Animals mourn

 

Riley and Sean were very close. Riley babied Sean from the moment he joined our family.
And they stayed good buddies, even when Sean grew to be bigger than Riley. Riley groomed and cuddled with Sean. They slept together every night.

And when Sean passed, Riley took it hard and became ill. I thought I was going to lose Riley too.

He did the same thing when Casey passed. 

Casey mothered Riley when we adopted Riley back in 2008. She groomed him and taught him how to be a big boy kitty. He loved that. He had been orphaned and bottle fed and loved the attention and love Casey gave him.

And when she passed a few years later, Riley was ill for a month, in and out of the hospital with urinary problems.

It's been a month since Sean died and Riley seems to be getting better now. Medication and trips to the vet have been helping him. He's also getting lots of love and attention. I want him to know he's still got me and his brother Chaz and his sister Bella who love him very much.

But I know he misses his buddy.

I know animals mourn the loss of their friends, both human and animal. It's been documented across so many species - elephants, apes and chimps, dogs and horses. I've seen it firsthand in my boy.  I look forward to the day when we are all together again and loss is a thing of the past.

Namaste.