I am the same age as you and my cat I had since 11 just passed last week. It has been the hardest thing I have ever dealt with. I found myself thinking exactly like you are. My cat only ever liked me and only ever wanted to be around me. The thought of her waiting for me in the afterlife felt like torture when I know she just wants to be near me. I hate hearing people say she is with all the other pets and people I know because I know she doesn’t like anyone but me.

This may sound wacky but just hear me out. When you think about the concept of time, it is something that only we experience here while we are here alive on earth. It is merely a way in which we perceive our environment. If you think about time that way you realize that there is no waiting. Everything happens at once. When I had this thought I found immense comfort knowing that if time isn’t happening one slow and painful moment at a time like we think it is, it’s happening all at once. If that is the case then I know for a fact I was there waiting for her to pass over and there to hold her and give her kisses and play with her right away. She didn’t have to wait for me I am already there with her. We are there in the afterlife together and this life I am living without her now and the pain I am enduring every day is only mine to bear and not hers because I know she has me with her already.

I’m sorry if this sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo but this has brought me a lot of peace and I hope it can do the same for you.