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As you know, we lost a precious fur-baby this year. We have Olivia now and we love her dearly. She\u2019s such a bright spot in our life. But how I miss Lily. Yes, still. There’s no duplicating or replacing a cat.<\/p>\nAs you know, we lost a precious fur-baby this year. We have Olivia now and we love her dearly. She\u2019s such a bright spot in our life. But how I miss Lily. Yes, still. There’s no duplicating or replacing a cat.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t think of Katy, my sweet Himalayan, without ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/pg-8-katie-eyes-300x212.jpg\")
feeling emotional, and she died sixteen years ago at the age of 18. We can love again, but a new cat can never take the place of any cat. They come with very different personalities and traits. We love them, but in a new way.<\/p>\n
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Yes, we grieve, but is it the same for cats? Do they experience loss similarly to the way we do? We do know that cats don\u2019t like change. They will often react in some unexpected way to your schedule change, your absence, the addition of a roommate, or a loss. They react when we move furniture\u2014especially their furniture or toys. There\u2019s almost always an adjustment period for cats when there\u2019s been a change and this is true also when a cat or a human suddenly disappears from the home environment.<\/p>\n
Many of you reading this can attest to the fact that the![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IM000235-300x225.jpg\")
loss of a pet does not go unnoticed by remaining pets\u2014in particular cats. Yes, cats can and do grieve. When Lily passed, our remaining girl, 16-year-old Sophie reacted. At first, she stayed in solitude a lot and ate very little. Then she\u2019d walk the hallway yowling. She\u2019d check every room one by one as if she was looking for ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Lily-and-more-048-300x225.jpg\")
and calling for Lily. Eventually she stopped eating, began licking her fur out in one spot\u2014over-grooming\u2014and she became very sick. It took a lot of meds and attention and consideration and urging to bring her back to health.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure that we did the right thing when we brought a kitten in when we did. Sophie actually got worse at that point. While she seemed interested in the kitten, she<\/p>\n
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regressed health-wise at first before getting better.<\/p>\n
Do cats grieve? I\u2019m completely convinced that they do and it\u2019s a sad thing to watch. Here are a few sites with great information on the topic. It\u2019s important that we understand and know how to help.<\/p>\n
FYI, Sophie is now the picture of health for a 16-year-old cat. She\u2019s eating well, her fur is back to normal\u2014it was awful\u2014coarse. And she is displaying her normal behavior. Big sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.furrytoebeans.com\/blog\/cat-grief<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/vcahospitals.com\/know-your-pet\/do-cats-mourn<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As you know, we lost a precious fur-baby this year. We have Olivia now and we love her dearly. She\u2019s such a bright spot in our life. But how I miss Lily. Yes, still. There’s no duplicating or replacing a … Continue reading