How can I be there for my bf?

[butterfly712]

So my bf got some bad news,he went to the vet today,the vet told him he might have to put his cat down?What can I do?How can I be there for him?He has such a big heart,and I know how hard this must be for him,and also his cat never got any shots at all,the place where he got him from lied to him about everything they told him.

[differentcountries]

That is so sad. Well, you can be there for him by listening to him, maybe be on the phone on the way to the vet or afterwords. If he has to put the cat down, you might ask him to share some good moments, I remember that helped me when I had to put my cat down.

[Gonçalo]

That's so sad indeed! Once I considered studying for veterinary but just remembering that I would have to put animals down as part of my job. It's even harder for the owners... I remember when I had to put my German shepherd, sad memories. But yeah, just like differentcountries told you, talk to him, listen to him, show him affection, videochat, even call him while the moment arrives... be the strong one, try to show him that you're his shelter.

[bubblehits]

I understand this, when I met my SO he had recently gotten a kitten, we got along pretty good because both of our kittens where about a month apart in age so we had a good amount of stuff to talk about. 4 months later my SO found out that his kitten had somehow caught rabies. She got out once and he literally had to wrestle her back into the house. He was a wreck when he had to take her to the vet to get put down. All you can do is tell him you're there, be available to talk to if commitments don't get in the way. Just be supportive as I'm sure you already are. Reassure him that it wasn't his fault, my SO blamed himself for his kittens death even though there was nothing he could have done.

I hope it doesn't come to getting his cat put down

[Redheart14]

Just let him know you're there to talk if he needs you. I'd give him space too, if he requires it. So sad

[rhabdoviridae]

I would recommend that he bring a friend or family member with him for support and to give him a ride home. I would take cues from him after that; some owners don't want to talk about it for a while, others want to share stories and memories right away.

We often make paw prints in clay as well as a nice card and send them to owners after they've lost their pet. Maybe you could make a little memory box with the cats collar and a picture, or even just frame a nice picture of the cat or them together to send to him. If he wants to talk about it, be open and sympathetic and if not, be ready to talk about something else to get his mind off of it. Good luck