Is there a patron saint of animals and pets, or is there a special prayer for pets?

I believe it’s St. Francis of Assisi. There’s a prayer but I can’t remember what it is.

^^ Yup.

Shouldn’t Noah of gotten that gig, or St Bernard perhaps?

Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint. There are many prayers and blessings written by Saint Francis. I found this prayer that may be appropriate. I hope it helps.

Prayer in Memory of a Pet
Almighty God,
I was fortunate to receive the gift of (pet name) from You
Now that he (she) has left this life,
please help me cope with my loss with strength and courage.
I know that my beloved companion no longer suffers,
and will live on in many fond memories.
May they be treated with the care and respect
As he (she) has enriched my life,
I pray that I may enrich the lives of others. Amen.
Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation.

@bkcunningham Thank you, that was a lovely prayer.

St. Francis

Yep, as others have already said, St. Francis.

There was a group of monks here in Austin that used to do an annual blessing of pets.

Do you want some of us to pray for your pet?

@Hibernate It’s not my pet. Another jelly had to put their pet to sleep today.

I’m sorry to hear that. I know it’s hard to say “bye” to a beloved animal. I hope he/she will be relieved soon because I’m sure they didn’t like it a bit.

www.newrainbowbridge.com

In the first paragraph of text on this site, the second link is to THE RAINBOW BRIDGE POEM.

This was not written by St. Francis, but is a very beautiful expression from which many pet lovers have found solace. I think you’ll find it helpful to share with your friend. There are several sites also whose domain names contain the phrase “Rainbow Bridge” which have helpful articles and pet memorials.

As was mentioned previously, there are poems attributed to St. Francis and the most famous one (which has also been set to music) is “Lord, Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace.”

Altho not specifically written for pets, it is a very beautiful and well beloved poem. Perhaps that was what you were thinking of.

Thanks, @Buttonstc, for posting that. I was planning to myself. Like others have said, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals in general. According to Prayers for Our Pets, St. Roch is the patron saint of dogs and St. Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats. I’m not sure whether there are specific patrons of other types of pets.

I found this Franciscan blessing for animals on the americancatholic.org site:
Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation,
you called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals
his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal.
By the power of your love,
enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you
for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.
This blessing was obviously influenced by Francis’ Canticle of the Sun.

The site also gives this Franciscan blessing for a sick animal:
Heavenly Father,
you created all things for your glory
and made us stewards of this creature.
If it is your will, restore it to health and strength.
Blessed are you, Lord God,
and holy is your name for ever and ever. Amen.

I’m sorry to hear that someone has lost a pet.

Everyone, thank you for those prayers! My husband and I are going to have to put our cat down this week. He’s had a full life and brought joy to many people but he’s sick and has to hurt. It doesn’t make it any easier to “play God” and end his life, though! It’s not something we want to do, but we’ve had 17 years with him and it is time to let him go.

@GracieT I am really sorry. We had to put out of misery a dog we had for 15 years too [he got old .. he couldn’t see/hear/smell anymore .. it was awful].

I hope you both will feel better after this “Deed”. It’s heartbreaking but it’s much more human not to let him suffer. I know he’s a part of the family.