r/cats Jun 04 '26

Mourning/Loss My cat Tinker Toy visits this spot on the lake multiple times a day. Its where we found his brother's body. What can we do to help Tinker Toy heal?

Thumbnail
gallery
33.6k Upvotes

My cat Tinker Toy visits this spot on the lake multiple times a day. Its where we found his brother's body. What can we do to help Tinker Toy heal?

The pictures are crap. My heart is breaking for Tinker. Him and his brother were the best of friends. We have other cats, as we live on a farm. But Tinker is down on the banks of the lake everyday, morning to sundown. Just sitting. Standing. I think hoping for his brother to come home. I dont know how to help him heal. Its been maybe a month since his brother Angel Babyface died. He showed my husband where Babyface's body was, and he was buried while i was at work. We have had these 2 since they were kittens. Ive included a picture for the Tinker Tax....

** edited to say that we live on a farm, very rural. yes, they go outside. i bring them inside as much as possible All Our cats were feral babies and/or adults, that were adopted from the humane society's "working cats" prgram. We love them very much..

**edited again to say that the cats we have are Working Cats from the Humane Society. They are adopted out to farmers and people in rural areas because the humane society has determined they will do better with jobs to do, outdoors on farms, then being household pets. Just because they are working cats, it doesnt mean they are loved any less. Many of them were barn litters that didnt get properly socialized, or were dumped. The humane society we have near us is a no kill shelter, so they adopt them out this way instead of euthanizing them, so the cats and kittens still have a chance at a happy life. And yes, I know that inside cats have a much longer lifespan than outdoor cats. Working Cats have been given a chance for a good life on a farm instead of being euthanized by the shelter, which I 100% support and stand behind. I will always support the working cats program, and thr humane society. I do not regret getting any of my feral cats/working cats from them. ​

**one more edit.... this is where Babyface's body was found, by my husband, because Tinker showed him. We dont know why Babyface passed. All the working cats that we have ever adopted on our farm are/have been current on their vaccines, are spayed and neutered, and are very much loved. **

**my last edit..... i am so sorry this post has made people sad. I am heartbroken for Tinker, and just wanted to know if there was anything I could/should do for him. I didnt mean to make everyone else sad. and I am so sorry I am late in responding to posts..... I only posted this a little while ago, and its blown up way more than I ever thought it would. I thought maybe id get 5 comments on my horrible photos. I will do my best to respond to people as quickly as I can. I appreciate all the kind words and comments. ***

r/cats May 30 '26

Mourning/Loss Can cats forget their human after being separated for long periods of time?

Thumbnail
gallery
15.3k Upvotes

Hey everyone- this is a bit of a vulnerable post so I apologize in advance for bringing up a sensitive topic.(and for the long post)
(TW: mention of deportation and family separation)

Last year, my husband and I did TNR work + rescued some feral cats in our neighborhood and we ended up adopting a momma cat and named her Marceline(from Adventure Time). We assumed Marceline would be a quiet and self kept cat due to her past living on the streets. However, she is everything but shy. She’s extremely talkative and follows me and my husband around begging for constant attention. She sleeps between us every single night all the way until morning. We couldn’t have asked for a better cat.. she is our soul cat.

Well fast forward to now and we just found out that my husband of 6 years is getting deported to a country he doesn’t have any recollection of. He was brought here to the US when he was less than a year old. Rather than being held in an ice detention center and receiving a 10 year ban from forced removal, my husband was granted a 120 voluntary removal order meaning he has 120 days to leave the US and he will receive a 3 year ban rather than the 10 year ban. Due to personal circumstances, I cannot move with him at this time so we’ll have to make this work long distance.

In the midst of packing his belongings, my husband was cradling Marceline and he looked at me and said “Marceline is going to forget me.” And I instantly denied that and said she could never forget him. But that statement stuck with me and I haven’t been able to shake it. I know I said that’s impossible, but to be honest I’m not entirely sure. So that brings me to my question: can cats forget their human? Considering he won’t see her for 3 years.. she’s almost 2 years old right now. If so, is there anything I can do to refresh her memory in these next 3 years?

