Sick all weekend and my lovely cat stayed by my side.

[Saggingninja]

I had food poisoning a few days ago and felt like shite. Could barely stagger from the loo back to bed. On the first day my cat Stan bounced onto the bed and of course I thought he wanted feeding, so I stumbled into the kitchen and filled his bowl.

He gives me this 'WTF?' look and ignores the bowl, follows me back to bed and sits by me. He's even considerate enough not to stick his arse in my face as he does at weekends when he wants me to get up

I felt terrible for two days but it was so comforting to have a quietly purring animal curled up nearby.

[Toddlerteaplease]

That's lovely. When I was in hospital having treatment for MS, The late Maia wouldn't leave my side when I got home. Cats are amazing creatures. Hope you are feeling better.

[Saggingninja]

I do thank you Toddler and I'm sorry to hear about your lovely Maia. I was just reading an article about how animal behaviorists avoided the idea of animals feeling grief for years because of the fear of anthropomorphism but lately they've come round to it. They know elephants, apes and whales carry their dead young and mourn their tribe. They also now agree that cats have a sense of when their human is sick or upset. So I know that Stan wanted to be near me.

Mind you I have two cats and Bunty couldn't give a monkeys.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

We call it the Paw of Sympathy.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ours stayed by me if I was poorly, which isn’t often.

Dh was ill for 2 months last year, cat went in the spare room till I got home.

[BabbleBee]

My DD had cancer when she was 11 and had major abdominal surgery to remove a tumour. The day she got home from hospital she sat / laid on the sofa and her cat jumped straight up but didn’t go on her, he sniffed her and then very carefully curled up above the scar on her chest. He still goes to her when she’s having problems sleeping... he just knows.

When he sits on my lap I think oh hell what’s wrong with me that I don’t know about

[Saggingninja]

Babble that's lovely. I hope your DD is well now.

[BabbleBee]

@saggingninja Yes thank you - in remission and doing really well

[Lindy2]

Cats just know when you are poorly and stay close to you. If I have a cold or something similar my cat often comes up to me and smells my breath. She only does that if I'm ill. It's like a feline doctor appointment.

[TenThousandSpoons]

My boy sat with me through the early stages of Labour the first time. DH had gone to work so I was on my own but DCat was very calming 😻