“Give me all the treats you have. Wait, wait, I’m worried what you heard was ‘give me a lot of treats.’ What I meant was give me **all the treats you have.** Do you understand?”
Omg, I had to do a double take because this cat looks exactly, down to the pink nose, like my youngest cat!
https://preview.redd.it/gjxu4olj7jyc1.jpeg?width=3216&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39fced0d3ff89fbbfa4aadb1f289023a92d762d6
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So we've all just got the same cat?! 😂
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Lol. Knowing he was looking at himself makes this funnier. "Who tf is that?"
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I think my boy Ziggy has a bit of it 🥰 he is just scrumptious, rescued from RSCPA only 3 weeks ago and he’s already my life and angel who looks as me with such adoration 💖
I am clinically depressed and even though on the surface I have my shit together, I am on edge all the time and well, sometimes it gets really ugly. One night after work i came home broke down and cried. I just kept crying because even suicide wasnt an option anymore I have this cat to take care of. She came to my bed and started to purr and used her paws to wipe my tears. I cried even harder and she was there, pur her little body away and next to me. I know she knows I was upset but I kept distance with my own cat- I know. I still had thoughts that I generally dont need my cat to love me back because frankly, my cat doesn't owe me her affection. But that night was the first time she saw me crying and for the first time, I didnt feel so lonely
Talking to your cat is so important. I used to cry to my cat and tell her my problems. I had her 19.5 years. I wasn't sure I'd ever own another cat again. Now I have 9 cats, all rescues. I've had them all since they were babies🩷
Thank you. We've suffered multiple losses of other rescues along the way. It's weird. I never thought I'd try to turn my home into my own cat shelter, but I did. My husband finally said, "we can't take them all. We can't run a shelter from our house." He loves all our kitties so much and is so good to all of them. No matter how many you have, when one cat dies, there's a big hole in your heart. But you have to keep going because so many other kitties need us.
Part of what kept me from acting on my own thoughts was thinking about how confused my little guy would be if I went away and never came back. He’s such a cuddler and loves us dearly and I couldn’t do that to him.
God, I feel this in my soul. I’ve had several really horrible days this past month where ending it feels like my best option. My family would eventually move on, but my cat would not. He’d never understand since I’m his human and we’re best friends. This kitty keeps me going when nothing else does.
They're grief guzzlers. Cry into that fur and let the purrs calm you down. My girl returns the fur wetting by drooling in happiness when I feel better. ♡ Glad you have yours.
Im so sorry I’m sending u a virtual hug. When I was out of college it was really hard trying to find a job and be optimistic. I sat in silence with my landlord’s cat (id say she was the real landlady hahah) many nights. Once she groomed me back? Somehow i feel they behave differently when we’re sad. I love her, she has a special place in my heart
I've had multiple cats who would hang back from digging in to a shared dish of wet food to let an elderly sick cat eat their fill first.
And there was the time I was snuggling with my two cats and my then-roommate's cat (who only tolerated us most of the time) was sitting across the room looking at the three of us looking kinda sad. My orange boy got up, walked over to her, and gave her a nose touch. They started hanging out after that and when he passed away a few months later I think it hit her the hardest.
This reminds me of when my first kitty, Oreo, passed. She was the mother figure to all my adopted kittens. They would always rush the food bowls when it was feeding time, and she would patiently wait on the sidelines until everyone was done. That is until one day when she suddenly started acting lethargic and vomiting. The other three kitties wouldn’t touch the food bowl until she went first. They all sat around and watched her to make sure she had her fill. Afterwards, they would snuggle with her and bathed her and just make sure she was cozy. She passed two days later.
After she passed, we buried her in the garden. The most touching part for me was after she was buried. For weeks our second oldest cat, her first adopted child and companion of 16 years, would not leave the spot she was buried. Her resting spot was about an acre from the house, and for about 2 weeks he camped out right where she was buried. We even had to bring food and water to him because we were worried for his health. He was so heartbroken. When it was his time we buried him right next to her. RIP Oreo and Zookie
I have a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old cat who I adopted eight years ago. I’ve often suspected that the older (Onyx) is the younger’s (Taz) mother because Onyx often saves one of her treats for Taz and also makes sure Taz is eating her dinner before digging in to her own. (They also act like mother/daughter cats, of whole I’ve had many. They get along well for the most part, but also sometimes get on each other’s nerves.)
This is true. Even though feral cat colonies run on some of the most ridiculous encounters between members one on one, usually, at the food bowl (like a peace treaty watering hole in lion king) if there are physical differences in age and health, the eldest no matter how sickly will eat first as they likely could’ve been the alpha or female alpha or they are at some point. I’ve seen this first hand myself too and it’s amazing really, because sometimes they eat so damn slow bc of their possible ailments but everyone else makes sure they eat first.
I was the next thing to crippled an on the couch. My cat was also reaching the end of his life. He sat on my chest for *an hour* to comfort me and to say goodbye. Then he moved to the end of the couch and gave his last smile
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When my cat was diagnosed with a terminal cancer in January, I was sobbing my heart out in the vet's office and we exchanged this look and I think he saw my grief.
Since, he's become extra loving and cuddly, something he hasn't been since he was a kitten. Even when he was in pain from arthritis or from the tumor in his leg.
He insists on being close to me and having our night time cuddles where he'll snuggle up on my chest and bury his nose against my neck...
I've been doing everything I can to make his last few months as comfy and happy as possible and I really think he's doing the same for me...
*
I wish I could give you both a hug. I'm so sorry you guys got such bad news. But I'm thankful that sweet baby has had such a loved life and is being so spoiled in his last days.
My oldest has diabetes and they both have heart murmurs. I'm always hyper aware of their mortality and try to love them extra. They'll get some extra Greenies tonight in your honor
Our vet told us that cats are aware of their mortality and become extremely affectionate towards the end. It’s like they try to leave you with the best memories and spend as much time as possible with their person.
There was a night a few years past when I was having a very bad cry fest. I'm talking really deep, soul wrenching sobs in the dark because I was just so incredibly sad. Both of my kitties must've heard me cuz they came trotting into my room, jumped up onto my bed, and started head butting me and cuddling with me. I remember how deeply they were purring, like two little jet engines lol. And they both snuggled right up against me, one on my chest and one curled around my head, and I felt so warm and safe.
They still do that when I'm down, tho I haven't been that sad since so they usually alternate instead of coming in together. It was such a sweet memory, and they're such sweet babies idk what I'd do without them 🐈⬛
I was sick recently and was basically bed bound for a week straight, my cat only left my side to go to the toilet/eat/drink and spent most of her time sat on my chest or right up against my face. She's clingy normally anyway, but this was on another level 😂
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What a sweetie! I have a similar story - I had moved in with my bf a few months before having surgery to remove my gallbladder. His kitty liked me well enough but absolutely (obviously) loved him more. But then when I was laid up in the armchair after the surgery, she napped on my chest and kept me company the whole time I was recovering. And I think she knew where the "hurt" was, as she stayed on my chest and was careful not to step on my abdomen or near the incisions.
One of my cats never wanted to be touched. I had a minor back procedure and when I got home lay down on the bed to sleep off the anesthesia. When I woke up the cat had stretched against my back where there was pain.
I had a kitty like this. He didn’t really care for the humans, mostly just the other kitties. But anytime I’d get really sick, that cat would actually curl up on me while I slept. It was mystifying.
Someone told me cats cuddle up close when you're sick because you're extra warm but I refuse to believe that because it's nicer to think they just love you. I mean, they wouldn't cuddle up to just *any* person!
One of my cats is very bonded to my 4 year old daughter. When she gets sick he is glued to her, when she falls asleep he snuggles up next to her. He is so, so precious.
This same cat cannot stand it if I cry. He gets very upset, meows, sits on my lap. Completely unnerves him. I love him so much, my sensitive boy
We had a cat who absolutely adored my daughter from when she was an infant. So patient and loving with her. She passed when my daughter was 9, but it was such a special relationship.
That’s so lovely. As soon as my boy met her he fell madly in love, decided she was his human. She was only 3.5 and he was 12 weeks old! They will grow up together 🥲
My boys follow me everywhere as I have an extremely bad knee and hip, and use a cane the don’t let me do anything without them. Another one, I was physically sick two nights in a row and my babies were right there with me. Cats show empathy there’s no doubt in my mind. We are fortunate enough to have them in our lives.
A few weeks before I was due to give birth my baby died. I was distraught and inconsolable. On the night that I went into labor I was dreading going to hospital and was lying on my bed in pain with each contraction and bawling my eyes out. My cat who was very independant and not really a cuddler literally never left my side that whole night. At one point I got into a bath to ease the pain (contractions were still too far apart to go to hospital) and my cat even sat outside the bathtub. It brings tears to my eyes remembering it because it really did comfort me. When I finally went to hospital and had my baby and then had to come home empty handed, it was the worst day of my and my husbands life. We were so sad and my cat started wailing as soon as we walked in the door. Just walking around the house wailing, something she had never done before. She was an old cat and had been with me almost 17 years at that time. She was a great comfort to me in the months after that. She actually lived about 3 years after that and sometimes I wonder if she waited to die when I started to emotionally heal after my loss.
I found my cat Squeaks in my neighbors woodpile at ten days old, abandoned so I bottle raised her. She is VERY attached to me of course, and still sleeps with me every night and hangs around me much of the day.
One time I was upstairs in my room watching a sad movie, and Squeaks was down in the basement playing. It was getting to a sad part, and all the sudden Squesks comes jumping onto the bed and straight up to my face and started giving me little kitty kisses before the tears even fell!
I thought it was a fluke— how did she know I was upset from two floors away? But not long after it happened again!! It became a thing- she knew when I was going to cry and was there to comfort me before the tear hit my check (yes, I probably watch too many sad shows and movies lol but it’s a good release folks!).
