I found this video very helpful, Jackson. Thank you. ❤ As for new topics, have you done any videos about therapy cats in the past? Or what it would take for a cat to become a therapy cat? I think a video in that vein would be of interest. In addition, I think that a dive into the distinctions between service animals and emotional support animals is worth exploring further.
Jackson, I'm sure you get tagged a lot of tiktok, but I've tagged you in videos before trying to thank you. You literally saved my cats life, I've learned so much from you and your old TV show that I was able to get Luna off her medication, which was making things worse and used play therapy to treat her anxiety. I would like to run something by you if possible. I have a nonprofit organization that helps find missing people, and I'm looking into using rescue cats to pair with trafficking victims. My hopes are to help house a cat that may need an emotional support human and also give the human an emotional support cat. I'm just curious what your thoughts are on this. Is there any way to schedule a phone meeting?
Very helpful Jackson, although I can sense when my cats are affected by grief I need to be reminded because of all the conditions of being human in a modern society.
Definitely seen cats Greive. Adopted too kitten girls, at age 15 the one girl got some cancer, and we said goodbye. Her sister walked around looking for her sister. The surviving cat was so lonely that after a while I got her a friend and they became forever friends after a few swats and hisses. Years later, foster fail brothers decided to stay in my house. Both brothers got kidney disease one after the other. Brother Gin got sicker, and test wasn't favorable. So I said goodbye to Brother Gin. Brother Cub, remaining brother, became a lap cat and sadly he too died with a month or so. Previously Brother Cub was a scared cat.
I’ll never forget the moment when my cat Leo was nearing the end. Smokie and Fifi, the other two cats, who never really got along with her, surprised me by staying close. Despite their usual distance, they curled up beside Leo, all huddled together, quietly keeping watch. They simply lay there, resting next to her, until she let out a soft cry and then… she was gone. Even after that final moment, Smokie and Fifi didn’t leave her side. They stayed with her, offering their silent presence, as though they understood the weight of the moment. It was the most unexpectedly beautiful thing to witness. 🥹 Poor baby.
Thank you for the story. It gives my husband & I hope. We have two cats, Zayna, & her son Ziggy. Zayna doesn't care for Ziggy. Sometimes she lashes out at him (no horrible fights thankfully). Ziggy is in mad love with his mom, but his mom wants nothing to do with him. She seems to find him a nuisance. We always thought that if Zayna died, Ziggy would probably die soon after from a broken heart. But, we thought, if Ziggy died first, then Zayna wouldn't care. After your story...I feel like she would care now. 🥺
Thank you for this sad but such a lovely and loving story. I just recently lost our cat, who was about 18 1/2, almost 14 very happy years (for all of us) of which she lived with us, so I cried while reading your story. Thank you you!!
Cats definitely do grieve. From my experience they get depressed and search for the person or siblings pets. I found that giving extra love and attention helps with grieving
At the time when my husband passed away three years ago, we had two cats, two dogs, our daughter and each other. After he passed, the female cat went into depression. She had bonded to him more than the rest of us because he rescued her. We gave her extra love and attention, and she seemed to come out of it. After about one and a half to two years, a friend went into my husband's work room that we keep closed off to keep the animals out of the electronics and tools. The female cat went berzerk tring to get into the room. When the friend came out she was disappointed that it wasn't my husband. I don't think they forget as quickly as some people think they do. She seems to finally have accepted that my husband isn't coming back and is doing ok. Hopefully she will get past her grief.
Yes, my husband was in the hospital and his kitty searched for him for a couple days. She then just laid on his chair and waited for him. When he got home she was elated and followed him all over. He is at the hospital again. Just went this a.m. I am hoping just an ER treatment and he will come home. His kitty has been waiting by the door all a.m.
I had a tab open to Porter Robinson's "Russian Roulette" just before this video. One of the lyrics "I wanna kiss my cat one more time" as a reason to keep going and not end it all struck a chord when I heard it for the first time. When I reached a dark place due to ... world events ... I remembered my cat's lugubrious cries when I was away. (I cry as I write this comment)
I saved 2 cats so now I had 4 cats. One of them was a very shy and scared male cat. He and his brother were very close for 13 years. I was so proud of him because he dared trust me.... I noticed one day that he wasn't eating. I thought he just had a bad day but when he still didn't eat next day I phoned the vet. I had to come immediately but it was already too late. I was devastated. That night he tapped my face very gently as if to ask if he could sleep with me and now he was gone.😭 His brother kept crying for weeks. Looking for his brother and calling him, especially at the times he was used to play with his brother. He became very clingy towards me. Always had to be with me, sleep with me, sit with me until this day. his crying has become less. Sometimes he comes to me and starts crying and than I tell him I understand because I miss his brother too. I guess he understands what I am saying because he will stop crying. I never knew this grieving proces of cats. I still feel sad thinking of Tet, the boy who died..... Bas knows that I am there for him and he looks for me when he feels sad.
Thanks you, Jackson. I remember when our alpha gold tabby Spike passed when we lived in Redondo Beach. You came to our house to help us help our little Persian Muffie cope with grevinng the loss of the superhero Spike. You figured it out and helped us help her. You weren't famous back then. Who knew you would continue along your path and help so many cats and people.
My husband of 27 years left me last week. One of our 2 year old cats was particularly fond of him and has been very impacted. She seems as lost as I am but sweetly, has been very clingy, offering me comfort through my tears. All 4 of our cats have reacted in one way our other. Appetites off, oldest girl over-grooming, etc. A very sad household right now . . .😢
Yes they grieve and have emotions. 5 years ago I was slowly dying from liver disease. My siamese cat named Simon was always by my side. Before that he was a normal cat, Bonded to me, but otherwise was fairly aloof. However he literally never left my side during my decline. By some miracle I recd a liver transplant, which happen very quickly. I had a 2 week stay in the hospital after the surgery. During this 2 weeks my daughter reported he did not eat, and just laid on my bed. When I got home he heard me and came running and literally jumped in my arms. He refused to leave my side during my rapid recovery. He died last summer in my arms. And now it was my turn to grieve him.
One of my cats just passed this week. I let my other cats see his body. One just sniffed and walked away. The other lay down next to him and gently put a paw on his head and looked at me, obviously wanting to know what was going on. Even though they weren't buddies he had been in his life since he was a kitten. He's been looking for him and has had very uncharacteristic, angry, outbursts. I'm ignoring the anger and am giving him more love and offering more play time, even though he isn't interested in play right now. They definitely grieve, and need time.
When my cats BFF passed, he would lay staring off for months on our couch. And every time he would hear a noise, he would jump up with excitement but then collapse with sadness when he would see it wasn't his companion. It broke mine and my partners heart.
They love so they can also grieve. Had a cat who was attached to my dad and especially liked sitting in the bathroom while my dad shaved. When my dad died the cat would go sit in the bathroom each day around the time my dad would have been shaving, and sat and meowed the saddest meow i’ve ever heard. This went on for quite a while.
I can out do that by telling about the father of a friend my son had when they were children. The father was a hunter. He said with great superiority that animals don't feel pain. Now how about that one, ya'all
This past March our German shepherd passed. 10 year old Handsome Kitty loved her so much and had known her his entire life. They slept together every night, ultimately he was devastated. He started yowling every night looking for her. It was heartbreaking to watch and as a family we gave him tons of attention, which turns out we all needed.
When my Morgana crossed the rainbow bridge, her brother would walk around the house over and over, as if looking for her. I was already heartbroken by the loss of my little panther, but it saddened me even more to see her brother grieved so much.
I had one cat who laid in the yard in one place, waiting for my dog, who had recently gotten hit by a car. They were best friends. They hunted together, slept together, and ate together. My cat never stopped waiting for him.
Mine did that waiting for Bella in the hall every morning and night as if I had forgotten to bring her home from her walk,my cat Susie grieved along time ❤ now Susie has passed a year now but they still visit together ❤️
I had a cat, Sweety Pie, who howled for a month after our other cat died. They weren't even "buddies" Sweety Pie hung out with the dogs more than the other cat but, oh my, the crying/howling continued for a month till my husband said "I can't take this anymore. We need to get another cat." We welcomed Rascal to our home and crying stopped.
Ho, boy, our cat's grief landed her in kitty hospital. Just shy of his 15th birthday 2 years ago, our older cat Thor's liver failed over the weekend and he made a one-way trip to the vet the following Monday. Hanni girl, who was 8 at the time, actually perked up the first three days he was gone, perhaps because the stress and worry of Thor's illness had been lifted from the house. Her appetite was better than usual, the whole bit. Once she realized on the 4th day, however, that he was not coming home, she CRASHED. Would hardly touch her food, and mourned his empty bed by laying in it, which she never DARED to do when he was home. This went on for several days even though we fussed over her and tried to tempt her with toys and treats. Since she's always been very light in build any weight loss is an alarm, we took her to the vet and he noticed her back teeth were in very bad shape and suggested she have them removed, which we did, ANYTHING to get her eating. The dental work helped slightly for a few days, but she was still barely touching anything. She needed a new focus and a companion she could relate to over time, so we went kitten-shopping. I was also looking for a specific personality: outgoing and curious, much like Thor, was the vibe I was seeking and wasn't seeing in the 12 shelters we visited. 18 days later, we see a little grey tabby showing off doing somersaults in his cage while the other kittens stared at us stiffly. HE was the one. Naturally, when we brought him home the next day, Hanni did not want anything to do with him. She wanted her old friend back, and she sunk deeper into depression and stopped eating again, but she couldn't afford it. This time she went back to the vet and stayed with them for 3 days while they gave her medications to kickstart her appetite. Visiting her at the vet, she was friendly and outgoing with a full tummy and we were hopeful that she turned a corner. When we brought her back home and she saw the kitten was still there, however, a cloud visibly formed over her head and she slunk back under the furniture. Despite hissing at this little guy every time he tried to approach her, she still placed herself in areas where she could watch him from a distance. Then she would sneak up and steal a sniff of him when he was distracted. Later on she would let him lay down a couple feet away from her, and while she was clearly very conflicted about this upstart taking the place of her old friend, she was also fascinated by this rambunctious healthy little being bouncing around the house entertaining himself. 2 years later, this kitten, Oswyn by name (means divine friend), grew to a proud 11 pounds which dwarfs Hanni's 7 pound frame, but he ended up bringing out the absolute best in her. She always had wanted to groom Thor's fur, but he often fought her attentions off. Oswyn lets her groom his fur to her heart's content, then he turns round and grooms HER fur, which is a relationship and a heaven she had always longed for. They beg for treats side by side, and negotiate who gets to sleep where on the human's bed without fuss or fighting. Hanni is more relaxed, happy, outgoing, affectionate and mischievous than she's ever been since we adopted her, but she had to have help surviving her grief and accepting a new friend to get there.
Roommate took over care for his mother's cat after she died. In the weeks after, cat was restless and agitated and more vocal than usual even for her. She was clearly very upset. At least she had a sweater from her first human - she spent so much time curled up with it on the loveseat making biscuits in it.
We recently lost our oldest cat a couple of weeks ago. He was 17. The other 3, all rescue cats have been very subdued since then. They seem to be getting better and their relationship has been evolving since he left. Even though we have 3 other cats the house seems kind of empty since he died. I miss him a lot.
RIP Momo, 2004-2021. I still cry sometimes, and grief mountain can't be conquered, but after a lot of processing and healing I'm walking easier in my journey up the slope.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my 4 cats died. He was 3 yrs old, too young to die and it came as a shock. I love all my cats and they all have very different personalities. Bimbo (in Italian means small boy) was unique and I will miss him forever. The night he died, I was obviously devastated, but my other three cats also behaved very differently than normal. They all came to my bed and slept very close to me, which is something they didn’t do before since my bed is very small and the cats rotate sleeping with me two at the time each night. But since Bimbo died they all are much closer to me than ever.
Same type of thing happened to me. A week ago, I lost my Boo unexpectedly. He was only 4. He was everyone’s favorite, and very special. My other cats, one at a time, slept with me, which they never do. I know they were comforting me in the saddest time. Perhaps Boo told them to go be with Mom.
They absolutely do. My son and daughter in law died last year. My son in an accident and my daughter by suicide due to grief. Their cat grieved very hard. I took her out of their house the next day to my home. It took her a few months to get back to her “bad self”.
I'm so sorry - this brings me tears now. I'm so sorry you lost your young family. Your D-I-L let her grief take her over without thinking who else would grieve her.
21:45 My cat is almost 11 years old. When he was one year old, my 12 year old lab mix died suddenly in our home. We humans were shocked and heartbroken over the loss. For almost a month, my cat (he is strictly indoor) waited by the patio door where we let our dog in and out. Not long after, my life partner passed away after a long battle with lung disease. Through no fault of his own, my cat became less social around human visitors. There were very few even before these losses, so I didn’t (and still don’t) consider this a drastic change in behavior. I have made the conscious choice to not add any animal family members until his time comes to cross the rainbow bridge. That choice is for HIS wellbeing, not mine. In the future I intend to adopt a bonded pair of cats, not necessarily kittens, but preferably older kitties. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jackson! Thanks for everything you do ❤
Wow, this video came out when I really needed it. My wife and I just had to put down our sweet elderly man, Mr. Hooper. Our other cat, Cadence, never seemed very attached to him on the surface. But we can tell she's behaving differently. She's been laying in his usual spots, following us around the house, acting very clingy. Her appetite hasn't been great and she has been stress grooming. It's been less than two weeks, so it's still fresh for all of us.