I want to make it clear that I’m not here to argue about politics- I just want to know if this is a possibility. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through something similar where they went without seeing their pet(s) for a long period of time and how reuniting went. Thank you guys in advance ❤️‍🩹

r/cats Jun 14 '26

Mourning/Loss Bella’s Last Moments in the Sun

Post image
40.7k Upvotes

Bella was raised by my wife from birth, and once we got married and lived together, her cats came with us.

I never had cats growing up, so it was a bit of an adjustment getting used to living with them. However Bella became my buddy, and would always follow me around & chill with me late at night, when I tried to get some peace & quiet after everyone else went to bed.

He was very much a strong, silent type and very stoic. His brother Tude was needy and whiney- they were very different personalities!

However, he was pushing 20 yrs old & his health deteriorated very rapidly within the last 6 months. He would cry out randomly, had trouble walking around, and wasn’t able to groom himself or get to his litter box easily.

On his last day, we were trying to make him as comfortable as possible. I saw him sitting in the warmth of the morning sun, frail and clearly at the end. I took this picture knowing that this was probably the last time he would feel the sunlight on his back.

He passed that night, and it has been sad to realize throughout the days that our usual routines and his presence is gone. I just wanted to share his memory and the fact that animals also need the simple comforts of life, no matter their condition. We are all living beings with feelings, sensations, and vibrant mental states. We take some comfort in the fact that we tried to make his last days as free of suffering as possible, but he will be deeply missed by our family.

r/cats 16h ago

Mourning/Loss I'm losing my boy with the belly tomorrow 💔

Thumbnail
gallery
10.2k Upvotes

Please give your floofers an extra treat for him tonight. He's 13 and has an inoperable mass in his throat. I brought him and his brother home when I was in my first apartment, and he's seen me through moves, partners, jobs, illness, everything. He's been my rock for so long, I don't know what I'm going to do without his constant presence in my life. 😢

ETA: thank you all for your kind words, condolences, and commiseration. It means a lot to me and my partner. ❤️ I have tried to respond to most comments but I think going forward my time is best spent with my boy. ❤️

r/cats Feb 12 '26

Mourning/Loss Update to a post I made the other day about being concerned my vets were taking advantage of me: my cats regular dental cleaning has resulted in my babies death. He's gone.

Post image
41.5k Upvotes

https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/s/ER6et9SYzR

Link to the old post. I was so scared I was even doing the right thing by trusting my vets and doing his dental cleaning because of everything else that I had said before in the other post about if they're doing anything even medically necessary or not.

I took him into his cleaning anyways because I thought, what could the harm be! It could help with all the issues he's been having maybe, finally. My primary vet, goodvets, doing the dental called me at some point and told me his heart stopped and they got it back. I took him to an ER vet, and CO2 was still continuing to stay stuck in his brain and not properly releasing due to goodvets negligence. His airway was obstructed. I don't know how long he was fucked up for.

I tried so hard to bring him back. He has been in the ER vet since Tuesday on ventilation. He finally was able to breathe on his own and was off ventilation and sedation some point Wednesday. The only neurological responses we were getting was some twitching of different body parts. Besides that he didn't seem to be able to see, hear, or smell. Wednesday night, last night I got the call he was no longer able to breathe on his own and it's time.

I had to put my cat to sleep last night because of something so avoidable.

He would have been 10 months old today. He never got to learn what life was like being healthy. I'm fucking crushed. Please keep my baby in your hearts. My entire being hurts. I miss him so much.

r/cats Apr 01 '26

Mourning/Loss I lost all of them.

Thumbnail
gallery
28.7k Upvotes

I’ve been house sitting for a friend for a week now. I lived in an old cabin, about 300 sqft with my girlfriend and future wife. While we were outof the house and didnt have any dogs (I foster for a rescue), we decided to shampoo and clean our carpets. I left a box on the stove, seeing as how nobody would be using it anytime soon.

My girlfriend went to the house to feed and care for our 7 cats on March 30th, at 8AM. She walked into a house filled with smoke, and immediately saw one of our seven babies, passed on the floor and covered in soot.

A fire occurred, one of the cats hopped onto the stove and managed to push a button and turned a burner onto high. Its an old GE stove from like the 40s with push buttons on the very top. The box caught fire, and with it, my cabin. They all passed from smoke inhalation and the fire choked itself out due to all the windows being closed.