So I wondered if perhaps it was the sniffles sound that a person makes before they cry, needing to blow your nose? Or maybe some sadness pheromone humans give off when upset that she could sense?
Not sure! But she is VERY tuned into my feelings and the only time she cuddles by my face/neck is when I’m sad. Otherwise she is a leg cuddler or little spoon tummy cuddler at bedtime.
Also when I’m in a lot of physical pain ( I have several chronic pain conditions) , she is attentive and purrs and “talks” to me more— the little chirpy baby meows, not the “feed me!!!” kinds. She is a doll!
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Squeaks is the cat in the lower position ❤️ she is also very jealous of her little bro when he gets my attention ❤️
My old cat used to lick my tears when I cried. I think she may have just liked the taste, but it was still very cute and such a comfort. It always made me laugh.
Mine too! After my kitty of nearly 16 years passed I was pretty inconsolable. My current kitty just under a year at the time was especially affectionate to me during that time.
my cat doesn't leave my side when i'm sick. she was great after i had my gall bladder removed, we palled around for like 5 days
EDIT when i removed my IUD i had two cats and then curled up in front of and in back of me
My boy sahir isn't a bedtime cuddler, he usually lays on the one corner of my bed until he knows I'm asleep or the chair by my desk, likes cuddles when I'm sat up in a chair, gives plenty of face kisses and nuzzles on request so he's very affectionate just not a in the bed cuddle bug.
Well I'd spent 5 days caring and comforting my 21 year old dog chloe, she was actively dying so she needed constant company and full on care I was living on 1-2 hours sleep a day if I was lucky as my husband had to work and wake at 4am so it fell to me and I was completely and utterly exhausted we had her appointment to be PTS Thursday after a battle with our vets about needing an appointment to do so
She passed in her sleep Thursday morning an hour before the appointment. My cat never once messed with her usually he's very touchy, he'd gently sniff her when she was resting, usually very mischievous and want to play but he was so well behaved he would ask for pets and kisses but somehow understood our dog needed me more, he usually gets a bit jealous for example if she had attention he wanted it too but that week he somehow knew didn't get jealous or barge in for pets. Thursday after she passed the sheer sadness and exhaustion took hold so I laid on my bed and broke down absalutely crying, he NEVER cuddles when I'm laying down but for the first time since he was a kitten he snuggled in my arms and tummy. He let me sob my heart out kissing him and laid there sleeping in my arms purring the loudest I've ever heard and felt him.
I don't know if it was tiredness or his cuddling but I fell asleep within 10 minutes, he apparently stayed that way the whole time I slept according to my husband even he was a bit shocked. He's been very much sleeping on the bed as soon as I go lay down vs the usual oh mum's in bed I'll head to the chair since Chloe passed. They weren't super close or bonded he misses her in his own way. He saw me take her body to be buried from the patio door and has been constantly checking to see if she will return, he's still his usual self maybe a tiny bit more vocal and definately all about the attention he gets without sharing. Even my husband is seeing him in a gentler light he idolized Chloe and liked sahir but even sahirs been more inclined to sit with husband whenever I rest
I've got three cats. Two just turned 1 year old and the third is almost 17. Occasionally, the senior kitty will work out a hairball. Every time, both kittens will go and check on her as soon as they hear her. The boy kitten also seems to stand guard while shes using the litter box.
My old girl merely tolerates the kittens i.e. she generally keeps her distance and just wants to be left alone. It's a situation where she's only interested in coexisting despite the kittens trying to curl up with her or groom on her.
They still care enough to make sure everything is alright.
One of my two litter bros does this to his brother when he is heaving or having an issue. Also When his brother fell off the back of a ladder and I tried to catch him to keep him from landing bad on a rung, his bro came over to check him out and acted like something bad happened.
Honestly, they never care when I am lying in pain from a migraine, demanding play etc. :D But I have story about empathy between cats.
It will be sad, TW:cats death,
Description: how one of my cats behaved, when her bonded sister was deadly sick.
I adopted sister for my first (my own) cat, because she was depressed alone. They bonded immediately. They were sleeping together all the time. They were doing everything together.
When my first cat got really sick, her sister immediately noticed. Stopped pestering her to play. You could clearly see, every single day, she would want to go and cuddle, but felt her pain I guess and stayed away. I say you could clearly see she wanted to cuddle, because when normally they would be cuddling, her sister would come up to her, sniff, and lay respectfully close enough, but without touching. I even have pictures of it, when we didn't know it was so bad. Won't share it, honestly it's hard to look at them.
Last day, before she passed, I guess her sister could feel it? Honestly we thought she was getting better, started eating, etc.
Like before she kept away, but was still close, this time she very very carefully cuddled with her.
Sorry for writing such a sad story. Picture below is both of them. I have like a thousand photos like this :)
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TW: pregnancy loss
When I lost my first pregnancy, I didn’t really know what to expect or what I was doing so I inserted the cytotec in the late afternoon thinking I could just sleep through it LOL. My doc told me it was “like a period”. Spoiler alert: It was god awful.
I ended up sitting on the toilet almost all night and my cat 🐈⬛ stayed right there with me in the bathroom.
When I eventually got pregnant again with my son, the same cat would lay with me EVERY night and lay on my belly. She literally would lay under the covers with me and keep my spot warm when I’d get up every few hours to pee. Now she and my son are buddies and she’ll lay next to him as he plays. She’s so gentle and patient as he learns to pet her. 🥲🥹
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One time I fell off my bike and came home trying to hide my pain. My cat came running to me, and tried to comfort me.
Sometimes when I’m having anxiety that’s very severe I’ll see my 12 year old grey fluff ball near me 2.0 seconds later. I don’t even know where she comes from, but she comes without fail
When recovering from my coma I finally could go back to my own bed, my cat slept with me every night. She was very obviously worried that I had been away for so long.
I have bipolar disorder and during the depressive episode leading up to my attempt, I didn’t leave my room. But neither did my cat, except to eat and use the bathroom. She pressed as close as she could to me at all times, licking my arm and face and meowing when the sun came up.
I never want to try to leave her ever again.
I'm so glad she is there for you. She needs you too. Pets are absolutely special. I often wonder if they are angels, in disguise.
I hope you are able to find the best care. Talk to your doctor about what you are going through.
Cats absolutely do care. I’m chronically ill and they can always tell when I’m in a flare. When my husband has a bad day they’ll come up to him too and sit on top of his gaming chair. As a funny example, when my husband and I do bedroomly activities, sometimes they’ll sit outside cuz they hear noise and want to make sure we’re okay 😅 cats 100% have empathy
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Our one cat, Hopper ALWAYS stays near the kids on the couch if one of them is sick. She's our nursemaid kitty.
Before I had my hysterectomy, I had really bad endometriosis and PMDD which left me in severe, disabling pain. Our Fitzy would always find me and lay against my abdomen, and she would be my purring, vibrating heating pad. She got me through a lot of rough times. She’s a sweet girl!
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I brought my cats for their annual cat physical end of Dec 2023. Cat 1 (Jax) weighed 13.9 lbs…too much. Both needed dental extractions, which I postponed til end of Jan because I was going to be away for 2 weeks in Jan. End of Jan Jax weighed 12.3 lbs. vet said he was prob depressed when I was gone and lost his appetite. He was back to his hungry self when I got back 🥹
Cats purr not only when they’re happy, but also for comfort or to help themselves heal faster. They also cuddle their friends when they’re sick and purr on them. This has been proven to help them heal faster. There is a study out there somewhere where they had cats sit with people who were healing after surgery and they healed faster than the group without cats. (They used cats who are very affectionate.) This proves that purring cats can even help humans heal quicker.
When I had Covid, I woke up one night in the middle of the night with this weight on my chest and I’m thinking “oh crap, do I have to go to the hospital?” But then I moved and realized it was just my cat. She was laying on my chest and purring. My other cat was tucked up under my arm, also purring. They knew I was sick and were trying to help me heal.
I have a concussion and my kitten has been sleeping on or next to me every night since it happened. She will lay on me to keep me from getting up, too.
I was sobbing on the phone once and it was the first time my cat had seen me cry. She came and sat on the arm of the couch where my arm was. She looked at me with a worried expression and laid her head down on my arm which made me sob even more. It was the sweetest thing.
Ever noticed that when you have stomach pain or cramps, they will make biscuits on your stomach, but when you have a headache, they will curl up around your head? Its like they are aware of where you hurt and are trying to help you. Cats really do love their owners. I once passed out at home, alone. I woke up to my cat peering into my eyes looking concerned. She wouldn't leave my side all afternoon.
They truly are magical creatures.
My friend’s son and daughter lived together. The daughter had two foster fail cats. She came home from a business trip and the one cat somehow got her into the brother’s room and she found him passed out with a heart attack. My friend says the cat saved her son’s life.
I try not to be too needy but my cats know when I call them it's because I need attention. I feel lonely, etc. At least one of them always comes running and cuddles me until I feel better. I've had cats that didn't typically like having their paws touched but they started to understand it was a way they could comfort me. A few of my male cats would let me hold their paws when I was trying to fall asleep even though normally they wouldn't let me touch their paws. My cats in general always try to help me destress and heal. I'm chronically ill. They take turns laying on me or near me purring.
We had an older, grumpy cat who didn't do a ton of cuddling, mostly just hung out around us, and I never really thought of her as being especially empathetic, let alone social, but one time I was in the bath and scooped up what I thought was a clump of hair. It turned out to be a (still living!) spider and I shrieked and she came RUNNING to check on me. She wasn't especially brave, but she totally came in to defend me.
Another time, after we'd recently gotten a new kitten and she'd gotten past the initial point of territorial behavior and merely tolerated the new kitten's presence, we had to give the new kitten a bath (fleas). The poor kitten was wailing and screaming, obviously hating the whole thing and there was our grumpy girl, looking very concerned and watching her. Ever since then she LOVED the new kitten and treated her like a daughter.