They do for sure. For other cats and their humans. I adopted an elderly cat after her human passed. She would always move only the toys she came with back to her bed. Play with other ones I owned, but not the ones that came with her. My wife recently passed, and our other car, who we both adopted is always running out the door to look around and come back in. Looking for my wife, a behavior she never did before my wife left and never came home.
This could not have come at a better time. I lost one of my babies to cancer 3 weeks ago. Between the anticipatory grief and the huge hole left thereafter, his brother is clearly heartbroken. He looks and smells for him constantly and is exhibiting a lot of these traits. We are of course heartbroken too and things are very heavy in general this Christmas. Thank you Jackson! 💔✌️
We had two cats and 1 dog when our first cat passed on. Our second cat while in mourning ended up changing the dynamic of our household completely. He sought more comfort in the dog (who he was never interested in before) and grew very attached to my wife and myself. The cat we lost was "my" cat and it felt like we were almost mourning her loss together. In the end, my wife and I knew the next chapter was ready when we started to notice him moving past grief into an almost lazy and lonely state. He never existed without another cat before so we adopted a new cat and he changed completely! The old guy had his fire again and luckily our new kitten has fit into this household like a glove. We kept many items around and it was interesting watching the kitten learn the dynamic in understanding that someone was there before her. When you know you are ready, somehow you just know.
After my sweet Meow-Meow passed, my cat Scamp stopped coming into the bedroom or sitting on the couch. She also started wailing at night for about four months. At first, my vet said she had arthritis. And I was like, “The next day she just sporadically got arthritis??” Then he said cats don’t grieve, they just respond to a change of routine. And that didn’t resonate either. Then the last time he saw her, he said something that made sense: cats do grieve and because they don’t have to go to work and basically shove down their emotions like we do, they can take six to 12 months to “snap out of it”-meaning process and feel their grief because they can. For some reason, that made me feel a little better, just understanding she needed my empathy more than a remedy. ❤❤❤
I had a cat who grow up with a dog. They had been pup and kitten together and were tight. When the dog passed away, the cat grieved and gave up on life. She didn’t want to be without him. Cats love and grieve when a loved one passed away. No doubt about that.
When my brother moved out, my cat Zelda would hang out in a spot right by his door, as if she was waiting for him to come out of the room. It was so touching to see, and I kept wishing I could explain to her that he just lives somewhere else now. She's always happy when she gets to see him again.
Cats do grieve .We lost Heini our 14 year old to a long illness last Sunday at 5pm . Our remaining 7 rescues are very subdued especially Heini!s sister Mali who has slept in her sisters bed since sunday night .12 almost 13 year old Kurt (who Heini mothered from when we rescued him and his sister Kayleigh ) haas been very vocal and pacing the kitchen and bedroom.He seems more settled tonight .We have just given them all extra love and patience .Journey well Heini and take our love with you ❤❤❤❤
I can't tell you how helpful videos like this are. Moglee my BF of 14 years passed away from cancer in October. I still cry, however the video series on Caroline really help me so much. Ella my other cat and I are still healing. Thank you for everything you do for the cat community.
Thanks for the tips, Jackson. Our cat, Ozy, is sad that his main human moved out after getting married and has adopted a new kitten. His grieving is real.
We just lost our 20 year old black cat, Lucy yesterday. She had been on the decline for awhile and the vet had done everything they could. She was on pain meds and one day she could walk and then yesterday she couldn't. It was time. She had her favourite food for lunch and had an afternoon outside on the grass with us. She had a very peaceful transition. We are devastated and loved her very much and have her wrapped and ready for burial this morning and our two remaining cats definitely know. They have come to smell the box a few times and are trying to process it. They are both very subduded and one who was particularly close to old Lucy is going room to room looking for her. As macabre as it might sound. I've left her in the hall for a few hours so the others understand that she is gone. I do think it helps them process it all. I'm having a hard enough time myself😭
Yes they do. When my beloved light ginger boy died, our others grieved and were off for around a year. His litter mate howled for 6 months straight. He is still a big sook, and it helped getting kittens for him to Daddy and raise. He took them on as if his kittens (he's neutered and all our cats are). It seemed to settled them all and find love in their loss. My mums cat had to put on antidepressants when my Dad died, the cat couldn't cope as he was my Dad's buddy.
Thank you Jackson. My baby boy definitely grieved when we lost his sister. What is truly amazing to me is he knocks many MANY things off shelves etc but he has NEVER touched his sister's urn. We both also felt much better when Ithy joined the family but he definitely treats her differently. Lovingly but different.
This came at a perfect timing, my 3year 9 month old orange tabby past a couple weeks ago. I bottle fed him as a newborn and nursed him back to health a few times in his life, he was really the character of the group and each of his brothers and mom all have handled things differently. I did get a couple new toys and treats because his twin and younger brother really took it hard which definitely helped. I held him while he passed because I wanted him to feel how much he’s loved and he peacefully ended up passing in my dads arms because he started fighting me holding him and I truly believe my boy didn’t want me to see him close his eyes. Now my 14 year old rescue boxer/ hound mix is about to pass. Thank you for this video , I truly needed this right now and of course for all you do❤
I just had to put my kitty to sleep due to aggressive cancer and he was bonded to my other cat. She now is grieving. I showed her him so she knew he was gone and didn’t just get brought away . She’s been laying in his bed depressed and acting more like she needs to be cuddled to me. They were always sleeping together or next to each other. So now I just try to be there for her as much as I can.
My cat missy died 2 yrs ago. But when she passed my second cay sissy walked back and forth in my house looking for her and crying, she definitely was sad. Then she looked at me who now im just sobbing like she knew and we now are very bonded. So yes cats do grieve!❤
My cat had a neighbourhood cat friend, who she got to know through the glass door, as she was a kitten. When she was ten months, they met in the garden, they were like siblings, buddies, and were together most days. When she was three, her friend out out to the road, and was run over, and instantly killed, it was such a shock, sadness, our cat visited her pals garden meowing for him, 😢 she definitely looked like she was grieving, meowing at night, spending time alone 😔 it was a tough time for us all trying to fill her full of comfort and fun, and playing relaxing soft music when she was resting. If only we could ask her about that time.
Oh gosh, Jackson … thank you so much for this video. We had four senior cats this time last year; we now have one. It’s been a TOUGH, tough year in our household. We are learning so much from each other (human and feline), and have intuitively done much of what you suggest to support Louise, our one remaining senior girl. An added complication for Louise is that she’s blind and relied at least partly on the other cats to navigate the household rhythms. In fact, one of our more difficult recent losses was her (also blind) sister. So part of what we’re doing for Louise is to leave soft radio on when we need to leave the house for a bit, and keeping her company while she eats, and maintaining predictability in her/our schedule. Our vet has been a wonderful support too. I don’t think I’m misreading my cat, but at least for now, she seems to be enjoying, or at least settling into, life as an only cat. We figure she’ll let us know if she changes her mind. Thanks again … sorry for a long comment! xo
Anticipatory grief is rough! I've been adopted by an extraordinary outside cat. And an outside cat that wouldn't be happy indoors. Partially because she's afraid of 99.9% of people. But despite this, she is exceptionally sweet to her person. I also am bracing myself for the reality that outside cats, especially in the country, only live for a few years. And because I bond so incredibly deeply, I'm in a place where I am trying to be aware of this so I'm not caught off guard. But at the same time giving her the emotional and physical connection she seems to absolutely crave.
Mine are grieving now, we lost a fur baby 6 days ago. I notice the bond will determine the amount of grieving they're going through. My oldest was closer to our departed, she looks for the departed each time I come home, she is seeking more attention. The wallflower and middle had a meltdown between me leaving for the vet, and returning, he has gone backwards with his mojo and back to wallflower. The youngest was not bonded, and is aloof to the loss.
We have had many cats in our lives and they grieve. They have grieved over the loss of a fellow cat and person. We were told one time by a vet to get our cat a kitten so he has someone to take care. We did that and it helped him and he was a great father and lived a long life.
We recently lost our 3-year-old male cat the first week of December. My senior cat who is 14 never seemed to like him and stayed stressed out and withdrawn the entire time that we had him, that whole 3 years. He went to the vet and had emergency surgery and he came home and he never came out of the anesthesia. He passed away at home with us telling him how much we loved him. Our senior cat decided to take a nap in the last place that he was laying before he went to the vet and I'm guessing that's how she grieves? She did the same thing when our old dog passed away several years ago. She slept in all of her last places and cried for weeks trying to find her. However, our stressed out senior cat that we have seen for the last 3 years is already getting better. The light is back in her eyes and she's not hiding in high up places anymore and she greets us every morning when we get up now which stopped when we got the other cat. I truly believe they were a toxic combo because all the stressful behavior of her ripping out her fur and having bald spots all over her has completely stopped. I will admit it's a very strange way to see her grieve. She's grieved other household pets before and it took her weeks to get over it, but with this one it's almost like she got over it by the next day. She knew she could relax and that she was safe. We are going to be welcoming a Maine Coon kitten within the next week or so and I'm hoping that this one is a lot more compatible with our little old lady. We just couldn't handle not having a playful cat around anymore so it's time for us. This was a great video. Thank you!
Yes they do, we recently lost our beautiful boy, he was pure love, he was justbthe bestest boy. The whole house was in mourning, our other 2 cats were besides themselves for a couple weeks they wanted more attention than usual and I think they were also trying to make us feel better as well they are so caring and wonderful and loving we all started healing together. The cats would meow looking for him, and one was so over grooming she would be soaking wet we had to get her some anxiety meds. But its been 6 months and everyone is doing better. We still have our moments like right now I'm crying because he made such an impact on everyone he met. Just the ambassador of love ❤️ 😍.
This video couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you Jackson. Two 19 year old cats crossed the rainbow bridge in the safety and calm of their own home. It was so hard, but peaceful.
Great video. I still miss my 16yr old kitty who passed a few years ago. We built a small shrine with his ashes. I dealt with a lot of guilt and it was my friend who recommended I adopt a new kitten some months later and I’m so glad I did. :) ❤
When the cat of my son got run over, the cats brother Filou went in dépression. They were so connected that Filou felt the loss of his Brother really deeply. After a year i found him a new friend. In the beginning it was complicated but now they are great with one another. Marry Christmas to you all ❤
❤ this video comes at a delicate time for our household, as big Aslan has recently transitioned, and his bonded brother Caspian is clearly grieving and fortunately cuddling up with his other friends xxx
I couldn't watch this video in full as it brought back memories of a former cat companion that apparently I'm still not able to deal with more than a decade after their passing. But I appreciate that you made this video so I'm commenting instead of watching to show you my support 🙂
Thank-you for your many helpful videos. I have 14 and a 16 year old cats, which I love. I had no intention of adopting another cat. We have a farm next door and I helped to collect 32 cats to spray and neuter. This past July a 4 month old diluted tortoiseshell showed up. All the shelters are full, so we took her in. Kept her isolated for a few weeks, did the usual vet stuff. Introduced her to the seniors, actually went much better than I thought it would. My amazing husband passed on October 19, 2024. When the funeral home came, the 16 year screamed! Of course I was grieving and I didn’t notice how weight she had lost over time. However she is about the weight she should be. I am paying more attention to her to show her how special she is to me. She is eating more but not as much as she used too. She is still grieving as I am but we are getting better. The 14 year old is getting heavier, she was stealing kitten’s food! So I moved it! As for the kitten, I am so grateful for her. She is a little sweet, love bug. So comforting and loving, so grateful that I have her and my husband enjoyed her too. I love hearts and she has a heart on side! Obviously she chose us for a reason. For the record he was the one that wanted the cats but I have grown to love them💕😘
Last summer, I had to put my 13 year-old cat Louie to sleep due to complications from cancer. I thought my other cat Gracie would be happy being the only cat. But she was not, she lost weight and cried constantly unless she was in my lap. Finally, after about six weeks, I went to the shelter and got another male cat to be her friend. Of course, being Cats, they did not immediately like each other. But they are now friends And both get in my lap all of the time. I still cry over Louie sometimes, but bringing in another cat has helped both me and Gracie. 2:28
Our dogs definitely grieve. We lost our oldest lab in a pack of 2 and the other spent about a week outside in the yard crying next to his burial site. I would go sit with him there and cry with him. He then spent about 6 months on the couch, not coming to bed with us as usual and not interacting much. I told hubby we've got to do something about this or we're going to lose him also, as he was 11 at the time and became very low energy for a lab after the passing of his friend. We'd been discussing getting a puppy for our 4 yr old and decided to pull the trigger on it and our 11 yr old lab started coming out of his shell. He was supremely annoyed with the puppy at first but they both acclimated. It was such a relief to see our 11yr old playing again, asking for treats again, just interacting with the family again. We adopted another dog from the shelter about a year later and with a full pack of 3 everything changed. He's now 13, healthy and active as ever, and there's a healthy pack dynamic. On a side note, one experience I'll never forget I was driving home late one night and hit a raccoon on the highway. As I slowed to take in what had just happened I saw 3 more run across, but they didn't go all the way to the other side. They all stopped at the one that had been hit. Hubby was driving behind me and almost hit them as well. I interpreted this to mean they didn't care that their lives were in danger, they needed to go see to their loved one. It broke my heart. I'll never forget it. 💔
We just said goodbye to my 11 year old buddy this morning and were wondering how our 5 year old cat would cope. This has been very helpful and comforting.
