Feeling Guilty :(

[Cs131193]

Hi guys! Hope you’re all having a happy and anxiety free Halloween!

I’ve come on here because of overwhelming guilt, it’s probably silly but I can’t help feel this way. Basically, I was out the front of my house tonight and a beautiful cat that I’d never seen around here before came up to me and let me make a fuss of it. After it left I went inside and about 10 minutes later, I got a knock on the door, which I thought were trick or treaters, but it was a group of boys asking if I owned a black cat. I said no but I was fussing over a really fluffy black cat 10 minutes ago, then they told me it had been knocked over and killed I can’t help feel really guilty, like maybe if I had of played with it a little more it may still be alive, almost like I feel it’s my fault. I don’t know who’s cat it is, but I keep crying every time I think of the poor thing to make it worse, the driver didn’t even stop to see if it was okay! It’s making me feel so awful to think how innocent this little cat was and how it must have been feeling during its last few moments I just don’t know what I can do to stop these feelings

Anyway, sorry for the negative post and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day/night.

[kevoreally]

The circle of life not much you can do dont fret over it easy said than done but cats and animals die all the time especially out door animals sad but truth wrecklas drivers are the ones at fualt not you just cause you pet it a little longer doesnt mean at night a racoon beat it up if its your time ITS YOUR TIME nothing gonna change that not even you petting the cat an extra hour or day...

[Cs131193 in reply to kevoreally]

Thank you for your reply kevoreally, that’s true it is the circle of life, I think it’s just those what if thoughts from my anxiety surfacing and making me question it.

[Agora1]

Hi cs13993, please don't feel overwhelming guilt, don't blame yourself. As kevoreally stated, this is life. Things can happen in a moment's time. Rather than thinking negatively about the dear cat, thing positively in how much comfort and affection you showed the cat during his last few moments of life. xx

[Cs131193 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you Agora1, you’ve made me feel better about it by reminding me that I did provide that comfort an affection to it during its last moments, so I should feel happy in a sense that I maybe provided a bit of happiness to the cat before it met its end xx

[cazlooks]

firstly, remember it's trick or treat, they may have been tricking you and the cat may be alive and well! Especially if you have not seen it before, where did it come from etc??

Secondly, I have had the same feelings about next doors cat. My daughter has an allergy so we always chase the neighbor's cats from our garden, meaning they travel in a different direction to get where they want to go. As a result, one very old one got hit by a car and killed. But to add guilt trips, it was the guys who were working on my house who hit it as they drove away (they didn't realize, they kept on driving). I know what cat guilt feels like! So sympathies from me.

My husband reminds me that cats are feral animals in an urban area, this is a disaster waiting to happen and you can't protect all cats, just be kind when you can.

Which is exactly what you did, so you did your best.

[Cs131193 in reply to cazlooks]

Thank you cazlooks, I think your husband sounds like a positive influence on your thinking 🙂 ‘just be kind when you can’ so true, and thank you for helping me to realise that I did do the best I could and I was kind to the cat, I will take comfort knowing I possibly made that cat happy even if it was for a short while. I guess I also need to look at it as I wasn’t to know it would meet its end shortly after. I will try to focus on not beating myself up about it.