Psychic Cats

[jen78]

Does your cat or other pets have a wierd knowledge of when you're not feeling well?

I was in a lot of pain last night and HC was following me round like my little shadow then when he came to bed, rather than just settling down as he usually does he sat and watched me like he was keeping an eye on me.

He even came to keep an eye on me in the shower this morning, bless him.

[andy-hughes]

Cats definitely empathise with their ownerws - or 'pack leaders' as they are perceived.

Illness and stress give of vibes which an animal can sense, and it does make them uneasy, so trhey tend to watch and see if you are going to be OK, so trhat everything can return to normal.

It is endearing, but remember, in a 'wild' situation, a sign of illness in the leader would be seen as a sign of weakness by the upcoming males, and a potential change at the top which will affect the females, so your cat's concern may be an instinct for self-preservation as much as concern for your welfare!

[bigmamma]

I do hope you're ok jen sweetie , and yes I do think your pets know when you're unwell , my labrador certainly does .
xxx

[naomi24]

Yes, my dog does - and he also knows when visitors are about to arrive -. even if I don't. He goes to the door and waits excitedly - and I can guarantee that five minutes later there'll be a ring on the doorbell.

[eash]

Definitely. My cat always seems to know when I am upset and want a cuddle or am ill. I think it's cute. Hope you are feeling better now jen :-)

[Schutzengel]

Jen, Hope you are feeling better this morning. I'm glad you have Heathcliffe to watch over you.

[sue11]

Ahh, hope you are feeling better today Jen. Andy Hughes answer is the most sensible one and is probably the truth although I think we would all rather think that they are concerned for us if we are unwell/unhappy! My cats seem to pick up on any stressful situation in our home, unless it is them that I am telling off, then they just yawn and ignore me! I wonder who is pack leader in my house?
Cheers Sue

[paddywak]

I never actually saw this (for reasons which become obvious) but In our previous house which was a corner plot my old dog had an old kitchen chair he would sit on on to watch for me coming home from work. Apparently he never bothered with the chair untill about 10min before I was due and if a visitor was sat there he would bark at them till they moved, but the strangest thing was that if as often happened I worked overtime he would still look for me just before I arrived not at my normal shift time How he knew I dont know but Mrs P swears to this day she always knew when to put the kettle becouse the dog would go into the kitchen and get onto his chair to look for me

[jen78]

Hi :)

Still in quite a bit of pain but see my rhumatologist later this afternoon and hoping to see osteo Thursday.

That definitely makes sense Andy :) Guess for him, in a way, he needs to make sure there is someone around to feed him and such.

He's sweet at night, usually comes and curls up or out (taking up half the length of the bed in the latter lol) right next to me at first though the last few nights he's started resting a paw on my leg as well :)

Thanks for all your answer and concern x

[andy-hughes]

That must be a comfort - him checking that you are still there and haven't wandered off to die in the night, which in the wild, a pack leader would do!

Sorry to be so anthropalogical about it - I think it's nice that you take comfort from your pet's concern, and it is concern, however self-centered it's motiv might be - and concern for others is something none of us can get enough of!

[goosing]

years ago my nan had alittle dog who always came to stay with us when she went away (varying durations from a weekend to 2 weeks)' Every day i walked him to her house to check the house. Everyday he sat on the mat in the porch and refused to come in the house - until the day she was due home then he would run in and sit in the window waiting! I cant remember him having any clues, he had bowls in our house as well as his own and I never took any shopping with me or anything like that.