we had an older lynx point siamese cat [im not sure how old he was] from the cat distribution system, and a few years later it gave us a tabby kitten. the tabby LOVED the lynx point siamese, loved playing with his tail especially lol. a few years ago the siamese passed away, and you could definitely tell it affected the tabby. he's always been vocal but for a while after it seemed like he was looking for him. it was heartbreaking, but also sweet how much he loved him. Now the tabby's going to be ten years old next year. rest in peace, gunsmoke, you were such a sweet old man ♥
Ten days ago we euthanized ‘Jewel,’ our 11 y/o female cat and sibling to ‘Indy,’ our male cat. Unknown to us, her suspected sinus infection/forehead swelling were related to cancer, setting us on an entirely different and painful path. No wonder the antibiotics were ineffective… Since Jewel’s passing, Indy and ‘Josie’ (unrelated female 🐈⬛) seemingly are well, but definitely know ‘something’s off.’ I plan to implement JG’s recommendations in our dog/cat/human household. Thanks Jackson for your insights and feline wisdom! RIP Jewel, we love and miss your beautiful presence in our lives. See you on the other side… 🙏🐈💛🌈🙏
The day my husband died my darling ginger boy, Rik, went berserk, turning around in circles, wandering around, just beside himself. He was clearly grieving so we found one of my husband's shirts and wrapped it around him. He snuggled down in it and slept the rest of the day. Someone took a photo and I treasure it. Its been 20 months since hubby died and until very recently both my fur babies would sit by the door waiting for their Dad to come home. They have been my greatest comfort since becoming a widow. It was pretty incredible when I would sit in the dark howling my head off because I missed my husband so much and my Rik would come and cuddle me, meowing like crazy and literally wrapping himself around my neck to try and comfort me. I cuddle my husband's pillow at night and my cats lie on it as well. We all feel comforted by it. I'm sure they can still smell him. Thanks so much for this video.
As someone who owns cats, I know that cats do grieve. When I was very young, my parents already had 2 cats, Seymour and Jessie. But when Seymour passed away, Jessie just gave up. All she did was eat, sleep, and get fat. She became so heavy that she had trouble getting into the litter box to do her "business," couldn't jump on the bed, and couldn't even clean her back. Another example was with the brothers Jeffery and Simba. We adopted them in an animal shelter, of which both of them were in the same cage. They lived for about a decade and a half, maybe a bit longer, and the two were practically inseparable. One day, Simba came home hurt. We don't know what had happened, but whatever it was, it ultimately took his life the next day. After that tragic day, Jeffery was never the same. He would spend the remainder of his months just doing things we never expect him to, including jumping inside the cavity of a cut opened ceiling (long story, but we were replacing a broken pipe), or even disappearing for about three to six months before suddenly coming home. Eventually, Jeffery just seemed to give up, as one day, when we let him outside, he never returned. We think Jeffery just went to a random place near where we live and died. And in case anyone was wondering, yes. We did try to comfort Jeffery after his brother passed away.
I lost my husband Jan 6 2024 then lost my almost 20 year old cat on January 24 2024. Then had to move out of our apartment we lived in 20 years. Moved back in with my 81 year old mother. Thank God it was a smooth transition. My husband's favorite cat has become my mother's love bug, lap kitty. My husband went in hospital on Christmas. Came home on new years. Then passed 5 days later in hospice at home. Just give lots of love and attention to help them through grief.
It's still amazes me how there are people out there who doubt or discount the mental capacity of animals and what they feel or understand; "they're an animal therefore they're hollow." I've lost several cats over the years and have definitely seen the grief of the other kitties. We had one kitty who even grieved the loss of our Australian Shepherd.
Thank you very much. This information came at the best time. I had to put my sweet Nola down on Monday. She had a pleural effusion and pneumonia. It’s been hard for myself and my other babies. You are a blessing to all cat parents.
Thank you so much for this video Jackson. It is exactly what I needed. My heart is still grieving over the recent loss of one of my babies. This confirmed that I handled her loss correctly with the other two fur babies that I have. This was much needed at this time.
I had the pleasure of living with 2 wonderful male cats for 12 years. Both were rescues. Unfortunately, one had cancer and I had to make the difficult decision of having him put down. I had it done at home. His friend witnessed it. I brought him over to smell the body. I switched his collar for his buddy's collar. Over the next few days, he slept in all the spots his buddy favored. He even switched places on the bed, again choosing his buddy's spot. I believe 'seeing' his friend go helped him understand and accept.
I have had 2-3 cats for over 25 years, in practice three "generations". At least three of these cats (all the male ones) did experienced similar big personality changes after the grieving process, All three went from youngest to oldest cat in the household. They all were about 2-3 year old and had until the loss behaved like overage kittens, one were even still occasonally breastfed by his adopted cat mom. After grieving they all shifted to be act responsible and mature, caring and even authoritarian (one suddenly could stare every other cat, and dog, into submission, he never ever had to hizz or fight). All of them were very friendly and caring to new cats in the household, so we were for many years a very good shelter home.
Our bold cat that "raised" our feral kitten got out & was hit by a car 2 months after we moved to our new home. Our then 2yo baby was so traumatized, he became a complete wallflower. Refused to play for months. It's taken over 1.5 yrs to help him regain his confidence.
I was fortunate to have two wonderful cat neighbors for a few years. They played together, visited me a lot for snacks or naps, it was great. I loved both of those girls and was very thankful for their constant presence (especially when the pandemic hit). Some time later, one of the neighbors moved, so me and one of the girls were one best friend short. But we still had each other and we immediately stepped up our love for each other. Unfortunately I hd to move myself some time later. I miss them both, I hope they’re doing alright.
Fly was never very noticably close or affectionate with Talyn, but when he passed away, she definitely became more vocal and clingly. I knew she was missing him. I eventually adopted another cat and she definitely mellowed back out after that. She still isn't cuddly or openly affectionate with him, but I can tell she likes and NEEDS another kitty companion in her life. Kitties are social critters and still love and mourn in their own ways!
My cats usually react to me being inconsolable. Then they show me signs of the transition (as your dog did), then later they show me they are visiting from Heaven. ❤ It never gets easier for the humans, in my experience, and I work with my animal communicator, who has taught me a lot! ❤
I just lost my cat, Sasha..17 yrs old but I only had her for 3 years as a rescue during the pandemic. 😢 I gave her the best life I could but in a 12 hr span, she had 5 seizures… So Karinn (10 yrs) is left without another.. they were not best friends but once in awhile they would get butt close for warmth. She seems to sleep more but she is eating. And she follows me around a lot more..checking in on me. She has taken over a lot of meowing in the morning like Sasha and she is more than ever, a lap cat! I am blessed to have Karinn, I know it!❤😊 🙏🏽🙋🏻♀️❣️
When my orange tuxedo Shandy was euthanized, he was an only cat that we had for 17 yrs. He was an amazing companion animal that got sick, wouldn’t eat, lost weight & I took him to vet but they had no answer until it was too late. I ran him to emergency vet, they said he had a bad liver & needed to be put down. I was devastated thinking I had at least a few more yrs with him. That was 3 yrs ago. Now I have 3 boys I adore. I adopted the first one about 4 mos after Shandy from a humane society. He’s fixed black & white tux, was 6 mos old at the time. Went to a different humane society a month later. They had a ginger tabby, he was 6 yrs old & had been re-homed twice. I went rite down & got him. He’s so smart & sweet. Then I had a feral kitten in my yard that I befriended, a male that was about 3 mos old. Had him fixed, shots, etc.all 3 are so great, each 1 different & special. Can’t afford any more since I make sure they eat healthy expensive food, have several cat trees, many different beds thruout house, toys, indoor cats like Shandy was.🥰❤️🤗
when I was a kid, we had a dog (Max) and a cat (Purdita). They were close, they'd curl up and sleep on the couch together and tag-team stealing leftover food. Sadly, Max eventually died, put down by the vet because cancer. Purdy vanished, presumably searching for him, for a few weeks. When she came home, she refused to eat and she'd sleep more. Despite the best care her vet could give, Purdy died. She couldn't live in a world without Max
Ugh this video has me in tears. I love it though. It's astonishing to me to think that there are people who don't realize or believe that animals mourn the passing of another pack member. It's been almost year since my partner and I lost our beautiful tortoise shell, Jopp-lynn. She was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered in a cat. She was already older when I met her and I was told that she would most likely keep her distance from me due to her anxiety to strangers. To my and my partner's surprise, It didn't take long for her to start making blanket hammocks in between my legs on the couch. She didn't even do that with my partner lol that being said, there was not only a feeling of surprise on her part but also a bit of jealousy 😏 not gonna lie, made me feel pretty good haha. There was definitely a shift in the household when we lost her. Unfortunately (and fortunately) there was a bit of a confusing atmosphere in our 4 (now 3) cat household. The same day that we lost Jopp-lynn, we introduced Evelynn. Don't come for me yet, it was completely unplanned. Evey (as call her, or silly butt) was around 6-7weeks old when she stumbled upon my old place of employment and resided in a storage shed after someone heard her underneath it. She was coaxed out with some tuna and immediately claimed her spot. She was only there for maybe a week, week and a half before there was a crazy ice/snow/sleet situation in my state (Texas...yeah) and the temperature was expected to drop down to -17° wind-chill. So, that being said, as she held Jopp-lynn in her arms, in tears, my partner looks up at me and tells me to go get the kitten. She said she couldn't stand knowing that 2 could be lost in one night and if we could save 1, we should. There was absolutely no way Evey would have made it through the night. All she had to keep warm was a blanket that I brought her from home a few days before, which she was so very thankful for. I have the video of her making biscuits on it and meowing at me to prove it lol video makes me cry EVERY time I see it (hell I'm crying now just thinking about it) Needless to say, we only stayed a 3 cat household for a VERY short time. Was it planned? No. Was it ideal? No. But I'm a strong believer that the universe tends to line things up in ways that often test what we can do and how we handle certain situations and that was definitely one of them. We did introduce Evey to the others that night which I'm sure was confusing and probably angering in a way but, we did keep her separated from the others for a good while, a month or so maybe. Not only so they could get used to her from a far but to also give them some time to grieve for Joppy. I am glad to report that Evey integrated nicely with the others when the time came. There were a few bumps in the road and sometimes there still are. She's the youngest with a 7 year gap from the next to youngest. We still see little things from time to time that make us wonder if it's a sign that the others are still grieving Joppy in that moment. But since they can't tell us themselves, we just try to give more love to comfort them as best we can. Welp, this was a hell of a lot longer than I originally thought it would be.... I doubt many will even read it. But it's part of Jopp-lynn and Evelynn's story I don't think would be appreciated or valued as much anywhere else but here.
My cats have all shown grief when an older one has died. The most remarkable instance was when Sadie, a long-haired orange female, died. Her younger companion, Watson, showed obvious grief, even though he wasn't especially fond of her, by becoming unusually clingy. Sadie had a toy cat that looked just like her and meowed when pressed. She could activate the meow by herself when playing with it. Watson never touched it. Even years after Sadie died, whenever I squeezed that toy, Watson would come running and howl in a voice I never heard any other time. He would rub up against it and paw at it. I finally had to give up that toy because it disturbed him so much. I've had 10 cats spread over 45 years, mostly in pairs, and I can tell you that every one of them has shown at least two of the grief signs mentioned in your video. We work through the process together and I wait for signs from them that they're ready for another companion before I look for a new one. That's how it works in my household.
When we lost our Aeris, Tifa, who was definitely bonded with her became much more clingy. She was always a vocal cat, but she became even more vocal. We have tried to just make sure we are giving her more enrichment opportunities through play and attention. Making sure she has companionship with us as much as possible. It has become routine for her to curl up on the couch with me after dinner until bedtime. She's 14 and a senior and she just likes that closeness and cuddle time. We just are not at a place in life where it is a good idea to get another cat and Tifa is a bit of a Napoleon and I think bringing in another cat right now, probably would not go well given her personality.
My fur baby is nearly 20. that’s old enough that I’ve had her since I was in high school. She knew my parents’ cat very well and lived with him for the first several years of her life. She would still see him at holidays. The Christmas before he passed, she was extra cuddly with him, when he was usually the one more affectionate with her. I feel like she knew before any of us he was approaching the end. The next time she saw my parents and didn’t smell her friend, you could tell that she knew. She was a bit sad for a few days and cuddled a toy that he liked that she never used to pay attention to.
