Barbara Watson loved her cat, Penny, very much. She got Penny at the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society. We had her for two years, the Alvaton woman said of her 5 1/2-year-old gold, short-haired pet. She was very sweet, very well behaved. She could be playful at times, and she let you know when she wanted to be petted. Three weeks ago, when Watson discovered her pet had been killed, she was devastated. Because she wasnt at home when it happened, she doesnt know who or what was responsible for the attack. The vet said a dog possibly got her from the back, she said quietly. The family decided to keep Pennys body close. We buried her out back, Watson said. Im mourning her quietly in my own way. I got one of my king-sized pillow cases and buried her in it. Such devotion isnt unusual. Dealing with the deaths of pets can be just as hard as dealing with that of a human loved one, according to some Bowling Green veterinarians. For so many people, pets have become more like a family member, said Dr. Pat McGrath of All Creatures Animal Hospital. I think theres more emotion nowadays because the human-animal bond is becoming more strong. Dr. Doug Peterson of Animal Hospital agreed. Ive been doing this for 15 years and I havent found the magic words to make it better, he said. People go through the same stages of grief as when they lose a human. Its a one-day-at-a-time thing. How someone takes a pets death sometimes depends on the circumstances of the death. It can be harder for someone who loses a pet through a traumatic experience, such as being hit by a car, than for someone who loses a pet through a long illness because the family has had time to come to terms with it, Peterson said. We try to work with them and answer questions, whether its a day, a week, a month after the death whenever, just call me, he said. They seem to process it and have an easier time with it if they have their questions answered. The death of a pet isnt an issue that vets take lightly, McGrath said. A lot of people have to put their animals to sleep because of age or illness, he said. We try to make them as comfortable as possible. That goes for the owner as well as the animal, McGrath said. The hospital has a lending library that has materials to help owners cope with a pets death. We send a card when someone loses a pet, he said. For some people, we send flowers. It depends on how close the person was to the pet. In the past, some Warren County vets have collectively offered counseling after pet loss., where the bereaved would meet periodically. The idea never took hold though. Now, vets may recommend a counselor, McGrath said. Not a lot of people showed up for the meetings, he said. The length of time an owner grieves varies, Peterson said. Some are sad for a day, he said. For others, it takes longer. Will and Pat Hurt know about long-term grieving. The Alvaton couple lost their cat, 19-year-old Cleopatra, this summer. She was a barn cat. My husband had her longer than he had me, Pat Hurt said. Pat Hurt remembers Cleo as a hunter and survivor. She was a very wise woman, she said. Coyotes, dogs she survived it all. She was wise and loving never a problem. Will Hurt agreed. She was a very unique cat real street smart, he said. I gave her fresh water, food and shelter, but she was still living it out in the country. You have to be able to fend for yourself a lot. But Cleo couldnt fend off old age. She began suffering kidney failure and a low appetite. She weighed less and less each time I took her to the vet, Will Hurt said. You try to prepare yourself for (death), but you cant. The couple moved her from the barn to the house, hoping she would be more comfortable, Pat Hurt said. She wouldnt eat well, she said. She would eat to appease us. Because they could see that Cleo was suffering, the Hurts decided to have her euthanized. The vet went to their home. Will Hurt held his longtime companion in his arms until she took her last breath. He was the last person she saw, Pat Hurt said. She went easy. We were there with her. Thats part of being an owner being there for the good and the bad. She had a good life. But the Hurts still miss her. Neither of us can go to the barn without half-way looking for her, Pat Hurt said. We say, Wed better close the door because Cleos in here, then we realize shes not here. Its important to grieve, Pat Hurt said. Youve lost a member of the family, she said. People understand that. Do what you heart tells you. For the Hurts, that may mean getting a new cat some day. There will be another cat, Pat Hurt said. But there will never be another Cleo.