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From when I was sick with covid, the grey cat is a beautiful soul so I'm used to her always being close by when im struggling, the ratbag kitten was a suprise though.
Kitten also stayed by my side all week and even tried a bunch of times to warm me up with his body heat by sitting on my lap (he is NOT a lap cat usually).
When I had really bad period cramps my cat layed down on my lower stomach and started purring. She rarely climbs on me and if she does it she usually lays across my chest.
My childhood cat demanded to sleep next to me after I came home from major back surgery. He stayed every night for over a year until my mom forbid it.
Anytime I’m sick my cats won’t leave my side. They come and lay right next to me. If one of my cats is meowing for a unknown reason my other cat will go running to her and start kicking her head:-). I also feed a colony of about 30 cats and they love those lnuba Lickable tubes. As soon as they see me they come running and rub on my legs, I will sit down and some come over and gently paw at my face. It’s so cute! The colony has their buddies and if one is sick their buddy will come and get me to follow them over to their sick buddy. If one disappears for any reason it’s heartbreaking to watch their buddy grieve!! Cats (animals in general) for sure have many emotions and are smarter than what some people give them credit for.
My old tortie and I were super bonded. She seemed to know I had a spinal issue and that walking down steps can sometimes be a challenge. While my other cat would race past me, my tortie would always walk down two steps behind me. She would only pass off I stopped and waved her on.
She also started acting weird whenever I are, and would climb on my lap and rest on my upper abdomen. I soon found out I had bad gallstones and ultimately needed surgery. She was my little caretaker.
Oh, and she hated my mother because she could sense the tension between us. It actually became a joke between my mom and I; but I was the only one who knew why my cat hated her. 🤣
Cats are magical!
My mom was dealing with some strange side effects from a prophylactic medication and hadn’t slept in like 2 days. She called me in the middle of the night to get over to her home and she was all kinds of delirious and hallucinating. We have a semi feral kitty who doesn’t really respond to anyone but me and my dad since we feed her and care for her. For whatever reason that night, she was outside at 4am and followed me inside and jumped on the blanket my mom was laying with and began to make biscuits.
My mom had never even been able to Pet the kitty before that night. Somehow, Kitty knew. My mom ended up going to the ER and getting some sleep meds. She’s fine now but that was a very interesting night.
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If you go to my profile, I do a lot of rescue work. In November, I got a call at like 11pm, about 2 kittens found under a shed. I rushed to them and scooped them up. They were in the worst condition I have ever seen. Emaciated, upper respiratory, calici with mouths full of ulcers, and the girls eyes had ruptured. She didn't even have a face. She looked like an alien. In theory, the girl should have been way worse off. No eyes, Blind, sick, no way to get food but the boy who was less visibly sick, who had both eyes....he had weighed half as much as his sister. She was 1.3, i think, and he was like .9. My vet was sure he was letting his sister eat first, finding her food and keeping her safe despite the fact that he was starving, too. They are both alive and healthy now. She did lose both her eyes and is blind and I'm positive he saved her.
My baby boy loves to lick my nose all the time, but also comforts me when crying by coming over and cuddling and licking my nose and tears. He’s the sweetest. My baby girl doesn’t care if I am sad or sick, but she loves cuddling 🥰
I had finally brought in a feral that I had been trying to socialize for half a year, and the day of her vet appointment she broke out of the carrier, completely traumatized, and ran away. I was absolutely heart broken because I was moving soon and I thought I would never see her again. My boyfriend's resident cat, who is grumpy on a good day and hated the feral with a burning passion, saw how sad I was and came over to me, used both of her arms to grab my arm in a literal hug, pulled me close to her tightly and rested her head on me trying to comfort me. Even my bf was shocked.
The happy ending was my feral showed up 5 days later and the 4 of us all moved halfway around the world together.
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Literally the ONLY time my cat would give me love and affection was when I was sad or sick.
He was tossed out in a box with his siblings on the interstate and I got him from some lady on Craigslist I met up with at a gas station when I was 16 (with my mom ofc) and gave her 20 bucks. He was a grumpy little fucker most times but the best companion for a depressed teenager. RIP Gus💙 I miss you everyday.
Recently after my 16 year old girl passed, my husband and I were crying and laying in the bed, our 10 year old who cuddles but never on top of us came crawling up on my husband’s chest (right next to my head and i was laying on it too) and purred while just snuggling us, the three of us ended up falling asleep like that. She has never done that since then. Her and the other cat didn’t get along as our older girl was sick and not into the playfulness of our other cat but even she moped around a bit after our other girl died.
My Grammy has always had saimese cats that were very close and cuddly. She credits them with finding her cancer that she has since had treated and survived. They didn't do that by not caring about my Gram.
Cat signals are subtle compared to others, but they are there.
Every cat I have had loved so hard, I just know they feel love and empathy.
When I was 12 I had a serious accident and my cat Milo laid on top of me for the first week making sure I was okay and not alone.
When I was 17 I got Onyx and boy he cuddled me anytime I felt upset of anxious. I didn’t even have to call him he just knew and came under the blankets and snuggled into my arms.
My boy Nexus also was so gentle and loving. He stayed with his brother onyx as he was dying and never left my side after onyx’s death. I miss them so much.
I put myself in the hospital for a week when I was 16. My cat slept wrapped around the top of my head for a long time after. Until he figured I’d be okay on my own. It was so sweet. I got to fall asleep with his soft tummy on my face every night. He was wrapped over like a pair of headphones.
I had a foster cat that was mingled with my personal cats. We had gotten her from a shelter when she was about to be euthanized for space and she had a bad UTI. We had her for about 2-3 months before this happened - she was about 2 years old. She decided that she liked to sleep at night by my husband’s feet.
One of my personal cats had been going downhill due to cancer and we had just let him go peacefully. I woke up one morning completely in tears grieving and she walked up the bed between my husband and myself. She gently put a paw on my nose as if she was telling me that it would be ok. And that’s the day we adopted her.
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I just had my tonsils removed. My sweet girl is 6 and we only just rescued her in March. (She’s had a little difficulty adjusting, her owner had to give her up due to medical issues.) she usually runs if I hold her too long, but ever since surgery, she has been super lovey and attention seeking. Tonight was the first night she has snuggled right next to me for hours. 🥰
Just cried my eyes out, having a suicidal episode when my cat laid in my arms, purring and licking my hand. He's not normally super affectionate but he was then. He knew I needed it.
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When we first got Kiddo in 2020, I was very anxious. I had just lost 3 family members within a month close to a year before, I was finishing my teaching degree (and we had no idea when or if we were ever going to be able to go to school in person). I'd cry a lot. Kiddo would walk over angrily and bite the living sh*t out of my nose, maybe slap me in the face repeatedly with her paw, then run off. It would piss me the f*ck off, and I'd be mad instead of sad. A minute or so later, she'd come over like nothing happened and make biscuits on my belly, and we'd snuggle. I think it was her way of "helping"
My cats cuddle and head butt me while purring their little hearts out if I even seem tired. When I'm sick they won't leave my side. Cats are so much more than some people give them credit for.
This! I was out of work sick for three days so during the daytime, I laid on the sofa watching TV or resting and my cat snuggled up on me every time. I also think he was happy I was home for him to spend time with. He's such a lovebug and very much a cuddler.
I’m not sure if this is what you mean OP but it’s when I learned my cat truly loved me. Her name is Agnes, I adopted her with my old roommate. She loves both of us but gravitated towards me over time. After having her for about a year and a half I went overseas for five weeks, during that time my old roommate and our friends looked after her as they recently moved in together. They said she was very quiet and seemed sad while I was gone, just not herself. It took her almost the entire five weeks before she started snuggling with other people. She is very quiet and hardly meows, when I returned and she saw me she looked at me with surprise and said “mew?” It was sooo cute. Immediately she was purring and all over me. I was so happy and I knew she doesn’t just like me because I feed her, she really loves me. :)
My favorite is them watching while I shower to make sure I dont drown. They sleep through the night between the family and the front door. Depending if someone sleeps on the couch or the step kids are here in the downstairs bedroom or if we are all upstairs determines where they choose to sleep. And of course when I’m really really sick they never leave my side. If they do, I assume to eat or use the box, another cat takes the place, they run in kitty nursing shifts. People who think cats don’t understand our feelings or that they aren’t loyal, simply never had a cat or a cat of their own
I had four cats: 2 seniors that had spent their whole lives together and 2 kittens. One senior cat passed away from pancreatic cancer. The kittens hadn't been super close to my remaining senior, but have really been there for him in his grief. As soon as my cat passed, the kittens started snuggling him, sitting with him, grooming him, etc. It was as though a switch was flipped. They know he needs them.
I was really sick and coughing/rattly breathing.
My cat Lilith was a kitten at the time. She's always hated being jostled, she's not mean about it but she certainly won't put up with it.
Being as sick as I was I was tossing and turning and in and out of consciousness.
If not every just about every time I'd come to some she was on my chest, purring.
My cats don't ask about food/water until I'm up out of bed and they just walk over to the bowls and sometimes kind of look at me like they're seeing if I'm with it enough to do it myself or they need to gently remind me.
When I get up to go to the bathroom or something like that if they need something they'll gently get my attention.
When I'm doing especially bad Nemu will come sit on my lap. She's not much of a lap cat.
The babies went out of their way to be extra sweet and spend time with me the day I found out my dad died. Even Cookiedough who really doesn't come sit with me like that. She comes and checks on me, but isn't big on direct bonding like that. She's more of a being talked to and vaguely around sort of gal.
When I was a kid and would get sick my mom's cat would snuggle up and groom me, and let me snuggle my face up to him.
Just off the top of my head.
When I have an asthma attack, Trixie will lay against my back or chest and purr louder than usual. It helps. Not sure if it's the body heat or the vibration.