Two years ago we lost one of our two old cats. His biological brother, Silver, is still with us (now 15 years old) and the first few months after his brother passed away Silver kept looking for his brother. Then he transitioned to the state he's in now, which is that he is more vocal than he used to be (his brother was always more vocal than Silver, so it's like Silver took on that role) and he is also more clingy. Especially with a specific member of the family. He will follow her around when she's home and jump up behind her when she sits on a chair. And when she's at work and it's getting close to when she usually comes home he'll go and check the front door, and if she doesn't come home around that time he'll start being vocal. He never did that when his brother was with us. He used to be very quiet and more withdrawn, whereas his brother was the more vocal and very social one.
My cat Nudge has experienced 3 other cats pass at various times. He would search for them, meowing with a different sound than normal. The most recent passing was extremely hard on him. I found a stuffed animal the size of it, and would cuddle with it constantly until I brought a new cat into the family.
Neighbor cat, Plum, was super BBFs with an outdoor calico the neighbor called Porch Kitty. They went EVERYWHERE together. Around February Plum was taken indoors full time due to the weather but Porch Kitty was not good about being indoors despite the neighbor's best attempts. A month later Porch Kitty vanished without a trace. Around November I saw Plum was let out for the first time since February and the very first thing she did was go up to the tree in my yard where she and Porch Kitty use to play, sit, and wait for Porch Kitty. She meow'd and meow'd and looked around waiting, checked under cars in the street, and went to every spot I use to see them for well over a few hours. Plum has since moved on, but that scene will hasn't left me. I only hope good things happened to Porch Kitty and I give Plum as many pets as she wants when I see her.
In late April, we lost our beloved Mister Kitty to cancer, and his companion, Shanti, meowed and looked for him… I cried a lot, myself, and Shanti and I clung together for months. I went to their breeder, and arranged to adopt two more kittens, who arrived righ5 after Labor Day. We worked so hard to get everyone acclimated! Shanti never seemed to warm to them, although there was no fighting at all-that part worked. The kittens really wanted to get to know her. Then in November, she fell seriously ill, and after fighting hard for her, on December 2nd I had to let Shanti pass. The kittens’ appetites fell off a bit, and they stuck to me like Velcro for several days, which I really needed. We are better, day by day, but man, what a rough year! The flower remedies from your site have been so helpful-for me and the kitty boys,too.
I just lost my cat daughter 6 days ago. My other cat is nervous and sticking to me as much as she can. I feel she is mourning. She keeps asking for food and company. She cries more. Knowing that she's mourning makes my grief deeper, I am trying to be strong for her.
No doubt about it. My cats' have greived my longer absences and miss me when I just go to work daily. I plan to take them with me if I ever move out again for sure.
I know some people that show the passed away cat to the others to let them know. When my first two cats cooke and cheri. When cookie passed away the other was going around looking and meowing for her. It was pretty sad. They came from the same rescue and same room adopted a month apart. Cookie was my first cat and my heart kitty. I miss them both.
I had a cat, Tucker as well as 2 other cats (at that time) and my dog, a standard poodle, named Gus. Tucker was older than Gus but Gus had cancer and had to go to the Rainbow Bridge at only 7 years old. I remember Tucker clearly mourning Gus although they didn't seem to be bonded in anyway when they were together. When Beckett, a new pup moved in, Tucker would not allow Beckett near any of the toys that had belonged to Gus. Tucker did not react and mourn the departure of any of the cats like he had mourned Gus. (And my eyes are filling with tears remembering.)
I will never forget the moment our cat, Scrappy left his body & jumped over to the waiting arms of my deceased father. Some things you KNOW you’ve seen, you just know it was real. I’ll never forget how happy I was to see this! ❤😻❤
About 9 months ago,me and my wife had to have our snowshoe,Brisket,euthanized. He was losing weight rapidly. The cause ended up being mouth cancer. He and his house bro,Oliver,were kinda close. We had brought Oliver home in late 2019,and it took them a couple of months to get used to each other. We had a cat tree which Oliver used quite frequently. Brisket didnt climb up there often,as it seemed he didnt like heights. But when he did,they both seemed to just enjoy chilling out. Ever since my Brisk passed away,I haven't seen Oliver use it once. And he has since became at least 75 percent more vocal. Im not sure if those count as signs of grief. We had a scare with Oliver having pancreas issues,but fortunately,me and my wife were quick to jump on it. But I regret not being able to do the same for my Brisk. Its definitely a source of regret,among my other personal issues. My wife recently brought home a kitten. Ollie isn't happy. We have to give it time,I suppose. Thank you for making this video. Have a good day,everyone.
I lost my late Moki last year and both BeeBee and MaiMai looked for her. BeeBee was closest to her and thought of her as a mother figure. I helped foster 3 kittens between October 26th until November 9th and 11th. I was co fostering the kittens and the other foster gave raw honey. There was the possibility they had panleukopenia, giardia, coccidia or botulism from the raw honey(NEVER GIVE RAW HONEY TO ANY BABIES HUMAN OR ANIMAL USE CARO SYRUP OR VET RECOMMENDED GLUCOSE SUPPLEMENT FOR LOW SUGAR). They had hookworms and had been dewormed at 2 weeks via vet recommendation but they deteriorated so quickly. We had to put one to sleep on the 9th and he was the largest of them and the sickest. His brother passed naturally 3 hours later completely unexpected, they were 16 days old. Two days later the only female and runt of the 3, but the healthiest of the 3 I had to take in to put to sleep, she was 18 days old. I don’t like making comfort measure decisions but their bathroom parts had prolapsed from how bad they had gotten sick and they quit eating and I couldn’t bear to put them through any more. Just as my grief and agony of losing them was starting to lessen my vet decided that they couldn’t do anymore to help my BeeBee after more than 2 1/2 years of trying to fight an ear infection of strep and enterobacto(both were extremely antibiotic resistant) to do comfort measures. It was something I didn’t want to do because she still had quality of life. She was eating, playing, running around and jumping up and down, still very affectionate. When I had to make that call for Moki, she didn’t want to eat, didn’t interact with the other cats or people and was just sleeping as much as possible. I switched to wet food and it helped for a very short time but she didn’t have quality of life. I wasn’t going to put her through treatments that wouldn’t do much except prolong her life just so I could have her longer. I tried calling around to any and all local vets to see if any could recommend a better treatment or if they could do anything to help and either they weren’t taking new clients, would have kept her on the same antibiotic regimen or recommended comfort measures. Only one recommended a specialist to see if they could do anything and they weren’t able to. I cooked salmon and shrimp, gave her some plain turkey, the day before I ordered sushi and gave her the shrimp, tuna and salmon and I ate the rice. She got lots of cuddles and brushing and spent every minute I could with her. I took her in on the 10th and she went to be with Moki. I’m still absolutely devastated and an emotional wreck, barely holding it together. MaiMai hasn’t tried looking for her or calling her but she has started staying close to me. MaiMai is not an affectionate cat. She’s more of an athletic wild child who loves kitty parkour and usually tries to claw or bite if I try to hold her or snuggle with her. She hasn’t left my side much because she knows I’m distraught over losing BeeBee I’m bawling trying to type this and she’s glued to my side purring and letting me hold and pet her. I haven’t been able to sleep much or have much of an appetite along with no interest in doing much of anything except bare minimum to help out my mom. My doctor increased my antidepressants to double what I had been taking and it’s starting to help a little but honestly I lost my daughter. She was my BeeBee, my clingy kitty, my snuggle cuddle and nuzzle BeeBee, my Sweetness because of how affectionate she was. She was my fur child. She was my skittish kitty who didn’t like strangers. She tolerated my mom, was terrified of my brother(justified, I am too) and scared of my dad. I miss her so much it still hurts and I feel like the pain won’t ever go away. I got a pressing of her paw print along with the kittens and had their paws tattooed on my arm with their names to go with Moki’s paw and name so they’re always with me now. Their paws walk up my arm towards my heart because they all have a part of it
My cats were siblings, brother and sister, just about 3 years old. My little girl got sick and died very quickly within 24 hours and she passed at home. My boy cat knew something was wrong but did not show signs of distress. The day after I turned the tv on and soccer was playing. My little girl loved to watch games. I remember as soon as the game started, my boy looked toward the bedroom and seemed to follow something to the tv stand. From that day he has taken time to look under my bed and couch for his sister. He also became more clinging at night and was obsessed with grooming me. I made sure to play more with him and spend time with him during the day and allowed him some time to groom me, but I eventually got myself a bonnet, lol. I waited a few months and felt we were ready to foster and it took some time but he was so happy to have a buddy again. Long story short I foster failed. The important thing was taking care of my boy and myself and taking time and being conscious of not pushing things. He still looks under the bed and couch from time to time and I acknowledge that he is looking for his “sissy “ and I just pet him and tell him that she’s with him and misses him too. Thank you for posting this video, it is very helpful and reassuring. ❤
Absolutely they know. I adopted 2 brothers. When the 1st. One passed I brought the memory box and laid it on the bed. The grieving boy laid and wrapped his body around his brother 😢🎉❤
My cat Millie didn't like her companion cat a year ago and she definitely grieved. She's traumatized in a way as we came home with her body in a bag to bury her and before when we lost our little dog we had her in a little box. When my grandmother had to go into the hospital, she was so depressed and refused to eat much the three weeks she was gone so I think she thought my grandmother would come home in a box or bag too. When she came home, Millie perked up after a couple of days and went back to normal but it took a couple of months. It was sad to see her so depressed
I lost my 23 yr old Tessa a month ago, as I was leaving the clinic they asked if I was interested in a rescue they had had for 6 months,I went to see her and and ended up adopting a 9 yr, old blk female kitty , I wondered at the time if I was doing it too soon after , but as it turned out I have older loving kitty who the vet told me they were going to have to put down if I hadn't taken her. Previous owners couldn't find anyone to take her so they brought her to be put down. I'm still grieving my Tessa.
Our 18 year old boy has definitely grieved his friend who passed this summer. This is his first time ever being an only child and the transition hasnt been easy. He did eventually settle and find new routines. Hes still much more vocal than ever before. The other cat was the spokesperson of the two lol. I've gone back and forth on adopting another but considering the age and health of our current cat, we lean towards waiting and one day adopting 2 kittens to grow up together.
Vet - cats grieve, yes. I had a case with a patient, a young cat, the owners had gone for 7 days at sea, when they came back, the cat was not well. He got sick, subsequently contracted the coronavirus, which worsened and developed fip😢 . I think leaving a cat alone for a long time with an overflowing bowl of water and tons of food is not a good idea. Cats become attached to the home, but it does not mean that they do not want to have close contact with the owner!
My LeoLove had a huge crush on the neighbors cat Felix. Leo would watch for Felix, chirp and trill when he saw Felix, insist the I let him out to play with Felix or that I let Felix in. Felix spent a lot of time in our yard and house, he liked Fiona Kittens’ treats and learned quickly that if Fi and I were outside there would be treats. He liked to come in with Leo too (and try to get more treats). LeoLove and Felix played, explored, napped, and groomed each other. Then Felix disappeared, I didn’t see him for a few weeks; this was during Covid so people weren’t outside as much. LeoLove kept looking for Felix so I finally went next door to ask and found out that Felix died, probably hit by a car, his people found him under a tree inside the fence in their front yard three weeks earlier. 😢 LeoLove missed him, it took months before he was mostly his old self and he’s never been quite the same. He didn’t get to say goodbye. LeoLove sometimes likes our other cats, but he’s never loved anyone as much as he loved Felix.💔
My Cat Mitz passed, away and our second cat Manord, pass shortly after he was so sad. My cat Sophie, passed and our neighbors cat Porky, whom loved Sophie, passed within a few weeks later. Our cat Ellie, passed this year in February, and our neighbors cat, Hanky, who had a love/hate relationship,with her passed 4 months later, all animals grieve 😢❤.
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I hope you all found this video helpful! Please let me know if there are any new topics you'd like to see in 2025!
I found this video very helpful, Jackson. Thank you. ❤
As for new topics, have you done any videos about therapy cats in the past? Or what it would take for a cat to become a therapy cat? I think a video in that vein would be of interest. In addition, I think that a dive into the distinctions between service animals and emotional support animals is worth exploring further.
Jackson, I'm sure you get tagged a lot of tiktok, but I've tagged you in videos before trying to thank you. You literally saved my cats life, I've learned so much from you and your old TV show that I was able to get Luna off her medication, which was making things worse and used play therapy to treat her anxiety. I would like to run something by you if possible. I have a nonprofit organization that helps find missing people, and I'm looking into using rescue cats to pair with trafficking victims. My hopes are to help house a cat that may need an emotional support human and also give the human an emotional support cat. I'm just curious what your thoughts are on this. Is there any way to schedule a phone meeting?
Very helpful Jackson, although I can sense when my cats are affected by grief I need to be reminded because of all the conditions of being human in a modern society.
Definitely seen cats Greive. Adopted too kitten girls, at age 15 the one girl got some cancer, and we said goodbye. Her sister walked around looking for her sister. The surviving cat was so lonely that after a while I got her a friend and they became forever friends after a few swats and hisses. Years later, foster fail brothers decided to stay in my house. Both brothers got kidney disease one after the other. Brother Gin got sicker, and test wasn't favorable. So I said goodbye to Brother Gin. Brother Cub, remaining brother, became a lap cat and sadly he too died with a month or so. Previously Brother Cub was a scared cat.