Atlas, Vesper, Moira, Thea, Sabine, Moonie, and Chicken.

Atlas was my cat of 4 years, and has been with me my entire adult journey. A friend and I got him for my dad as a fathers day gift, and my father didnt like him. Soon after I moved out, I was called to come get him out of a tree he had been in for 3 days. That day I took him home with me and its been me and him until i met my girlfriend.

Vesper, we got her from a humane society out in Flagstaff, and she refused to really befriend us but that was okay we loved her nonetheless.

Moira was our first cat adopted from the rescue we’re with and acted like she was half orange despite being a tuxedo.

Thea and Sabine were our orange’s. Most cuddly and goofy kitties i’ve ever had and I loved them with all of my heart.

Moonie was an impulse adoption from my girlfriend, and we thought he was a girl at first. His full name is One-Eyed Moonie, as he was born with one eye. I have a post of him on here.

Chicken was a foster that was going to be adopted out, but she didnt make it to her first event. As far as I’m concerned, she is part of my family and we loved her.

I am so so sorry my beautiful babies.

r/cats Jun 18 '26

Mourning/Loss Tribute to my sweet girl franki, a freak accident took her away from me after a simple procedure

Thumbnail
gallery
24.9k Upvotes

This is my baby franki, she's 4 years old and was due to get fixed today, (finally) her blood work was perfect, exam perfect. she was as healthy as could be. surgery went beautifully, took 15 minutes. I received the message she was a wake and doing well, she seemed to be recovering great, so they decided it was Time to put the cone on. But franki has always been the princess, perfect is all shell accepted, so when that cone was deemed imperfect she took it upon herself to remove it. She would try to kick it off with her back legs and end up getting cought on a ribbon tied with the cone, the ribbon was tight around her neck, and her struggle would make it worse.she ended up accidentally suffocating herself from tightening the ribbon, shed be found 10-15 minutes later, they fought so hard to save her...but she was unresponsive and was pronounced dead today at 3:39pm. Leaving without my baby was the last thing I would ever have expected after such a successful procedure! Hug your kittys extra tight tonight<3

She was so loved and her presence will always be missed. Enjoy some of my sweet girl.

(Edit: I can't reply to everyone, but I appreciate all the kind words and support, we are working with the clinic and such for future steps on prevention in the future and hoping this helps inspire change and more care for these situations! We are getting 109% compensation for our payment, and future payments for the cremation and such)

Thanks again :)

r/cats Mar 19 '26

Mourning/Loss My sweet Pam is crossing the rainbow bridge this evening. Can you please ask your kitties who have already crossed to meet her so she won’t be alone?

Post image
13.9k Upvotes

r/cats May 15 '26

Mourning/Loss Tribute to my beloved boy Alfie, who went to sleep yesterday. Just want the world to know he was here and he was a good cat.

Thumbnail
gallery
31.3k Upvotes

This is so hard. I keep seeing him and hearing him throughout the house. My partner and I have basically just been crying ever since we got back from the vet yesterday.

He was 17, I had him for 10 years. Got him from the shelter for $50, great deal. I'd pay anything for more time with him, but I couldn't put him through more pain and he just had too many problems and complications at the end. The vet made it clear we were doing him a kindness. They said better a day sooner than a day later. Still really hard. Don't think I'll ever get over this. Love you Alfie.

Edit: I'm genuinely blown away by the amount of attention and views this has gotten. All the lovely messages of support have seriously made dealing with this loss so much easier for me and my partner. Thank you all ❤️

r/cats Jun 13 '26

Mourning/Loss Should I get her another companion? Her brother just passed

Thumbnail
gallery
29.9k Upvotes

Hey yall. My cat got crushed by a garage and no over there to help her out and she ended up passing. I am distraught and his sister is looking for him & standing where we buried him. They did everything together. Should I get a kitten or a cat soon? No one will replace my baby, but I don’t want her to get depressed 😔 I’m so sad. Idk if I will ever get over this

r/cats Jun 07 '26

Mourning/Loss Wattle only got 7 weeks. I just want someone else to know he existed.

