I have three cats and one recently passed away. One of the cats behaves as though nothing has changed. The other has started to become "friskier." This made me wonder if the two cats are even aware that there is no third cat anymore. Are pets (specifically cats) able to tell when another is no longer there?
2007-02-10 01:47:34 · 14 answers · asked by Q 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
What I've noticed with cats is that they are aware that their companion is no longer present. How much they percieve or understand death I'm not sure. Multiple cats in a household do develop a sort of hierarchy (something like pack order in dogs but not as clearly defined) and as soon as they realize that one of their companions is gone and not coming back, there seems to be some shuffling to determine the new pecking order. The one that is friskier may have moved up in the pecking order and is now top cat and is showing it - or it may be challenging the other cat for rank.
2007-02-10 02:07:15 · answer #1 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry for your loss.
Yes they know. Especially if they were together for a while. They may or may not have the same understanding or attachment we do but the fact that there are still two left makes it less traumatic.
I grew up with as many as 6 cats at once and two of them we had first for a few years then we got the other four. The older ones died on separate occasions. When the first one died, the other was noticeably upset, howling at night and closer to us, while the younger ones paid no mind.
Later on , there were four and as each one passed away the last one to stay was always sad. "crying" at night and became even closer to us.
Again, yes, they do realize that one is missing but to what level they care is really quite subjective to each individual cat.
2007-02-10 02:04:21 · answer #2 · answered by Kahlo 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I believe they can tell. I help out with a dog rescue and often at first the dog seems to act differently - as if they are trying to search for their friend. After a while I think they understand they are not coming back.. and will change behaviour then too. Animals seem to be fairly adaptable - but I really think they know. They seem to have an extra sense with a lot of things.
2007-02-10 01:54:04 · answer #3 · answered by Midwest 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes they do! I just had to put down one of my cats that I have had for almost 9 years. The older cat has mourned since then. He is not as frisky as usual. And he just lays around
Then my female cat went into heat. Dont know if it is because Ozzy died or if she just went into heat. Who knows? LOL
But our dog also really misses Ozzy as well. For a couple fo days my older cat and the dog both looked through the whole house for Ozzy. Boomer (the older cat) howled for three nights because he missed him.
Yes! Animals do mourn. But just like humans...they mourn in their own way.
2007-02-10 02:08:19 · answer #4 · answered by lovesdolphins324 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when i had to put my 17 yr old dog down last june , the other dog in house who was about 6 months old at the time and who follow my old guy around everywhere in the few months since she arrived and totally adored him. when he died she became very withdrawn , slept curled up on mat all day , no longer bounded around house like a lunatic, and seemed constantly be looking for him , always popping her head into both kkennels , running around back of shed , in the house etc for him. at the time i didnt really notice all this cos i was tooo distraught over losing my best pal for last 17 yrs, my mum did notice the pup acting very weird, but it did pass after a few weeks , i suppose they forget and move on much better than we humans can.
2007-02-10 02:27:13 · answer #5 · answered by rachm0912 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes i think they do although the younger ones dont realize it as much and dont show it as much but the adult ones definately know when another pet has passed and sometimes they do go through a mourning period especially if they were close..it goes both for cats as it does for dogs... when my Holly passed my other dog Shyanne didn't eat for almost a week... we decided to get her a companion and she ate that same day... sorry for your loss...
2007-02-10 01:54:53 · answer #6 · answered by marnibrown1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely!! Some react differently than others, just like people. After 4-8 weeks, things should go back to normal.
2007-02-10 01:56:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
When we lost my female doberman her daughter cried and cried for her for days. It took a long time for her to get over it and I still haven't and it's been three years. The neighbor (a vet) put down one of their horses and the pasture mate just stood over the spot where they buried the horse with his head hanging for two weeks.Yes, I truly believe they do know and mourn for the lost member.
2007-02-10 01:55:14 · answer #8 · answered by Born2Bloom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some animal do mourn after the loss of a companion but not all do. Just like some people show obvious signs of distress after a death not all people are obvious.
2007-02-10 01:54:19 · answer #9 · answered by Melissa J 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well I really think so because I think my dog remembers my dads dog she died of a disease and I think she knows that something is missing when we take her to my dads house.But you just give your cats alot of attention because I really think animals can tell.
2007-02-10 02:21:04 · answer #10 · answered by Stephanie team edward 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