I'd love to know your view on cat wheels / exercise wheels
I’ll never forget the moment when my cat Leo was nearing the end. Smokie and Fifi, the other two cats, who never really got along with her, surprised me by staying close. Despite their usual distance, they curled up beside Leo, all huddled together, quietly keeping watch. They simply lay there, resting next to her, until she let out a soft cry and then… she was gone. Even after that final moment, Smokie and Fifi didn’t leave her side. They stayed with her, offering their silent presence, as though they understood the weight of the moment. It was the most unexpectedly beautiful thing to witness. 🥹 Poor baby.
Cats are so loyal and beautiful.
Thank you for the story. It gives my husband & I hope.
We have two cats, Zayna, & her son Ziggy.
Zayna doesn't care for Ziggy. Sometimes she lashes out at him (no horrible fights thankfully).
Ziggy is in mad love with his mom, but his mom wants nothing to do with him. She seems to find him a nuisance.
We always thought that if Zayna died, Ziggy would probably die soon after from a broken heart.
But, we thought, if Ziggy died first, then Zayna wouldn't care.
After your story...I feel like she would care now. 🥺
Omg that's sooooooo sad 😢😢😢
That genuinely made me cry, all the more so because I've seen similar and know it to be true. Thankyou for sharing.
Thank you for this sad but such a lovely and loving story. I just recently lost our cat, who was about 18 1/2, almost 14 very happy years (for all of us) of which she lived with us, so I cried while reading your story. Thank you you!!
Cats definitely do grieve. From my experience they get depressed and search for the person or siblings pets. I found that giving extra love and attention helps with grieving
At the time when my husband passed away three years ago, we had two cats, two dogs, our daughter and each other. After he passed, the female cat went into depression. She had bonded to him more than the rest of us because he rescued her. We gave her extra love and attention, and she seemed to come out of it. After about one and a half to two years, a friend went into my husband's work room that we keep closed off to keep the animals out of the electronics and tools. The female cat went berzerk tring to get into the room. When the friend came out she was disappointed that it wasn't my husband. I don't think they forget as quickly as some people think they do. She seems to finally have accepted that my husband isn't coming back and is doing ok. Hopefully she will get past her grief.
Yes, my husband was in the hospital and his kitty searched for him for a couple days. She then just laid on his chair and waited for him. When he got home she was elated and followed him all over. He is at the hospital again. Just went this a.m. I am hoping just an ER treatment and he will come home. His kitty has been waiting by the door all a.m.
I had a tab open to Porter Robinson's "Russian Roulette" just before this video. One of the lyrics "I wanna kiss my cat one more time" as a reason to keep going and not end it all struck a chord when I heard it for the first time. When I reached a dark place due to ... world events ... I remembered my cat's lugubrious cries when I was away. (I cry as I write this comment)
I saved 2 cats so now I had 4 cats. One of them was a very shy and scared male cat. He and his brother were very close for 13 years. I was so proud of him because he dared trust me....
I noticed one day that he wasn't eating. I thought he just had a bad day but when he still didn't eat next day I phoned the vet. I had to come immediately but it was already too late. I was devastated. That night he tapped my face very gently as if to ask if he could sleep with me and now he was gone.😭
His brother kept crying for weeks. Looking for his brother and calling him, especially at the times he was used to play with his brother. He became very clingy towards me. Always had to be with me, sleep with me, sit with me until this day. his crying has become less. Sometimes he comes to me and starts crying and than I tell him I understand because I miss his brother too. I guess he understands what I am saying because he will stop crying.
I never knew this grieving proces of cats. I still feel sad thinking of Tet, the boy who died.....
Bas knows that I am there for him and he looks for me when he feels sad.
Thanks you, Jackson. I remember when our alpha gold tabby Spike passed when we lived in Redondo Beach. You came to our house to help us help our little Persian Muffie cope with grevinng the loss of the superhero Spike. You figured it out and helped us help her. You weren't famous back then. Who knew you would continue along your path and help so many cats and people.
He literally just said that there are no alpha cats
@@Aashishkebab Read the room.
My husband of 27 years left me last week. One of our 2 year old cats was particularly fond of him and has been very impacted. She seems as lost as I am but sweetly, has been very clingy, offering me comfort through my tears. All 4 of our cats have reacted in one way our other. Appetites off, oldest girl over-grooming, etc. A very sad household right now . . .😢
I'm so sorry. Take time to grieve and be gentle with yourself. All you have to do is make it through the day. BIG Hugs.
Over time, your special family will be able to slowly build their own relationships with each of you.
Take Care of yourself. ❤
Sending hugs 😢
😢😢😢❤❤❤
Yes they grieve and have emotions.
5 years ago I was slowly dying from liver disease. My siamese cat named Simon was always by my side. Before that he was a normal cat, Bonded to me, but otherwise was fairly aloof. However he literally never left my side during my decline. By some miracle I recd a liver transplant, which happen very quickly. I had a 2 week stay in the hospital after the surgery. During this 2 weeks my daughter reported he did not eat, and just laid on my bed. When I got home he heard me and came running and literally jumped in my arms. He refused to leave my side during my rapid recovery. He died last summer in my arms. And now it was my turn to grieve him.
😢😢😢😢😢
😭❤
One of my cats just passed this week. I let my other cats see his body. One just sniffed and walked away. The other lay down next to him and gently put a paw on his head and looked at me, obviously wanting to know what was going on. Even though they weren't buddies he had been in his life since he was a kitten. He's been looking for him and has had very uncharacteristic, angry, outbursts. I'm ignoring the anger and am giving him more love and offering more play time, even though he isn't interested in play right now. They definitely grieve, and need time.
😢😢
I'm so sorry ❤
When my cats BFF passed, he would lay staring off for months on our couch. And every time he would hear a noise, he would jump up with excitement but then collapse with sadness when he would see it wasn't his companion. It broke mine and my partners heart.
They love so they can also grieve. Had a cat who was attached to my dad and especially liked sitting in the bathroom while my dad shaved. When my dad died the cat would go sit in the bathroom each day around the time my dad would have been shaving, and sat and meowed the saddest meow i’ve ever heard. This went on for quite a while.
I don't like how there are still people who think animals don't grieve. They can feel emotions like we can. Thank you for this Mr. Galaxy.
Do you eat meat?
@@Aashishkebabwhat does that even mean? Must be a vegan.
@@jacquiestafford988 Jackson Galaxy is a vegan.
I can out do that by telling about the father of a friend my son had when they were children. The father was a hunter. He said with great superiority that animals don't feel pain. Now how about that one, ya'all
If you guys don't like my opinion/take, screw off. I already have enough of dealing with grief and being thrown off due to it.
This past March our German shepherd passed. 10 year old Handsome Kitty loved her so much and had known her his entire life. They slept together every night, ultimately he was devastated. He started yowling every night looking for her. It was heartbreaking to watch and as a family we gave him tons of attention, which turns out we all needed.
When my Morgana crossed the rainbow bridge, her brother would walk around the house over and over, as if looking for her. I was already heartbroken by the loss of my little panther, but it saddened me even more to see her brother grieved so much.
I had one cat who laid in the yard in one place, waiting for my dog, who had recently gotten hit by a car. They were best friends. They hunted together, slept together, and ate together. My cat never stopped waiting for him.
Mine did that waiting for Bella in the hall every morning and night as if I had forgotten to bring her home from her walk,my cat Susie grieved along time ❤ now Susie has passed a year now but they still visit together ❤️
@SB54-q3j It was heartbreaking 💔
@AmericaLives-r2m yes it is,I have a rescue Norwegian Forest now who is amazing but I still miss my beautiful girls everyday 😢 💔
I just lost one of my girls and I was needing some help with this... the timing is impeccable. Thank you, Jackson.
Me too! It was just yesterday and his timing was spot on for me. 😢
I had a cat, Sweety Pie, who howled for a month after our other cat died. They weren't even "buddies" Sweety Pie hung out with the dogs more than the other cat but, oh my, the crying/howling continued for a month till my husband said "I can't take this anymore. We need to get another cat." We welcomed Rascal to our home and crying stopped.
Ho, boy, our cat's grief landed her in kitty hospital. Just shy of his 15th birthday 2 years ago, our older cat Thor's liver failed over the weekend and he made a one-way trip to the vet the following Monday. Hanni girl, who was 8 at the time, actually perked up the first three days he was gone, perhaps because the stress and worry of Thor's illness had been lifted from the house. Her appetite was better than usual, the whole bit. Once she realized on the 4th day, however, that he was not coming home, she CRASHED. Would hardly touch her food, and mourned his empty bed by laying in it, which she never DARED to do when he was home. This went on for several days even though we fussed over her and tried to tempt her with toys and treats. Since she's always been very light in build any weight loss is an alarm, we took her to the vet and he noticed her back teeth were in very bad shape and suggested she have them removed, which we did, ANYTHING to get her eating. The dental work helped slightly for a few days, but she was still barely touching anything. She needed a new focus and a companion she could relate to over time, so we went kitten-shopping. I was also looking for a specific personality: outgoing and curious, much like Thor, was the vibe I was seeking and wasn't seeing in the 12 shelters we visited. 18 days later, we see a little grey tabby showing off doing somersaults in his cage while the other kittens stared at us stiffly. HE was the one. Naturally, when we brought him home the next day, Hanni did not want anything to do with him. She wanted her old friend back, and she sunk deeper into depression and stopped eating again, but she couldn't afford it. This time she went back to the vet and stayed with them for 3 days while they gave her medications to kickstart her appetite. Visiting her at the vet, she was friendly and outgoing with a full tummy and we were hopeful that she turned a corner. When we brought her back home and she saw the kitten was still there, however, a cloud visibly formed over her head and she slunk back under the furniture. Despite hissing at this little guy every time he tried to approach her, she still placed herself in areas where she could watch him from a distance. Then she would sneak up and steal a sniff of him when he was distracted. Later on she would let him lay down a couple feet away from her, and while she was clearly very conflicted about this upstart taking the place of her old friend, she was also fascinated by this rambunctious healthy little being bouncing around the house entertaining himself. 2 years later, this kitten, Oswyn by name (means divine friend), grew to a proud 11 pounds which dwarfs Hanni's 7 pound frame, but he ended up bringing out the absolute best in her. She always had wanted to groom Thor's fur, but he often fought her attentions off. Oswyn lets her groom his fur to her heart's content, then he turns round and grooms HER fur, which is a relationship and a heaven she had always longed for. They beg for treats side by side, and negotiate who gets to sleep where on the human's bed without fuss or fighting. Hanni is more relaxed, happy, outgoing, affectionate and mischievous than she's ever been since we adopted her, but she had to have help surviving her grief and accepting a new friend to get there.
I love this story. Glad it had a wonderful ending. I was reading it, thinking ,get another cat/kitten!
Roommate took over care for his mother's cat after she died. In the weeks after, cat was restless and agitated and more vocal than usual even for her. She was clearly very upset. At least she had a sweater from her first human - she spent so much time curled up with it on the loveseat making biscuits in it.
We recently lost our oldest cat a couple of weeks ago. He was 17. The other 3, all rescue cats have been very subdued since then. They seem to be getting better and their relationship has been evolving since he left. Even though we have 3 other cats the house seems kind of empty since he died. I miss him a lot.
RIP Momo, 2004-2021. I still cry sometimes, and grief mountain can't be conquered, but after a lot of processing and healing I'm walking easier in my journey up the slope.
My girl's name is Mochi, which is often shortened to MoMo. My heartfelt condolences.
My cat is Moses, or Momo, he’s so old now😥😰😢😭
A couple of weeks ago, one of my 4 cats died. He was 3 yrs old, too young to die and it came as a shock. I love all my cats and they all have very different personalities. Bimbo (in Italian means small boy) was unique and I will miss him forever. The night he died, I was obviously devastated, but my other three cats also behaved very differently than normal. They all came to my bed and slept very close to me, which is something they didn’t do before since my bed is very small and the cats rotate sleeping with me two at the time each night. But since Bimbo died they all are much closer to me than ever.
Same type of thing happened to me. A week ago, I lost my Boo unexpectedly. He was only 4. He was everyone’s favorite, and very special. My other cats, one at a time, slept with me, which they never do. I know they were comforting me in the saddest time. Perhaps Boo told them to go be with Mom.
They absolutely do. My son and daughter in law died last year. My son in an accident and my daughter by suicide due to grief. Their cat grieved very hard. I took her out of their house the next day to my home. It took her a few months to get back to her “bad self”.
I’m so sorry for all of you losses.
I am so sorry for your loss
That’s heartbreaking, I’m so sorry
For a long time she would sit on the cat tree by my bedroom window and look out toward where my son’s homestead was and mewl.
I'm so sorry - this brings me tears now. I'm so sorry you lost your young family. Your D-I-L let her grief take her over without thinking who else would grieve her.