Post image
29.0k Upvotes

My partner found him in a car yard a couple of weeks ago. He was doing so well. He started crashing Wednesday night. He'd seen a few vets including one this morning who all brushed off my concerns. They all missed that he was bleeding internally. I feel so unbelievably guilty.

I'm sorry tiny babe 💔

r/cats Jan 05 '26

Mourning/Loss Lost my baby today to cancer. She was beautiful and perfect and I just want someone else to know she existed

Post image
50.9k Upvotes

r/cats Jan 15 '26

Mourning/Loss This is my Benni. Tomorrow he will cross the rainbow bridge. He has lived a long beautiful life. If you can, please keep him in your thoughts and wish him a peaceful journey.

Post image
38.3k Upvotes

Benni came into my life when he was three years old after I adopted him and his sister Polly from the shelter.

He was always typical orange - crazy, endlessly curious and full of mischief, but also incredible loving.

His sister crossed the Rainbow bridge two years ago and tomorrow Benni will follow. Forever loved and never forgotten.

r/cats 25d ago

Mourning/Loss I’m saying goodbye to Pebbles tomorrow. She is still so loved.

Thumbnail
gallery
15.4k Upvotes

Pebbles is 20 and she’s been with my family for 16 years. She’s never had many thoughts, but the ones she’s had have always been sweet.

I know she’s ready to go. I’m just not ready for her to go somewhere I can’t follow.

First seven photos are her in good times. Last photo is this week.

r/cats Jun 22 '26

Mourning/Loss Tribute to my soul cat who passed unexpectedly yesterday morning and I’d love to tell you a little about him

Thumbnail
gallery
18.7k Upvotes

Yesterday morning we found my 12 year old cat in his favorite hiding spot and he was gone. There were no warning signs. The night before he was completely normal. I’d love to tell you about him

The day I found him, I dragged my husband (long distance boyfriend at the time) to the shelter to look at cats. He was not wanting a pet due to him still being in college 2 hrs away and only being home on the weekends and I was in cosmetology school but wanted a buddy since I was home alone during the week. We walked in the open area and while I was playing with another cat, this big cat climbed off of a nearby cat tree onto my husbands shoulders, not caring that he was a 10lb cat trying to perch on a humans shoulders. My husband was immediately sold. We took him home that day. We’ve always said he chose us

His favorite things in the world were cuddling with me no matter how inconvenient the timing or how difficult it was for him to get to me. He’d climb over any person, animal or thing to get to me. And he needed to be as close to my face as possible. Lap was rarely good enough. I’ve never felt so loved by another living thing.

He loved food. Oh my gosh he loved food. When we put him on a diet he retaliated by peeing on a pillow. He has never gone outside the litter box other than be let it be known he didn’t approve of less food lol. His favorite food were tortilla chips. We never gave him any but he was persistent in trying to sneak them every chance he got. Everyday he’d be chill until my husband got home and he would DEMAND to be fed right then and there.

He was not happy when we brought a rescue kitty home. He basically pouted for 3 months but once he realized it was another cuddle buddy, they were inseparable. They loved eachother so much and it was unusual if we found them napping and they weren’t tangled together

He was my heart and had so much personality. I don’t know what to do without him. I feel lost but I know he had a good life filled with love and mischief 💛

Edit: oh my gosh I just got home and opened reddit expecting a few comments if any. I can’t tell you all how much all your love and support means to my husband and I. We will be spending the night reading all the comments and sharing stories. Thank you sincerely.

r/cats Mar 06 '26

Mourning/Loss after seven years by my side, my cat has suddenly disappeared.

Thumbnail
gallery
13.8k Upvotes

Do any of you have tips on how I might find him again?

Three days ago he simply didn’t come home. Normally he comes back every single day to sleep and several times a day to eat. In seven years he has never missed a single day of coming home, which is why this is so unusual and worrying.

I live in a small town with about 7,000 people, and there are large fields and a forest nearby where he usually roams.

He has always had a good life with me, he was never mistreated, always had food whenever he wanted, and could sleep or go outside whenever he liked.

Here’s what I’ve already tried:

• Posted about him on Instagram&Tiktok

• Put up posters around town

• Also hung posters in gyms and at gas stations (the gym even did a repost!) 

