Help! Explaining death of a pet to a 5 year old
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https://www.hshv.org/how-to-talk-with-children-about-pet-loss/
My grandmother died and we just told our kids the truth. That sometimes people/things we care about die. This means we can’t see them or talk to them anymore and that it might make people sad to not do those things but it doesn’t mean that we have to stop talking about them or loving them.
religious / non religious people in my family all did the same thing. told us they were no longer with us, but will be in a better place. in this instance “kitty heaven” playing with all the cats and kittens there ever were having the time of their lives and it made my childhood comforting when it came to coping with death
This may be super controversial but could you get another black kitten and just hold off on this death lesson? 😥
My daughters were 1.5 years and 3 years when our dog passed. I just told them that Xena died. She passed away. It’s sad that we won’t get to see her again, but we can be glad for the memories we got to have with her.
@Alyssa I thought about it but he’s already seen Obsidian dead 💔 idk what happened honestly. He took a nap. I called him to give him a treat. I have other cats and he didn’t come. So I went to his post that he likes to scratch and he was next to it frozen and stiff. I didn’t think to be quiet and remove him. I just scream and instantly cried. My son ran in and saw him.
When our daughter's dog died, we told her she was the best to him and he is in heaven now in a better place💗
I took a different approach with my autistic stepson. His grandma (my husbands mom) passed away when he was 7. He had a hard time grasping why he couldn’t see her so we used the lion king to help him understand. Some people have had strong thoughts about it, but, Mufasa passed away and then watched over Simba from above. Just a note, we did first explain to him that grandma was sick and was no longer with us and is watching over us from above. He would just keep asking us where grandma was and when she was coming back
@Zy🕊 :(( do you still have a cat? Could you do a proper burial somewhere and have a little funeral for him? Then explain that kitty was sick and is now in kitty heaven/etc. I feel like a burial would be helpful to understand
@Sarah my son is also autistic which is why I’m at a loss. Idk what to say. My uncle passed in 2020 and still to this day my son asks when he’s coming over for pizza. My uncle promised him pizza for his birthday but passed 2 weeks before.
@Alyssa we have two other cats and many other pets. I love animals. My pets are like my children so it really hurts. My son doesn’t seem to be sad but idk if he understands.
I work at a vet office how old is your son I can send you a hand out that has the child write about their pet and then draw a picture
@Alisa he’s 5 years old.
Aww I’m sorry about your car though 😢 that’s never easy losing a pet
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@Zy🕊 Aw that’s so sad. it’s tough. Their minds work in such incredible ways that these situations areharder for them to understand. My kiddo used to repeat as part of stimming and he would ask questions non stop about where she was. It was really painful for my husband when he would get in these loops and it took a long time before he understood that she isn’t here. They were incredibly close so it was hard on him, rightfully so. I’m so sorry for your loss
So sorry for your loss :( I'm not sure how to help explain it to your son. I also had my last kitten and last addition to our fur family die when she was only around 2 months old, we buried her and bought this little tree plant and planted it overtop of her and I swear she grew into it because the plant had very little chance actually surviving but somehow it did and his now atleast 3 ft tall. I think that could be a nice way to honor your kittens life and help with the understanding. Also is a nice thing for him to go out and spend time with if he misses the kitty
Look up the rainbow bridge poem. It's a very easy way and sweet way to explain a pet dying
When our loved ones have died I tell my daughter that they're not around anymore but they will always live in our hearts.