21:45 My cat is almost 11 years old. When he was one year old, my 12 year old lab mix died suddenly in our home. We humans were shocked and heartbroken over the loss. For almost a month, my cat (he is strictly indoor) waited by the patio door where we let our dog in and out. Not long after, my life partner passed away after a long battle with lung disease. Through no fault of his own, my cat became less social around human visitors. There were very few even before these losses, so I didn’t (and still don’t) consider this a drastic change in behavior. I have made the conscious choice to not add any animal family members until his time comes to cross the rainbow bridge. That choice is for HIS wellbeing, not mine. In the future I intend to adopt a bonded pair of cats, not necessarily kittens, but preferably older kitties. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jackson! Thanks for everything you do ❤
Absolutely, because they’re filled with love!❤
Wow, this video came out when I really needed it. My wife and I just had to put down our sweet elderly man, Mr. Hooper. Our other cat, Cadence, never seemed very attached to him on the surface. But we can tell she's behaving differently. She's been laying in his usual spots, following us around the house, acting very clingy. Her appetite hasn't been great and she has been stress grooming. It's been less than two weeks, so it's still fresh for all of us.
Mr Hopper OMG I love that name for a cat. I still remember when he died on sesame Street
🐱🌈💔
They do for sure. For other cats and their humans. I adopted an elderly cat after her human passed. She would always move only the toys she came with back to her bed. Play with other ones I owned, but not the ones that came with her. My wife recently passed, and our other car, who we both adopted is always running out the door to look around and come back in. Looking for my wife, a behavior she never did before my wife left and never came home.
This could not have come at a better time. I lost one of my babies to cancer 3 weeks ago. Between the anticipatory grief and the huge hole left thereafter, his brother is clearly heartbroken. He looks and smells for him constantly and is exhibiting a lot of these traits.
We are of course heartbroken too and things are very heavy in general this Christmas. Thank you Jackson! 💔✌️
We had two cats and 1 dog when our first cat passed on. Our second cat while in mourning ended up changing the dynamic of our household completely. He sought more comfort in the dog (who he was never interested in before) and grew very attached to my wife and myself. The cat we lost was "my" cat and it felt like we were almost mourning her loss together. In the end, my wife and I knew the next chapter was ready when we started to notice him moving past grief into an almost lazy and lonely state. He never existed without another cat before so we adopted a new cat and he changed completely! The old guy had his fire again and luckily our new kitten has fit into this household like a glove. We kept many items around and it was interesting watching the kitten learn the dynamic in understanding that someone was there before her. When you know you are ready, somehow you just know.
After my sweet Meow-Meow passed, my cat Scamp stopped coming into the bedroom or sitting on the couch. She also started wailing at night for about four months. At first, my vet said she had arthritis. And I was like, “The next day she just sporadically got arthritis??” Then he said cats don’t grieve, they just respond to a change of routine. And that didn’t resonate either. Then the last time he saw her, he said something that made sense: cats do grieve and because they don’t have to go to work and basically shove down their emotions like we do, they can take six to 12 months to “snap out of it”-meaning process and feel their grief because they can. For some reason, that made me feel a little better, just understanding she needed my empathy more than a remedy. ❤❤❤
I had a cat who grow up with a dog. They had been pup and kitten together and were tight. When the dog passed away, the cat grieved and gave up on life. She didn’t want to be without him. Cats love and grieve when a loved one passed away. No doubt about that.
When my brother moved out, my cat Zelda would hang out in a spot right by his door, as if she was waiting for him to come out of the room. It was so touching to see, and I kept wishing I could explain to her that he just lives somewhere else now. She's always happy when she gets to see him again.
Our cat ignored my sister completely after she moved out. When she came to visit the cat would always show her her backside. It was hilarious!!
Cats do grieve .We lost Heini our 14 year old to a long illness last Sunday at 5pm . Our remaining 7 rescues are very subdued especially Heini!s sister Mali who has slept in her sisters bed since sunday night .12 almost 13 year old Kurt (who Heini mothered from when we rescued him and his sister Kayleigh ) haas been very vocal and pacing the kitchen and bedroom.He seems more settled tonight .We have just given them all extra love and patience .Journey well Heini and take our love with you ❤❤❤❤
I can't tell you how helpful videos like this are. Moglee my BF of 14 years passed away from cancer in October. I still cry, however the video series on Caroline really help me so much. Ella my other cat and I are still healing.
Thank you for everything you do for the cat community.
Thanks for the tips, Jackson. Our cat, Ozy, is sad that his main human moved out after getting married and has adopted a new kitten. His grieving is real.
We just lost our 20 year old black cat, Lucy yesterday. She had been on the decline for awhile and the vet had done everything they could. She was on pain meds and one day she could walk and then yesterday she couldn't. It was time. She had her favourite food for lunch and had an afternoon outside on the grass with us. She had a very peaceful transition. We are devastated and loved her very much and have her wrapped and ready for burial this morning and our two remaining cats definitely know. They have come to smell the box a few times and are trying to process it. They are both very subduded and one who was particularly close to old Lucy is going room to room looking for her. As macabre as it might sound. I've left her in the hall for a few hours so the others understand that she is gone. I do think it helps them process it all. I'm having a hard enough time myself😭
Yes they do. When my beloved light ginger boy died, our others grieved and were off for around a year. His litter mate howled for 6 months straight. He is still a big sook, and it helped getting kittens for him to Daddy and raise. He took them on as if his kittens (he's neutered and all our cats are). It seemed to settled them all and find love in their loss. My mums cat had to put on antidepressants when my Dad died, the cat couldn't cope as he was my Dad's buddy.
Thank you Jackson. My baby boy definitely grieved when we lost his sister. What is truly amazing to me is he knocks many MANY things off shelves etc but he has NEVER touched his sister's urn. We both also felt much better when Ithy joined the family but he definitely treats her differently. Lovingly but different.
This came at a perfect timing, my 3year 9 month old orange tabby past a couple weeks ago. I bottle fed him as a newborn and nursed him back to health a few times in his life, he was really the character of the group and each of his brothers and mom all have handled things differently. I did get a couple new toys and treats because his twin and younger brother really took it hard which definitely helped. I held him while he passed because I wanted him to feel how much he’s loved and he peacefully ended up passing in my dads arms because he started fighting me holding him and I truly believe my boy didn’t want me to see him close his eyes. Now my 14 year old rescue boxer/ hound mix is about to pass. Thank you for this video , I truly needed this right now and of course for all you do❤
Thank you for this. Lost my cat couple weeks ago and my other cat has been grieving.
I just had to put my kitty to sleep due to aggressive cancer and he was bonded to my other cat. She now is grieving. I showed her him so she knew he was gone and didn’t just get brought away . She’s been laying in his bed depressed and acting more like she needs to be cuddled to me. They were always sleeping together or next to each other. So now I just try to be there for her as much as I can.
My cat missy died 2 yrs ago. But when she passed my second cay sissy walked back and forth in my house looking for her and crying, she definitely was sad. Then she looked at me who now im just sobbing like she knew and we now are very bonded. So yes cats do grieve!❤
My cat had a neighbourhood cat friend, who she got to know through the glass door, as she was a kitten. When she was ten months, they met in the garden, they were like siblings, buddies, and were together most days. When she was three, her friend out out to the road, and was run over, and instantly killed, it was such a shock, sadness, our cat visited her pals garden meowing for him, 😢 she definitely looked like she was grieving, meowing at night, spending time alone 😔 it was a tough time for us all trying to fill her full of comfort and fun, and playing relaxing soft music when she was resting. If only we could ask her about that time.
Oh gosh, Jackson … thank you so much for this video. We had four senior cats this time last year; we now have one. It’s been a TOUGH, tough year in our household. We are learning so much from each other (human and feline), and have intuitively done much of what you suggest to support Louise, our one remaining senior girl. An added complication for Louise is that she’s blind and relied at least partly on the other cats to navigate the household rhythms. In fact, one of our more difficult recent losses was her (also blind) sister. So part of what we’re doing for Louise is to leave soft radio on when we need to leave the house for a bit, and keeping her company while she eats, and maintaining predictability in her/our schedule. Our vet has been a wonderful support too. I don’t think I’m misreading my cat, but at least for now, she seems to be enjoying, or at least settling into, life as an only cat. We figure she’ll let us know if she changes her mind. Thanks again … sorry for a long comment! xo
Anticipatory grief is rough! I've been adopted by an extraordinary outside cat. And an outside cat that wouldn't be happy indoors. Partially because she's afraid of 99.9% of people. But despite this, she is exceptionally sweet to her person. I also am bracing myself for the reality that outside cats, especially in the country, only live for a few years. And because I bond so incredibly deeply, I'm in a place where I am trying to be aware of this so I'm not caught off guard. But at the same time giving her the emotional and physical connection she seems to absolutely crave.
Mine are grieving now, we lost a fur baby 6 days ago. I notice the bond will determine the amount of grieving they're going through.
My oldest was closer to our departed, she looks for the departed each time I come home, she is seeking more attention.
The wallflower and middle had a meltdown between me leaving for the vet, and returning, he has gone backwards with his mojo and back to wallflower.
The youngest was not bonded, and is aloof to the loss.
We have had many cats in our lives and they grieve. They have grieved over the loss of a fellow cat and person. We were told one time by a vet to get our cat a kitten so he has someone to take care. We did that and it helped him and he was a great father and lived a long life.
We recently lost our 3-year-old male cat the first week of December. My senior cat who is 14 never seemed to like him and stayed stressed out and withdrawn the entire time that we had him, that whole 3 years. He went to the vet and had emergency surgery and he came home and he never came out of the anesthesia. He passed away at home with us telling him how much we loved him. Our senior cat decided to take a nap in the last place that he was laying before he went to the vet and I'm guessing that's how she grieves? She did the same thing when our old dog passed away several years ago. She slept in all of her last places and cried for weeks trying to find her. However, our stressed out senior cat that we have seen for the last 3 years is already getting better. The light is back in her eyes and she's not hiding in high up places anymore and she greets us every morning when we get up now which stopped when we got the other cat. I truly believe they were a toxic combo because all the stressful behavior of her ripping out her fur and having bald spots all over her has completely stopped. I will admit it's a very strange way to see her grieve. She's grieved other household pets before and it took her weeks to get over it, but with this one it's almost like she got over it by the next day. She knew she could relax and that she was safe. We are going to be welcoming a Maine Coon kitten within the next week or so and I'm hoping that this one is a lot more compatible with our little old lady. We just couldn't handle not having a playful cat around anymore so it's time for us. This was a great video. Thank you!
Yes they do, we recently lost our beautiful boy, he was pure love, he was justbthe bestest boy. The whole house was in mourning, our other 2 cats were besides themselves for a couple weeks they wanted more attention than usual and I think they were also trying to make us feel better as well they are so caring and wonderful and loving we all started healing together. The cats would meow looking for him, and one was so over grooming she would be soaking wet we had to get her some anxiety meds. But its been 6 months and everyone is doing better. We still have our moments like right now I'm crying because he made such an impact on everyone he met. Just the ambassador of love ❤️ 😍.
This video couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you Jackson. Two 19 year old cats crossed the rainbow bridge in the safety and calm of their own home. It was so hard, but peaceful.
Merry Christmas Jackson to you and your family and God bless
Great video. I still miss my 16yr old kitty who passed a few years ago. We built a small shrine with his ashes. I dealt with a lot of guilt and it was my friend who recommended I adopt a new kitten some months later and I’m so glad I did. :) ❤
When the cat of my son got run over, the cats brother Filou went in dépression. They were so connected that Filou felt the loss of his Brother really deeply.
After a year i found him a new friend. In the beginning it was complicated but now they are great with one another.
Marry Christmas to you all ❤
❤ this video comes at a delicate time for our household, as big Aslan has recently transitioned, and his bonded brother Caspian is clearly grieving and fortunately cuddling up with his other friends xxx
I’m sorry for your loss. Great names!
@jenelleprins5306 thank you 😊 💞🙏🏼🤗
I couldn't watch this video in full as it brought back memories of a former cat companion that apparently I'm still not able to deal with more than a decade after their passing. But I appreciate that you made this video so I'm commenting instead of watching to show you my support 🙂
I’ve had an amazing animal communicator I talk to for years. She agrees with me that you have the same gift. You are a true blessing to felines.
Thank-you for your many helpful videos. I have 14 and a 16 year old cats, which I love. I had no intention of adopting another cat. We have a farm next door and I helped to collect 32 cats to spray and neuter. This past July a 4 month old diluted tortoiseshell showed up. All the shelters are full, so we took her in. Kept her isolated for a few weeks, did the usual vet stuff. Introduced her to the seniors, actually went much better than I thought it would. My amazing husband passed on October 19, 2024. When the funeral home came, the 16 year screamed! Of course I was grieving and I didn’t notice how weight she had lost over time. However she is about the weight she should be. I am paying more attention to her to show her how special she is to me. She is eating more but not as much as she used too. She is still grieving as I am but we are getting better. The 14 year old is getting heavier, she was stealing kitten’s food! So I moved it! As for the kitten, I am so grateful for her. She is a little sweet, love bug. So comforting and loving, so grateful that I have her and my husband enjoyed her too. I love hearts and she has a heart on side! Obviously she chose us for a reason. For the record he was the one that wanted the cats but I have grown to love them💕😘
Last summer, I had to put my 13 year-old cat Louie to sleep due to complications from cancer. I thought my other cat Gracie would be happy being the only cat. But she was not, she lost weight and cried constantly unless she was in my lap. Finally, after about six weeks, I went to the shelter and got another male cat to be her friend. Of course, being Cats, they did not immediately like each other. But they are now friends And both get in my lap all of the time. I still cry over Louie sometimes, but bringing in another cat has helped both me and Gracie. 2:28
Our dogs definitely grieve. We lost our oldest lab in a pack of 2 and the other spent about a week outside in the yard crying next to his burial site. I would go sit with him there and cry with him. He then spent about 6 months on the couch, not coming to bed with us as usual and not interacting much. I told hubby we've got to do something about this or we're going to lose him also, as he was 11 at the time and became very low energy for a lab after the passing of his friend.
