Do cats miss their deceased companions?

NineDeuce

Naaa. Bob thinks Tasha was a right plonker....

fairy_lights

Fen1 wrote: »

I currently have another two cats, and have learnt that when one dies I should show the body to the other.

Would the surviving cat understand that the deceased cat was dead?
I've been wondering about this as although my cats are only young'uns now eventually I'm going to have to deal with this situation. Obviously cats don't think about death or mortality like we do, but can they look at another animal and think "Fred's gone now", or would seeing their dead companion confuse them?

TBagpuss

I had 2 cats who were siblings. Sadly C was hit by a car and died. I did let her brother see (this wasn't exactly planned, I had put her in a box while I dug a grave for her, and he showed up)

He definitely knew it was her and he knew something was wrong. I am not sure whether he missed her as such but his behaviour certainly changed - he sought out my company a lot more than he used to. They used to spend a lot of time together and so I suspect that he missed that interaction.

I have been considering getting another kitten or adopting a young cat.

Fen1

My cats definitely know the difference between live and dead. If there is a live mouse in the house, eg hiding behind a bookcase, they will keep fussing in front of the bookcase until the mouse dies behind it. They then lose all interest and go and torture something else.

( I then have to unload the bookcase, move it and extract the corpse. Lovely job. No point trying to rescue the mouse whilst it is alive as it will just scurry behind another piece of furniture. And then die behind something even more awkward.)

gettingtheresometime

Alter_ego wrote: »

Dogs do, neighbour's dog kept trying to dig up the other dog, buried in back garden.

We walk with 3 other dogs and unfortunately, earlier in the year 1 of them had to be pts.


It was noticeable for a long while that the other dogs, including ours, were more subdued and it was only when the couple got a new pup did they regain their old spark. Whilst I would never humanise animals, I can't see why humans have the monopoly on emotions

Gloomendoom

fairy_lights wrote: »

Would the surviving cat understand that the deceased cat was dead?
I've been wondering about this as although my cats are only young'uns now eventually I'm going to have to deal with this situation. Obviously cats don't think about death or mortality like we do, but can they look at another animal and think "Fred's gone now", or would seeing their dead companion confuse them?

For several weeks on my drive to work I used to pass two male ducks walking along the road in the opposite direction. I'd always pass them at the same place at the same time. One morning they weren't there. I found them round the next bend. One had been killed by a car and the other was stood just looking at him. I wondered how long he stood there and what was going through his head. They were both gone when I came home and I didn't see the survivor again.

donnac2558

I had to have Zanzi PTS at 18 in January, Delilah 14 had been with him since arriving with me as kitten.

For over a month she wandered round crying looking for him. Places he liked to sleep and calling to him. Strangely she kept looking under the bed(he liked to sleep there), and crying but refused to go under the bed right up until now she won't do it.

She has also had a number of health problems which the vet said could be stress related. Cystitis which she never ever had before, OFPS which is very rare but can be caused by stress as well. Zanzi and her Burmese.

Deep_In_Debt

fairy_lights wrote: »

Would the surviving cat understand that the deceased cat was dead?
I've been wondering about this as although my cats are only young'uns now eventually I'm going to have to deal with this situation. Obviously cats don't think about death or mortality like we do, but can they look at another animal and think "Fred's gone now", or would seeing their dead companion confuse them?

My Sammy died of a suspected heart attack suddenly in the night in June this year. I discovered her body in the morning. Her sister led me to her body.

Suzy doesn't appear to miss Sammy. However, I don't know if that is because she knows she has passed or because they never really got on and Suzy is loving being the only cat and getting all the attention.

annandale

I currently have another two cats, and have learnt that when one dies I should show the body to the other.

Which is fine if the cat dies at home, some cats and other pets are in the vets when they die or have to be PTS.

lobbyludd

we've always had cats (plural at a time) since I was little, and have experienced a range of reactions to a death: one where a cat died and the companion cat called for them for months, was distressed and lost weight and fur; a couple of times where the surviving cat after a week of looking for the other one came into their own, apparently glad to be free of the dominant cat in the territory, and others between that. I've never experienced a situation where they did not notice, or remained unchanged by a loss of another cat/animal in their environment, at least for a time. That's not anthropomorphizing their apparent behaviour, and change can be a stressor without them necessarily "missing/grieving for" the pet that has died