Our beautiful little rabbit Sweep passed away on Tuesday of this week. Since then, I have just been unable to do anything, and am constantly sobbing. I feel such intense pain and grief, and feel in such a depression with this loss. Any advice on how to help this would be so much appreciated. I can’t seem to pick myself up right now. I know I’m talking amongst people who have been there and will understand.
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Dealing with loss of our rabbit
- Thread starter Helen1981
- Start date
SarahP
Wise Old Thumper
I'm so sorry. 
We definitely understand here. I really think all you can do is take one day at a time and don't judge your feelings over it - it takes as long as it takes to feel less raw. And if others don't understand, don't talk to people about it who will possibly make you feel even worse.
We definitely understand here. I really think all you can do is take one day at a time and don't judge your feelings over it - it takes as long as it takes to feel less raw. And if others don't understand, don't talk to people about it who will possibly make you feel even worse.I feel like I’m in this dark place that I can’t get out of, and yet I know I must. All I keep thinking is, that I will never see him again. And that thought is just too much to bareI'm so sorry.
InspectorMorse
Wise Old Thumper
I agree with Sarah. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. We all have to travel that path in our own, individual way. But most people on here will completely understand the intensity of pain you are feeling. Sadly we also know that there are no words that can take your pain away. The grief we feel after the loss of a much loved Rabbit friend reflects the amount of love we have for them. I use the word ’have’ and not ‘had’ because our love for the Rabbit never dies.
For me I find it comforting to have a memorial/keepsake of some kind. A tangible item that I can focus on as well as the memories I hold.
When my Soul Mate Inspector Morse died in 2014 I bought a memorial charm neckless. It contains some of his fur. I also created a memorial using the chair he always slept on. His casket of ashes are on the chair, surrounded by gifts some lovely friends sent me when I lost him. Also lots of photos, a commissioned oil painting and candles.A couple of years ago I was finally able to afford to buy a custom made replica soft toy from a company in the USA called ‘Cuddle Clones’. Some people might think what I have done is OTT and that by now, 9 years on, I ‘should have’ come to terms with losing him. But that’s because those people have never experienced an extra special bond with an extra special Rabbit.
I have only shared all of the above to try to say that however you grieve it is right, because it’s what you need to do. It might be very different from the path I have taken, but don’t try to tell yourself that you should feel or do things differently. And certainly don’t take the slightest bit of notice of anyone who comes out with crass words like ’he was just a Rabbit’. Sweep was a member of your family. He will always remain so. He can’t be replaced and he will never be forgotten. But I promise that over the coming years you will find ways of living with your grief. You won’t be the same again, but you will be able to think of him a smile, not just cry. The crying will still occur. But not to the exclusion of all the happy memories.
If you ever feel able to share a photo of Sweep we’d love to see him. Some people post a special tribute to their Rabbit in the Rainbow Bridge section of this Forum
forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk
I still post on Inspector Morse’s Rainbow Bridge thread. I find it comforting to do so.
For me I find it comforting to have a memorial/keepsake of some kind. A tangible item that I can focus on as well as the memories I hold.
When my Soul Mate Inspector Morse died in 2014 I bought a memorial charm neckless. It contains some of his fur. I also created a memorial using the chair he always slept on. His casket of ashes are on the chair, surrounded by gifts some lovely friends sent me when I lost him. Also lots of photos, a commissioned oil painting and candles.A couple of years ago I was finally able to afford to buy a custom made replica soft toy from a company in the USA called ‘Cuddle Clones’. Some people might think what I have done is OTT and that by now, 9 years on, I ‘should have’ come to terms with losing him. But that’s because those people have never experienced an extra special bond with an extra special Rabbit.
I have only shared all of the above to try to say that however you grieve it is right, because it’s what you need to do. It might be very different from the path I have taken, but don’t try to tell yourself that you should feel or do things differently. And certainly don’t take the slightest bit of notice of anyone who comes out with crass words like ’he was just a Rabbit’. Sweep was a member of your family. He will always remain so. He can’t be replaced and he will never be forgotten. But I promise that over the coming years you will find ways of living with your grief. You won’t be the same again, but you will be able to think of him a smile, not just cry. The crying will still occur. But not to the exclusion of all the happy memories.
If you ever feel able to share a photo of Sweep we’d love to see him. Some people post a special tribute to their Rabbit in the Rainbow Bridge section of this Forum
Rainbow Bridge
forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk
I still post on Inspector Morse’s Rainbow Bridge thread. I find it comforting to do so.
Thank you so much for your response, and for sharing your experience. I am sorry for the loss of your little one too. I think I will probably go down the same route as you, in terms of the memorial items, as I know this will help in time. Because of how depressed I am feeling, it’s hard to think about my job or anything else at the moment, and yet I know I have to. It’s all such a struggle, and the loss of Sweep was very sudden. I will post a picture of our beautiful boy xI agree with Sarah. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. We all have to travel that path in our own, individual way. But most people on here will completely understand the intensity of pain you are feeling. Sadly we also know that there are no words that can take your pain away. The grief we feel after the loss of a much loved Rabbit friend reflects the amount of love we have for them. I use the word ’have’ and not ‘had’ because our love for the Rabbit never dies.
For me I find it comforting to have a memorial/keepsake of some kind. A tangible item that I can focus on as well as the memories I hold.
