Can one cat sense another cat's illness?

Question

My 12 year old cat has feline kideny failure, but he is hopefully getting better. After 3 days in the hospital we brought him home, but my younger cat has been acting very strange around him. He's usually quiet and calm but now around the older cat he is growling, hissing, and making chuffing sounds. Can he sense there is something wrong?

Answer 1

I think animals can detect illness in other animals they live with and they also seem to pick up when the humans at home are ill too. I have seen this many times.

Answer 2

I am so sorry to hear about your cat. I have a couch-potato female and I love her. Cats are very spiritual and can sense even when their people are not doing that well. Your sick cat probably has an unusual smell as well. Especially after being in the hospital. Cats also have an extreme sense of smell. I use to work around folks that had cancer and there is a very different smell about them. If that is so for people, I'm sure it's not much different for highly sensitive animals. I wish all of you the very best.

Answer 3

Oh heck yes! They are hunters by nature and that instinct stay very much in place even though we call them "pets". When the occasional "dumb" mouse (I have 4 cats and his chances are? ) does get into my home, the feline members of the household go nuts! They know he's there. Now some are more interested than others but that's normal also! My fixed tom cat and the youngest cat are always the most interested. But then the male was a stray and hunted for his living for awhile and the youngest, well, she exhibits a lot of wild cat traits without being wild....

Answer 4

It could be that your cat has picked up another animals sent from being at the vets. I dont think a disease would make the cats not like each other. We had a cat that actually got luekemia after being missing for months and when he came back the other cats didnt have a problem with him.

Answer 5

No, he probably smells all the other animals from the hospital where your older cat was. His scent is now un-familiar to your other cat and he sees it as a new cat is in the home. Give your older cat a bath and that should wash away the scent of the hospital.

Answer 6

Perfectly normal reaction. when a kitty has kidney failure, they emmit an odour. It may not be apparent to you, and hopefully it will not be. If it gets noticeable, time to go to vet.

Your other cat can smell it and probably any meds that he was on.

Good luck.

Answer 7

THIS IS A USUAL REACTION FROM ONE CAT TO ANOTHER DUE TO THE FACT THEY BASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF EACH OTHER ON SMELL . WHEN YOU TAKE ONE CAT TO THE VET THEY PICK UP ALL THE OTHER ANIMAL SMELLS ALSO SO WHEN THEY COME BACK THEY DON'T SMELL THE SAME THUS THE HISS SAYS "STAY BACK" TILL I GET TO KNOW YA.