Is it an urban legend that your pet (dog or cat) will eat your body if you die alone in your home? How long does it take them to start eating you?
2007-05-28 18:53:35 · 12 answers · asked by heartscared 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
In general, yes they will. Mostly it depends on how long the body has there and if the animals have access to other food. If they are starving and the body is starting to get ripe, they will eat it simply out of survival.
There have been a few exceptions, usually extremely loyal dogs. But those dogs usually had access to other food sources or the body was discovered before the animal got to hungry.
2007-05-28 19:21:16 · answer #1 · answered by smship22 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I actually know someone that this happened to. She had suffered a seizure and as her only companions were 2 dogs there was no one around to help her and so she died.
It was 9 days until someone broke into her flat to see what was going on as nobody had seen the woman or could get in touch with her.
Her dogs had eaten her hands and taken a lot of flesh off her legs.
I think that they only did what they did because they were starving and if they hadn't of starting eating the woman they would have died themselves. I would view it as the absolute last thing they would have chosen to eat but they had no choice once the survival instict kicked in.
2007-05-29 03:57:41 · answer #2 · answered by Nikki G 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Years ago, I took care of an elderly woman in a hospital. She had fallen at home and couldn't call for help. Her cats had started eating her. I don't remember how many days they figured she was there. The cats hadn't done a lot of damage when she was found. They had just eaten some of her legs.
On a similar note, when I used to live in California, the ants were voracious. I told a family member if my husband and I died and they couldn't find the bodies to please check the anthills.
2007-05-29 02:09:07 · answer #3 · answered by Purplume 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry to say that is true.. Depends how long the pets have went without food. Depends on how long before someone found the person. It is in the Newspapers now and then. Usually elderly folks with pets in the house.
2007-05-29 02:03:45 · answer #4 · answered by ole_lady_93 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they will start to eat you if they are locked in the house with no food. It will take as long as until they start starving.
I read an article about a person in NY that died alone in an apt and he had 3 dogs. When they found him, the dogs had eaten part of him. He died of Aids, so the dogs had to be put down. So sad.
2007-05-29 02:01:27 · answer #5 · answered by Mama_Kat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If I was your dog, I would wait until your cloths come off to show your flesh for feeding. Therefore that would be depend on how much flesh you showed by the time you dead you will be eaten right away.
2007-05-29 02:04:03 · answer #6 · answered by Khanh D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animals still have respect for their people when they are dead.
I can't say that if one was starving to death though they wouldn't think about it.
I'm pretty sure it's an urban legend.
2007-05-29 01:58:10 · answer #7 · answered by J D 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There have been cases when the owner has died and then found days later, the pets were protecting the person not eating them.
2007-05-29 02:00:15 · answer #8 · answered by SureKat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some will, some won't, but if they do, it usually takes around a week, if not more, for them to become that hungry to consider their dead owner as a meal. They'll scavenge the kitchen first.
2007-05-29 01:57:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's possible I'm sure. Depending on how if there is nobody else around to feed it. I'm sure if it stayed in an empty house (hungry) long enough it would start gnawing on you...
2007-05-29 01:58:06 · answer #10 · answered by Arcangel 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