Prayers for a Deceased Pet Cat

There are few things in the world as devastating as losing someone you love. When that someone happens to be of the four-legged variety, there tends to be an empty void in your life and in your heart afterwards. For many of us, a short ritual to say goodbye can offer a sense of closure. It gives us a chance to say farewell one last time, as our pet crosses over. This can be especially traumatizing if you've had to make the decision to have your cat euthanized.

Cats in particular are popular in the magical and metaphysical communities. There's something inherently special about a creature who feels just as at home in a magical space as they do in a mundane one, and many people identify with the different traits of their pet cats. Ask any Pagan pet owner - and with cats, the term "owner" is a very loose one indeed - what their feline friend gets up to, and chances are good you'll hear about how their pet likes to wander in during ritual or spellwork and see what's going on. Plenty of us who have had the privilege of living with a cat have experienced that moment when we turn away from our work space for just a moment, and when we look back to it, there's a whole lot of cat laying contentedly right in the middle of it.

ShahBoom has several cats, and says, "I don't so much own cats as I just sort of exist to serve them. I do cat rescue, and a lot of times when they come to me it's because they're older and harder to place with adoptive families, so I know going into it that I might only have them in my life for two or three years, or maybe a few more. But I'm grateful for every one of them, and every day that I got to love them, and I make sure that I honor each and every one of them when they finally do cross over."

Use one or all of these short prayers as part of a ritual saying goodbye to your cat, to let him or her know how much they are loved and missed.

Short Prayer to Say Goodbye

You have crossed over now,
into the spirit realm.
May you walk with Bast,
and I will see you again some day.

A Prayer to Return to the Earth

Mother Earth, we return to you
the body of one of your children.
Her spirit will return to her ancestors,
and she will continue to live in our memories.
We are thankful that we were able
to share our lives with her,
and give her to your loving arms.

Prayer to Bast and Sekhmet

Bast, Sekhmet, we give you back your child.
Noble, regal, honorable cat.
Watch over her, and guide her on her way
to the spirit world.
May she be blessed in your names,
and hunt ever after beside you.

The Rainbow Bridge

One of the most popular pieces of work out there today, when it comes to saying goodbye to a pet, is the poem The Rainbow Bridge. Although no one seems to be sure where the poem originated, it's a lovely tribute to the animals we have loved and lost over the years, and many people find it comforting when their pet passes away. Our Cats Expert, Franny Syufy, says, "The story describes a bucolic place "just this side of heaven," where dogs and cats, bunnies and birds, all live peacefully among the gentle meadows and hills, running and cavorting together in the lush green grass. They are all young again, in perfect health, and want for nothing - except the humans they loved. One by one, they wait for us at the Bridge, and when our time comes their eyes light up in indescribable joy as we join them, to cross the Rainbow Bridge together. Who among us would not find peace and solace from the belief that such a place exists?"