Do Cats Feel Grief? New Study Notes Behavioral Changes in Felines Whose Companion Animals Die

Part of the reason we love dogs so much is because of their emotional capacity, but make no mistake — cats are sentient beings as well. In fact, feline behavior experts agree that the notion that cats are aloof and uncaring is largely a misconception. While it is true that these animals are inherently self-sufficient and often independent-minded, experts say, they are actually very aware and loving. They have unique personalities, preferences, behaviors and feelings. One of those feelings, a new study suggests, may be grief. Researchers have found that our feline friends do tend to show signs of animal companion loss.

Science says cats may experience grief

A team of researchers from Oakland University in Michigan surveyed over 400 cat owners about their cat’s behavior after another cat or dog in the home passed away. The data, published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science , says cats exhibited behaviors associated with grief more often after the death of a fellow pet.

“More positive relationships between the deceased animal and surviving cat predicted decreases in sleeping, eating and playing,” the results say. “The longer the cat had lived with the deceased animal, the more the caregivers reported increases in attention-seeking following the death.”

After the death of a fellow pet (including both dogs and cats), researchers also found that cats on average spent more time alone, hiding and appeared to look for the animal who died.

There is one potential caveat to these results, as it is possible for humans experiencing grief to consciously or subconsciously project some of their own emotions onto their cats, as humans with closer relationships to the deceased pet often reported more behavioral changes in the surviving cat.

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However, a similar study published in the journal Animals concurred that cats among survey participants became more attached and affectionate toward their owners following the death of a companion animal. They were also said to spend time seeking out the deceased animal’s favorite spot and increase the frequency and volume of vocalizations.

Do cats experience grief? Cat parents weigh in

Much like these survey participants, many cat parents share online that they believe their cats mourn. In one Reddit thread asking whether cats grieve, many users offered a resounding “yes.”

“When our McCloud passed away, Morton seemed confused and looked for McCloud in his usual places,” shared one user. “They were absolute best buds. McCloud was around 6 when we got Morton, who was 12 weeks. McCloud raised Mort. They were together 6 years.”

“When one of our bonded pair died, the other one looked for him for days, and it was a couple months before she came fully back to herself,” wrote another. “She lost a pound because she didn't want to eat, and it was a pound she couldn't really afford. Eventually she started eating again, and she seemed to get over it, but it was really hard for those couple of months, because we were grieving, too.”

One commenter said they had three male cats for about 15 years, and when one of them passed, the other two noticeably searched for him. Another then died, and the last cat wandered the apartment, seemingly trying to find his companion and crying out for him, they wrote.

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And, of course, it’s important to keep in mind that like any other animal, every cat is different and grief is not a universal experience.

“One of my cats has grieved twice so far, each time after one of our older cats died. He stopped eating and was less lively than usual,” one user noted. “It took him four to six months to recover completely. Our other cat (one year younger than him) didn‘t show any signs of grief at all. So, it varies a lot, depending on personality.”

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