'We both lost someone we loved very much': As his final wish, grandpa asks his granddaughter to take his 2 beloved cats, and one heartbroken feline slowly opens up, and the two of them find comfort in each other's love

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jul 17, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

Cats can feel grief just as strongly as humans.

We always talk about how losing our cats is our worst nightmare. We look at them every day, napping peacefully, dreaming, their paws twitching, and seeing it brings us so much joy that even the thought of that being gone one day breaks our hearts. But there is a worse thing than losing your cat, and that is your cat losing you. Cats can feel grief just like humans can. It's strong, it's painful, and unlike us, they don't understand what it means when, one day, we just disappear. For a cat to lose its owner, its bonded human who they rely on for love and peace, is one of the worst things that can happen to it.

On r/cats, a person kindly shared the story of their cats' loss. Her 92-year-old grandfather had passed, leaving behind two cats who he absolutely adored. And his final wish, as would be ours as well, was that his granddaughter take his cats and love them like he did. Thankfully, she was more than happy to adopt these cats and give them a warm home. But after a loss like this, adoption doesn't always go smoothly.

One of the cats had an easier time adjusting, but Gary… she wasn't ready for any of it. It took weeks and weeks of hiding and coaxing for this cat to open up to its new human. The grief was so strong, and her new human couldn't blame her, because she was grieving as well. But then, a beautiful thing happened. One day, Gary came out of her shell and gave this new situation a chance. And just like that, a switch was flipped, and both the granddaughter and the heartbroken cat started the healing process together.

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"I think my grandpa sent me my best friend. This is Gray’s story…"

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It's your patience that ended up winning her over. If you had pressured her, it wouldn't have happened this fast, and it may not have happened at all. You giving her time and understanding her is why she gave you this chance.
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We wonder if she really feels it, if she's able to take comfort in staying close to him through you. We hope she does.
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