Pet cat grieving?

[kraken34]

My 13 year old cat died a few days ago.I'm concerned that our other cat,her daughter aged 11,has sensed the loss.Can cats grieve in the way humans do? Any tips from animal lovers?

[kitykat]

Cats can sense loss like people the best thing to do is just give the cat more love just as if it was a real person. x

[missjef]

i think that they do sense it. We got two brother kittens, and when they got to about 8 or 9 one of them (Max) got really ill with tumour and had to be put down, and for the first couple of weeks after that Sam (the other cat) seemed to walk round the house as if he was looking for his brother, and he sat on the windowsill upstairs and when he saw a black cat on the street he would run as fast as he could downstairs and out the flap because i think he thought it was Max outside which was really sad.

Just give your cat lots of cuddles and love.

[Catso]

I'm sure they do, if they've been together a long time. We had a mother & daughter and when the mother died, the daughter was just lost, for weeks. Wandering around and around, looking and calling.

Like human grief, they get over it in time. I doubt there's anything you can do to make them feel better.

[kraken34]

Thanks to you all for your advice.We are giving her a lot of love and attention.

[morbius5]

Pet's definately grieve and sense loss just as humans do. Why wouldn't they notice the absence of what is to them another family member? Sometimes it can show itself like grief does in humans, being withdrawn, going off food or just quiet, but other times it can give them the opportunity to come out of themselves, as cats and dogs live in hierarchies and the loss of one in a group can then alter that line up. I would just give her lots of love and respect the fact that she is grieving too and it may take her time to get used to her new world without her mum.

I'd recommend this website:

http://www.pet-loss-matters.com

Hope this helps.