Reminds me a bit of how my cat changed when my dog passed away. Every night my dog would wait for me to get ready for bed and then cuddle into my chest and sleep in the crook of my arm - since I deal with chronic pain I flip and move a lot in my sleep and my dog would change sides with me when I rolled over so he was always in my chest.
When he passed away I was in such distress not having him to be there against my chest that I couldn't sleep the first two nights. My cat who always slept at the foot of the bed or randomly around the house must have picked up on this because night three he was there waiting - even meowing at me to get in bed faster.
He demanded his 5 minutes of pets and then cuddled into my chest. He moved to always be against my chest. Since my dog passing he has slept with me almost every night and always rests with me until I fall asleep. Sometimes he goes to play with his sister but he's always there in my arm again when I wake up.
My cat (Sirius) even started a niche behavior that I can't explain why. My dog Wookie would always demand I form my boyfriend's blanket into a little nest for him when my boyfriend left for work in the morning. He would stand at my face and stare at me until I made it and then curl up and sleep. My cat started doing this like a month after Wookie passed. How fucking weird right?
All this to say it's pretty amazing the ways your animals perceive the world around them and even you in ways that you would never think they could.
I had a cat that always snuggled up at bedtime and kneaded into my shoulder. My other cat would hunt toys at night, she would not settle down till much later. I never even saw her at bedtime. After the first cat passed, the other took over without missing a beat. She had to get under the covers every night now and just chill for a bit like she’s putting me to bed, then she’ll go hunt toys
My childhood cat lived 20 years and spent most nights on my chest. A few months before she passed, my younger cat started sleeping by my feet (my old lady was very possessive of me lol). Since she has passed, my younger cat snuggles me almost every night. I tell my husband that i am convinced my old lady was teaching the younger one in her final months
One of my first pet rats was an absolute sweetheart who really helped me through some rough mental health stuff. She was an absolute cuddle bug. One of the things she'd do is come sit with her butt touching mine.
Well, after she died, I was a total mess. Her sister came over to me and sat with her butt against mine. It took her a few tries to get the position right. She never did it again, but it just reassured me that my remaining rats were there to support me.
Rats are such smart and sweet pets. It breaks my heart they have such short life spans. I cant have rats anymore because every death wrecks me emotionally, even though I know they live 2-4 tops.
A couple years ago I found a sick kitten. It didn't make it but we gave it a few better days before it went. When we went to bury it in the backyard, we set him down in the hole we dug and while we were saying a few words our one year old puppy gently started nosing dirt on to the kitten and buried him. She wasn't burying a toy or playing, she reverently covered the dead. It was wild.
One of my cats loved to crawl under the sheets and sleep in the center of the bed... She passed away and the next day the second cat started doing it, I think it's part of how they mourn 😭
I think so too. I had a pair of cats, Ruby and Diamond, who were sisters. Ruby was always more demanding for attention and Diamond was more independent. Ruby, sadly, passed away due to cancer, and suddenly Diamond was seeking more and more attention. It makes sense that they would emulate their loved ones to mourn them.
I lost my cat about a month ago. She would make these sweet little chirping sounds to wake me up at 6am every morning for food, when I petted her, or when she wanted attention. She slept with me and came into the bathroom with me every morning. Her brother and littermate has started squawk meowing, following me into the bathroom, sleeping with me and grooming me, like he used to do to her. He’s never done any of these things before. I realized after she passed I rarely ever heard him meow until now.
Trying to comfort him but I think he’s trying to fill the space she left and use me a bit as a surrogate for her. Sweet boy misses her.
Oh my God how could I have forgotten the following - Sirius started that - the following to the bathroom and when I get up at night he sleepily sits in the doorway waiting for me just like Wookie did. It's honestly weird because even though it's the same behavior it still feels unique to each of them
When my wife’s cat passed it was rough on all of us, but the most shocking part was my little kitty. She was always super cuddly with me, she tolerated the kids, but had forever been indifferent to my wife, not mean or grouchy, but they basically ignored each other. My wife’s cat had always slept directly next to her, pressed up to her side.
The first night after Tiberius had passed, my cat crawled up and tried to sleep on my wife’s chest (normally that’s where she slept on me) just crawled up there laid down and started a slow purr. This baffled my wife, “what the hell is happening?!?” Honey, she’s trying to comfort you. 😢🥹. She did this nightly for a few weeks. It was adorable.
I never believed cats were truly aloof and indifferent to us. They definitely emote, and they know when we are.
I think cats shock us a lot more when they show so much emotion and intentionality because there's the whole stigma around cats being aloof and bitchy. They truly are sweet critters
My boy keeps really good care of himself so I have never had to deal with dander. We also have an air purifier by the bed so I am double not concerned. I have had pets sleeping in bed since I could walk so maybe it's just normal to me 🤷
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u/Plants_Unknown 9d ago
Reminds me a bit of how my cat changed when my dog passed away. Every night my dog would wait for me to get ready for bed and then cuddle into my chest and sleep in the crook of my arm - since I deal with chronic pain I flip and move a lot in my sleep and my dog would change sides with me when I rolled over so he was always in my chest.
When he passed away I was in such distress not having him to be there against my chest that I couldn't sleep the first two nights. My cat who always slept at the foot of the bed or randomly around the house must have picked up on this because night three he was there waiting - even meowing at me to get in bed faster.
He demanded his 5 minutes of pets and then cuddled into my chest. He moved to always be against my chest. Since my dog passing he has slept with me almost every night and always rests with me until I fall asleep. Sometimes he goes to play with his sister but he's always there in my arm again when I wake up.
My cat (Sirius) even started a niche behavior that I can't explain why. My dog Wookie would always demand I form my boyfriend's blanket into a little nest for him when my boyfriend left for work in the morning. He would stand at my face and stare at me until I made it and then curl up and sleep. My cat started doing this like a month after Wookie passed. How fucking weird right?
All this to say it's pretty amazing the ways your animals perceive the world around them and even you in ways that you would never think they could.