“I lost my pet, and the sadness keeps coming back. I just can’t seem to recover from the grief.”
I often receive messages like this from people who are doing their best to overcome pet loss.
After talking with many customers, I sometimes find myself thinking:
“You don’t have to try so hard. Maybe it’s okay to take a step back and just breathe.”
Today, I’d like to share a message that might feel surprising, but comforting:
“It’s okay to live with pet loss for the rest of your life.”
Choosing Not to “Overcome” Pet Loss
There are times when a customer tells me:
“I’ve decided that it’s okay if I stay in this place of grief.”
These customers may carry sadness in their hearts, but when I read their emails or hear their voices on the phone, they often sound peaceful—even joyful.
One customer told me:
“I cry because I’m sad, because I miss them. But if I were to laugh and act like I’ve moved on, it would feel like I’m betraying my own feelings.”
I remember thinking, What a beautifully honest person.
Others have said:
- “I want to cry a little longer.”
- “I want to cherish the time I spend thinking about my pet.”
And I truly agree with that sentiment.
It’s been three years since I lost my beloved cat, Maro, and I still make time to remember him.
And when tears come, I realize they are not just from sorrow—but also from gratitude that I had the chance to love him.
Living with Sadness
There’s a phrase that has stayed with me—etched deeply in my heart.
“I will live with this sadness. That is the final responsibility given to me as their owner.”
I believe those were the exact words.
Isn’t that incredibly powerful?
The emptiness left behind by a beloved pet is something we’ll likely never forget.
But that enduring sadness is also proof of how deeply we loved them.
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I believe I will carry this feeling of pet loss for the rest of my life.
Maybe I’ll cry less often as time goes on (or maybe more, as I grow older),
but I know I will never forget that Maro, my beloved cat, is no longer with me.
And the cat I live with now—Sora—will one day be gone too.
These two cats are treasures of my life.
In my later years, when both of them are gone,
I imagine I’ll still think of them every day.
There will be tears sometimes.
I’ll probably come back and reread this blog from time to time,
growing old while holding on to those memories.
And when that time comes,
I hope I’ll be surrounded by the knitted keepsakes made from their photos.
I hope our customers feel the same way.
Custom-made cushions made with your pet’s photo
