Animals Don’t Grieve?
Do animals grieve? Do pets mourn the death of another pet? When I first started out as an Animal Communicator, I had plenty of conversations with animals about this. My understanding, from the conversations was that they did not grieve. This was totally wrong!
After many different people came to me, looking to understand the behavior of their pet that was still here, I started to delve more into what the animals were sharing with me. It took me several years of intuitive connections with animals to realize that the animals were actually saying they don’t grieve like humans grieve.
The Physical Presence
The more I delved into animals and the animal afterlife, the more fascinated I became! What the animals began talking to me about was exactly WHAT they were mourning and why it was different from us, humans.
First, they told me about the physical presence of the animal that has crossed over and how different it feels when that animal isn’t there. Not having their animal friend with them meant that dinner time was different, play time different, cuddle time and even warmth was different.
And this all made sense to me. Of course the animal that is still here is going to miss the physical presence of the one how has passed over.
The Life Change
But there was something more to the physical presence that many animals told me they were reacting to. It wasn’t that THEY were mourning, it was that their entire life had changed due to the grief their HUMAN was experiencing!
When we, humans, grieve, we are sad. We stay in bed. We don’t do our usual things. We may spend a lot of time crying and discover that it’s hard to find joy in the regular things.
But we forget that our pet that is still here really needs these things from us!
Often, the biggest piece that the animals left here are grieving is the loss of their lifestyle because of their human’s grief!
Pet Grief as Reactive
When a dog that is used to getting two walks a day with you and his friend moves to getting only one walk a day (or a week) with you, as you shuffle along with your head down in grief, it’s hard for the dog. After all, our animals feel our emotions and thoughts every minute of every day!
If you’re finding that your pet seems be in deep, deep grief, take a look at your own grief. Have you stepped out of your animal’s life? Are you feeling badly for spending time with them, because the other one has passed over? Is there anything keeping you from enjoying the pet who is still here?
For our animals, we ARE their environment. When their environment goes wonky, they react. The miss what they had.
If you’re in this situation, take some time to develop your new routine with your pet that is still here. Perhaps it will be a completely different routine or perhaps it will look mostly the same. Just remember that it’s important to have a routine with your pet who is still here!
Do Pets Need to See the Body of Their Dead Friends
Many people need to see the body of their beloved in order to feel some type of closure. Sometimes, seeing the body helps them believe that this person has really passed over.
Animals, however do not need this. Because animals are connected to one another intuitively, they are keenly aware of everything that is going on with each other.
That means your cat already knows that your other cat is getting ready to die. Your dog is aware of not just the fact that your beloved cat died, but even when and how.
If it makes you feel better for your pet to see his dead friend, then just remember you’re doing it for you! And if this helps you feel better about the process – and in turn, go through your grief in a healthy way, then by all means do it. But do it knowing that it’s helping you, not your animal that is still here.
Animals and the Spiritual Veil
Animals are very connected to one another through intuition. This is how they survive in the world. It’s natural to them. And their spiritual connection doesn’t stop there. Even when an animal dies, those left behind can still connect and communicate with them!
This presents a unique opportunity for those of us who are open-minded. As you go through your grieving process, your pet is also going through theirs. Their grieving process involves, yes, missing the physical body, but it also involves developing a the next level of relationship with the pet that has passed over.
There will be times when your pet that is still here will be communicating and connecting with your pet on the Other Side. This means that, if you keep your eye out, you can get a beautiful confirmation that your pet on the Other Side has come by for a visit. Perhaps your pet that is still here is playing with the air, staring into “space,” or even temporarily behaving like the animal that has crossed over. These are all signs that your beloved pet is back for a loving hello!
