Hi

I am looking for advice on how to deal with my grieving cat. We had to have our cat Sooty put to sleep on the 12th of November and his brother Sweep is just so unhappy. He has not been searching for Sooty but he just lies on the sofa looking so sad (it is really heartbreaking). He follows me everywhere when I am at home. We are making loads of extra fuss of him but he just looks so unhappy.

Has anyone else been through this and offer me advice on how to deal with this.

Get Sweep a new playmate from a cat rescue centre

I used to have 2 cats (brother & sister) which we got as 2 tiny kittens. One of them was killed on the road when he was only about 2. We showed the body to the other cat so she didnt just wonder where he had gone and could at least understand that he had died and knew not to look for him. She seemed very downbeat (as you describe) for a couple of weeks but with lots of love and attention (and a few extra treats) she slowly got back to her normal self. I believe animals grieve and do have bonds with each other. Sorry to hear about you loss and hope Sweep gets back to his normal self quickly. If you are very worried speak with your vet, they may be able to offer advice. x

Aww poor cat. I don't think there is an easy method of helping a cat get over the loss of another cat - just time. Whenever it has happened to cats I've owned, I've generally tried to distract the cat with games, playing etc and giving it nicer food than usual. After a while, perhaps consider getting a new cat that he/she can maybe bond with. I don't know - I'm no expert on cat behaviour - it's just what I would try.

Good luck.

This could be a good idea but it depends on your cat, what is he like with other cats (obviously not counting the one you have just lost) ?

If you are getting a new cat though rescue centre is def the way to go. Some cats accept a kitten more than a fully grown cat. Come early Feb I suspect rescue centres will be overrun with unwanted xmas presents .......

When i lost my old cat Ludo 3 years ago my other cat pea was heart broken, she hardly ate, refused to move unless it was to use the litter tray and was just a very sad kitty, we did get her checked by a vet (just incase) but medically she was fine...after 3 months i finally gave in and got a kitten, it took just 2 days for them to become inseperable, 3 years later they still are....so maybe a play mate would be a good idea.

Replacing a lost animal with another doesn't necessarily work. For me - I had a springer dog and a rescue cat that were soul mates. They slept together and played together. When the cat was taken ill - my dog lay beside it for hours - with a paw resting on him.

She mourned inconsolably when he finally died - and I thought the same - get a replacement. But no way! The dog didn't take to the cat - and the cat didn't take to the dog.

In the end - perhaps the only one who can take the place of a soul mate is you. With lots of extra love and attention - and not being scared to acknowledge to your pet that you are missing them too.

xxxx

Thank you all for your replies. Getting another cat is not an option as we also have Sophie who is not the friendliest of cats and has only every tolerated the boys as they were with us first. I will keep up with the extra fusses and cuddles and see if we can get him (and us) through this.