We'd been discussing getting a puppy for our 4 yr old and decided to pull the trigger on it and our 11 yr old lab started coming out of his shell. He was supremely annoyed with the puppy at first but they both acclimated. It was such a relief to see our 11yr old playing again, asking for treats again, just interacting with the family again. We adopted another dog from the shelter about a year later and with a full pack of 3 everything changed. He's now 13, healthy and active as ever, and there's a healthy pack dynamic.
On a side note, one experience I'll never forget I was driving home late one night and hit a raccoon on the highway. As I slowed to take in what had just happened I saw 3 more run across, but they didn't go all the way to the other side. They all stopped at the one that had been hit. Hubby was driving behind me and almost hit them as well. I interpreted this to mean they didn't care that their lives were in danger, they needed to go see to their loved one. It broke my heart. I'll never forget it. 💔
We just said goodbye to my 11 year old buddy this morning and were wondering how our 5 year old cat would cope. This has been very helpful and comforting.
we had an older lynx point siamese cat [im not sure how old he was] from the cat distribution system, and a few years later it gave us a tabby kitten. the tabby LOVED the lynx point siamese, loved playing with his tail especially lol. a few years ago the siamese passed away, and you could definitely tell it affected the tabby. he's always been vocal but for a while after it seemed like he was looking for him. it was heartbreaking, but also sweet how much he loved him. Now the tabby's going to be ten years old next year. rest in peace, gunsmoke, you were such a sweet old man ♥
Ten days ago we euthanized ‘Jewel,’ our 11 y/o female cat and sibling to ‘Indy,’ our male cat.
Unknown to us, her suspected sinus infection/forehead swelling were related to cancer, setting us on an entirely different and painful path. No wonder the antibiotics were ineffective…
Since Jewel’s passing, Indy and ‘Josie’ (unrelated female 🐈⬛) seemingly are well, but definitely know ‘something’s off.’
I plan to implement JG’s recommendations in our dog/cat/human household. Thanks Jackson for your insights and feline wisdom!
RIP Jewel, we love and miss your beautiful presence in our lives. See you on the other side…
🙏🐈💛🌈🙏
The day my husband died my darling ginger boy, Rik, went berserk, turning around in circles, wandering around, just beside himself. He was clearly grieving so we found one of my husband's shirts and wrapped it around him. He snuggled down in it and slept the rest of the day. Someone took a photo and I treasure it. Its been 20 months since hubby died and until very recently both my fur babies would sit by the door waiting for their Dad to come home. They have been my greatest comfort since becoming a widow. It was pretty incredible when I would sit in the dark howling my head off because I missed my husband so much and my Rik would come and cuddle me, meowing like crazy and literally wrapping himself around my neck to try and comfort me. I cuddle my husband's pillow at night and my cats lie on it as well. We all feel comforted by it. I'm sure they can still smell him. Thanks so much for this video.
As someone who owns cats, I know that cats do grieve. When I was very young, my parents already had 2 cats, Seymour and Jessie. But when Seymour passed away, Jessie just gave up. All she did was eat, sleep, and get fat. She became so heavy that she had trouble getting into the litter box to do her "business," couldn't jump on the bed, and couldn't even clean her back.
Another example was with the brothers Jeffery and Simba. We adopted them in an animal shelter, of which both of them were in the same cage. They lived for about a decade and a half, maybe a bit longer, and the two were practically inseparable. One day, Simba came home hurt. We don't know what had happened, but whatever it was, it ultimately took his life the next day. After that tragic day, Jeffery was never the same. He would spend the remainder of his months just doing things we never expect him to, including jumping inside the cavity of a cut opened ceiling (long story, but we were replacing a broken pipe), or even disappearing for about three to six months before suddenly coming home. Eventually, Jeffery just seemed to give up, as one day, when we let him outside, he never returned. We think Jeffery just went to a random place near where we live and died. And in case anyone was wondering, yes. We did try to comfort Jeffery after his brother passed away.
I lost my husband Jan 6 2024 then lost my almost 20 year old cat on January 24 2024. Then had to move out of our apartment we lived in 20 years. Moved back in with my 81 year old mother. Thank God it was a smooth transition. My husband's favorite cat has become my mother's love bug, lap kitty. My husband went in hospital on Christmas. Came home on new years. Then passed 5 days later in hospice at home. Just give lots of love and attention to help them through grief.
I had 3 cats. So at least there was 2 left to comfort each other. There bond got stronger.
I'm sorry for your losses
@AlwaysAmTired Thank you. God has me and when I get sad I change my thought about happy memories.
I’m sorry for so many losses in such a short time.
@@rmonogue Thank you. God bless.
It's still amazes me how there are people out there who doubt or discount the mental capacity of animals and what they feel or understand; "they're an animal therefore they're hollow." I've lost several cats over the years and have definitely seen the grief of the other kitties. We had one kitty who even grieved the loss of our Australian Shepherd.
Thank you very much. This information came at the best time. I had to put my sweet Nola down on Monday. She had a pleural effusion and pneumonia. It’s been hard for myself and my other babies. You are a blessing to all cat parents.
Thank you so much for this video Jackson. It is exactly what I needed. My heart is still grieving over the recent loss of one of my babies. This confirmed that I handled her loss correctly with the other two fur babies that I have. This was much needed at this time.
I had the pleasure of living with 2 wonderful male cats for 12 years. Both were rescues. Unfortunately, one had cancer and I had to make the difficult decision of having him put down. I had it done at home. His friend witnessed it. I brought him over to smell the body. I switched his collar for his buddy's collar. Over the next few days, he slept in all the spots his buddy favored. He even switched places on the bed, again choosing his buddy's spot. I believe 'seeing' his friend go helped him understand and accept.
I have had 2-3 cats for over 25 years, in practice three "generations". At least three of these cats (all the male ones) did experienced similar big personality changes after the grieving process, All three went from youngest to oldest cat in the household. They all were about 2-3 year old and had until the loss behaved like overage kittens, one were even still occasonally breastfed by his adopted cat mom. After grieving they all shifted to be act responsible and mature, caring and even authoritarian (one suddenly could stare every other cat, and dog, into submission, he never ever had to hizz or fight). All of them were very friendly and caring to new cats in the household, so we were for many years a very good shelter home.
Our bold cat that "raised" our feral kitten got out & was hit by a car 2 months after we moved to our new home. Our then 2yo baby was so traumatized, he became a complete wallflower. Refused to play for months. It's taken over 1.5 yrs to help him regain his confidence.
I was fortunate to have two wonderful cat neighbors for a few years. They played together, visited me a lot for snacks or naps, it was great. I loved both of those girls and was very thankful for their constant presence (especially when the pandemic hit). Some time later, one of the neighbors moved, so me and one of the girls were one best friend short. But we still had each other and we immediately stepped up our love for each other. Unfortunately I hd to move myself some time later. I miss them both, I hope they’re doing alright.
Fly was never very noticably close or affectionate with Talyn, but when he passed away, she definitely became more vocal and clingly. I knew she was missing him.
I eventually adopted another cat and she definitely mellowed back out after that. She still isn't cuddly or openly affectionate with him, but I can tell she likes and NEEDS another kitty companion in her life. Kitties are social critters and still love and mourn in their own ways!
My cats usually react to me being inconsolable. Then they show me signs of the transition (as your dog did), then later they show me they are visiting from Heaven. ❤ It never gets easier for the humans, in my experience, and I work with my animal communicator, who has taught me a lot! ❤
Would you be so kind as to share who your animal communicator is? I lost one of my kitties in June, and he was so very special. Thank you!❤
I just lost my cat, Sasha..17 yrs old but I only had her for 3 years as a rescue during the pandemic. 😢 I gave her the best life I could but in a 12 hr span, she had 5 seizures…
So Karinn (10 yrs) is left without another.. they were not best friends but once in awhile they would get butt close for warmth. She seems to sleep more but she is eating. And she follows me around a lot more..checking in on me. She has taken over a lot of meowing in the morning like Sasha and she is more than ever, a lap cat! I am blessed to have Karinn, I know it!❤😊 🙏🏽🙋🏻♀️❣️
When my orange tuxedo Shandy was euthanized, he was an only cat that we had for 17 yrs. He was an amazing companion animal that got sick, wouldn’t eat, lost weight & I took him to vet but they had no answer until it was too late. I ran him to emergency vet, they said he had a bad liver & needed to be put down. I was devastated thinking I had at least a few more yrs with him. That was 3 yrs ago. Now I have 3 boys I adore. I adopted the first one about 4 mos after Shandy from a humane society. He’s fixed black & white tux, was 6 mos old at the time. Went to a different humane society a month later. They had a ginger tabby, he was 6 yrs old & had been re-homed twice. I went rite down & got him. He’s so smart & sweet. Then I had a feral kitten in my yard that I befriended, a male that was about 3 mos old. Had him fixed, shots, etc.all 3 are so great, each 1 different & special. Can’t afford any more since I make sure they eat healthy expensive food, have several cat trees, many different beds thruout house, toys, indoor cats like Shandy was.🥰❤️🤗
Miss Shandy terribly
when I was a kid, we had a dog (Max) and a cat (Purdita). They were close, they'd curl up and sleep on the couch together and tag-team stealing leftover food. Sadly, Max eventually died, put down by the vet because cancer. Purdy vanished, presumably searching for him, for a few weeks. When she came home, she refused to eat and she'd sleep more. Despite the best care her vet could give, Purdy died. She couldn't live in a world without Max
Your Purdy had to have died of a broken heart. 💔
I’m so sorry.
Ugh this video has me in tears. I love it though.
It's astonishing to me to think that there are people who don't realize or believe that animals mourn the passing of another pack member.
It's been almost year since my partner and I lost our beautiful tortoise shell, Jopp-lynn. She was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered in a cat. She was already older when I met her and I was told that she would most likely keep her distance from me due to her anxiety to strangers. To my and my partner's surprise, It didn't take long for her to start making blanket hammocks in between my legs on the couch. She didn't even do that with my partner lol that being said, there was not only a feeling of surprise on her part but also a bit of jealousy 😏 not gonna lie, made me feel pretty good haha.
There was definitely a shift in the household when we lost her. Unfortunately (and fortunately) there was a bit of a confusing atmosphere in our 4 (now 3) cat household. The same day that we lost Jopp-lynn, we introduced Evelynn.
Don't come for me yet, it was completely unplanned.
Evey (as call her, or silly butt) was around 6-7weeks old when she stumbled upon my old place of employment and resided in a storage shed after someone heard her underneath it. She was coaxed out with some tuna and immediately claimed her spot. She was only there for maybe a week, week and a half before there was a crazy ice/snow/sleet situation in my state (Texas...yeah) and the temperature was expected to drop down to -17° wind-chill.
So, that being said, as she held Jopp-lynn in her arms, in tears, my partner looks up at me and tells me to go get the kitten. She said she couldn't stand knowing that 2 could be lost in one night and if we could save 1, we should. There was absolutely no way Evey would have made it through the night. All she had to keep warm was a blanket that I brought her from home a few days before, which she was so very thankful for. I have the video of her making biscuits on it and meowing at me to prove it lol video makes me cry EVERY time I see it (hell I'm crying now just thinking about it)
Needless to say, we only stayed a 3 cat household for a VERY short time. Was it planned? No. Was it ideal? No. But I'm a strong believer that the universe tends to line things up in ways that often test what we can do and how we handle certain situations and that was definitely one of them.
We did introduce Evey to the others that night which I'm sure was confusing and probably angering in a way but, we did keep her separated from the others for a good while, a month or so maybe. Not only so they could get used to her from a far but to also give them some time to grieve for Joppy. I am glad to report that Evey integrated nicely with the others when the time came. There were a few bumps in the road and sometimes there still are. She's the youngest with a 7 year gap from the next to youngest. We still see little things from time to time that make us wonder if it's a sign that the others are still grieving Joppy in that moment. But since they can't tell us themselves, we just try to give more love to comfort them as best we can.
Welp, this was a hell of a lot longer than I originally thought it would be.... I doubt many will even read it. But it's part of Jopp-lynn and Evelynn's story I don't think would be appreciated or valued as much anywhere else but here.
My cats have all shown grief when an older one has died. The most remarkable instance was when Sadie, a long-haired orange female, died. Her younger companion, Watson, showed obvious grief, even though he wasn't especially fond of her, by becoming unusually clingy. Sadie had a toy cat that looked just like her and meowed when pressed. She could activate the meow by herself when playing with it. Watson never touched it. Even years after Sadie died, whenever I squeezed that toy, Watson would come running and howl in a voice I never heard any other time. He would rub up against it and paw at it. I finally had to give up that toy because it disturbed him so much. I've had 10 cats spread over 45 years, mostly in pairs, and I can tell you that every one of them has shown at least two of the grief signs mentioned in your video. We work through the process together and I wait for signs from them that they're ready for another companion before I look for a new one. That's how it works in my household.
