• cherub statue
    Grief,  Pets

    4 Reasons Why I Believe Pets have An Afterlife

    We know that from the minute we are born, we start the journey toward our last days. When it comes to our furry friends, we know deep down in our souls that their time is limited, and we will outlive them. It’s something you don’t even think about the minute you sign that adoption paperwork or take that stray dog or cat off the street and welcome them into your home. Then after (hopefully) many years of love and memories, the day comes when your furry family member dies and leaves that hole in your heart.

    After all the tears, and mixed emotions of sorrow, anger, and denial, you wonder, “Do pets have an afterlife?” “Do pets go to heaven?”

    I know I asked myself these questions, and I have my own opinion and answer. Based on my own experiences with pet loss, here are four reasons why I believe pets do have an afterlife.

    1) My Faith

    I don’t know about you, but I’m a person of faith. I am a Christian, and although I don’t go to church every Sabbath day, I hold some central principle truths to be valid regardless of the religious sector. In I Corinthians:13, the Bible says, “Love never dies.” To paraphrase from a biblical perspective, “Love knows all things, endures all things, and never dies.” Thinking of this scripture and knowing my experience with true love, I believe this applies to people and pets.

    No one who is an animal lover or pet parent will refute that the best example of unconditional love is the one a pet has for their pet parent.

    Remembering that point, let’s also think about a person you loved dearly and who passed away in your life. For example, take a grandmother, for instance. I cannot tell you how many times I know of friends raised by a grandparent in their childhood years, and long after the granny has passed away, the grandchild reflects and always says, “I feel she still watches over me.”

    See that love shared and experienced never dies; it just changes form in the afterlife – spirit form. That leads me to my next point.

    2) My Experience with strange encounters

    If you’ve been following my blog, I’ve shared my experience after my cat Dusty passed away when she had to be euthanized. That same night after Dusty passed away, I felt like her energy was alive and well after my husband and I returned from urgent care that fateful evening. I felt that energy in the house hours (and even days) later was overwhelming and had me bawling.

    Days after she passed away, I’d experience odd things like cool breezes on my neck, or my husband and I would think that we heard Dusty meow in the house. I would ask myself, “Did I just hear her meow, or was my grief making me crazy?” 

    Another time I had a strange encounter occurred when my first cat Precious passed away ten years ago in 2006. She passed away suddenly at eight years old. Within days after her passing, I remember falling asleep on my bed and hearing the bedroom door creak open (as Precious always used to do) and feeling the weight of her paw prints climb up onto the bed. I could feel the weight of her climb up on my chest, just as she used to do before she passed. It was like going through the same motions without the physical form.

    I say all this to say that people live and then die, but their spirit lives on. Based on my strange paranormal-like experiences, I think it’s true for our pets. I think our pets do have an afterlife.

    3) Pet Mediums

    I’m a Christian, but I also realize not everyone may share the same views. So, when my pets passed away, I was looking for answers and validation for my strange experiences.

    After checking out a search on YouTube and looking at videos searching for answers, I stumbled across pet medium, Ms. Brent Atwater. If you are curious, you can check out her website and bio here, or she has a YouTube Channel here. Checking out just a few of her videos brought me great comfort and validation for my experiences.

    As I mentioned, it’s not my wish to disturb or voluntarily chase “spirits” like an episode of Ghost Adventures, but rather, I just wanted validation for my strange experiences. I wanted some confirmation that I was not going crazy hearing meows in the house.

    Because of my faith, I rather just let the dead rest in peace and not partake in connecting with any spirits or anything not of this world. That’s just my preference.

    Even though I choose to believe in God, I am open-minded enough to realize; that some people have particular sensitive abilities to connect with spirits not of this world in the physical. Anything is possible, essentially. I found answers, clarity, and comfort through Brent Atwater’s group and videos, so, for that, I’m grateful. I really think that helped in my healing process.

    blue sky sunny day at beach

    4) One word to remember – “Transition.”

    Whether you believe in a religion or not, one word does translate to both ends of the spectrum “Transition.”

    If you have a particular faith and believe our physical life ends and your spirit lives on OR you think it’s “lights out” after death, one word applies to both scenarios-Transition.

    Essentially our fur babies transition out of their furry bodies and into the spiritual realm or part of a world we cannot see with our eyes or touch with our hands, but regardless we can always still feel the love with all our hearts.

    Conclusion

    So those are my four reasons why I think pets have an afterlife. I believe only God (and our deceased pets) know for sure, but I sincerely believe that love never dies in my heart of hearts. Our family members that pass on live forever in our hearts and memories, and that love never fades away. It is a permanent fixture in our lives and applies to our furry family members.

    We as human beings may not understand everything or have all the answers; however, one thing is constant: change.

    And just like we have all learned in science class – energy is neither created nor destroyed. Our souls are like living energy. I think the same of the unconditional love we’ve received from our pets their entire lives. Their love is unconditional, never-ending, and never dies but lives on forever.

    Share your thoughts.

    What do you think about pets and the afterlife? Have you had any personal experiences? Be sure to comment and share!

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    4 Reasons Why I Believe Pets have An Afterlife

    Originally published October 16, 2016. Updated May 2021.