Parting With pets

More owners are seeking therapy to cope with grief when their pet dies, and honouring the memory of their animal pals with customised keepsakes

- Amrita Kaur

When Ms Sherri Ashlee Toh's beloved Scottish straight cat Ellie had to be put down due to a brain tumour in June, she was lost and heartbroken.

"It felt like a piece of me was missing," she recalls, describing how she struggled to accept the five-year-old's sudden death.

Every time she thought she was healing, a wave of grief would pull her under again.

"I couldn't look at his photos and videos without feeling like my heart was being torn apart. But at the same time, I longed to see his face again," says Ms Toh, a content creator.

Two weeks after he died, she went on a trip to Australia with her partner and close friends, hoping a change of scenery would provide some comfort. But the weight of Ellie's absence remained when she returned to Singapore.

In an effort to keep him close, she got a tattoo of his face on her forearm, one month after his death.

After Ellie's death, Ms Toh, her family and close friends held a private funeral where they penned heartfelt letters, which were cremated alongside his body. His ashes now rest in an urn on her bedside table, which she says "offers a sense of closeness".

She kept some of his fur and made a clay mould of his paw prints.

Ms Toh also spent $600 on a life-size stuffed toy that resembles Ellie. The toy has a recording of Ellie's purrs. "It's a source of comfort on particularly rough days," says Ms Toh.

Ms Evonne Lek, a systemic psychotherapist at Reconnect Psychology & Family Therapy, says for many people, a pet is very much a loved family member and has the same importance as a child or a sibling.

As a result, owners often experience deep grief when their pet dies because pets are seen as beloved companions which offer unconditional love, emotional support and a sense of comfort, say experts.

There is greater awareness of the depth of this loss, with more people seeking support to cope with the death of their pets.