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I had 3 cats up to a month ago. 2 of them were sisters and the 3rd an adoption. 1 of the sisters died 2 months ago and the 2nd sister has gotten very aggressive toward the 3rd cat. I think its because of the loss of the sister but I dont know.
yes. My boss had 2 cat, sisters. When one died at 17, the second one would sit on the floor by the bookcase holding her sisters cremains and tips her head like she was listening and talking. now they are side by side in the bookcase in matching ceramic boxes with cats hand painted on them. When my old guy passed away, the other two would run up the stairs and leapfrog the spot at the head of the stairs where he always slept. 5 years later, they still do and have taught my moms cats to do the same. Her kitten sniffs at the spot and looks at it curiously. I think Mooch is still sleeping there. (yes, I've cleaned the carpet).
Last edited by littlelou; 10-15-2007 at 07:13 PM..
Reason: doesn't like a word I typed
I've two related stories which lead me to say "yes."
"George" came into my house already as an old (14 years) cat. His owners were leaving and were unable to take him with them so I finally agreed to take him in. Right from the get-go, George fit in to a multi-cat household with no problem and became the proverbial grandfather. He gently taught a new kitten the rules of the house, i.e. "try and eat out of MY food bowl and I will gently take my large paw, place it on top of your tiny head and pin you down while I continue eating..."
George slowed down, went quite deaf (slept right through a devastating hurricane!) and then one day (he was 21 by then) he came bouncing into the kitchen to eat, purred up a storm and then in sprightly fashion went outside. Curious as to this sudden boost of energy I followed him out and watched as he picked a nice patch of sun, curled up and went to sleep.
When I left for work I asked my then-housemate to keep an eye on him. A couple of hours later, Don called me at my office to say he had to go out for a bit but that George was now sleeping under one of the cars in the driveway. An hour or so later, Don called again upon his return with an astonishing story.
As he drove in, George was still curled up under the car but was quietly encircled by the other five cats, as though on a vigil. Don went over there and, as the cats remained there quietly watching, discovered that George was dead. They only quietly dispersed when Don removed his body for burial.
The other story concerns brother and sister Nicholas and Alexandra who I had raised since their mother left them (they were so young I had to bottle-feed them for a couple of weeks!) They were totally devoted to each other and it was a sad day when Nicholas, at the age of 18, was finally euthanized at home after he lost the use of his back legs. He was buried in a lovely spot in the back yard and Alexandra somehow knew the exact spot and spent her final year quietly sleeping right on top of his grave in the sun. Late one night she begged to go outside which was unheard of. I gently pushed her back inside. In the early hours of the morning I awoke to note her absence on the bed and found her dead right by the back door.
My house is very quiet this morning, much much too quiet.
One of my babies crossed the bridge yesterday, and her sister has hardly moved... I coaxed her into eating a bit yesterday and she sat with me for awhile, but she is back on her blanket now and very quiet. They were inseparable and it was often hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began.
Even my boy, who only joined the family a couple of years ago and is a constant and loud 'talker' has been very quiet... he hasn't even begged to go sit on the porch like he does several times a day. There is so much more, but I can't seem to find my words right now.
Absolutely. We had 4 cats. The 2 oldest were 13 and 16. Three months ago we had to euthanize the 13 year old and the 16 year old went rapidly downhill when he was gone. We had to have the 16 year old put down 3 weeks ago. It was heartbreaking and I firmly believe the death of the first affected the other. Now, as for the other 2 !?!?! I don't think they noticed too much. They were withdrawn while the other two were declining in health but now that they own the roost their personalities have blossomed.
I had 3 cats up to a month ago. 2 of them were sisters and the 3rd an adoption. 1 of the sisters died 2 months ago and the 2nd sister has gotten very aggressive toward the 3rd cat. I think its because of the loss of the sister but I dont know.
Four years ago my female cat (I had three, 2 males and 1 female) was hit by a car and killed (on my birthday, no less). Before the ex and I buried her I let the male cats see her body and have a sniff so they'd know what happened to her.
The dynamic changed forever...and I mean FOREVER. One of the male cats was very attached to her and has never been the same since; four years later he is still very clingy and gets pouty if I leave him over a weekend (with plenty of food and water). The other one was a little withdrawn for a while but he got over it...but the two male cats fight a lot more often than they used to. The ex and I got an elderly female cat to round out the numbers again and both male cats still try to engage her like they did the dead one.
Yes they do!!! And also they grieve over a loss of a human!! I lost my wife 4 years ago and for all most a year are 1+ year old female cat would........ with out warning in the middle of the night start howling.... my wife passed away at home and the paramedics had too put her on the floor for resuscitation, this is where the cat would sit and howl....
Yes, they certainly do!
I had two cats, a orange tiger (male) and a calico (female) and they were brother and sister.
When the sister died, the male just walked around the house all day for about a week or two howling the saddest tune
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do cats grieve
