Wolfie’s Wish, created by Erica L. Messer, is the first product of its kind to help people cope with the loss of a pet.
When Messer lost her cat, she became so overwhelmed by grief, she couldn’t even read a book. She wanted to find inspirational cards geared towards pet loss. Of course, she couldn’t find any, so decided to create her own.
“I made my own plan of activities that felt good, healthy and true to me to help me grieve the loss of my cat, who fell in a tragic accident,” she says. “As I shared these practices with my Mom each day, she suggested I write them down and organize them and, voila! Wolfie’s Wish was born in November 2021.”
Her healing journey is recorded, and she aims to help others process their loss. She has created two decks as well as a book. The Pawprints Cards gift deck contains 30 cards that are all two sided, with a glossy finish, and printed on 350g cardstock. This deck is geared towards people who have “lost pets with “paws”: cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, etc.”
The second deck is an Illustrated Edition. The artwork for these cards was done by Kristina Brasseler. This is the only element of the project Messer did not handle on her own; she even packs her own orders.
This deck also consists of 30 cards that are all two sided, with a glossy finish, and printed on 350g cardstock. But they are also in full color with beautiful illustrations by Brasseler. It is also a “deck for all pets: horses, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, birds, rabbits” but they do specify “the text is the same as the original deck.” So the sayings and processes are the same no matter which deck you get. One just has paw prints and the other has illustrations with a wider array of animals.
Last but not least, Messer’s book “Tails Of Spirit Cats.” She explains: “After losing my cat to a tragic fall, I felt comfort by imagining him in fun places and situations. It always made me smile, so I expanded on those thoughts and began making daily sketches that turned into this book! I hope it inspires others to smile through pain and maybe imagine their own ‘spirit cat’ or ‘spirit dog’ having adventures.”
These decks and book look at subjects like unconditional love, forgiveness, acceptance, trust, and letting go. Seeking to help others process their grief over the loss of a pet.
As of the time of this writing, the Wolfie’s Wish Kickstarter campaign has 28 days to go and has $2,744 pledged of its $4,444 goal.
