The food bowl has been washed, and tucked away safe in a high cabinet.

No one asks you to roll a ball down the hallway anymore. The squeak of soft toys no longer interrupt your TV shows these days; in fact, its too quiet now and you hate it. Even worse, theres a reason why these things are so, and in Lost Companions by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, youll read thoughts on the loss of your pet.

What a miracle it is that we have pets: here we are, different species that feel a deep and ancient longing to be with one another. Such a thing delights Masson, perhaps because hes had animal companions his entire life.

The problem, as all animal lovers know, is that pets dont live as long as people do.

We know, the moment we get a new fluff, that were going to grieve that pet someday; just thinking about it is a grief all on its own. Masson believes that animals are also aware of their mortality, but we cant get inside their minds to know what they think about it and perhaps euthanasia is utilized too hastily.

When a pet dies, we are simply not prepared for this ... we want our beloved companions to live longer. We may be surprised at the depth of the raw emotion we feel; Masson quotes (and marvels at) several people who say they grieved harder at the loss of a pet than they did for a human. We should, therefore, never belittle the grief of others when it comes to pets, which includes when our pets exhibit grief and they do.

Says Masson, You could say grieving makes us human, or you could also say, grieving makes us just another animal.

Its awfully hard to determine the exact point of Lost Companions.

Yes, its about losing a pet, and the emotions you inevitably feel about it. But Masson also delves deeply into the deaths of wildlife, livestock, and humans, which are not at all the only off-topic topics. He also writes particularly gruesomely about dog-meat markets, and he touches upon veganism, and companion versus owner. To continue, the tedious, already-hashed-over subject of whether or not pets love us is brought forth again, and Masson argues strongly against The Final Kindness, saying he cant imagine it, but admitting that hes never witnessed it.

And yet ... (heavy sigh).

If youve ever lost a pet, you know you need to read this book, the on-point of which arrives with fewer than 100 pages to go. You know youve been there, and you might be there again, and that maybe, possibly, theres another way to ease your grief, some way you havent yet encountered. It might be here. It might.

Indeed.

This is a three-tissue book but Masson gives you room: its not a cry-fest until quite a ways in. Keep that in mind, and have your tear-wipes nearby: if youve recently lost a furry loved one, Lost Companions may bowl you over.

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TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER: Grief, the loss of pets discussed in 'Lost Companions' - Goshen News