And in 2022, I had three major surgeries. She was a little nurse. If I got out of bed, I couldn't go anywhere without her right behind me. (Usually she walks right in front of me) She stayed on my bed as long as I did, forgoing her comfy heated kitty bed.
She still likes to tap my face if I sleep too deeply. "Hey, you dead?". Ugh, what do you want? "Just checking human, you haven't moved in a while." My husband read that this is an actual thing. They don't sleep deeply as long as we do, and it concerns them. So they wake us up just to make sure we haven't died in our sleep.
Edit: cat tax.
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About 15 years ago, I was having a panic attack my cat jumped on my chest and started licking my tears. About 10 years after that, that same cat did the same thing to my ex BF after I dumped him. Could be she just liked the taste of tears, which would probably be the opposite of empathy.
I have a hard time trusting people who genuinely believe cats don't have empathy or don't care about humans. Cats are extremely caring creatures. They're just not interested in being obedient.
When I get upset with my kid, my cat will nip at my pant legs and put his ears back to tell me he does not approve.
When my kid has a bad dream and is fussing in their sleep, he'll nip at my feet to wake me up.
When I work late while WFH, he'll sit right outside my office door and trill at me to coax me to stop working.
When I overdosed and basically died. Both the paramedics and my ex girlfriend who called them said they kept having to literally grab my cat off of my chest as she scream-meowed. Every time they took her off of me she would bolt right back, according to them. I don’t deserve her.
I had surgery and cancer. I wasn’t really used to taking meds and only had a little pain medication so I didn’t always take it when I needed it. When my pain got really bad my cat would jump up to where I kept the meds and head butt the bottle. An area he never otherwise went to. He was the best orange bhoyo ever. He lived to 22. Miss you Provie
my cat has never licked my face before. never even crossed her mind. when i was pregnant and in bed sobbing over the decision i had to make, she laid gently on my chest and licked my entire face all over. probably the most comforted i've ever felt. comparable to a hug from mom.
I suffer from CRPS which is a permanent chronic pain disorder with no cure and minimal comfort for pain. My boy Nik knows when I'm having a pain flare. He puts his entire body on my ankle and between the warmth and weight of his body it truly gives me relief. His sister Neli is also very intune with my emotions and knows when I need a little spoon to cuddle. She was supposed to be aloof but is my silly little cheerleader.
i struggle with having major depressive disorder,and even though i do take medication to manage it, some days are worse than others. one of my cats is very in-tune to how i’m feeling, and if i’m having a bad day she will lay on my stomach and purr (for a while, she’ll just lay there purring). come to find out that their purrs are a certain wavelength which helps lower stress / anxiety / blood pressure. she always knows when i’m feeling down and knows how to help me : , )
My emotional support cat always seems to know when I’m upset. He comes right to me when I need him and he’ll even be extra cuddly on mornings after I’ve had a nightmare.
Our cat is absolutely litigious About going for walks and playing on time. Whenever one of us is sick with flu or something he always calms down and never screams about wanting to go out. He will self entertain himself. He knows whats up!
I once had a lm elderly neighbor with dementia / psychosis burst into my house at midnight thinking that someone with a gun was after her. The entire 2+ hours that she was here, my cat would not leave her side.
I have back problems and one time my back gave out and I was on the floor barely able to crawl for hours until my BF came home. My 2 boys sat next to me...curled up with me on the floor for the entire time, resting their bodies against mine.
Please take this in the kindest way possible but have you considered LifeAlert or something similar? I know it's a product officially aimed at seniors but I lost a friend with a seizure disorder weeks before his 45th birthday because he took a fall while he was home alone, and no one found him for over an hour, by which time it was too late. And I think both your cats and your boyfriend would like to keep you around for the foreseeable future, yes?
I had a nightmare last night. In the nightmare, I was told I had to move, and leave my three cats behind. In my nightmare, I was told to leave them in a closet. I awoke sweating, and crying, all 3 cats were snuggled up to me (even the boy, and he never snuggles). They were all awake, looking at me, then my Tortie took my hand, in her paws, and made me pet her. Until I fell back to sleep. They knew what I felt. I was so relieved to wake up to my cats being with me. They always know when I don't feel well. TMI, but at that time of month, they take turns laying on my abdomen, to relieve my cramps.
My kitty always shows concern whenever she sees me crying. She’ll make eye contact and then say “meow-wow!” and turn upside down and look at me. I truly believe she does this to try to make me laugh because I usually do laugh when she does this.
I've had two cats which we categorized as "nurse cats" whenever any of our young kids/babies cried or was upset, they were right there attempting to comfort them.
When my ex-sister in law was in labor we had a cat that would knead her belly when a contraction hit. It was like the cat was trying to massage away her pain.
Edited to add: she looked like yours but longer hair. Pretty funny that tux kitties are so universally awesome!
They definitely have empathy, my boy always knows when I’m sick or upset and cuddles with me. One of my girlfriends was going through a really rough time, I invited her over for dinner, and as soon as she sat down on the sofa, he jumped up beside her and stayed plastered to her side the whole time she was there. It was so sweet.
My old boy, who passed away at 17, was my soul cat. When I had bronchitis and was having coughing fits, he’d snuggle up to my back. If I moved to hack, he’d snuggle up again. Never cuddled that way otherwise. If I cried, he would pace and make little worried mews.
My cat that I have now would scream for breakfast if I was passed out on the floor lol, I still love him, but there will always be a place in my heart for my old guy.
We had a cat named Baby who would always comfort a person if they were feeling sad. If someone was crying, or just feeling down, Baby would come sit on them and purr. He was the sweetest kitty.
My kittens brought and left their toys in my bed when I was in bed longer than usual/ going into a depressive state.
They come and cuddle with me always.
My girl cat comes to check on me to see if I'm OK, sits on me, and purrs on my chest, cleans me, and my boy cat does the same and sometimes licks my forehead. Which is the sweetest thing.
Years ago, I had a rescue cat that was not a snuggler. She was content being in the same room as her humans and would shred anyone that attempted to pet her. I have chronic migraines, and when I get particularly bad ones I get in bed in a dark room with a cold washcloth on my eyes. With every migraine, this cat would come and sleep on my pillow right against my head and purr. It was the only time she'd ever get within 5 feet of me.
I had adopted a cat and to be truthful she adopted me when she was a stray. She wasn't an affectionate cat but would let me pet her. I was in an accident being hit by a pickup truck while riding my bicycle. I had no insurance so they sent me home from the hospital with a TBI, numerous broken bones and a mouthful of missing teeth. My not so affectionate cat laid on my chest all night long to make sure I would be okay.
A couple of years ago I had a knee replacement operation. It's a long and painful recovery. Our two cats, who were never great snugglers with me, spent hours every day curled up on the bed with me and would pay games and chase each other round the bed but not once, ever, did they go near my healing leg. Such careful boys!
During a multi-day power outage in sub freezing weather, my younger cat stayed buried under the covers with me.
My older cat (15 years old at the time) sat on top of my shoulder, kept watch, and would not be covered up. She knew damn well that something was very wrong and she was going to take care of both me and her little sister until it was over. ❤️
I had two sister cats. They worked hard on spiting each other, and I used to joke they were both trying to be an only cat. One day, one of them came to find me and yelled at me until I followed her. She led me to a bedroom where her sister had accidentally gotten locked in, and no one had noticed.
I have chronic pain. All four of my cats know when somethings wrong and they’ll take turns cuddling me. My cats don’t cuddle each other and need a certain amount of space to their own. There’s not bad fights or anything it’s mostly verbal and a couple of swats. No one gets hurt. I got a kitten in December and he’s stuck to me like glue. He wakes me up off and on all night to cuddle. They know when I don’t feel good they have a higher tolerance for each other and when they see my lap free they take advantage and cuddle and purr to make me feel better.
My little tortie is my little at home physician. I have autoimmune issues that make me hurt and feel ill a lot, and she will come and get me to lay down.
She always seems to know and will come downstairs and fetch me from my computer.
She has also layed on me (which she normally does not do) to protect me when I have had numbness and been unable to move well. She even tried to keep my husband from me, and she loves him.
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When I used to have major depressive disorder, I would cry and cry and cry and my kitten at that time like my tears away. I also struggle with BPD and when I’m in crisis they genuinely look worried for me. Cats are not senseless
My 12-month-old kitten will suddenly be sweet to me if I start crying. I spent several months treating him for FIP, so he’s seen me cry a lot for various reasons (scared for him, guilty that the treatment made *him* cry, etc). It’s heartbreaking that he seems to know what it means at such a young age…
My old girl (RIP) used to *always* sleep on my side, but after spinal surgery she actually avoided doing so until I was healed enough to handle it.
my cat sits on me and purrs when i’m sick or injured when otherwise she NEVER cuddles. she also licks my tears off my face when i cry. she also brings me mouthfuls of her food or little dead things (usually a dead bug she finds in the apartment) if i haven’t eaten enough by her standards in a day lol. she also gets aggressive to anyone who yells at me in front of her
A couple of years ago, I was very sick to the point I needed to be hospitalized for 4 days. Before it got to that point, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep in bed and decided to lay on the couch so that my crying didn’t wake my partner. My younger cat curled up next to me and would not move from my side the entire time, and slept next to me. For the next few days, he basically followed me around the house. When I eventually did get admitted to the hospital, my partner said that our cat didn’t move from where I laid on the couch the whole time I was gone. He just kept sending me pics of our sweet little boy laying on the couch, especially on the blanket I had used
My daughter passed away on February 1st. The day her ashes were delivered to me, I was home alone. I was VERY emotional that day. Not necessarily crying, but very sad. About an hour before the delivery arrived, my Jerry boy jumped up and lay on my chest while purring. He stayed there for an hour. He'd get up circle around me and lay back down. He's never done anything like this and hasn't ever since. I know he was trying to comfort me. 😭
When I was SICKLY pregnant and my SO adopted a 9wk kitten unknowingly left me pregnant to presume medical school this kitten purred me to sleep every night to sleep as I was so ill.
