Do you believe there’s an afterlife for pets?

That’s Alexander in the photos. He passed in December 2019.

I bond deeply with my cats, and the grief is always unbearable when one of them dies. When it became obvious that Alexander’s chronic health problems weren’t going to get better, and his pain was constant, I hired an in-home euthanasia service. The vet took his body with her for cremation and once they were gone, the absence of him was a crushing weight so intense that I could hardly breathe at times.

A few months passed and while napping on the couch I had a vivid, lucid dream in which Alexander visited me. I was able to hold him and bury my face in his mane and smell his comforting familiar smell. He also seemed to give approval for the 2 new kitties that I adopted in his wake.

After that dream, I felt awash in peace. I felt like I knew he was ok and he had forgiven me (even though I didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, I was still wracked with guilt). To this day, I still feel like he hangs around with me. I’ll often catch a glimpse of him looking at me through the stairway bannister or a flash of orange fur going around the corner. But more than that, I just feel his presence - his Alexander-y essence.

I’ve had a very long and eclectic spiritual journey, but don’t really believe in anything to tell you the truth. Maybe my brain just fabricated these experiences to ease my suffering, or maybe Alexander really is here with me on a different plane.

What do you guys think? Please share your experiences and photos of beloved kitties that have passed on.