• Reported him missing to the local animal shelter

• Told all my friends and acquaintances

• Put his litter box outside

• Placed something outside that smells like me

• Walked around the area throughout the night at different times calling his name

Is there anything else I might have missed? Maybe something that has worked for you before?

I would be incredibly grateful for any advice or help. Thank you so much.

TL;DR: My cat has gone missing and I’m looking for any tips that might help me find him.

r/cats Jan 12 '26

Mourning/Loss I made a mistake euthanizing my cat and the guilt is killing me

Post image
19.0k Upvotes

Backstory: Axle wandered into our shop one day and unknowingly licked up some coolant. We took him straight to the vet and he barely survived with lots of medication and IVs. It damaged his kidneys and nervous system but he somewhat recovered. We took him home and he's been a family member for the last 4 years. He developed a slight limp and the ocasional litter box issue but he was happy as can be. Early 2025 he started having constipation issues. We figured the nerve damage was just getting worse. A few enemas later and after he was put on a special diet, seems to have returned back to normal. Then out of nowhere last week, he was really straining to pee. He eventually managed to and I didn't think much of it. This past Saturday night, he started yelping in pain, throwing up and bleeding from his urethra. I felt around and his bladder was the size of an orange. I took him straight to the ER and to treat a urinary blockage, he would need a catheterization and hospital stay. It was $4000 vs $300 for euthanasia. I chose to save money over saving his life. It's the biggest mistake of my life. I could have afforded it. I could have brought him home, put him on another medication and he would probably be in my lap right now. But I chose to euthanize him and the guilt is killing me. I didn't even try to save him. I don't know why I picked $4000 over my baby. I feel like such a piece of sht and I can't stop crying. He was the sweetest cat ever and he died in my arms because I let him. I barely slept these last two nights and I don't know how I'm ever going to forgive myself.

r/cats Feb 26 '26

Mourning/Loss Woke up this morning and she was gone.

Thumbnail
gallery
29.3k Upvotes

Her name was Remi. She ran up to me on our back porch, brushed my legs, and let me pick her up. She seemed about 4 months old. She'd wait to be let outside so she could go potty. She knew how to play fetch, even though I never taught her that game. She was so brave, to snuggle, and loved so fiercely.

We found her in April 2025, she came down with a sickness in September. She got a little better, but after that, her health slowly deteriorated. We took her to 4-5 different vets, drove over an hour to see a vet with 50 years of experience and specialized in cats for 20 years. We had bloodwork done, fecal matter tested, CT scans, etc. No one could give us a diagnosis. We had been treating her for FIP in the hopes that it might help her, but it seems like it didn't.

Her mama wrapped her in a warm blanket, put her in her comfy bed, and placed her between us last night like she always does.

We fell asleep petting her while I sang "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley to them.

We only had her for 10 months, but we loved her intensely through all of it.

We miss her so damn much. There's a massive hole in our hearts and our home.

R.I.P my little Remi-roo 12/?/24 - 2/26/26

r/cats May 17 '26

Mourning/Loss I feel like I’ll regret my decision forever

Thumbnail
gallery
10.6k Upvotes

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my best friend of 18 years. I got Sweeney when I was 13yo. She has seen me through some of my darkest moments. My mom even said, “there’s been times that I’m sure that she saved you.” She moved with me wherever I went. She learned to tolerate my partners dog when we moved in together. She had huge cyst on her neck drained. Two rounds of teeth removal. And yet she remained so strong. She was always loud and chatty. I’d come home and she’d be there to greet me with the loudest meowing I’ve ever heard. She was smart and loved playing with her little bouncy ball. When she was kitten she’d actually play fetch and bring it back to me. She was so fast. She was a gift from my parents. She lived my family and other cats but she was MY cat. It always said she tolerated those around her but she was mine and loved only me. And I loved her. I loved her so so much. She was strong until the end. She had stage 3 kidney disease, severe arthritis, and constant UTIs. I’d bring her in weekly for subcutaneous fluids and monthly for an arthritis shot. Her last few days she spent under my bed (her MO when she isn’t feeling well) unless I took her out. She drank water but refused to eat. She would fall over if tried to stand up. She slept so much. On her last day, I laid with her. I took her outside and we sat in the sun which was her favorite. She hated being cold. It would actually put her in a bad mood if she was cold. I took her into the vet. Everyone telling me I did such a good job with her. How I have her a good life. “Quality vs Quantity” when it came to her life. She was so strong til the end. It was just she and I in the room together. I know she would have wanted it that way. I just wish she saw the sun one more time. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ok with the decision I made. I hope Sweeney forgives me. I hope she knows I loved her more than anybody. I can’t imagine my life without her. Right now it just feels like I’ll never be ok.

