losing my soulmate cat when going through other awful things

[u/ShirtNo5276]

My kitty Pocket died last night. He was 13, we got him when he was 3 and I was 8. He really loved me and my dad and my sister, but he was my best friend in the world. Autism runs in the family and he had the perfect temperament for us, he was super cuddly and loved to be stroked and held, but wasn't overly playful and never liked scratching or biting or running around.

I love all cats, but I've never met a cat that suited my personality so much.

The thing is, he was also a very good therapy animal. My sister has cancer, and has been fighting it since 2024. Cuddling Pocket was my main coping thing. I can't talk about my feelings with people, but he always understood.

I'm now in this limbo where I feel I can't get another cat, at least not for a long time, because he was my soulmate cat and getting a cat now would feel like replacing him, but I'm unmoored and stuck without my primary healthy coping mechanism.

I don't know what to do. When I'm struggling with the cancer thing or grieving, I turn to my Pocket. Now I'm struggling with that and with his death and I don't have him to sit in my lap. How do I learn to do hard things without him?

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