Losing a beloved pet is very painful for us and there were many studies of grief after the death of an animal companion in humans. Much less is known about grief in animals. Observations of wild animals such as elephants, dolphins, whales and primates show behaviours that suggest grief, like carrying a dead infant or visiting sites of the death of a deceased group member. It has been hypothesised that grief helps maintain group cohesion in social animals. Interestingly, a study in guinea pigs showed that brain regions activated after separation from the young were similar to ones in humans experiencing grief. Among pet species, dogs’ grief also attracted some research, while very little is known about cats’ grief.
Domestic cats descend from solitary wild cats and are often considered loners. However, cats can form close bonds with each other, humans and even other pets. But how does the death of an animal companion affect cats? To address this question researchers asked owners how their behaviour changed after the death of another animal (cat or dog) in the household.
One study reported that more than half of the cats showed more affectionate behaviour towards the owners or even became clingy/needy. However, it should be noted that some cats actually showed less affectionate behaviour. Many cats also sought out the deceased animal’s favourite spot. Almost half of the cats meowed more and many did it louder than before. Some of these changes lasted more than two months. There was no difference depending on whether the deceased animal was a cat or dog and whether the cat viewed the deceased companion’s body.
A recent study investigated how different factors affect cat’s behaviour after the death of their animal companion. It showed that attention-seeking behaviours were more common if people were more attached to the surviving cat. Such behaviours were also more pronounced the longer the animals had lived together. The more time the cat spent in activities like sleeping, playing, grooming or fighting together with the deceased companion, the more grief-like behaviours (hiding, looking for the deceased and sniffing its places) and more fear the cat showed days following the death. The more positive relationship between the two individuals the less cats slept, ate or played after the death of their companion. Caregivers who experienced greater grief reported that the surviving animals spent more time sleeping, hiding or spending time alone weeks and months after the death of the companion. None of the studied behaviours differed depending on whether the animals were related, whether they witnessed the death of the companion and whether that companion was a cat or a dog.
These studies indicate that there seem to be changes in the cats’ behaviour in the direction indicating distress after the death of their animal companion. However, the second study shows that human’s own feelings towards the deceased and surviving animals also influence the reported behaviours. This could be a result of a lack of objectivity or the owners could have also behaved differently after their loss, affecting the behaviour of the surviving cat. Also, it’s not always possible to exclude other explanations, for example, visiting the deceased’s cat spot more often may be a sign of claiming the new territory. Unfortunately, the research did not report on body language related to stress which would have given a better picture of the situation. It would not be surprising if cats experience negative emotions after losing a companion – it’s a big change in their lives. On the other hand, if the relationship between the animals was not good, there are many reports of cats flourishing after another one died.
More research is needed, but if you notice signs of stress in your cat after it loses its companion, try not to add any more stress and keep the daily routine as constant as possible. Try to engage your cat in pleasurable activities, but also respect their needs, be it affection, play or time alone.
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