Bye Bye Elliot.

One of our cats died this weekend. We had 3 cats, Jones, Elliot and Beverly. Elliot and Beverly were twin brothers, each with some birth defects that we've struggled with for years. Elliot went down into our basement on Friday night and wouldn't come up. We brought him food and water and he wouldn't eat. On Saturday Morning my son (who will be 3 next week) and I went down to see him. He still hadn't moved. My son pet him and Elliot meowed at us and we went upstairs.

A little while later my husband went down to see him. He came back upstairs and told us he was gone.

It's not actually legal to bury your own pet, but we decided to do so anyway. We dug a hole in our yard and put Elliot in. We let our son see. We told him, "Elliot's body stopped working so his energy had to go someplace where we won't be able to see him.

My son said, "Bye Bye Elliot."

We buried him and I asked my son if he understood what happened. He said he didn't know, so I said that he was old and sick and his body finally died, so we said bye bye and buried him.

The next day, I was calling Elliot's brother Beverly, but I accidentally called Elliot instead. My son said, "No, No Mama. Remember. Elliot died."

I was very glad that my son understood. We loved Elliot, but it was time for him to go. If he had gone on any longer, we would have had to have him put down. I think having him die naturally at home was a good thing for my son to witness. Death is hard to explain but important to understand. I think this has been a good first experience for my son.

My son fawns over the other cats and asks about them a little more than usual. Beverly will probably go within the next couple of years, but I think Jones will live a long, long time. She's 10, but she looks and acts like a very young cat and she's very happy.

For you David Cronenberg fans out there, it's weird to have a boy cat named Beverly without his twin Elliot there.

Anyway, Elliot was a good cat. He loved to have his belly rubbed and he was very easy-going. Bye Bye Elliot.

Elliot sounds like a wonderful kitty. It's interesting to see how children respond to a pet's death. Our friends have a 5-year-old son who loves to come over and visit our cats. When Simba died in July, I told him on the phone, and he said, "SIMBA'S DEAD???" He asked when we were getting another cat. When I spoke to him a few weeks ago on the phone he asked if we'd gotten another, and I said no. He said, "I TOLD you to get another cat!" My husband says it's his defense mechanism and how he copes with Simba's loss. I hope your little one will not question too much.

Again, I'm very sorry you lost your kitty.

Childhood development is fascinating.

:hug: to you and your family

But now I'm reading about poor Mrs. Grumpy. So I will share your hugs with her and her family too. :( So Sad.

His brain wasn't connected to his back legs so to speak so he had to drag himself along with his front legs. Not running or jumping, just eating and getting belly rubs made him very fat.

:(

Your son has learned a lot these last few days.

Safe passage Elliot. You're now free to run.

Elliot can run now.

There's cat named Mickey waiting to hang out with you.

Now they can play togetehr. :hug:

Is Mickey the cat that was burned by the two teenagers? If so, what happened? I thought he was on his way to recovery...

Mickey was my little baby that died in 2003.

Adam is the kitty that was burnt by those little pieces of shit.

Adam's doing well from what I've read.

I'm glad your son is taking it well and seems to understand.

:hug:

He's a very thoughtful boy. Tahnks.

Your cats were all so lovely.

Elliot will be watching out for you and your family!

:hi:

Gotta get back to work now. I'm being so naughty.

Dear God, you have given us care over all living things; protect and bless the animals who give us companionship and delight, make us their true friends and worthy companions. Amen.



Dear God, protect and bless all beings that breathe, keep all evil from them, and let them sleep in peace. Amen.
--Albert Schweitzer, "Memoirs of Childhood and Youth"


Eternal Spirit, we bring you our grief in the loss of Elliot and ask for courage to bear it. We bring you our thanks for Elliot who lived among us and gave us freely of his love. We commit our friend and companion Elliot into your loving hands. Give us eyes to see how your love embraces all creatures and every living thing speaks to us of your love. Amen.

Thank you for taking the time to explain death to your son, and I'm glad that he understood and is taking it well. But I know you will all miss Elliot now that he is gone. I hope he has a safe passage.

Nothing but good vibes for you and your family during this time. :hug:

....I'm in tears. :cry: :hug: :loveya:

rbnyc... he's going to miss you all too.

:hug:

you might want to get this from your library and read it with your son.
It might make you and hubby feel better, too. :-)

So sorry for your loss. One of our kitties died Jan 30. He was only 5 1/2 yrs old. I still miss him a lot.

Sorry about your poor kitty too.

The loss of a pet is never easy -I know from having lost our beloved family dog last year. My prayers and condolences to your family and may Elliot rest in peace.

I thought how you and your husband described your cat's passing to your son was absolutely beautiful and very powerful and moving -I couldn't have thought of a better way to explain it

Once again I'm so so sorry Rene:hug: :hug: :hug:

We are trying our best to be good tour-guides for our little guy.

I too think its important for a child to understand in a realistic and non-threatening way. Too many people make the mistake of saying something like the cat is "gone" or that he's "sleeping" (which can make a kid nervous about going to sleep).

I'm sorry about your loss and think you're a terrific mom. :hug:

Yes, we did not want to say anything like "he went to sleep and never woke up" even though that's kind of what happened. We don't want Garrison to be afraid to go to sleep, or to see people he loves go to sleep.

We also wanted to give him room to develop his own ideas (eventually) about what happens after death. So I thought "energy" was a good word to use. That could be the soul, or his aura, or electric impulses or anything--and maybe it just gets reabsorbed into the universe, or maybe it goes to another dimension or a new body or heaven...who knows?

My own parents were very secular and very scientific. They told me only what could be shown by scientific method and the rest was a bunch of hooey. I had a very close cousin and her parents were extremely Catholic. They told her only what was sanctioned by the church and the rest was a bunch of hedonism. We were a good pair and benefited from each other's perspective. When my son is old enough, I will share with him what I think, but I want him to have total freedom to draw his own conclusions about the mysteries of life and death.

Thanks for your kind post.

EDIT: typo