Last summer, when we were forced to put down our two eldest cats, Puzzola and Piccolo (Puzzola, in June; Piccolo, in September), Stefano and I were absolutely devastated…overwhelmed with grief. Losing a pet is like losing a piece of yourself. A piece that is gone forever.

Plus, in addition to all this emotional (at times, physical) pain, we also had to deal with the “it’s just a cat/dog/etc.” attitude of pet-less friends/people who just don’t get it. Last summer I remember hiding my despair from some of my closest friends, the pet-less ones, which wasn’t easy AT ALL…

In time, it’s gotten easier. Life goes on…but I still think of my lost cats every day, and I cry for them now and again (like RIGHT NOW, as I write this post). I know it’s the same for Stefano…Nothing can replace Puzzola and Piccolo in our hearts and daily life, not even our two mischievous/funny/adorable sisters, Pixie and Pandora, who really keep us entertained and give us so much love (as do our other adult cats, too, of course!)…

Oh, but WHY am I going back in time today and talking about my lost cats? It’s because this morning I read an excellent, spot-on Scientific American article, titled “Why we need to take pet loss seriously”: goo.gl/ASy9rT

Indeed.

Spot on.

If you have ever lost a pet, you must read this article, which offers a few helpful suggestions…