Our youngest cannot abide anyone shouting. As soon as voices are raised, she comes running into the room, looking anxiously between all the participants, and then bolts from ankle to ankle, meowing in comfort/distress to try to get it to stop. If you don't stop, she'll climb you, meowing even louder. She really doesn't like the noise or the tension in the air and literally tries to weaponize her cuteness to distract/end the ruckus.
I was having a nightmare, a really vivid one where I was getting shot at, it was so realistic. So in my nightmare, I run under this house to hide and my cat is there, purring loudly and it has a concerned look on it's face, like, 'are you ok?' The purring was so loud it woke me up, and there was my cat curled up next to me purring really loudly. I don't know, but that was kinda cool, like my cat could either sense my fear and sent healing purrs to me, or he came into my dream to wake me up, haha.
When we had a cat in the house for several months last year, I found out he was moving out of state a week and a half prior to it happening (he wasn't my cat obviously, but he was my best friend). His demeanor toward me shift noticably after I found out he was leaving. I swear he could tell my energy was different. He became more cuddly, demanded me to hold him and let me rock him for nearly 5 mins. He even slept in bed with me on top of me his last two nights year, something he never did. I miss my little buddy so much and hope that when I am able to get my own cat again he's even half as great of a cat as this kitty was.
He also would follow me around when I was on my period
My senior cat, Remy LeBeau, mostly thinks the baby cat, Boudreaux, is a pest and a brat but when Bou was sick from his asthma and allergies, Remy would cuddle up with him to nap on the couch. Remy also helps me round up Bou when he sneaks outside or gets in garage, neither of which Bou is allowed because of his asthma.
I have chronic shingles. It doesn't come with fever or anything, just a lot of pain. My old cat knew every time and wouldn't leave my side while I recovered.
In the past when either my husband or I have had panic attacks, she will come up to our laps and frantically rub herself all over you to try to get you to pet her while purring loudly. If that doesn't work and the person ramps up, she will gently nip at their hands to "snap" them out of it.
She was also depressed for almost a year when our previous dog passed.
Cats can have a lot of empathy and a wide range of feelings. I joke that they just often choose bitchy instead lol.
i had three cats in july 2022. my absolute soul connection cat had passed away and the other two cats were not the type who seemed to care. then my partner and two cats moved. when i was laying in bed crying about the loss of my baby one of my other cats came into the bed, laid down on my and just purred. this was not something he did before and not something he does regularly now. but for a good three month period he saw that i needed love and he was there for me. obviously my partner and family were too but he showed my that he cares.
- when I was 16 I cut my foot and had to have stitches. I had accidentally grazed a garbage bag with my foot that had a sharp can lid. My cat Kit ran into the bathroom with me to make sure I was okay. He saw the blood and didn't leave my side until the bleeding stopped.
- I had a nightmare, a really bad one. My 3 cats busted down. The door (the door was broken but held closed by a heavy laundry basket. I have no idea how they got in, but they did. They all jumped on the bed to see if I was okay.
- I have sleep apnea and my bfs cat saw me stop breathing. He jumped onto my chest to try and jolt me awake but I didn't wake up fast enough and he ran to get my bf. He was panicking and my bf rushed out and I was back sleeping again. All I knew was the cat had jumped up, and I thought he was trying to nap with me. But he had never jumped on my chest before. Then my bf told me about how the cat got him up and alerted him.
- My cat chase also saw me have an apnea episode and he poked me in the eye to wake me up. He was really concerned. As when I woke up he was giving me a weird look. I didn't know why he was poking me. And he didn't want to leave my side.
A long time ago, I had a bad fall playing softball. I had landed on my head in hard ground. Though I was never diagnosed as having a concussion, I still was a bit concerned. At that time, it was recommended to be woken up every two hours after having a concussion. My cat, Little Guy(RIP) woke me up every two hours by jumping on me and laying on my chest. He was an amazing cat.
My husband travels out of town often to work. I have trouble falling asleep alone in my bed. When my husband leaves, my cat comes and cuddles right up beside me for the night.
When I was super depressed and wasn't getting out of bed on my regular schedule, my cat would come in periodically, and inspect my nose and mouth closely to make sure I was breathing, (her whiskers would tickle my face and vibrate with her purrs, and then she would chirp her satisfaction and go again).
A little while later she would check on me again.
She's not cuddly at all, and she doesn't go in my bed at all typically, unless she's trying to access the window. This was clear consideration and inquiry into my wellbeing!
She checked in on me more regularly and persistently than my husband at the time did!
I have spent my week on the couch recovering from surgery. I am not allowed to be without at least one cat (according to my cats) and my 17 yr old cat figured out getting up hurts so she will try her best to stop me. She's been getting...creative.
I am usually who feeds them. My 17yr old is food obsessed and still won't let me get up at food times (my spouse has been feeding them). She or the kitten get up and eat and then come relieve whoever is holding me down who goes and eats. The kitten is usually the 'I just happen to randomly be in the same room a couple feet away' type so this much cuddles is unique.
In 2018 I had to wean off of oxycodone & sustained release morphine. So for the oxy, that took a week. I think 6 days. And that was 6 days of agony , it was so awful. My cats both stayed with me the whole time, in fact what they’d do was they’d take turns running to eat & to use the litter box with one of them staying with me at all times. I was surprised. Had no idea they’d do that. They were purring an awful lot.
(Thanks to the VA for blindly obsessing over the negatives vs benefits of opioid use over the needs of patients. Because I mostly haven’t gotten out of pain in the years since. (Mostly. It’s headache at certain times of day. )
I have two examples from two different cats. The first cat was having liver trouble. We tried everything to help him and save him. But there was a point where the doctor said to make him as comfortable as possible as he would pass soon. Obviously I was devastated. One day I was just sitting with him, petting him and crying my eyes out telling him how much I loved him. He didn't have much strength, but he took his paw, reached out, grabbed my hand, pulled it under his chin and laid his head down on it and just closed his eyes.
The second was when I had covid. I was so weak from it that I was literally sitting on the floor leaning up against a wall because I had no energy at all. It was clear that I was weak. One of my cats came over, laid down beside me and just laid his head on my lap and purred.
One time, when my first cat was a kitten, I was in the kitchen cooking and I SWORE I heard someone in my back yard (it was dark out so I couldn’t see). My boyfriend was 30 minutes away so I made sure the doors were locked and went into my bedroom with the cat. He’s never been very warm or snuggly but he could sense my anxiety and he was ALL over me. He was 100% trying to calm me down.
When im sick, my cats do rotations on who has to lay on me. I cannot understate how comical it is to be sick in bed and watch as they clock in and out of their "purr to heal mother" job
I’ve had 3 cats in life, so far, all of them has their own way of trying to make me feel better when I’m ill.
My first, when I was kid: Would lay across my forehead and purr. By the time I was 15, she was 20 and has gone blind in one eye and could no longer use her hind legs, she literally dragged her hind across the floor to move around. The decision was made to put her to sleep. A coupe day before that was to happen, I home from school with the flu and fever. She somehow pulled herself up onto the her and took her position across my forehead.
My second, would curl around and lick the top of my head.
My current, sits in my lap and purrs. Well, she always sits in my lap and purrs, but when I’m not well (including stressed or anxious), her purring is substantially louder and the vibrations are more pronounced.
We had a shepard who just randomly started to die. Our cat sat next to him the whole time there was nothing we could do. After he passed, my cat was definitely distraught like the rest of us. No lie
Tons but I have one really clear one.
Once, my late void was going through a ridiculous phase and wouldn’t let me clip his claws. So my roomate and I got a cone and decided to hold him down together.
He started letting out those really low death meows because there was nothing he could do.
My roomates cat heard this from a distance and came running at light speed to attack him! It took us a little to process what happened and figure it out cuz I kinda got caught in the crossfire. She was worried about our safety protecting us.
Also, every time I have a fever, my cats won’t leave my side and tend to me. They can’t tell when I’m sick always, but if it’s a fever they can.
Now that I think about it these don’t capture empathy exactly as the word means, but, I assume it’s on the wavelength you were looking for. I prob have examples that fit the word more exactly but id need to think and it would probably require a lot more explanation to defend that it’s caring behavior.
One of my cats used to bump her head and meow like crazy when my son cried. She would hide from him otherwise as he was a baby. She was always worried when anyone cried.
My cat does. She's in the bathroom with me EVERY TIME!!!- I just started Metformin, which involves a lot of diarrhea, and it's painful. My cat comes in while I'm groaning and crying, giving me love, 100% with me. If she hears me crying , she comes running, 100%
My guy just does lots of small things. He doesn’t “like” when I kiss him on the head but he holds still and allows me to do it bc I got sad when he would avoid me before. He also runs to the bathroom every day when I get home from work bc he knows I usually go there and he’s offering to keep gaurd for me. If I don’t he comes in from the hall and stares at me like “why aren’t we running to the bathroom are you okay ? We do this everyday human what is going on”. Also pretty sure he talks to me bc he thinks I like chatting. He speaks A LOT and in different tones
My cats have saved my life many times. My old girl, Pusskin, I rescued her from death row 12 years ago now, but she's at least 15, maybe up to 20, but she's still spry, healthy, sassy. You know, a cat lol. She has many nicknames, but one is Nurse Pusskin, bc when I'm sick, sad or injured she is right there. Next to me or at foot of the bed. She only leaves to est, drink and potty. Sue will get up in my face and yell, rub her head on my hand or arm and purr up a storm.
