
30/06/2025
Do dogs grieve?
Yesterday we said farewell to our family cat. He was 19, had a great life and unbeknownst to us he took himself off to his shady spot in the garden and peacefully fell asleep a final time.
Obi, who loved Merlin (although this love was not reciprocated 🙈) took it hard. We allowed him to sniff and just ‘be’ with his friend to try and process it. Tilly didn’t have the same connection with cats, she was scared of him 🤦🏼♀️
Animals feel loss, they get depressed, they grieve, their emotions are more complex than most would realise. Obi spent a long time just lying like this next to Merlin, quietly whimpering and nudging him with his nose. We then all had a cry and removed Merlin from the room, we said goodbye 😔
I firmly believe animals need the opportunity to process a change like this, they are emotionally in tune to us and beings around them.
Sleep tight Merlin 🐾 💔