Sylvia recognises that distress isn’t only about personal relationships or problems at work. Research has shown that for some people losing a pet can be as painful as the death of a member of the family – perhaps even more so, because of the very special bond we can have with our pets, and the difficulty of sharing this loss with others.
Through all this, a person might wonder where to turn for help, to find someone who can understand and help to cope with the hurt and the feeling of desperation that just will not go away, and especially the feeling of guilt if you had to make the decision to have your pet euthanized (“put down”).
It’s not easy to find someone who cares and understands how important your relationship with your pet was.
Sylvia has a close bond with animals and other animal lovers. She has experienced the very sad loss of her beloved 3-year old cat, Matreya, and this has contributed to the development of the empathy in pet bereavement for which she is known. As Sylvia says, other people may not fully understand what you feel. They might think they are being comforting when they say things like, “I’m sorry. Will you get another cat/dog/pet?”
Well, of course you can, but nothing can replace the one you have lost!
