Today my 17 year old cat died. I dont live at home anymore so my grandma had to take him and keep him in my home state across the country. I moved 3 years ago and have been back to visit twice since then so seeing my cat these past few years has been very rare.
My grandmother called me on one of my breaks today in tears to tell he he had passed quietly sometime in the early morning. Of course it hurts and its absolutely painful, but i went back in and went back to work to get my mind off it. Thats didnt work well and ive been miserable all day.
I asked my manager if our bereavement leave included pets to see if i could go home without losing hours. He said “no, it only includes parents and grandparents.” Then he turned and walked away. No sympathy for pets, siblings, children, aunts, uncles, etc.
This just made me furious. I dont understand how they could be so callous. This cat has been in my life for longer than most people i know and im not able to take a half day to mourn. What the fuck.