Sad news...

I had some sad news yesterday. One of my cats was killed by my dogs.

I have so many feelings going through my mind.

I am upset and angry. I am enraged at my dogs for what they did. I do not feel like giving them a second chance. How do you get the point across to your dogs on what they have done? How can you give them the love and attention after what they did? I don't feel like petting them or even looking at them. At this point they are beasts. I want to lock them up and throw away the keys.

I can't begin to imagine what Lynx had to endure during the fight. It must have been bad. It's not the way you would ever want a pet to go. I am truly sadened that she died scared. All of the protection we had offered her over the years, ends up for nothing. At the hands of the ones she trusted. That's what hurts the most. We still have 2 cats that are fine (thankfully). I am also sad because they had to hear the commotion. They were probably scared for her too.

I feel horible that my wife had to take care of everything without me. We usally put the dogs outside in the kennel if we are leaving the house. She didn't yesterday. I can feel her pain. She totally blames herself for what has happened. This is an unfortunate accident and could have happened even if we were home. I've tried to ease her mind but she is still dwelling on it.

I will miss Lynx. I will miss her tapping on the door when I was in the bathroom and always having to be in there with me. I will miss hearing my wife telling her to "shut up" every morning when we got up (she was very vocal). I will miss her eating the dog food. I will miss her furry cheeks and her fat belly. I will miss her "I didn't do it" attitude. I will miss her running into the upstairs bathroom to tell me her food dish was empty. I will miss the battle between her and Mocha for the spot on the bed right next to me when I went to sleep.

Coco (one of the other cats) will miss her too. They did everything together. If one was close the other was right behind. Peas and carrots come to mind. When I was home last night she was crying out for Lynx. Coco is very quiet and rarely talks. She also slept on the bed last night which is very unusual for her. No batteling for space though. There seemed to be plenty of room for them.

So at this point what are the choices?
How do you forget about how Lynx died?
Can you forgive the dogs?
How do you maintain a safe environment for everyone in the future?

I know time will help us heal, but at the moment I can't see it.