Do you believe animals have feelings? How do you observe them expressing their emotions? Can you interpret what they are feeling? Of course, I want my companions to have feelings that I can understand and relate to. I believe that animals are capable of a range of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, empathy, grief, curiosity, anger, anxiety and fear.
When Xena (who is ten pounds) lost her big friend Reymundo (who was 90 pounds) she lost interest in taking walks, would sit in his spot by his dog house and did not want to move. What do you think was Xena grieving her friend? As we were burying Reymundo, Xena jumped as if startled and seemed to be extremely agitated. Was she upset by the burial? I believe both are true. She was grieving and she was very upset that we were putting dirt on her friends body.
How do you prepare for the grief of the loss of a pet? Do you plan ahead for what will inevitably happen? Or do you live in denial that your familiar furry friend will always be by your side? Our grief is one aspect of this loss. Our pets grief is real and another aspect of this loss to deal with. For some months we did not push Xena to be her normal playful self. Then we found a foster dog and Xena was willing to take walks and began to play again. Having another dog around seemed to help heal her grief.
The debate goes on between scientists and religions whether animals have emotions comparable to the feelings humans understand and express. On a scientific level if you compare the portions of the brain that get fired up when people experience emotions to those nestled in creature craniums, you get some corresponding hotspots. The amygdala is one such example, and it’s pretty ancient evolutionarily speaking. So since our brains are hardwired the same way as an animal’s, the theory is that it makes intuitive sense for similar stuff to be going on up there.
“When animals express their feelings they pour out like water from a spout. Animals’ emotions are raw, unfiltered, and uncontrolled. Their joy is the purest and most contagious of joys and their grief the deepest and most devastating. Their passions bring us to our knees in delight and sorrow.” Mark Bekoff The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy Sorrow and Empathy – and Why They Matter.
Templeton is a Himalayan. His best friend was a Persian cat named Phineas. The two were constant companions, eating together, watching the birds and life outside their windows, and sleeping near one another. Phineas was older and when he began to decline Templeton never left his side. Templeton would sit by Phineas side for hours on alert while Phineas’ slept and dreamed. Even before the family received the diagnosis about the cancer, Templeton seemed to know there was something different about Phineas. Was Templeton feeling empathy, or wanting to heal Phineas? The family wondered what were they going to do when Phineas left them. Both were dearly loved by their human family. Phineas passed away and then Templeton became listless and refused to eat.
The family had heard that a portriat might help heal their grief. From the photographs they gave the artist, she was able to intuit the cat’s relationship to each other. The family was delighted with the creation and hung the painting on their bedroom wall. As soon as they hung the painting Templeton made daily excursions to sit and seem to meditate on the painting. Was he admiring himself? Or was his grief being soothed with the image of Phineas by his side? In either case after spending his time with the painting Templeton would stretch deeply and then go about his day. The family was grateful that the portrait really helped them with their grief.
What do you think? Did the portrait help Templeton as well as the family heal from their grief? Portraits are one way to handle grief from a loss. There are other ways to soother ourselves, like getting another pet.
Do you have a plan how you are going to handle your grief, let alone the other companions in your furry family’s grief? Maybe you have ways you have found to heal from the grief of a loss of your four-legged or feathered companions? Please share that others may find solace in their loss.