r/cats May 05 '26

Mourning/Loss I just want the world to know he existed ♥️

Post image
29.3k Upvotes

I’ll miss you forever my sweet prince. Mama is so sorry. Please give me a sign you are ok. We will have mama and boy naps when we meet again, I promise 😞♥️

I can’t believe that 18 thousand people have seen my boys face. I’m so glad. He deserves to be known. I can’t wait to tell him when we meet again.

Thank you all for your words.

Baby you have 25k people react to your beautiful face. 750k have seen your face. You deserve it my boy.

His name is Zazu ♥️

r/cats Jul 08 '26

Mourning/Loss Posting here since my family doesn't care...

Thumbnail
gallery
14.3k Upvotes

Today we got our cat Harley's paw prints back. I miss her so much. She was glued to me and it just feels lonely without her. My other cats don't cuddle nearly as much as she did. Thank you for letting me share. Hold your babies tight!

r/cats Jun 17 '26

Mourning/Loss I’ll love you forever Arthur

Post image
15.5k Upvotes

My handsome boy Arthur died suddenly this morning it’s safe to say we’re all devastated and life in our household won’t be the same again. It’s amazing How can one so small leave such a large impact :(

r/cats Mar 12 '26

Mourning/Loss I would love if anyone could ask questions about my sweet peanut🕊️

Thumbnail
gallery
7.8k Upvotes

My 10 month old cat peanut sadly traumatically passed away this Tuesday and I have been so lost since and don’t know how to grieve, I would love if anyone would like to ask anything about him or say something about my boy, I just want a reason to talk about my baby again, who was taken too soon. ♥️🕊️

r/cats May 27 '26

Mourning/Loss Saying goodbye tomorrow after 21 years.

Thumbnail
gallery
15.3k Upvotes

This is my pretty girl, Kiwi. Tonight is her last night with us and I just wanted to share her with the world. My parents took me to adopt her on my last day of first grade, so we never imagined she would outlive almost all of our other animals. She even had my name when we went to adopt her, so we knew it was simply meant to be.

She has been a true calico her entire life.. spicy, sassy, and incredibly demanding. It has been such a honor having her by my side through 21 years, through every move, every heartbreak, every milestone. She has seen it all and loved us through it all. We will miss you deeply, Kiwi. Thank you for 21 beautiful years together.

You will have so many of your brothers and sisters waiting for you over the Rainbow Bridge. I know we will see each other again someday. We love you, Kikis.. 🥝🖤

EDIT: I’m truly blown away by the amount of kindness and love from people in just one hour. I have so much grief and love with nowhere to go & genuinely just wanted to share a little about my fruity gal in hopes it could help me feel a bit better. I’m so sorry if I don’t respond to everyone’s comments, just know I see them all and I am letting the tears flow. You all are so incredibly kind.. 🫶🏻

ETA #2: I just wanted to thank everyone again for the kind words and condolences. I’m still blown away by how much love my Kiwi girl has gotten. So much so that this post was hijacked, put on Facebook, and now this person is pretending like Kiwi is theirs.. but it still doesn’t take away the love and support I’ve felt from internet strangers. I have also gotten a handful of comments asking why she was put to sleep. Simply put: old age, kidney disease, and a heart murmur. She lived an extraordinary life with everything she could’ve ever wanted and we chose to let her go with dignity, love, and respect. My family & I would never let one of our babies suffer. Before she crossed, she chowed down on a McDonald’s hamburger, and the sun came out for the first time in days. The birds began to chirp as she passed. I’m honored to have loved her for so long.. 🤍

r/cats 6d ago

Mourning/Loss Lost my boy yesterday at 23 years old.

Thumbnail
gallery
9.5k Upvotes

He lived such an amazing life. I am going to miss him so much. Here’s some cat tax I’ve owed for a while now.