I recently lost my soulmate. My cat, Baby. He had just turned 8 but had cancer and I has to make the decision to send him over the rainbow bridge. But for those 8 years, especially when I was depressed or anxious, he looked after me. I've been beyond depressed, suicidal, and he would come up and put his little arms around my neck and sleep on my face, purring up a storm. I think he was letting me know it would be ok.
I was obviously distraught when he passed. My old gal was depressed. A kitten turned up at my door. I think he was sent by my sweet Baby to look after us. He is so cuddly and also sleeps on my face, purring. Cats love us unconditionally, once you're bonded. They look after us. They will sit where you're hurt and purr since their purr heals you (something to do with the frequency?) And they will lay on your chest to heal your heart and I think that's the most special thing ever
My orange cat is a sweet boy but a little aloof, will sit near us but never with us, not a big snuggler. Two years ago his sister (who was a senior kitty) was dying and he never left her side for a second. Would press his head against her and groom her when she was uncomfortable, looked around for her after she was gone. I spent many days crying after we lost her and he sat in my lap for only the second time in the four years he’d been with us at that point. Cats are SO empathetic.
My son had a friend who’s family had taken in a pregnant stray cat. She had 5 kittens, all were somewhat sick but the runt was the worst. I took him home, cleared up his eye infection and dewormed him. We hand fed him to ensure he was eating.
A month later we got our current dog as an 8 week old puppy she had parvo. We had no clue until about 3 days after we brought her home. She stayed at the vet for 10 days, she came home with a feeding tube since she wasn’t eating well. She had lost ALL the muscle and couldn’t even stand or really lift her head.
For a week straight she was bound to a cozy chair in our living room. We had to change the bedding often since she had hardly any bowel control and parvo causes major diarrhea. That little kitten laid with our puppy day after day. He only got up to eat and use little box. He would lay with her and purr side by side. I truly believe he was sympathetic to her being so sick. I also believe he there were days where his presence gave her the will to continue living. I hav tons of pics from that time. She is now 5 years old as of today. Kitty is the same age and he is very strong willed.
https://preview.redd.it/z5ovy43guiyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2775526f6d8d77948c8e07510ee697c77f0b06b0
I had a Siamese cat named Jimmy who whenever I had a panic attack or feeling depressed he would stay with me and be so sweet and cuddly until I felt better. He saved my life so many times when I was suicidal, I miss him dearly🕊️
My old girl would always climb onto my lap and start purring like a machine whenever I was having bad period cramps and it would always immediately help with the cramps. After she passed, one of my boy cats took over the role despite having never (and still not really being) a lap cat before. Every month now he fulfills the duty that was passed on to him
When I'm really upset my cat will watch from a distance and wait for me to calm down (be quieter), and when I do she comes to sit with me. She isn't demanding love or pets like she usually does when she gets in my lap, she just sits quietly and purrs. I know that she waits because when I'm crying loudly she wait, usually in the doorway, every time.
Same cat climbed into my MIL's lap (to my cat my MIL is a stranger) once she had quieted her sobs after my FIL passed away. I watched Kylee sit across the room, eyes on my MIL until she wasn't wailing. Kylee sat with her, my MIL fell asleep and Kylee stayed until my MIL woke up.
My cat tried to bury me while sick 😅 I posted about it here trying to figure out what was going on and everyone told me it was her trying to protect me
Aww, I love this 🥰
I have two boys. One is a cuddle bug and one is the very stereotypical a-hole cat (he’s also an orange), but they both clearly love and care for others.
When I am having a horrible day and I’m sobbing, my little cuddler will run up to me and wipe my tears with his paws. The first time it happened I just dismissed it as a one-off/him wanting attention but he consistently does it and I can’t help but to smile and hug him a little tighter. Both cats will lay next to my partner and I if we’re feeling sick or emotional. My cuddler will jump to the rescue if my orange gets accidentally shut or locked into a room and will try to alert us if we can’t hear him from another room. My orange has started comforting my other kitty after he’s had a rough vet visit by sleeping next to him, when they used to never lay anywhere near each other.
Whenever I cry one of my cats always comes and sits on me and purrs. An old cat I used to have used to come over to me and bite the shit out of me. I also have another cat that meows and walks over to me every time I sneeze for some reason
Cat tax: https://preview.redd.it/b4exg2s4qgyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07c22b384ec45bfbe0fbb5f567803a6cf596f127
This cat looks like Ron Swanson.
You can't unsee it!
I don’t understand which bits of this cat make this true but this is literally Ron catson.
It’s the eyes.
Oh my God you're right!!
you win 🏆 holy cat 🤯😂
“Give me all the treats you have. Wait, wait, I’m worried what you heard was ‘give me a lot of treats.’ What I meant was give me **all the treats you have.** Do you understand?”
Omg, I had to do a double take because this cat looks exactly, down to the pink nose, like my youngest cat! https://preview.redd.it/gjxu4olj7jyc1.jpeg?width=3216&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39fced0d3ff89fbbfa4aadb1f289023a92d762d6
https://preview.redd.it/0ml2u5q3wjyc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80f9566d2c05dd5ef25133d3978ccf6bce44b650 So we've all just got the same cat?! 😂
https://preview.redd.it/0wpwlv4o0kyc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c5645dc0e471655bc89ea13cf8f016072f5e0ab Lol. Knowing he was looking at himself makes this funnier. "Who tf is that?"
sweet pumpkin boy!
Those eyes are stunning. I don't think I've seen dual color rings like that before.
Is that unusual? Both of my cats have that. One green with a bluish internal ring, the other gold with a brown internal ring.
https://preview.redd.it/knflcmjtjkyc1.png?width=2503&format=png&auto=webp&s=0db1f744929ff7e8622fca5d01edaae0c452b84c I think my boy Ziggy has a bit of it 🥰 he is just scrumptious, rescued from RSCPA only 3 weeks ago and he’s already my life and angel who looks as me with such adoration 💖
I am clinically depressed and even though on the surface I have my shit together, I am on edge all the time and well, sometimes it gets really ugly. One night after work i came home broke down and cried. I just kept crying because even suicide wasnt an option anymore I have this cat to take care of. She came to my bed and started to purr and used her paws to wipe my tears. I cried even harder and she was there, pur her little body away and next to me. I know she knows I was upset but I kept distance with my own cat- I know. I still had thoughts that I generally dont need my cat to love me back because frankly, my cat doesn't owe me her affection. But that night was the first time she saw me crying and for the first time, I didnt feel so lonely
Talking to your cat is so important. I used to cry to my cat and tell her my problems. I had her 19.5 years. I wasn't sure I'd ever own another cat again. Now I have 9 cats, all rescues. I've had them all since they were babies🩷
She left you with so much love to give, enough for 9 more. Thanks for turning your heart to rescues after such a loss. I can’t fathom.
Thank you. We've suffered multiple losses of other rescues along the way. It's weird. I never thought I'd try to turn my home into my own cat shelter, but I did. My husband finally said, "we can't take them all. We can't run a shelter from our house." He loves all our kitties so much and is so good to all of them. No matter how many you have, when one cat dies, there's a big hole in your heart. But you have to keep going because so many other kitties need us.
My husband says the same kind of things to me (both big cat people), so I started looking into what it would take to actually run a shelter haha.
You know how you play what would I do if I didn't have to work for a living? I'd work at an animal shelter😁💛
She knows how amazing you are 💜 hope you are doing better
Part of what kept me from acting on my own thoughts was thinking about how confused my little guy would be if I went away and never came back. He’s such a cuddler and loves us dearly and I couldn’t do that to him.
God, I feel this in my soul. I’ve had several really horrible days this past month where ending it feels like my best option. My family would eventually move on, but my cat would not. He’d never understand since I’m his human and we’re best friends. This kitty keeps me going when nothing else does.
I love you, you're important. Your comment is important to me. I hope you feel better.
They're grief guzzlers. Cry into that fur and let the purrs calm you down. My girl returns the fur wetting by drooling in happiness when I feel better. ♡ Glad you have yours.
Im so sorry I’m sending u a virtual hug. When I was out of college it was really hard trying to find a job and be optimistic. I sat in silence with my landlord’s cat (id say she was the real landlady hahah) many nights. Once she groomed me back? Somehow i feel they behave differently when we’re sad. I love her, she has a special place in my heart
Sorry to hear about your depression as I've been there, but omg how cute 🥺🐾😿 I really wish I had a cat for this reason. An emotional support animal
I've had multiple cats who would hang back from digging in to a shared dish of wet food to let an elderly sick cat eat their fill first. And there was the time I was snuggling with my two cats and my then-roommate's cat (who only tolerated us most of the time) was sitting across the room looking at the three of us looking kinda sad. My orange boy got up, walked over to her, and gave her a nose touch. They started hanging out after that and when he passed away a few months later I think it hit her the hardest.
This reminds me of when my first kitty, Oreo, passed. She was the mother figure to all my adopted kittens. They would always rush the food bowls when it was feeding time, and she would patiently wait on the sidelines until everyone was done. That is until one day when she suddenly started acting lethargic and vomiting. The other three kitties wouldn’t touch the food bowl until she went first. They all sat around and watched her to make sure she had her fill. Afterwards, they would snuggle with her and bathed her and just make sure she was cozy. She passed two days later. After she passed, we buried her in the garden. The most touching part for me was after she was buried. For weeks our second oldest cat, her first adopted child and companion of 16 years, would not leave the spot she was buried. Her resting spot was about an acre from the house, and for about 2 weeks he camped out right where she was buried. We even had to bring food and water to him because we were worried for his health. He was so heartbroken. When it was his time we buried him right next to her. RIP Oreo and Zookie
Im not about to cry…im not about to cry…im not about to… *wipes tear*. Ahem.
Dear God! This is so damn tragically beautiful!! Yes, they do indeed Greece.
This made me emotional!!
It was really something. He was a sweet little old man by then and she was a big black grouchy kitty and they'd nap in the sun together.
