Healing A Special Kind Of Loss

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Monday, 25 April 2022

Written by Cheryl Richardson

He was tall for a cat, with long legs and a silky, sleek body that went on for days. He could often be heard howling “helloooooo” in the middle of the night as he roamed the house with his favorite toy – a small stuffed bear – in his mouth.

One weekend, when Louise Hay came to visit, he opened her bedroom door at two in the morning and went in to have a look around. The next day Louise said that when she heard the intruder and discovered it was our little gray boy, Poupon, she invited him in to spend the night.

Poupon was a bright light in our life, our first pet, and a constant source of joy and entertainment. When he was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor in November of 2017 – out of the blue – Michael and I were devastated. Never in a million years did we think we’d have to face the loss of this special family member so soon.

I wrote about Poupon in this blog for years and I shared our grief and sorrow as we navigated the rough waters of illness, end-of-life care, and the painful choice to put him to rest before he suffered. Each time I sent out a blog I’d receive emails back from readers who were desperate for help in dealing with their own pet loss. At first, I didn’t have much to offer except that I understood their pain and would add their family to my prayer book. But, in time, I learned a lot about dealing with this special kind of grief and I began to email back what I discovered.

Each message always started with: You will get through this.

Now, nearly five years after the death of Poupon, I’ve put what I learned into an audiobook in the hopes that it will provide a healing roadmap for this unique kind of emotional pain. It’s a project near and dear to my heart called, How to Survive the Loss of a Pet, and it’s available in both CD and audiobook download format in all the usual places. You can learn more about it, here.

Anyone who has shared his or her life with a beloved pet knows how their presence alone fills a home with unconditional love. And they also know the incomprehensible void that’s left behind when they’re gone.

I want this program to be a comforting gift to those in pain so they can experience the sorrow and yet know they will survive the loss. In an effort to spread the word, I invite you to email us with the name of someone you know who works in an animal shelter or veterinarian’s office (if it’s you, please email us, too!). We’ll add them to a list and choose one person a week to receive either a free CD set or a download link, whichever they choose, so they can learn about this program with the hopes that they’ll share this resource with those in need. You can send an email to and we’ll contact them directly when chosen.

Thank you for letting me share How to Survive the Loss of a Pet with you in this week’s blog. If you’ve had to say goodbye to a special animal in your life, you know how important it is to find someplace to turn to for comfort and support. I hope this audiobook does just that for those of you in need…

Love,
Cheryl

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Cheryl Richardson
For the last twenty-five years I’ve dedicated my life to the practice of self-care because it’s good for people and it’s good for the planet. From personal experience, as well as coaching a diverse group of clients, I’ve come to understand that when we care deeply for ourselves, we naturally begin to care for others – our families, our friends, the environment, and the whole world – in a healthier and more effective way.