Saying Goodbye to A Family Pet is the Most Heartbreaking Thing

Owning pets is something most people do in their lifetime. Amarillo, Canyon, and the entire Texas Panhandle are full of families that own all kinds of pets.

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It doesn't matter how long you live, or how many pets you own, you'll always remember your first best fur friend.

My family recently faced the heartbreak of losing a family pet.  Our cat Astro.  Astro was an early Christmas present for my son in 2009.  Astro became a part of our family a few weeks before my son turned 3.

Being that young and having a pet at that age, they become your best friend. They grew up together and were inseparable in those early years. Astro was my son's best friend for 14 years.

About 2 years ago, Astro was diagnosed with feline diabetes, and we treated him for it like you would a human.  We had him on a special diet, and insulin shots when needed.  He did well, and our 22 lb cat lost half his body weight.

He was good for a few years, and then recently, he stopped eating altogether.  He was notorious for screaming for his breakfast at 5:45 am every morning and 4 pm every afternoon, it was obvious something was wrong when we weren't awoken by his loud meows of "feed me." He was sleeping more than usual, and his basic bodily functions weren't working.

My family and I were faced with a tough decision, saying goodbye to Astro.  I let my son make that most difficult life decision since it was his cat and best friend.

 "I don't want him to suffer Mom, but I don't want to let him go."

He made the hard mature choice and the best choice for Astro.

Saying Goodbye

I made an appointment with our vet and took my son out of school so that he could be with his best friend as he passed away. We all held Astro, talked to him, and told him how good he was, how much we would miss him, and how he was the best friend a boy could have. Then, he meowed as if to say goodbye (or hello to his brothers and sister on the other side), and he took his last breath. We cried a lot. I won't ever get the wail of sorrow that escaped from my son at that moment, out of my head or heart.  He lost his best friend. There are moments when the tears will fall in the future, missing Astro. Even as I write this, I have tears streaming down my face. That's how integral Astro was to our lives and our family.  The grief will remain.

After Saying Goodbye

The vet staff asked us what we wanted to do with Astro.   They could take care of his body, we could take him home and bury him, or cremation.

My son couldn't bear the thought of leaving him at the vet, nor could he handle the thought of taking his lifeless body back home to be buried, so he asked if we could cremate Astro.  That's what he chose for his best friend.

The sweetest lady talked to us about what would happen with Astro after his death.  She gave us some options for Astro, minutes after he passed (and we left) they picked him up at the vet's office and transported him to the crematory.  Two days later we received the call that Astro was ready, and delivered back to the vet's office where we picked him up.

They had clipped hair from our sweet Astro and placed it in a glass container.  They took paw prints and a nose print of our fur baby.  They also put his remains in a beautiful velvet bag.  They offered other things for his remains like an urn but we opted for the bag since we still aren't sure about his final resting place.

It was an easier way to say goodbye to our fur baby and keep his memory close.

If you are faced with this type of choice, talk with your vet before, if possible, to make the best choice for your pet.  Most local vets have options for cremation or they work with some amazing people who can help with your pet, whether it be cremation or burial, or other options.