Our pets give us so much entertainment and bring much needed smiles to this broken house. They have really helped get us through the last couple of years. Yes they can be terrors but humans can be oh so much worse….

But I think one pet needs a special mention. They big boy cat. He is such a softy. Even when the cats could venture outside he was not really an apex predator. Never worked out how to hunt. The girl cat would frequently bring him some live offerings. But the boy cat would carefully paw them, then roll over – I suspect he was hoping the vole would tickle his tummy. Strangely the vole would scurry off into the hedge counting it’s blessings. The boy cat would frequently get stuck in the tree requiring rescue. He was petrified of the cat flap so we had to cover it up. He had a favourite type of toy. He would only play with our son’s Dr Who Dalek plastic figures – nothing else. You would see him searching the toy box in a desperate attempt to find the elusive evil masterminds. He has worked out how to open door handles so he gets free run of the house.

But he was also inseparable from my partner. He would follow her about and he always seemed to be on her lap. When my partner went out the cat would sit at the front window and wait for hours until she came back. Sadly you can’t explain bereavement to a cat. I’ve got no idea what the boy cat is thinking. I can’t confirm that he is grieving like we are. But I know one thing for a fact. Every night he sleeps where our partner used to sleep and you frequently see him at the front window. I suspect he’s waiting for her to return.

79 thoughts on “Pets feel”

  1. my dog does the same, she waits for my boy to come take her for a walk as was his routine, when the hour has passed she moves away from that spot. I thought I was imagining it until my neighbour made a remark.

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  2. Aww, isn’t he such a sweetheart. 🙂 From what I have heard, pets take on their owner’s pain. They can sense our pain and suffering and unknowingly they take it on, so that our burden is reduced. When I heard about this the first time, I realised that I lost two pets in the first two years of my road to recovery (which was not only painful but made me lose hope a number of times). So when the third kitty came home, in my mind I just told her that whatever it is that I am going through, I am strong enough to face it and she’s going to be there for me as a support. And it’s been almost three years now since I said that 🙂

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      1. I agree with you. We have a lot of things going on in our mind every minute. But animals live in the present. I think we humans have a lot to learn from them. Unconditional love and living life to the fullest. 🙂

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  4. He sounds like a very special cat. I agree with the comments above. I think they can sense pain and routine. My dog knows the hour she goes for a walk everyday – and if the hour comes and I still haven’t taken her, she just sits and grunt/moans. I think the cat is waiting for her to come back too. Special cat – love is not lost by mere separation.

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  7. There is a beautiful true story called “Hatchi” which was made into a movie starring Richard Gere. The original story happened in Japan and was about a dog that used to wait every day at the train station for his master to come home from work. He didn’t understand when the master died and carried on meeting every train for 10 years or more. Such a beautiful story.

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  11. Bless your cat ❤ His story reminds me a bit of Hachi, the dog who would visit the train station each day to retrieve his master, even after his master passed away. Animals feel more than we often give them credit for.

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  13. Our cat, Harry Potter, is miffed with us because right now he’s having to spend his days locked in the master bedroom when no one is home because otherwise he’d be trying to knock ornaments off our tree. He knows better than to do it when someone’s home. We have to lock the bedroom door because when we don’t, he stands on the cabinet next to it and bats at the doorknob until the door opens!

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  14. Poor kitty. He misses her.

    When my paternal GM passed away in 2000, she had just buried one of her two little dogs six months prior. In a strange twist of fate, she adopted another, younger dog that, ultimately, led to her death. The dog got away from her and she broke her hip. She never recovered from the injury and passed within the week. After her death, her other older dog passed the following week (the younger dog was re-adopted).

    All three passing in an eighth month span. They had all been together for 18 years.

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  16. Pets – dogs and cats especially feel the passing of their human companions, equally as much as they feel the seperation of losing one of their siblings. I have known dogs pine away after losing their companions. In fact one of my recent concerns was my Father’s cat Jacqui who l rehomed after his passing two months ago.

    Jacqui was such a loving affectionate cat, and suddenly her whole life was turned upside down when Dad died. my heart broke for her and more so when my Sister basically said she is just an animal she doesn’t have those feelings for humans.

    Well they do, they are not shallow like human beings. They care more than we can imagine, they are happy when we are, sad when we are, feel our pain, they know how to recognise and identify.

    Your cat is grieving too, it will take time but the scent memory will always be as strong as long as the scent remains in the house.

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      1. Yes they do, people forget too much these days sadly.

        Our animals that we are close to are an extension to who we are, so it is only understandable, that they feel. Our companions on a more personable levels are our truest friends and have more emotions that we credit them with.

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  18. 😥 A few months back, we lost our (male) cat, Orange, due to old age. His inseparable buddy amongst the other moggies was Oliver. Still, several months later, we see Ollie in their favourite chair at night, looking around as if waiting for Orange. Just little things he does … you can tell he is missing his buddy. They do feel, they do love, and miss both people and other pets.

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      9. Pshaw, it’s true. I’m such a slob, one of those who wolfs down dinner in five minutes because there’s other stuff to do. My mom believes that the boarding school I attending for high school ruined my manners. Pretty sure she’s right on that one.

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  25. I know they remember and they also grieve. They’re unsure what’s going on, at first but, after so long they realize that the person or pet that’s missing, isn’t coming back. My husband and I agree that our cat Princess has never gotten over losing our other cat, Gonzo. His kidneys failed in October of 2015. She cried for him for days, afterwards. She even started banging on our closet doors, like Gonzo used to do when he was hungry or wanted attention. She finally stopped after awhile but, has become very clingy with me. They not only have feelings of their own but, they pick up on ours, as well.

    Giving your cat lots of extra love and attention would probably be beneficial to you, both. 💜

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