When we lost our Aeris, Tifa, who was definitely bonded with her became much more clingy. She was always a vocal cat, but she became even more vocal. We have tried to just make sure we are giving her more enrichment opportunities through play and attention. Making sure she has companionship with us as much as possible. It has become routine for her to curl up on the couch with me after dinner until bedtime. She's 14 and a senior and she just likes that closeness and cuddle time. We just are not at a place in life where it is a good idea to get another cat and Tifa is a bit of a Napoleon and I think bringing in another cat right now, probably would not go well given her personality.
My fur baby is nearly 20. that’s old enough that I’ve had her since I was in high school.
She knew my parents’ cat very well and lived with him for the first several years of her life. She would still see him at holidays.
The Christmas before he passed, she was extra cuddly with him, when he was usually the one more affectionate with her. I feel like she knew before any of us he was approaching the end.
The next time she saw my parents and didn’t smell her friend, you could tell that she knew. She was a bit sad for a few days and cuddled a toy that he liked that she never used to pay attention to.
Two years ago we lost one of our two old cats. His biological brother, Silver, is still with us (now 15 years old) and the first few months after his brother passed away Silver kept looking for his brother. Then he transitioned to the state he's in now, which is that he is more vocal than he used to be (his brother was always more vocal than Silver, so it's like Silver took on that role) and he is also more clingy. Especially with a specific member of the family. He will follow her around when she's home and jump up behind her when she sits on a chair. And when she's at work and it's getting close to when she usually comes home he'll go and check the front door, and if she doesn't come home around that time he'll start being vocal. He never did that when his brother was with us. He used to be very quiet and more withdrawn, whereas his brother was the more vocal and very social one.
My cat Nudge has experienced 3 other cats pass at various times. He would search for them, meowing with a different sound than normal. The most recent passing was extremely hard on him. I found a stuffed animal the size of it, and would cuddle with it constantly until I brought a new cat into the family.
Neighbor cat, Plum, was super BBFs with an outdoor calico the neighbor called Porch Kitty. They went EVERYWHERE together.
Around February Plum was taken indoors full time due to the weather but Porch Kitty was not good about being indoors despite the neighbor's best attempts. A month later Porch Kitty vanished without a trace.
Around November I saw Plum was let out for the first time since February and the very first thing she did was go up to the tree in my yard where she and Porch Kitty use to play, sit, and wait for Porch Kitty. She meow'd and meow'd and looked around waiting, checked under cars in the street, and went to every spot I use to see them for well over a few hours.
Plum has since moved on, but that scene will hasn't left me. I only hope good things happened to Porch Kitty and I give Plum as many pets as she wants when I see her.
In late April, we lost our beloved Mister Kitty to cancer, and his companion, Shanti, meowed and looked for him… I cried a lot, myself, and Shanti and I clung together for months. I went to their breeder, and arranged to adopt two more kittens, who arrived righ5 after Labor Day. We worked so hard to get everyone acclimated! Shanti never seemed to warm to them, although there was no fighting at all-that part worked. The kittens really wanted to get to know her. Then in November, she fell seriously ill, and after fighting hard for her, on December 2nd I had to let Shanti pass. The kittens’ appetites fell off a bit, and they stuck to me like Velcro for several days, which I really needed. We are better, day by day, but man, what a rough year! The flower remedies from your site have been so helpful-for me and the kitty boys,too.
I just lost my cat daughter 6 days ago. My other cat is nervous and sticking to me as much as she can. I feel she is mourning. She keeps asking for food and company. She cries more. Knowing that she's mourning makes my grief deeper, I am trying to be strong for her.
No doubt about it. My cats' have greived my longer absences and miss me when I just go to work daily. I plan to take them with me if I ever move out again for sure.
I know some people that show the passed away cat to the others to let them know. When my first two cats cooke and cheri. When cookie passed away the other was going around looking and meowing for her. It was pretty sad. They came from the same rescue and same room adopted a month apart. Cookie was my first cat and my heart kitty. I miss them both.
I had a cat, Tucker as well as 2 other cats (at that time) and my dog, a standard poodle, named Gus. Tucker was older than Gus but Gus had cancer and had to go to the Rainbow Bridge at only 7 years old. I remember Tucker clearly mourning Gus although they didn't seem to be bonded in anyway when they were together. When Beckett, a new pup moved in, Tucker would not allow Beckett near any of the toys that had belonged to Gus. Tucker did not react and mourn the departure of any of the cats like he had mourned Gus. (And my eyes are filling with tears remembering.)
I will never forget the moment our cat, Scrappy left his body & jumped over to the waiting arms of my deceased father. Some things you KNOW you’ve seen, you just know it was real. I’ll never forget how happy I was to see this! ❤😻❤
About 9 months ago,me and my wife had to have our snowshoe,Brisket,euthanized. He was losing weight rapidly. The cause ended up being mouth cancer. He and his house bro,Oliver,were kinda close. We had brought Oliver home in late 2019,and it took them a couple of months to get used to each other. We had a cat tree which Oliver used quite frequently. Brisket didnt climb up there often,as it seemed he didnt like heights. But when he did,they both seemed to just enjoy chilling out. Ever since my Brisk passed away,I haven't seen Oliver use it once. And he has since became at least 75 percent more vocal. Im not sure if those count as signs of grief. We had a scare with Oliver having pancreas issues,but fortunately,me and my wife were quick to jump on it. But I regret not being able to do the same for my Brisk. Its definitely a source of regret,among my other personal issues.
My wife recently brought home a kitten. Ollie isn't happy. We have to give it time,I suppose. Thank you for making this video. Have a good day,everyone.
Bruv this is important information you're giving. Also had to watch in chunks because it hurts so good😅. Thank you for sharing your wisdom as always❤❤
I lost my late Moki last year and both BeeBee and MaiMai looked for her. BeeBee was closest to her and thought of her as a mother figure. I helped foster 3 kittens between October 26th until November 9th and 11th. I was co fostering the kittens and the other foster gave raw honey. There was the possibility they had panleukopenia, giardia, coccidia or botulism from the raw honey(NEVER GIVE RAW HONEY TO ANY BABIES HUMAN OR ANIMAL USE CARO SYRUP OR VET RECOMMENDED GLUCOSE SUPPLEMENT FOR LOW SUGAR). They had hookworms and had been dewormed at 2 weeks via vet recommendation but they deteriorated so quickly. We had to put one to sleep on the 9th and he was the largest of them and the sickest. His brother passed naturally 3 hours later completely unexpected, they were 16 days old. Two days later the only female and runt of the 3, but the healthiest of the 3 I had to take in to put to sleep, she was 18 days old. I don’t like making comfort measure decisions but their bathroom parts had prolapsed from how bad they had gotten sick and they quit eating and I couldn’t bear to put them through any more.
Just as my grief and agony of losing them was starting to lessen my vet decided that they couldn’t do anymore to help my BeeBee after more than 2 1/2 years of trying to fight an ear infection of strep and enterobacto(both were extremely antibiotic resistant) to do comfort measures. It was something I didn’t want to do because she still had quality of life. She was eating, playing, running around and jumping up and down, still very affectionate. When I had to make that call for Moki, she didn’t want to eat, didn’t interact with the other cats or people and was just sleeping as much as possible. I switched to wet food and it helped for a very short time but she didn’t have quality of life. I wasn’t going to put her through treatments that wouldn’t do much except prolong her life just so I could have her longer. I tried calling around to any and all local vets to see if any could recommend a better treatment or if they could do anything to help and either they weren’t taking new clients, would have kept her on the same antibiotic regimen or recommended comfort measures. Only one recommended a specialist to see if they could do anything and they weren’t able to. I cooked salmon and shrimp, gave her some plain turkey, the day before I ordered sushi and gave her the shrimp, tuna and salmon and I ate the rice. She got lots of cuddles and brushing and spent every minute I could with her. I took her in on the 10th and she went to be with Moki. I’m still absolutely devastated and an emotional wreck, barely holding it together. MaiMai hasn’t tried looking for her or calling her but she has started staying close to me. MaiMai is not an affectionate cat. She’s more of an athletic wild child who loves kitty parkour and usually tries to claw or bite if I try to hold her or snuggle with her. She hasn’t left my side much because she knows I’m distraught over losing BeeBee I’m bawling trying to type this and she’s glued to my side purring and letting me hold and pet her. I haven’t been able to sleep much or have much of an appetite along with no interest in doing much of anything except bare minimum to help out my mom. My doctor increased my antidepressants to double what I had been taking and it’s starting to help a little but honestly I lost my daughter. She was my BeeBee, my clingy kitty, my snuggle cuddle and nuzzle BeeBee, my Sweetness because of how affectionate she was. She was my fur child. She was my skittish kitty who didn’t like strangers. She tolerated my mom, was terrified of my brother(justified, I am too) and scared of my dad. I miss her so much it still hurts and I feel like the pain won’t ever go away. I got a pressing of her paw print along with the kittens and had their paws tattooed on my arm with their names to go with Moki’s paw and name so they’re always with me now. Their paws walk up my arm towards my heart because they all have a part of it
My cats were siblings, brother and sister, just about 3 years old. My little girl got sick and died very quickly within 24 hours and she passed at home. My boy cat knew something was wrong but did not show signs of distress. The day after I turned the tv on and soccer was playing. My little girl loved to watch games. I remember as soon as the game started, my boy looked toward the bedroom and seemed to follow something to the tv stand. From that day he has taken time to look under my bed and couch for his sister. He also became more clinging at night and was obsessed with grooming me. I made sure to play more with him and spend time with him during the day and allowed him some time to groom me, but I eventually got myself a bonnet, lol. I waited a few months and felt we were ready to foster and it took some time but he was so happy to have a buddy again. Long story short I foster failed. The important thing was taking care of my boy and myself and taking time and being conscious of not pushing things. He still looks under the bed and couch from time to time and I acknowledge that he is looking for his “sissy “ and I just pet him and tell him that she’s with him and misses him too. Thank you for posting this video, it is very helpful and reassuring. ❤
Absolutely they know. I adopted 2 brothers. When the 1st. One passed I brought the memory box and laid it on the bed. The grieving boy laid and wrapped his body around his brother 😢🎉❤
Thanks
My cat Millie didn't like her companion cat a year ago and she definitely grieved. She's traumatized in a way as we came home with her body in a bag to bury her and before when we lost our little dog we had her in a little box. When my grandmother had to go into the hospital, she was so depressed and refused to eat much the three weeks she was gone so I think she thought my grandmother would come home in a box or bag too. When she came home, Millie perked up after a couple of days and went back to normal but it took a couple of months. It was sad to see her so depressed
I lost my 23 yr old Tessa a month ago, as I was leaving the clinic they asked if I was interested in a rescue they had had for 6 months,I went to see her and and ended up adopting a 9 yr, old blk female kitty , I wondered at the time if I was doing it too soon after , but as it turned out I have older loving kitty who the vet told me they were going to have to put down if I hadn't taken her. Previous owners couldn't find anyone to take her so they brought her to be put down. I'm still grieving my Tessa.
Our 18 year old boy has definitely grieved his friend who passed this summer. This is his first time ever being an only child and the transition hasnt been easy. He did eventually settle and find new routines. Hes still much more vocal than ever before. The other cat was the spokesperson of the two lol. I've gone back and forth on adopting another but considering the age and health of our current cat, we lean towards waiting and one day adopting 2 kittens to grow up together.
Vet - cats grieve, yes. I had a case with a patient, a young cat, the owners had gone for 7 days at sea, when they came back, the cat was not well. He got sick, subsequently contracted the coronavirus, which worsened and developed fip😢 .
I think leaving a cat alone for a long time with an overflowing bowl of water and tons of food is not a good idea. Cats become attached to the home, but it does not mean that they do not want to have close contact with the owner!
My LeoLove had a huge crush on the neighbors cat Felix. Leo would watch for Felix, chirp and trill when he saw Felix, insist the I let him out to play with Felix or that I let Felix in. Felix spent a lot of time in our yard and house, he liked Fiona Kittens’ treats and learned quickly that if Fi and I were outside there would be treats. He liked to come in with Leo too (and try to get more treats). LeoLove and Felix played, explored, napped, and groomed each other. Then Felix disappeared, I didn’t see him for a few weeks; this was during Covid so people weren’t outside as much. LeoLove kept looking for Felix so I finally went next door to ask and found out that Felix died, probably hit by a car, his people found him under a tree inside the fence in their front yard three weeks earlier. 😢 LeoLove missed him, it took months before he was mostly his old self and he’s never been quite the same. He didn’t get to say goodbye. LeoLove sometimes likes our other cats, but he’s never loved anyone as much as he loved Felix.💔
My Cat Mitz passed, away and our second cat Manord, pass shortly after he was so sad. My cat Sophie, passed and our neighbors cat Porky, whom loved Sophie, passed within a few weeks later. Our cat Ellie, passed this year in February, and our neighbors cat, Hanky, who had a love/hate relationship,with her passed 4 months later, all animals grieve 😢❤.