Can animals sense death ?

[Doinmummy]

Following on from my thread a while ago about how my cat suddenly stopped going outside, she has now started to go out again ....., after we found my next door neighbour dead inside his house !

Long story, we moved into our house in November . Met our next door neighbour and chatted, exchanged Christmas cards etc. then I didn't see him. The letting agent (he rented) knocked and asked if I had seen him. I said no . Couple of weeks later I phoned the agent and asked if they had managed to contact him- they said he had gone on an extended holiday. I though no more of it. Until a friend of his knocked and asked if I had seen him. At this point we decided to contact the police who broke in and there he was poor chap. Needless to say I feel dreadful for not flowing up sooner .

Anyway after all this our cat has started going outside again and I wonder if she knew he was in there.or am I being silly ?

[cozietoesie]

I don't know - I think that some animals can sense unhappiness or trouble/illness if they're close to a person though, so why not? Sadly, I think that your case was more likely to be related to their very keen sense of smell. (Sorry - that's not a pleasant thought, I know. )

[Doinmummy]

I did wonder if it was the smell - it was absolutely awful and I'll never forget it .

[MarkRuffaloCrumble]

Would your cat have gone into your neighbour's house before he died? If the neighbour was fussing and/or feeding him then I guess that would mean the cat had less of an incentive to go out once he was no longer doing that?!

There was an episode of House where they thought a cat who lived in an old people's home had magical powers at predicting who would die, as it would curl up on the bed of whoever was about to pass away. They eventually deduced that the cat was seeking warmth, as the people all had a raised temperature before dying.

I think maybe we credit cats with too much intelligence and not enough selfishness!

Sorry about your neighbour though, that must be hard for you, wondering if you should have taken it seriously earlier. However, thankfully you did contact the police rather than just leave it when you were concerned so you shouldn't beat yourself up about it.

[cuntycowfacemonkey]

One of our cats died last week. Our other cat has for the last decade been pretty anti social and indifferent towards us, we always used to joke that she has never forgiven us for getting another cat (and to be fair other cat was a terror!) but since the other cat has died she has been all over us and pretty giddy. I'd like to think she senses our sadness but tbh I think she's just smug that she outlived her nemesis.

Have to say though for a the few days that poorly cat was confined to the house the other one wouldn't come in at all.

[AdriftOnMemoryBliss]

i think so.

like Madame said, the House storyline was based on a true story, there is actually a book published talking about the cat in question.

[AdriftOnMemoryBliss]

www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Rounds-Oscar-David-Dosa-ebook/dp/B0037472I4?ie=UTF8&keywords=makig%20the%20rounds%20with%20oscar&qid=1459210393&ref_=sr_1_sc_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-spell&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Doinmummy]

I've tried to convince myself it's just coincidence but the timing is about right. She stopped going out a good few weeks ago , which I reckon is when my neighbour died ( it was a gruesome sight , poor chap had obviously been there a while) . It's given me the willies .

[cozietoesie]

Maybe she just sensed that there was something 'not right' about the house and wanted to be more with her people. (It sounds as if you felt that yourself a little.) Poor chap.

No need to feel the willies any longer - he's gone now and the house will soon have new spirit filling it.

[WellErrr]

Yes. It's the smell.