Coping with the Loss of a Cat: A Pet Hotel Owner Shares Her Heartbreaking Experience

The passing of a cat is a pain that many pet owners dare not speak of. Paper, the owner of Forest Day Cat Hotel and an experienced cat lover, shares how she faced the devastating reality of losing her beloved cat.

"In a cat's brief life, their owner is their everything..."

Ding Ding left us in 2023. We had planned to include him in our wedding photos, but that day never came. Like many cats, Ding Ding's departure was due to kidney disease.

I still haven't fully accepted that Ding Ding is gone. The house feels different now... No more of his meowing to enter rooms, only to want out moments later; no more of his heavy presence sleeping on my chest, weighing like a rock; no more of him nibbling my hair until the strands were wet; no more of him scratching my new shoes, leaving them covered in marks...

Though Ding Ding was quite the troublemaker, he was incredibly sensitive to emotions. When my grandmother was hospitalised after a fall, and my husband happened to be away, leaving me alone at home, I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, I felt something furry - it was him, sleeping on my pillow, keeping me company.

On the day of his cremation, I couldn't watch when they moved him in. I wanted my final memory of him to be that of the old man giving me his signature disdainful look.

Cat age conversion:
1 cat year = 15 human years
5 cat years = 35 human years
18 cat years = 88 human years

At 18, Ding Ding lived a full life, and we were fortunate that he remained largely healthy throughout. Sometimes, being healthy is enough.

Recently, I've been watching the Korean drama "Beautiful Than Heaven," which shows pets playing freely in heaven after passing, occasionally visiting their owners in dreams to comfort them. I wonder what Ding Ding is doing now? Is he still scratching things everywhere?

"In a cat's brief life, their owner is their everything... So love them with all your might, give them the best life possible, so their entire existence is filled with joy and happiness.