Hello. One of mom's cats has passed. What is the best way to tell her? She has dementia and memory loss. Should I not bring it up. Things are already rough with her desire to return home.
The neighbor put him in the freezer, I live long distance and have to figure out what to do with him. He was a sweet kitty.
You can have the cat cremated in a group cremation with other pets it’s cheaper in a group . Check with the vet .
Or if you want to be more eco friendly , aquamation is about $300 for a pet under 30 lbs , which is more expensive than cremation by fire .
Tell the neighbor to burry the cat. (or whatever is legal in your area)
gotta bring this up.
If mom is in a facility (Memory Care or Skilled Nursing) you might want to begin the process of removing any other animals she has and either contacting a shelter or ask the neighbor if they will take them.
Then you have to begin clearing out the house so it can be sold to pay for her care. (if no one else is living there)
She doesn't have the ability to process information logically, sensibly, realistically. Trying to explain anything to a person with dementia will only increase their anxiety and confusion and distress her.
The news about the cat will upset her for no reason, at this point.
Tell the neighbor to take care of the kitty and make arrangements to rehome the rest and start settling moms house.
Depending on how things go, you could always have sweet kitty cremated. There are memorials that can be made out of pets' ashes, even jewelry mom could wear. I don't think the jewelry is such a great idea in a dementia patient's case because it could get eaten or thrown out when she doesn't recall what it is, but I'm mentioning it anyway because it is available.
I wish you luck in dealing with this!
The best way to tell someone with dementia the truth is to tell them the truth.
A life long lived generally recognizes death.
There will, of course, be mourning, which is normal.
It is also, in many areas, not against the law to dig a hole in the backyard to bury the cat, should the elder wish to have this done.
I wouldn’t bring up the cats death at all.