Do cats grieve?

[bigtapdancingpimp]

I had my boy put down about a month ago. I have two other females; one doesn't give a shit but the other has been very clingy since. She adored him and reacted quite badly when I came back from the vet with the empty carrier.

She used to be quite independent but now she's like my shadow and needs constant attention/reassurance. I don't mind giving it of course but I worry about her as she's a sensitive little soul. Or is she just comforting me?

[foamybananasweets]

One of ours definitely grieved when we lost our old girl. She chewed her fur out, put on loads of weight and was very very clingy, yet didn't want to be touched. She was a young cat (2yo) so we thought she needed a friend so we got a kitten but that made her worse. She tolerates the kitten now, (who is now an adult but they are always still kittens to me) but still needs feliway in order to really look happy. I worry about her, but she is a difficult cat to comfort.

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

Our cat grieved when our dog died. The first indication anything was wrong with the dog was the cat sleeping right next to her. Turned out dog had died in her sleep. Cat was like our shadow for about a month after, she slowly came round but still comes running for cuddles when we come in the house something she never did when dog was here.

[MephistoMarley]

I had a cat who lost a kitten (well she abandoned it because it couldn't feed the heartless thing) but after it died she went looking for it, then she found where I had left the body on a high shelf until I could get back from work to bury it and put it back with her live kitties. It was sad and confusing and I think she was definitely grieving in some way.

[whitehandledkitchenknife]

One of our cats definitely grieved when we lost our other cat. She sat around moping/staring out of the window, went off her food (that was a big sign) and went from being the most cuddlesome of creatures to not being able to decide if she wanted a cuddle or not.
I also think our cats can pick up on our sadness, so she might be comforting you too. She'll come round in time

[cexuwaleozbu]

When our Cat A had gone missing (was eventually found in someone's garage) and had been gone for more than a week, one day I found an old collar and bell of his while tidying. It made a tiny jingle noise as I picked it up. Cat B came dashing in, tail up, every inch of body language very clearly saying "oh you are back I have missed you" and then visibly going to dejected "it's not him after all" - it's weird to describe it but it was very obvious that Cat B was genuinely missing and sad about the absence of Cat A.

[bigtapdancingpimp]

That's a really sad story foamy It annoys me when I read that cats don't feel love in the same way as humans and dogs.

ineed My kitty is exactly the same now. I keep finding her curled up in random corners of the house looking sad but then she lies on my face and purrs. She definitely keeps looking for her 'brother' though and it breaks my heart.

[bigtapdancingpimp]

cex that's made me cry. Poor cat B

[Middleoftheroad]

When one of ours died (a prolific hunter) our other cat (who had never caught anything) brought in a mouse each night for about a week. It was either in tribute or as a gift to us so that we didn't take her away in a cat carrier too, only to return it home empty

[StillMedusa]

Portia appeared to detest Morpheus... but after I had him put to sleep (cancer), she searched for him everywhere, went off her food and generally moped... most odd as she never showed anything but distain towards him his whole life!

So I thought.. she misses him...got two kittens. She now hates them

[Fluffycloudland77]

Maybe she needs something to hate.

[bigtapdancingpimp]

Lol Fluffy

Grieving kittycat is still draped around my neck like a feather boa with her bum in my face Grumpycat is revelling in her position as 'Topcat'.

My colleague has fostered a ten-week old kitten (it was found clinging to its dead mother's body) and I'm torn. I really want him (little black and white fella) but worried Kittycat and Grumpycat would not accept him ie. rip him to shreds. He's apparently a feisty little thing and can handle two dogs in his foster home but my girls might bully him.

Shall I risk it?

[Fluffycloudland77]

I'm a sucker so I'd have him and do a very drawn out introduction process.

Poor little thing.

[ample]

I would take in the orphan kitten. And to introduce as Fluffy said above.

Sad stories here , animals grieve, grieve in their own way. They have feelings.

[popmimiboo]

Definitely -Topcat absolutely despised and detested Littlecat but when Littlecat died after an accident, Topcat was clearly upset. Seems she missed hating Littlecat (and seemed to blame me, giving me the cold shoulder for days!)

[Susiesue61]

Yes, ours were boys from the same litter. When one died, the other one searched the house for him and wandered really far. After a few days, he gave up, stole the bed and has never looked back

[GoldFishFingerz]

She became very snuggly. She also cuddled up to us and sort of cried in a sad quietly squeaky chesty heart felt way a couple of times.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

It annoys me when I read that cats don't feel love in the same way as humans and dogs

They just express themselves in different ways don't they.

I'd love to give a little orphan kitten a home. They work out the pecking order somehow.