Pet owners may resent those who do not understand their pain and, in an attempt to meet the expectations of others, carry the unreleased emotion and feel ashamed of feeling so strongly about an animal. Crying, loneliness and depression are all natural reactions to death - including the death of a pet. Research into grief and loss has shown that there is a pattern to the way most people grieve, and grief for the loss of a pet follows exactly the same pattern as grief for the loss of a human companion. First comes, numbness, shock and disbelief which helps protect us from the full impact of the loss. When the numbness wears off, the anger begins.
Depression follows anger.
There is often a feeling of hopelessness with a loss of appetite, sleep and interest in daily life. Depending on the individual these feelings may last anywhere from days through to months. Within a few hours after the loss of a pet an owner usually begins to experience moments of intense anxiety and often uncontrolled crying. Grief pangs usually peak within 14 days and then decrease in intensity and frequency as recovery begins. During the mourning an owner needs to deal with two things - first, the death of the pet and the end of the relationship and second, the changes the loss creates.