Jenna Bush Hager confessed on Today that she’s been secretly struggling with the loss of her family pet, prompting an emotional conversation with Hoda Kotb about how she and her family are faring.

The Today co-hosts had a lengthy conversation as Bush Hager reflected on the “guilt” she’s been dealing with since her cat, Hollywood Hager, went missing this summer. The news notably took up most of their morning chat, which Bush Hager later apologized for during the broadcast.

While sharing the “heartbreaking news,” Bush Hager confessed, “I just felt like it was kind of my fault.”

But she told Kotb that she feels like she’s grown closer with her daughter during the experience, saying, “I said to [my husband] Henry, ‘Do you think this is happening because right before Mila goes into middle school and that kind of funky pre-teen age, she and I have just bonded in a way? For the first three nights that the cat was gone she slept with me and we had these conversations around all of these really beautiful things about life, about love, about pain, about loss,” Bush Hager said. “I could be there for her and she could be there for me.”

She continued, “I know some of y’all are gonna be like, it’s just a cat, but what it is is watching a child’s heart hurt.” She mentioned that they’re currently in the process of adopting a new cat with the hopes that “Holly will come smell that little kitty… and come back.”

Kotb noted that her co-host has been dealing with this for months. “This has been over the course of many months and a lot of pain happened… Sometimes right before we went on, you were crying, not just about the loss of your cat but about Mila, your kids,” she said. She noted that Bush Hager mentioned it to “every single guest who came in” to Today With Hoda & Jenna.

The co-hosts later moved on to discuss dating in New York City, but it wasn’t long until they ran out of time for their morning chat, much to their surprise.

“That’s our whole [segment]? I’m sorry I took up so much time about the cats. It’s been on my mind, now it’s out,” Bush Hager said with a laugh.

“No we had to,” Kotb said. “Don’t you feel relieved? You’ve been carrying it around.”

Bush Hager responded, “I’ve been carrying it, but also, y’all, do I need some psychological help? Probably.”

During a later segment on the show, Bush Hager hypothetically asked if she and Kotb should attend therapy together to work through some of her “abandonment issues,” likely referring to the cat and Kotb’s impending retirement.

Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.