How to Tell 3 Year Old Her New Kitty Died....

This is tough - I think it is important to say that the kitty got very sick, very fast. And that sickness caused kitty to die :-(

Look online (you tube) for Mr. Rogers - Death of a Goldfish episode. It is phenomenal! You can watch it yourself for tips on how to talk to her about death, or you can have her watch it with you.

She will have questions. I would explain to her that sometimes she gets sick and mommy (other family members) get sick or don't feel good. But that this is different. Kitty was VERY sick and even though she was going to go to the dr, it wasn't fast enough and the sickness made Kitty's body stop working. Reassure her that it is VERY sad when something like that happens. Tell her simply what you told us - that you were taking care of her, trying to help Kitty get better, but "it wasn't enough". Sometimes these things happen :-(

Good luck - I am so sorry for your loss and having to have this tough conversation again, so soon :-(

Just be honest! And don't use the phrase "went to sleep"!!! That just makes kids scared of going to sleep!! I've always been honest with my kids from day one and they've never had a problem with understanding. You simply explain that sometimes animals and humans get VERY VERY sick and even doctors can't do anything about it so they get to go be with God (and other family members that have already died). And why is their body still here? Because it's their spirit that goes to heaven and then we get to have a funeral. Pick a spot in your yard and bury the kitty; wrap her in an old towel or something. Then have her plant a flower or bush or something on top.

Good luck!!

Tell her that sometimes animals get sick suddenly, and even though you try to make them well, they are too sick to get well and they die.
As for how come they get sick - it could be that she caught a disease, or it could be that there was just some part of her body inside that didn't work right and just stopped working.
If your vet has time and is willing to talk to her, that might help.

We had to put our dog to sleep last Saturday. So we are dealing with some of the How Comes ourselves. Like why did Daddy take Akira to the vet to die? Gah.

I would be as truthful as you can. Sometimes animals get very sick, very fast. Unfortunately new kitty was one that got very sick very fast and she passed away.

If she asks how come, it's ok to be perfectly honest. You're not sure what happened, but your sorry that it did. If she asks why you didn't save her (talk about heart breaking for you mama) just tell her that sometimes there isn't anything anyone can do.

Honestly if she died that suddenly, it was probably too late for her to be saved, even if you took her to the emergency vet. Pets are programmed to hide their pain, (if you think about it sick and weak animals are the first picked off by predators, so instinct tells them not to look weak or sick) so sometimes it's hard to tell how sick they are.

WIth our husky she was acting pretty much normal until we had to put her down. I found a cancerous mass by happen chance. Then she started dropping weight drastically. She only had a couple days she really acted like she hurt, but really the cancer was eating her alive. So sorry this happened.

Google may get you some answers. Also, check your local library. They have many resources on this, and may have a picture book that works for you.

Does she know that the kitty died last night?
I would take the kitten to the vet today. They will want to determine why the cat died. Tell your daughter that the vet said she was too sick to come home.

honestly my answer depends on the kind of kid you have

if you have an overly serious kid who takes things to heart way too much (like mine) I'd say she;s barely three come up with a lie and avoid telling her it died.

If she is able to move on quickly simply it was little and sick and went to heaven to be with our other cat who can take care of it

Was the kitten still very small and weak? Your daughter might understand that it was just too frail to keep living.

My son liked the book "Lifetimes" which talks about things growing up or growing old. It mentions how not every living thing gets old, and sometimes animals or people can get hurt very badly so they can't keep living.

As long as you present it in a gentle, factual way, she will be fine. Put the emphasis on the fact that the kitten was loved and safe and happy because you took care of it. This is a good life lesson for taking care of those who are weaker!