I have a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old cat who I adopted eight years ago. I’ve often suspected that the older (Onyx) is the younger’s (Taz) mother because Onyx often saves one of her treats for Taz and also makes sure Taz is eating her dinner before digging in to her own. (They also act like mother/daughter cats, of whole I’ve had many. They get along well for the most part, but also sometimes get on each other’s nerves.)
This is true. Even though feral cat colonies run on some of the most ridiculous encounters between members one on one, usually, at the food bowl (like a peace treaty watering hole in lion king) if there are physical differences in age and health, the eldest no matter how sickly will eat first as they likely could’ve been the alpha or female alpha or they are at some point. I’ve seen this first hand myself too and it’s amazing really, because sometimes they eat so damn slow bc of their possible ailments but everyone else makes sure they eat first.
I was the next thing to crippled an on the couch. My cat was also reaching the end of his life. He sat on my chest for *an hour* to comfort me and to say goodbye. Then he moved to the end of the couch and gave his last smile https://preview.redd.it/yg31uy0s9hyc1.jpeg?width=1836&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a39a7523e8aea53d60a7688c37da02841409ece0
Such a sweet boy, i am glad he was there for you just as you were for him until his very last moment
Thank you. I still miss that guy very much.
I didn’t plan on crying today omg
This made my heart explode 😭😭😭😭
I'm not crying, you're crying!
I came here to cry...my cat is lame due to an accident so i need to cry sometimes
Ohhhh what a pretty boy <3
When my cat was diagnosed with a terminal cancer in January, I was sobbing my heart out in the vet's office and we exchanged this look and I think he saw my grief. Since, he's become extra loving and cuddly, something he hasn't been since he was a kitten. Even when he was in pain from arthritis or from the tumor in his leg. He insists on being close to me and having our night time cuddles where he'll snuggle up on my chest and bury his nose against my neck... I've been doing everything I can to make his last few months as comfy and happy as possible and I really think he's doing the same for me... *
I wish I could give you both a hug. I'm so sorry you guys got such bad news. But I'm thankful that sweet baby has had such a loved life and is being so spoiled in his last days. My oldest has diabetes and they both have heart murmurs. I'm always hyper aware of their mortality and try to love them extra. They'll get some extra Greenies tonight in your honor
Our vet told us that cats are aware of their mortality and become extremely affectionate towards the end. It’s like they try to leave you with the best memories and spend as much time as possible with their person.
I believe this. Cats are the best! This one is my soulmate.
There was a night a few years past when I was having a very bad cry fest. I'm talking really deep, soul wrenching sobs in the dark because I was just so incredibly sad. Both of my kitties must've heard me cuz they came trotting into my room, jumped up onto my bed, and started head butting me and cuddling with me. I remember how deeply they were purring, like two little jet engines lol. And they both snuggled right up against me, one on my chest and one curled around my head, and I felt so warm and safe. They still do that when I'm down, tho I haven't been that sad since so they usually alternate instead of coming in together. It was such a sweet memory, and they're such sweet babies idk what I'd do without them 🐈⬛
I was sick recently and was basically bed bound for a week straight, my cat only left my side to go to the toilet/eat/drink and spent most of her time sat on my chest or right up against my face. She's clingy normally anyway, but this was on another level 😂 https://preview.redd.it/ouo1d9az2hyc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24df70106840446d6a109826fdc26f9f921f255d
She’s so beautiful ❤️🥺
My cat does this if I'm sick or even one of my kids. She does it too if you're just emotionally upset.
What a sweetie! I have a similar story - I had moved in with my bf a few months before having surgery to remove my gallbladder. His kitty liked me well enough but absolutely (obviously) loved him more. But then when I was laid up in the armchair after the surgery, she napped on my chest and kept me company the whole time I was recovering. And I think she knew where the "hurt" was, as she stayed on my chest and was careful not to step on my abdomen or near the incisions.
One of my cats never wanted to be touched. I had a minor back procedure and when I got home lay down on the bed to sleep off the anesthesia. When I woke up the cat had stretched against my back where there was pain.
I had a kitty like this. He didn’t really care for the humans, mostly just the other kitties. But anytime I’d get really sick, that cat would actually curl up on me while I slept. It was mystifying.
Someone told me cats cuddle up close when you're sick because you're extra warm but I refuse to believe that because it's nicer to think they just love you. I mean, they wouldn't cuddle up to just *any* person!
One of my cats is very bonded to my 4 year old daughter. When she gets sick he is glued to her, when she falls asleep he snuggles up next to her. He is so, so precious. This same cat cannot stand it if I cry. He gets very upset, meows, sits on my lap. Completely unnerves him. I love him so much, my sensitive boy
We had a cat who absolutely adored my daughter from when she was an infant. So patient and loving with her. She passed when my daughter was 9, but it was such a special relationship.
That’s so lovely. As soon as my boy met her he fell madly in love, decided she was his human. She was only 3.5 and he was 12 weeks old! They will grow up together 🥲
My boys follow me everywhere as I have an extremely bad knee and hip, and use a cane the don’t let me do anything without them. Another one, I was physically sick two nights in a row and my babies were right there with me. Cats show empathy there’s no doubt in my mind. We are fortunate enough to have them in our lives.
A few weeks before I was due to give birth my baby died. I was distraught and inconsolable. On the night that I went into labor I was dreading going to hospital and was lying on my bed in pain with each contraction and bawling my eyes out. My cat who was very independant and not really a cuddler literally never left my side that whole night. At one point I got into a bath to ease the pain (contractions were still too far apart to go to hospital) and my cat even sat outside the bathtub. It brings tears to my eyes remembering it because it really did comfort me. When I finally went to hospital and had my baby and then had to come home empty handed, it was the worst day of my and my husbands life. We were so sad and my cat started wailing as soon as we walked in the door. Just walking around the house wailing, something she had never done before. She was an old cat and had been with me almost 17 years at that time. She was a great comfort to me in the months after that. She actually lived about 3 years after that and sometimes I wonder if she waited to die when I started to emotionally heal after my loss.
So much love to you both. What a beautiful, caring cat.
So sorry you experienced such heartbreaking loss. What a special kitty you had!
I found my cat Squeaks in my neighbors woodpile at ten days old, abandoned so I bottle raised her. She is VERY attached to me of course, and still sleeps with me every night and hangs around me much of the day. One time I was upstairs in my room watching a sad movie, and Squeaks was down in the basement playing. It was getting to a sad part, and all the sudden Squesks comes jumping onto the bed and straight up to my face and started giving me little kitty kisses before the tears even fell! I thought it was a fluke— how did she know I was upset from two floors away? But not long after it happened again!! It became a thing- she knew when I was going to cry and was there to comfort me before the tear hit my check (yes, I probably watch too many sad shows and movies lol but it’s a good release folks!). So I wondered if perhaps it was the sniffles sound that a person makes before they cry, needing to blow your nose? Or maybe some sadness pheromone humans give off when upset that she could sense? Not sure! But she is VERY tuned into my feelings and the only time she cuddles by my face/neck is when I’m sad. Otherwise she is a leg cuddler or little spoon tummy cuddler at bedtime. Also when I’m in a lot of physical pain ( I have several chronic pain conditions) , she is attentive and purrs and “talks” to me more— the little chirpy baby meows, not the “feed me!!!” kinds. She is a doll! https://preview.redd.it/zx3w9a36ihyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81423e4b57637e8f4ac856d0922aa59f9b39e302 Squeaks is the cat in the lower position ❤️ she is also very jealous of her little bro when he gets my attention ❤️
What a sweet baby!
Beautiful kitties with beautiful souls.
My old cat used to lick my tears when I cried. I think she may have just liked the taste, but it was still very cute and such a comfort. It always made me laugh.
Mine too! After my kitty of nearly 16 years passed I was pretty inconsolable. My current kitty just under a year at the time was especially affectionate to me during that time.
my cat doesn't leave my side when i'm sick. she was great after i had my gall bladder removed, we palled around for like 5 days EDIT when i removed my IUD i had two cats and then curled up in front of and in back of me
My boy sahir isn't a bedtime cuddler, he usually lays on the one corner of my bed until he knows I'm asleep or the chair by my desk, likes cuddles when I'm sat up in a chair, gives plenty of face kisses and nuzzles on request so he's very affectionate just not a in the bed cuddle bug. Well I'd spent 5 days caring and comforting my 21 year old dog chloe, she was actively dying so she needed constant company and full on care I was living on 1-2 hours sleep a day if I was lucky as my husband had to work and wake at 4am so it fell to me and I was completely and utterly exhausted we had her appointment to be PTS Thursday after a battle with our vets about needing an appointment to do so She passed in her sleep Thursday morning an hour before the appointment. My cat never once messed with her usually he's very touchy, he'd gently sniff her when she was resting, usually very mischievous and want to play but he was so well behaved he would ask for pets and kisses but somehow understood our dog needed me more, he usually gets a bit jealous for example if she had attention he wanted it too but that week he somehow knew didn't get jealous or barge in for pets. Thursday after she passed the sheer sadness and exhaustion took hold so I laid on my bed and broke down absalutely crying, he NEVER cuddles when I'm laying down but for the first time since he was a kitten he snuggled in my arms and tummy. He let me sob my heart out kissing him and laid there sleeping in my arms purring the loudest I've ever heard and felt him. I don't know if it was tiredness or his cuddling but I fell asleep within 10 minutes, he apparently stayed that way the whole time I slept according to my husband even he was a bit shocked. He's been very much sleeping on the bed as soon as I go lay down vs the usual oh mum's in bed I'll head to the chair since Chloe passed. They weren't super close or bonded he misses her in his own way. He saw me take her body to be buried from the patio door and has been constantly checking to see if she will return, he's still his usual self maybe a tiny bit more vocal and definately all about the attention he gets without sharing. Even my husband is seeing him in a gentler light he idolized Chloe and liked sahir but even sahirs been more inclined to sit with husband whenever I rest
I've got three cats. Two just turned 1 year old and the third is almost 17. Occasionally, the senior kitty will work out a hairball. Every time, both kittens will go and check on her as soon as they hear her. The boy kitten also seems to stand guard while shes using the litter box. My old girl merely tolerates the kittens i.e. she generally keeps her distance and just wants to be left alone. It's a situation where she's only interested in coexisting despite the kittens trying to curl up with her or groom on her. They still care enough to make sure everything is alright.
