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Send questions to advice at allmydeadcats.com. 

If you are in an urgent situation, you may find the resources below helpful.

Grief Resources

Need to talk to someone right now? Call 988, the national 24-hour crisis hotline.

Several veterinary colleges have pet loss hotlines run by student volunteers with supervision from counselors, including Tufts University: (508) 839-7966 and Cornell University: (607) 218-7457. You can visit their websites for information about their hours.

The University of Michigan’s veterinary social workers provide Zoom support groups, as does the Chicago Veterinary Medicine Association. Lap of Love offers Zoom-based pet loss support groups along with a Pet Loss & Bereavement Resource Line:  (855) 352-LOVE (5683).

You can find general pet loss resources at Colorado State University, Best Friends, and the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.

Lap of Love’s Quality of Life Scale and Quality of Life Assessment tools can help you think about your pet’s quality of life and keep track of how they are doing from day to day, as can Ohio State University's quality of life guide.

Emergency Resources

Banfield maintains a database of organizations offering financial assistance with veterinary costs and RedRover provides urgent care grants for animals in life-threatening situations. Your local shelter or veterinary school may have additional resources.

If you are attempting to escape an intimate partner violence situation with pets, you can find shelters that allow pets at Sheltering Animals and Families Together. Your local animal shelter or domestic violence assistance program may have additional resources, including temporary foster placements.

Make sure to include pets in your emergency evacuation plans. Humane World for Animals, Ready.gov, and the American Veterinary Medical Association have toolkits to help you plan ahead.