Thursday October 29, 2009, 5:21 pm
Noted & Kudos to you!
We lost our 2 oldest felines a year ago July. Both in a week with the eldest passing on a Tuesday, and his younger brother by that Friday.
Whiskey was 19 years old, and his young brother Soda was 18. We had them since they were kittens, and they were inseparatable. We also have 2 female felines that are 9 years old now. Both were rescued.
But the smallest female Lady was so heartbroken over the loss of her older brothers that she wanders thru the house looking for them and crying. We were a mixed family of humans & we had a total of 7 companion animals, and 4 humans, but now we have just the 5 animals, and our 2 adult children are out in the world as well.
Our family is extremely close, and I am still awed at how clolse our cats were to each other, and how depressed they became when the oldest passed across the Rainbow Bridge.
We are still adjusting to the loss....

Friday October 30, 2009, 4:03 am
Of course animals mourn. They feel all kinds of emotions, sadness, anger, fear, embarrassment, you name it!

Saturday October 31, 2009, 12:26 pm
One would have to be blind to not realize that animals not only experience emotions (for man does not hold sole rights, it's been a strategy in many species' evolutions), but can analyze and reason to cause and effect. Still there are even ignorant arguments out there that other animals can't experience physical pain much less mental anguish.

Just witness, observe and reasonably comclude...

Good article Miss Simone in making an awarenss in our cognitive association to all life for we are not separated from but rather a part of all life's scheme...

Saturday October 31, 2009, 12:29 pm
Thank you for this article. Of course, anyone who has animals already knew this.

Saturday October 31, 2009, 1:13 pm
Of course animals grieve - their emotions are the same as ours. I pity the person who has never experienced this.I think about all the animals we have lost every day. I know, they have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge & that I will some day be reunited with my precious friends.
Shirley H.

Saturday October 31, 2009, 1:40 pm
IIn the mid-1990's, my beautiful gray tabby and white cat Charlie, at the age of 14, succumbed to kidney failure. We took him to the vet for burial. But our other cat, Draupadi, his constant companion, ran all over the house mewing,looking for Charlie, crying to get out to see if Charlie were out there. We mourned for her as well as for Charlie - because we couldn't comfort her, nor could we bring Charlie back. In 2004, we lost our brown tabby, Cricket, at the age of about 18. It was one of those cases when it was her time, and her systems kept shutting down one by one. And Draupadi again ran all over the house, crying, looking for Cricket - and not being able to find her. It was heartbreaking.

I don't know about the spiritual lives of animals. I know that my cats sometimes see things that I can't, that they are very psychic and wonderful healers. I also firmly believe that they do come back to us, in new incarnations. A great Hindu yogi - I forget his name - once said that if animals feel that being with certain people gives them a leg up toward enlightenment, they will reincarnate in that family group again and again. In Draupadi, I see Arwen, the first cat I had after I left my parents' home and got married. Shirley, take a good long look at some of the wonderful animals that have crossed over. Could one or more of the ones you have be re-embodiments of those you've lost? Think about it!

Saturday October 31, 2009, 3:46 pm
This is so true and so sad, as most stop the ability to understand an animals sensitivity when it comes time for dinner. How many of us have known and loved a dog or cat, yet sat down to a steak dinner. The truth of suffering is so awful that I pray one day we are able to look back at ourselves and shake our heads, and have compassion for the Human Animal as one who was so blinded as to be able to eat his sisters and brothers. No animal wants to die for our taste buds.

Saturday October 31, 2009, 9:52 pm
It's so heartbreaking when a companion animal dies but its even worse to see another one suffering with grief. When my eldest budgie Aladdin died of old age at around age 14 our other budgie Tommie mourned for him for months, it was so sad. She sat where Aladdin's house was crying (well the bird equivalent) and barely ate.

I know many people here oppose keeping birds so I assure you both of them were rescued from horrible treatment, their houses (we never called them cages) were always open, their wings were never clipped and they got a minimum of 3 hours outside free fly time outside a week.

Sunday November 1, 2009, 5:57 am
Animals that grieve breaks my heart. Especially when we know and they don't.

Sunday November 1, 2009, 6:08 pm
Its heartbreaking the torture and pain we put animals through. it is so disgusting how farm animals have thier babies snatched away amost at birth for the greed and lust of humans to eat.

it is hearbreaking to know that all animals have emotions yet only a few animals are treated with respect.

NO ANIMAL SHOULD HAVE TO DIE FOR HUMANS LUST AND GREED TO EAT THIER FLESH.