Study finds that cats of all species may grieve the death of fellow pets
Cats are often considered to be unsociable and moody. However, a research team from Oakland University in the United States has reported that cats show signs of sadness, such as loss of appetite and meowing, after the death of another pet in the home.
Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal - ScienceDirect
Cats appear to grieve death of fellow pets – even dogs, study finds | Animal behavior | The Guardian
The research team surveyed 412 owners of 452 cats whose other pets had recently died about the behavior of their bereaved cats.
Studies have shown that when another pet in the same household dies, the surviving cats spend more time in the deceased pet's favorite spots, eat less and eat less quickly, and vocalize more and more frequently.
Mourning behavior by cats appears to occur regardless of the type of pet they were kept as: in fact, of the 452 cats studied, about two-thirds had been kept with other cats, while the rest had been kept with dogs.
Previous studies have shown that when a dog in the same household dies, the surviving dog tends to play less, eat less, show fear or excessive caution, and
'Unlike dogs, we tend to think of cats as aloof and unsociable. However, we know that in the wild, cats tend to form hierarchies and stay united. This means that we have mischaracterized cats,' the research team said.
However, the research team pointed out that 'the greater the grief experienced by owners of deceased pets, the more likely they were to live farther away from their surviving cats. As a result, owners who experienced greater grief were more likely to report that their surviving cats were sleeping more frequently.'
Therefore, the research team said, 'Further research is needed to determine whether this reflects owners projecting their own grief onto their bereaved pets, or whether cats are actually grieving the loss of their companions.'
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