew he was loved & that he had the best life because he was with you & your family. Super huge hugs.

Contact your vet.

If it were me I would bring him in in the morning & ask for cremation services. You can bury the box or baggy of ashes at a later date. I would worry that decomposition would make waiting for the ground to thaw a very traumatizing situation for you.

Be sure to wrap him in a blanket but also a large ziplock or other air tight bag. If you have a chest freezer or other refrigeration space-- you can temporarily put him in there to slow the decomposition process.

I apologize if any of the above is hard on you. When my cat passed I felt awful putting her in a plastic bag, but that's what my vet asked us to do until morning.

Sending you love & warm thoughts.

RondackHiker · January 2015

Primrosemama has good suggestions.

I'm sure your vet has a freezer. Usually pets are picked up for cremation once a week, and they have to hold the animals until then. When I worked for a vet, it wasn't unusual to hold pets for a few day or weeks for various reasons. Give them a call, or have your DH or a friend call.

I'd go for cremation myself, simply because it's challenging and upsetting to bury a pet in winter. If you decide to bury him now, do you remember exactly where his sister is?

Things underground can shift. I'd give an extra few feet of space to prevent actually digging her up, which would be upsetting. If you want to find her, that's fine. It's just not something you want to do by mistake.

If you don't have a garage, a car trunk will work overnight if you haven't found a solution yet. Do you have other cats in the house? Seal the cat off from them if you keep him in the house overnight.

I'm so sorry.

myfriendscallmemeg · January 2015

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. Other posters have suggested what I was going to mention. We lost our dog on Christmas Eve, luckily my husband runs a backhoe for a living and brought it home over the holidays to dig up the frozen ground.

No idea if renting a smaller mini-excavator is doable for you, but it's something i would think about if you absolutely can't find a way to store your cat.

Hopefully you can figure something out soon! Hugs!

Unknown · January 2015

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candyisdaves · January 2015

Thank you for the replies and kind words. I ended up having DH put him in the trunk of my car for over night. My best friend offered to let me keep him in her shed till this weekend. I am taking him over there shortly.

I am still in shock that this happened. I knew something was off about him but I never thought that he would be gone when I got home. I am worried about my ds6 he was with me when we found him

we were both hysterical. This morning he got up and asked where pumpkin was. I told him about the rainbow bridge and that he is waiting for us in heaven. Luckily school got called off today for the cold temps. He keeps saying he is sad that pumpkin died alone and asking if i thought he was scared. This is the first death he has had to deal with. he asked if he could put a picture of himself in the box so pumpkin will not be lonely. My heart is just broken

nochill · January 2015

I'm glad you found a plan. If you or anyone else ever has to deal with this in the future, most vets will hold on to them until you're ready. We do it at no charge, and it is common that we get many "holds" in the winter months before the ground is thawed.

clwheel · January 2015

I'm so sorry for your loss

We had to put my cat of 17 years down two NYE ago. It's never fun especially when you've had the pet for so long. *Hugs to you and your family*

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