When my Soul Mate Inspector Morse died in 2014 I bought a memorial charm neckless. It contains some of his fur. I also created a memorial using the chair he always slept on. His casket of ashes are on the chair, surrounded by gifts some lovely friends sent me when I lost him. Also lots of photos, a commissioned oil painting and candles.A couple of years ago I was finally able to afford to buy a custom made replica soft toy from a company in the USA called ‘Cuddle Clones’. Some people might think what I have done is OTT and that by now, 9 years on, I ‘should have’ come to terms with losing him. But that’s because those people have never experienced an extra special bond with an extra special Rabbit.
I have only shared all of the above to try to say that however you grieve it is right, because it’s what you need to do. It might be very different from the path I have taken, but don’t try to tell yourself that you should feel or do things differently. And certainly don’t take the slightest bit of notice of anyone who comes out with crass words like ’he was just a Rabbit’. Sweep was a member of your family. He will always remain so. He can’t be replaced and he will never be forgotten. But I promise that over the coming years you will find ways of living with your grief. You won’t be the same again, but you will be able to think of him a smile, not just cry. The crying will still occur. But not to the exclusion of all the happy memories.
If you ever feel able to share a photo of Sweep we’d love to see him. Some people post a special tribute to their Rabbit in the Rainbow Bridge section of this Forum
Rainbow Bridge
I still post on Inspector Morse’s Rainbow Bridge thread. I find it comforting to do so.
Attachments
InspectorMorse
Wise Old Thumper
What a beautiful boy
Just continue to take each day one bit at a time. I don’t know how, but it seems we can do things on autopilot, even if we feel paralysed by the grief. I hope that you have at least one person irl who can truly empathise with you. If not, then we can sit with you in cyberspace. Not the same as being able to sit with someone irl, but in my experience the support most people on here give is of great benefit.
Thank you, he was a very special little boy, and there will never be another like him. The happy times we shared together, and all of the fun, are currently making me feel so sad.What a beautiful boy
Just continue to take each day one bit at a time. I don’t know how, but it seems we can do things on autopilot, even if we feel paralysed by the grief. I hope that you have at least one person irl who can truly empathise with you. If not, then we can sit with you in cyberspace. Not the same as being able to sit with someone irl, but in my experience the support most people on here give is of great benefit.
I am lucky that I have incredible support from my wife and my family.
But we deal with our grief differently. She has to keep busy and focussed, and I am just totally consumed by it all.
Thank you. It’s such a massive loss to me. My best friend, who was with me all of the time.
I'm so sorry for your loss. 
Grief hits us all very differently and we all have different coping mechanisms (and sometimes we feel like we're struggling to cope at all). There's no right or wrong way to feel and, especially in the early days, it feels like just getting through the day is as much as you can manage.
There are a few links in the Rainbow Bridge sticky that might help you through these difficult times.
forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk
Grief hits us all very differently and we all have different coping mechanisms (and sometimes we feel like we're struggling to cope at all). There's no right or wrong way to feel and, especially in the early days, it feels like just getting through the day is as much as you can manage.
There are a few links in the Rainbow Bridge sticky that might help you through these difficult times.
Welcome to Rainbow Bridge
It is the feeling of forum members that they would like a special section where the sad loss of our much loved babies can be posted. This is to be called "Rainbow Bridge" and is dedicated to Adele's Angel Bunny and Gina's CheekyBun and all the others who are flying with the Angels. Much as we...
forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk
I’m so sorry you lost Sweep. He was a lovely rabbit. When you feel ready, doing a tribute thread for him in the rainbow bridge section might help. Everyone processes grief differently, for me after the loss of any pet keeping busy helped at times whilst not forgetting not to expect to much from myself, and being kind to myself was also helpful. I find time is a great healer too.
All of the feelings you are having are understandable especially given how much he meant to you.
All of the feelings you are having are understandable especially given how much he meant to you.
Pets mum
Wise Old Thumper
I'm so very sorry that you have lost your beloved Sweep. I'm glad that you feel able to post your feelings on here, many of us will have been through similar losses, so will understand the pain of your loss. Be kind to yourself, remember tears are healing, and keep posting if you feel the need x
Thank you so much x
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, right now I don’t know how to carry on without him. It’s such a struggle x
Thank you so much, I will have a look. That is very kind and helpful, thank you xI'm so sorry for your loss.
Grief hits us all very differently and we all have different coping mechanisms (and sometimes we feel like we're struggling to cope at all). There's no right or wrong way to feel and, especially in the early days, it feels like just getting through the day is as much as you can manage.
There are a few links in the Rainbow Bridge sticky that might help you through these difficult times.
Welcome to Rainbow Bridge
It is the feeling of forum members that they would like a special section where the sad loss of our much loved babies can be posted. This is to be called "Rainbow Bridge" and is dedicated to Adele's Angel Bunny and Gina's CheekyBun and all the others who are flying with the Angels. Much as we...
Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
I'm very sorry for your loss. The one thing I would add is that you're in the very early, raw days of grief and from my own experience, this is the hardest part emotionally. You're buffeted by the full range of emotions: shock, sadness, anger and confusion. I also spent too much time questioning and doubting myself. Did I cause this in some way? Would they still be here if I'd done things differently? Made different decisions? These thoughts and emotions are a very common part of the grieving process but, and I know it doesn't feel like it now, you'll weather the storm and the loss does eventually become easier to bear.
Please take care of yourself, cry as much as you need to, shout as much as you need to, and learn into the support from your wife and family. You will get through this xx
Please take care of yourself, cry as much as you need to, shout as much as you need to, and learn into the support from your wife and family. You will get through this xx
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am sure you are right in what you are saying. I just can’t stop thinking about how I’ll never see him again, and have all of those special times with him
