Most of the time when we talk about pets, we are referring to cats and dogs. Although cats and dogs are the most common pets, many people have other kinds of animals as a pet.
It is the bond and not the size or species that matters
And it doesn’t matter, how small or exotic the pet is; if you shared your life with the animal, and there was a strong bond between you, it’s not surprising that you grieve when your pet dies.
When I was a girl I had a beautiful guinea pig for about 5 years. Every morning she would wake me early with her distinct sounds, and I would get up and bring her fresh food. She was inquisitive and liked to sit on my lap. It was a sad day when she died, for she was part of my life. And, of course, to me she was the most beautiful guinea pig in the entire world.
Grieving the death of a fish
Even fish you can bond with and mourn when they die.
Once I had a big algae eater. Originally part of a small group of tropical fish belonging to my father, he was very powerful and had a strong presence and quickly eliminated the competitors and grew to be much bigger than we expected. When my father died, I decided to take care of his fish, and I shall never forget the determination of that big algae eater NOT to get caught. It took a long time, but eventually I caught him and got him safely transported to his new home. After that episode I was not only exhausted, but deeply impressed by the presence and strength of that fish.
The big algae eater was energetic and enjoyed burying himself at the bottom of the aquarium, and hiding in the underwater cave playing peek-a-boo with human visitors. Most of all, he loved to jump. Alas, my algae eater died in a tragic way. One morning I came to check on him, he had jumped out of the aquarium during the night, so I found him lying dead on the floor. I thought I had sealed all openings good enough to avoid exactly that, but apparently I had not.
I felt so sad and so guilty, and I was kicking myself for not being there when it happened, so I would have had a chance to save him.
Feelings of guilt – and how to let go of them
The guilt after that kind of loss can be very strong and not easy to let go of. What helped me was to connect with the fish in a shamanic journey and help him get settled safely in the afterlife – he went to a big pond with plenty of space to swim and jump.
A shamanic journey does not bring my fish back, of course, but it helps the fish to go where he is supposed to go in his afterlife journey, and it helps me by knowing he is okay now, and by receiving his forgiveness.
Making a connection after the death of a pet – no matter which species – brings comfort and peace of mind.
If you are interested in getting a journey done for yourself or a pet of yours, check out my Healing Pet Loss Sessions and sign up for my free newsletter to learn more.
