Faithful Friends Pet Cemetery and Crematory: Fort Worth, TX

Two years ago this month (in March) I lost my cat I'd had since 1993 to old age.

Thanks to my sister I was able to get Chaplin cremated from Faithful Friends Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Fort Worth, Texas. They were so thoughtful, considerate, and compassionate from their eloquent, touching letter to the nice tan box with my Tonkenese cat's name engraved on it I was impressed by the company's professionalism and sensitivity. I put one of Chaplin's "busy balls" inside the box with a card stock that had a special message on it written by the Crematory staff.

I even got a certificate and a nice card expressing their condolences for my loss as well as brochures entitled "Death of the Family Pet" and "Coping With Pet Loss" which deals with loss and grief problems.

Eight months later when my sister lost her elderly cat to a long illness I was able to share some of these materials with her.

Some tips included in one of the brochures Faithful Friends gave me to deal with the loss of a pet (written by Moira Anderson Allen) are being honest with your feelings, writing, talking to someone about how you feel, attending a pet loss support group, acknowledging that other pets in the household will feel a loss, giving remaining pets in the house lots of attention and love, and waiting before getting another animal right away. It is also suggested that you not get a "lookalike" pet of the old one because you really want your pet back and you will make comparisons. When you are ready to build a new relationship with another four-legged friend you will be able to select an animal after you have mourned your loss.

"I see my two dogs are sleeping a lot now that they're older and it worries me," says one pet owner who has two miniature dogs.

I had to put my Yellow Labrador Retriever to sleep back in 1998 but the vet disposed of the body and there was no goodbye other than the farewell before the shot.

"It's not like he's with you," a friend of mine said when I showed him the box that Chaplin's ashes were in.

But it is to me. Even though he only weighed seven pounds when he died and there wasn't much to him by then, his remains only fitting in this compact box, to me those ashes sitting on my dresser are a little comfort to me. Sometimes I run across his pictures and I still miss him even though I later got a foster cat - something that wasn't planned. She has since become my official cat since her owner could never get her life together enough to be a mom to her again.

Another friend of mine is dealing with the soon-to-be-realized death of his cat who he's had since 1991, Socks. She kind of favors Chaplin though isn't quite as affectionate.

"I'm going to be a jerk when she dies," my friend said. "I'm going to be an a-hole."

Faithful Friends is located at 3600 Shelby Road and may be reached at 817-478-6696. They may also be contacted at Box 40581, Fort Worth, TX 76140 or at their website at ffpcc.com.