Benito the Cat's Lesson about Death

A Cat's Lesson about Death

One of the hardest lessons for us humans is to accept death as a part of life. Whereas birth is the entrance into our current form, death is the exit of our journey in our body. It is not an end as such, because our spirit is not confined to our body, which has a shelf life and will naturally expire at some point.

Animals don’t seem to have such a problem with death. For them, it is a natural part of the process, and when their bodies are spent, they are happy to leave this earthly plane.

One of my greatest teachers in this respect was Benito. This black cat's lesson about death was harsh, but very effective.

I shared my life with him for sixteen years. His giant spirit came in the body of a tiny, yet fierce kitten. His mother was feral and had taught him not to trust in humans.

After some initial growling and hissing, he soon figured out that I was just a harmless food dispenser with good intentions. So within a day or two, he took a liking to me that grew into incredible loyalty, love and protection. Much more than I had ever known from a human being.

One day, bold Benito went out hunting and came back with a badly injured Praying Mantis. He knew all too well that I love those magical insects, which is probably why he chose it over a mouse or some other critter that I am not too bothered about.

He put the writhing mantis down at my feet, looked at me sternly and said: „Kill it.“ I asked him why he hadn’t finished it off and let it suffer instead, to which he answered that I had to learn how to kill. I didn’t want to; I like life, peace, love, happiness and all the fluffy stuff you can imagine.

Benito explained that there was no more cure for the mantis, and that I had to understand that sometimes, death is the only cure and a benevolent event. It doesn’t need to be tragic. He said that it was very important that I learned how to actively let go.

While I was still hesitating, the mantis looked at me, and pleaded: „Please, get it over with. There is no other way, and every second you wait, you prolong the agony my body goes through. I’m ready to leave my body. There is only suffering left for me in my current form.“

I did the deed and released the poor soul from its useless and tortured body.

Learning to accept Death and releasing loved ones is something that every human can benefit from. Why do we hold on to people who want to leave? Is it for their benefit or for our own? When there is no more quality of life left, and all that remains is suffering, what is the point in prolonging life? Are we just afraid of saying our final goodbyes?

When it was Benito’s time to go, he hung on to his failing body until the very end. I didn’t want to call a vet, I believe in natural processes and wanted him to leave when he was ready to go. I was too emotional and attached to him to listen. Finally, I couldn’t bear to witness his suffering anymore and consulted with the village vet.

Thankfully, she was a very empathetic young lady, and realized that I was quite upset to have to say goodbye to my feline companion and teacher. She looked at me and said: „He wants you to be there when he leaves. He wants you to witness it and hold him in your arms. He didn’t want to sneak out and leave while you were sleeping.“ Of course. That really sounded like Benito.

Nothing had ever made more sense to me and frail Beni was able to leave in peace, his mission on earth complete. Everytime I think about him, I can feel his presence like that of a giant black panther still looking after me from other realms.

Benito in his favorite spot.