Do Cats Greave?

**GEORGETRAV** · 05-12-2006, 08:48 AM

We Lost 2 Male Cats Recently. The First One 2 Months Ago. And The Second One This Past Tuesday. They Were Both From The Same Litter And Were 16 Years Old. We still have the mother cat, and a female cat from a second litter.The cats were all fixed many years ago. They have been part of our family for a long time. This not about breading Cats. it's about companionships. The female seems to be looking for her friends. What Should We Do To Help Her????

Thanks,

Georgetrav

**Killer Kitten** · 05-12-2006, 09:04 AM

Cats are very social animals, and they do miss their companions terribly when they are gone.

Would it be possible to get a friend for her? A neutered male would probably be best, adopt from a no-cage type of shelter so you can see how he interacts with other cats. You'd like one that is social without being dominant.

There will be an adjustment period, but then I'm betting they will bond. Best bets are one that's around her age (a cat like that will really be in need of a home, too) or a pair of younger ones.

I'm very sorry for both of your losses.

**Tubby & Peanut's Mom** · 05-12-2006, 09:22 AM

Yes, cats do grieve, especially when they've had close relationships. So sorry to hear about your two boys going to RB

but I agree with Killer Kitten - adopting another friend for your little girl would probably be the best thing for her. I also agree that maybe an adult neutered male would be best, because that is what she's used to. Getting a kitten may alienate her because kittens are so active and she may not want to tolerate all those kitten antics.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and again, sorry for the loss of your two boys.

**moosmom** · 05-12-2006, 09:42 AM

I'm so sorry for your loss. Yes, cats do grieve. Especially when they were inseparable. I agree with Killer Kitten, maybe a little friend for her would help. It sounds as though she needs someone to "mother". A kitten might just do the trick.

Good luck.

**Miss Z** · 05-13-2006, 04:49 AM

I too am pretty sure cats grieve. When my Zsa-Zsa's brother Brando passed away, she wouldn't eat, so she lost a ton of weight, and she would cry for him, literally cry, she would sit infront of his basket and wail with her eyes streaming kitty tears. Shortly after that, she went blind. Whether that was anything to do with Brando's death, or the crying, we'll never know, but it seems a very big coincidence. To help Zsa-Zsa get through, I just gave her as much love as I could. I know she still misses Brando but she is now a very happy cat. I'm so sorry that you have lost some of you cats.

**Zippy** · 05-13-2006, 01:34 PM

Sorry for your loss.Zippy did when Tiger her brother got sick and had to go to the RB.She would meow for him and try to find him.

**smokey the elder** · 05-14-2006, 06:50 AM

I'm sure they do. I think they also know when a fursib is about to go to the Rainbow Bridge. For both Smokey the Elder and Pixel, when they got really sick, my other cats acted differently.

I'm sorry about your kitty.

**Beauty17** · 05-15-2006, 09:31 AM

Oh, I definitely believe that cats can grieve - for their animal friends and for humans. When our cat Tzigane died, her foster sister Myrtille (Tzigane had been placed into the litter with Myrtille, where Myrtille was born in the shelter) was reluctant to eat - because she had always eaten with Tzigane alongside. For the first while after Tzigane's death, I used to get down on the floor and kind of bump and nudge Myrtille like Tzigane used to do, to kind of make Myrtille feel a little more at home. That helped. I think lots and lots of extra love is about the best you can do. That and time is what will heal the grief - just as it does in the case of us humans. It's a hard thing. I am sorry for your loss, and sorry for the pain your cat is going through. One thing we did was to show Myrtille Tzigane's body, so that she understood that Tzigane was dead and wasn't coming back. Myrtille was quite shocked and afraid when she saw her sister dead, so I am not sure whethe we did the right thing or not, but I thought I would mention it.

**BastetsMum** · 05-17-2006, 04:12 AM

My cats grieved when one of our dogs was PTS recently even though she snapped at them (she wasn't a felinophile like our other dog Charlie). We thought that strange for them to do so but I guess even as human we do grieve for the worst of them at times.