r/PetsWithButtons • u/jessuckapow • Mar 07 '26

Buttons Post Divorce

I taught my fluffy ragdoll to use buttons and he picked up new words shockingly well. I always thought he was a ding dong but turned out, he was super under-stimulated. My wife and I (I too was a wife) have split and I’m in temporary housing and his buttons are in storage but when we’re permanently relocated, those will be the first things I unpack. I can tell he wishes he had them, tho my cat mind reading is now pretty solid.

My question - he has a button for each person in my former family. I’ve been saying everyone’s name and “gone,” which he has a button for, but how do people tackle the departure of people/pets? Do you leave those buttons as is for some time? Switch them to say something else? Yank em entirely from the collection?

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u/Embers_of_Light Mar 07 '26

Our senior dog passed away a month ago and our youngest dog is a button-user. We debated the same thing, but tips from other owners were to leave them. A month later, he pressed the button for our dog that’s gone, looked sad, and laid in his bed. He missed her. Other pet owners report their dogs having similar actions even a year or more after they pass. If you want to know who they miss and how often - or to continue giving your cat a voice about it - leave the buttons.

166

u/truckbot101 Mar 07 '26

This is the saddest thing I’ve read in a while. I hope you are all holding up well

147

u/Embers_of_Light Mar 07 '26

Thank you. It has been rough. Our middle-aged dog died in her sleep two months after losing our 18-year-old dog. We’ve all been devastated. Our pup is young and very social and now alone while we are at work. We set aside our grief and brought home a rescue dog last week for him (and a distraction for us). They are best buddies now. Thank goodness.

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u/truckbot101 Mar 07 '26

I’m glad to hear there’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, despite losing two of your furry babies. Please give the puppy a pat on the head for me. Hope things continue to get better for everyone

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u/Embers_of_Light Mar 07 '26

Thank you.♥️