People Said, “It’s Just a Pet.” They Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong.
The morning after Luna died, I woke up and, for a split second, everything felt normal.
Then I remembered.
The silence hit me before I even opened my eyes.
No soft paws walking across the floor. No impatient meow reminding me it was breakfast time. No familiar little face waiting for me.
Just silence.
That’s when I realised I hadn’t simply lost my cat.
I’d lost part of my everyday life.
The funny thing is, Luna was never supposed to be my cat in the first place.
Her sister, Maui, had been chosen by my daughter, but when we returned to bring Maui home, I noticed Luna – the kitten nobody seemed to have chosen.
Not yet.
The thought of separating the sisters was bothering me.
“Can I take her too”? My compassionate side was overpowering my practical one.
A few minutes later, we were driving home with two kittens instead of one, much to my daughter’s delight and, eventually, our landlord’s frustration.
At the time, I thought I was simply giving another kitten a home.
I had no idea she would end up changing mine.
If it’s possible to have a soulmate pet, Luna was mine.
She was funny, mischievous and endlessly entertaining. She proudly brought me mice as though they were priceless gifts, woke me in the middle of the night whenever she pleased and somehow managed to get away with everything.
Yet beneath her cheeky personality was an incredible sensitivity.
On difficult days, she stayed close.
She seemed to know when I needed comfort before I knew it myself.
For ten years, she became part of the rhythm of my life.
And then, one freezing night in November, she was gone.
What surprised me wasn’t only the grief.
It was how guilty I felt for grieving so deeply.
I found myself crying in private.
Questioning myself.
Wondering whether I was overreacting.
People lose parents.
Partners.
Children.
I had lost a cat.
Why did it feel as though someone had ripped a piece out of my heart?
I kept wondering why losing a pet hurts so much, and how on earth I was supposed to cope with this kind of grief.
For a while, I was almost embarrassed by my grief.
Then I realised something.
Why Does Losing a Pet Hurt So Much?
The people who say, “It’s just a pet,” have probably never experienced the extraordinary relationship that can exist between a person and an animal.
Because when you share your life with an animal, they are never just part of your home.
They are part of your routines.
They are there for ordinary Tuesdays, sleepless nights, celebrations, heartbreaks and quiet mornings when nobody else is around.
They witness the version of you that very few people ever see.
When they die, you don’t simply lose an animal.
You lose a relationship.
You lose a routine.
You lose the quiet comfort of a presence you barely noticed until it was gone.
That realisation changed everything.
Instead of trying to convince myself to “move on,” I gave myself permission to grieve.
I started writing the words I most needed to hear.
Words of comfort.
Perspective.
Hope.
I never intended those reflections to become anything more than part of my own healing.
Over time, however, they evolved into what is now the Luna Deck, a collection of messages inspired by the journey through grief that has since brought comfort to others navigating the loss of a beloved animal.
Creating it didn’t take away my grief.
Nothing could.
But it transformed it.
Little by little, sadness made room for gratitude.
The sharp edges softened.
I still miss Luna every day.
I always will.
But today, when someone tells me they have lost a beloved animal, I never say, “It was just a pet.”
Because I know better.
I know they have lost the one who greeted them at the door, sensed their sadness without needing words and quietly became part of the rhythm of their life.
And when that rhythm suddenly stops, it’s only natural that the heart needs time to find its way again.
And if you have ever loved – and still love – an animal who is no longer physically beside you, I have a feeling you already know exactly what I mean.
If you’re navigating the loss of a beloved pet, discover The Luna Deck – Wisdom for Navigating the Loss of a Beloved Pet, created to offer comfort, perspective and support through grief. Explore The Luna Deck →