Cat loss ceremony; Embracing the love

Pet loss is devastating. Period. We often feel abandoned, lonely, and in terrible grief when our furry loved ones pass on. Sometimes it feels worse than when a human passes.

We know our cats time is precious and short, but with the amount of love we get for such a short time, we can’t help falling in love with our furry soul friends. We take quality of time over quantity of time; and in the end we feel loss when we realize how short that time really was.

Some people call the passing of the cat as “going over the Rainbow Bridge.” That bridge is straight to heaven where the cat gets to roam and be free. Regardless of your religious views, or spiritual ways, the comfort of knowing our cat will greet us when we return to the Divine Spirit brings us hope and a ways to heal.

It is within that hope that we honor our cat who has passed.

Grief is grief and we its needs to be treated as real.

Many pet relationships are closer than some human ones. For many, our pet is our only true friends. It is common in many cultures, even today to honor your pet after he/she passes. Nowadays we have pet cremation and pet headstones. These are wonderful ways to pay respect to your cat and allow other family members to do so too.

One of the best ways to pay respect to your cat is to hold a Cat loss ceremony which are….

• Sacred Ceremony helps the mind process the loss and begin facilitating closure.
• Allows the grieving process to take place; naturally.
• Connects the family together and opens up communication.
• Honors the love and respect for the cat and the time spend together. It is a form of gratitude; love.

Above all, love is what we honor here. We want to remember the memories and paw print the cat has put on your heart.

Cat Loss Ceremony; Embracing the love

(Non-denominational)

This can be done alone, with the family or with close friends who know/knew the pet.

If you are doing this as a family, you may want to substitute the “me or my” for “our/we.”

• *Picture of cat or items of remembrance
• *Collar (if applicable) or string that the cat plays with. Use a piece of yarn/string as a substitute in a color that represents your cat.
• *tissues
• favorite toy
• Candle (safe 7 day candle works best) color you like.
• matches
• **Cat gratitude journal

*must haves

Gather everyone in a circle with the cat items in the middle. Put them on a nice table with a cloth. Add whatever you feel needs to be there and allow other to put items there as well.

Add sympathy cards, pictures, memento’s etc. This is to honor your cat.

In the blank spaces below, put the pets name in.  Pray to what ever form of Divinity that calls to you. This is written in a non-denominational format.

Begin Ceremony

Light Candle and State….

“I light this candle as a reflection of the beautiful light that ______ gave to my world, my home, my family, and my heart. This light will stay lite as a small vigil of love, and when it goes out, the spirit of this light and _______will forever remain in our heart.”

“I ask ______(God, Divine Spirit) to be with us; to guide this ceremony. To bring memories that may have been forgotten. To bring will and strength to stay strong during this time. And  find the ability to surrender to the tears of sorrow so they can be transformed. Allow us to be open to experience love in this sacred space as we honor____ with family and friends.”

Read a poem here. Can use poem provided below or substitute for one you like.

Use your pet collar, but don’t clasp it just yet. (use yarn/string for a substitute)

“This is _____collar. It is a reminder of _____his/her life, love, licks and silly ways.  I picked this collar/yarn color because it reminds me_____.” “I will hold that reminder and memory close to my heart.”

Tell everyone..

”As this collar goes around, hold it in your hand and let the memories of _____flow. Whoever has this collar will talk freely without interruption. When you are done pass it to the person on the left.”

Begin now. This will be hard, but hold the cat collar or string and give a brief talk about _____. Use your cat journal as a guide. If you don’t have one, let the love and memories flow. You will say the right thing, trust that.

Pass it around, and when the collar comes back to you, if it is not locked, do so now. If using yarn, tie the ends together.

Hold the collar up and do this mindfully.

“This collar/yarn is a circle. An endless reminder of the circle of life and the life I had with _____. A circle is never broken as it is a unique bond that allows us to remain connected forever.”

“A circle is also a sacred container. In the middle of this circle, including the circle we have created is a container of love. This circle of love is within each of us. All the memories and stories we shared are held in this container, including my deep appreciation and gratitude to______for our time together and being a part of this family.”

“At the center of this circle is also my heart. From my heart space, I  now and forever have the unbroken heart string that connects my love to ____for eternity.”

“To everyone present, I am honored and blessed that you joined this ceremony with me, and by being here, your heart string is also weaved with us today” 

My _____, It is now time that you go to the the place beyond the rainbow. Remember us, yet enjoy your time… until we meet again, remember that “I/we will always love you_____, forever.”

Take a few deep breaths, place collar down and take a few minutes to gather yourself. You can leave the collar out with the candle or put it away.

Keep candle lite until it goes out. (Keep it safe)

You must eat. It is important to have food after an emotional ceremony. Hug your other cats and embrace the heart connection with those who love and support you. Your cat would want you to be present in this moment.

**Cat gratitude journal. You can do this after the cat passes, but I do suggest this is done when the cat is young. Write down the cute things the cat does, their quirks, mannerism, cute ways that make you smile plus nicknames, favorite toys and food.

More information on  Cat Gratitude Journal coming soon!