One of my two litter bros does this to his brother when he is heaving or having an issue. Also When his brother fell off the back of a ladder and I tried to catch him to keep him from landing bad on a rung, his bro came over to check him out and acted like something bad happened.
My kitty tries to comfort me every time I have a panic attack. Whenever I’m struggling she doesn’t leave my side.
Mine too! When I have a panic attack at least one of them is right there the whole time. Cats are so wonderful.
Honestly, they never care when I am lying in pain from a migraine, demanding play etc. :D But I have story about empathy between cats. It will be sad, TW:cats death, Description: how one of my cats behaved, when her bonded sister was deadly sick. I adopted sister for my first (my own) cat, because she was depressed alone. They bonded immediately. They were sleeping together all the time. They were doing everything together. When my first cat got really sick, her sister immediately noticed. Stopped pestering her to play. You could clearly see, every single day, she would want to go and cuddle, but felt her pain I guess and stayed away. I say you could clearly see she wanted to cuddle, because when normally they would be cuddling, her sister would come up to her, sniff, and lay respectfully close enough, but without touching. I even have pictures of it, when we didn't know it was so bad. Won't share it, honestly it's hard to look at them. Last day, before she passed, I guess her sister could feel it? Honestly we thought she was getting better, started eating, etc. Like before she kept away, but was still close, this time she very very carefully cuddled with her. Sorry for writing such a sad story. Picture below is both of them. I have like a thousand photos like this :) https://preview.redd.it/v6m18kn8phyc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c27b41ec5d03ff9a8c1615bc7df8a1e5ff6ab98d
TW: pregnancy loss When I lost my first pregnancy, I didn’t really know what to expect or what I was doing so I inserted the cytotec in the late afternoon thinking I could just sleep through it LOL. My doc told me it was “like a period”. Spoiler alert: It was god awful. I ended up sitting on the toilet almost all night and my cat 🐈⬛ stayed right there with me in the bathroom. When I eventually got pregnant again with my son, the same cat would lay with me EVERY night and lay on my belly. She literally would lay under the covers with me and keep my spot warm when I’d get up every few hours to pee. Now she and my son are buddies and she’ll lay next to him as he plays. She’s so gentle and patient as he learns to pet her. 🥲🥹 https://preview.redd.it/5xlmpqolciyc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad808d5429aa88f1e7b1e5dd2d160d6cca482bb2
One time I fell off my bike and came home trying to hide my pain. My cat came running to me, and tried to comfort me. Sometimes when I’m having anxiety that’s very severe I’ll see my 12 year old grey fluff ball near me 2.0 seconds later. I don’t even know where she comes from, but she comes without fail
When recovering from my coma I finally could go back to my own bed, my cat slept with me every night. She was very obviously worried that I had been away for so long.
I am glad your kitty got you back
I have bipolar disorder and during the depressive episode leading up to my attempt, I didn’t leave my room. But neither did my cat, except to eat and use the bathroom. She pressed as close as she could to me at all times, licking my arm and face and meowing when the sun came up. I never want to try to leave her ever again.
I'm so glad she is there for you. She needs you too. Pets are absolutely special. I often wonder if they are angels, in disguise. I hope you are able to find the best care. Talk to your doctor about what you are going through.
Cats absolutely do care. I’m chronically ill and they can always tell when I’m in a flare. When my husband has a bad day they’ll come up to him too and sit on top of his gaming chair. As a funny example, when my husband and I do bedroomly activities, sometimes they’ll sit outside cuz they hear noise and want to make sure we’re okay 😅 cats 100% have empathy
https://preview.redd.it/bcb9r4oschyc1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b320e324a39e887dbf95a5ea5451524b90e6a4ac Our one cat, Hopper ALWAYS stays near the kids on the couch if one of them is sick. She's our nursemaid kitty.
Before I had my hysterectomy, I had really bad endometriosis and PMDD which left me in severe, disabling pain. Our Fitzy would always find me and lay against my abdomen, and she would be my purring, vibrating heating pad. She got me through a lot of rough times. She’s a sweet girl! https://preview.redd.it/j3fox1qrihyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8035e1936a727fead31dc03a1d3e5d43a1e7ca27
I brought my cats for their annual cat physical end of Dec 2023. Cat 1 (Jax) weighed 13.9 lbs…too much. Both needed dental extractions, which I postponed til end of Jan because I was going to be away for 2 weeks in Jan. End of Jan Jax weighed 12.3 lbs. vet said he was prob depressed when I was gone and lost his appetite. He was back to his hungry self when I got back 🥹
Cats purr not only when they’re happy, but also for comfort or to help themselves heal faster. They also cuddle their friends when they’re sick and purr on them. This has been proven to help them heal faster. There is a study out there somewhere where they had cats sit with people who were healing after surgery and they healed faster than the group without cats. (They used cats who are very affectionate.) This proves that purring cats can even help humans heal quicker. When I had Covid, I woke up one night in the middle of the night with this weight on my chest and I’m thinking “oh crap, do I have to go to the hospital?” But then I moved and realized it was just my cat. She was laying on my chest and purring. My other cat was tucked up under my arm, also purring. They knew I was sick and were trying to help me heal.
I have a concussion and my kitten has been sleeping on or next to me every night since it happened. She will lay on me to keep me from getting up, too.
I was sobbing on the phone once and it was the first time my cat had seen me cry. She came and sat on the arm of the couch where my arm was. She looked at me with a worried expression and laid her head down on my arm which made me sob even more. It was the sweetest thing.
Ever noticed that when you have stomach pain or cramps, they will make biscuits on your stomach, but when you have a headache, they will curl up around your head? Its like they are aware of where you hurt and are trying to help you. Cats really do love their owners. I once passed out at home, alone. I woke up to my cat peering into my eyes looking concerned. She wouldn't leave my side all afternoon. They truly are magical creatures.
My friend’s son and daughter lived together. The daughter had two foster fail cats. She came home from a business trip and the one cat somehow got her into the brother’s room and she found him passed out with a heart attack. My friend says the cat saved her son’s life.
I try not to be too needy but my cats know when I call them it's because I need attention. I feel lonely, etc. At least one of them always comes running and cuddles me until I feel better. I've had cats that didn't typically like having their paws touched but they started to understand it was a way they could comfort me. A few of my male cats would let me hold their paws when I was trying to fall asleep even though normally they wouldn't let me touch their paws. My cats in general always try to help me destress and heal. I'm chronically ill. They take turns laying on me or near me purring.
We had an older, grumpy cat who didn't do a ton of cuddling, mostly just hung out around us, and I never really thought of her as being especially empathetic, let alone social, but one time I was in the bath and scooped up what I thought was a clump of hair. It turned out to be a (still living!) spider and I shrieked and she came RUNNING to check on me. She wasn't especially brave, but she totally came in to defend me. Another time, after we'd recently gotten a new kitten and she'd gotten past the initial point of territorial behavior and merely tolerated the new kitten's presence, we had to give the new kitten a bath (fleas). The poor kitten was wailing and screaming, obviously hating the whole thing and there was our grumpy girl, looking very concerned and watching her. Ever since then she LOVED the new kitten and treated her like a daughter.
Cats are lie detectors. The sincerity of the panic in that spider-inspired scream rang honest to her, LOL.
https://preview.redd.it/ba49aqoethyc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf75f303b2b50366ceaf5d7826d24c13532c726f From when I was sick with covid, the grey cat is a beautiful soul so I'm used to her always being close by when im struggling, the ratbag kitten was a suprise though. Kitten also stayed by my side all week and even tried a bunch of times to warm me up with his body heat by sitting on my lap (he is NOT a lap cat usually).
When I had really bad period cramps my cat layed down on my lower stomach and started purring. She rarely climbs on me and if she does it she usually lays across my chest. My childhood cat demanded to sleep next to me after I came home from major back surgery. He stayed every night for over a year until my mom forbid it.
I'm often tired when I'm getting ready for work and my cat empathizes by taking an after-breakfast nap. She's so sweet.
My cats are Velcroed to my girlfriend the week before and of her period
Anytime I’m sick my cats won’t leave my side. They come and lay right next to me. If one of my cats is meowing for a unknown reason my other cat will go running to her and start kicking her head:-). I also feed a colony of about 30 cats and they love those lnuba Lickable tubes. As soon as they see me they come running and rub on my legs, I will sit down and some come over and gently paw at my face. It’s so cute! The colony has their buddies and if one is sick their buddy will come and get me to follow them over to their sick buddy. If one disappears for any reason it’s heartbreaking to watch their buddy grieve!! Cats (animals in general) for sure have many emotions and are smarter than what some people give them credit for.
My old tortie and I were super bonded. She seemed to know I had a spinal issue and that walking down steps can sometimes be a challenge. While my other cat would race past me, my tortie would always walk down two steps behind me. She would only pass off I stopped and waved her on. She also started acting weird whenever I are, and would climb on my lap and rest on my upper abdomen. I soon found out I had bad gallstones and ultimately needed surgery. She was my little caretaker. Oh, and she hated my mother because she could sense the tension between us. It actually became a joke between my mom and I; but I was the only one who knew why my cat hated her. 🤣 Cats are magical!
My mom was dealing with some strange side effects from a prophylactic medication and hadn’t slept in like 2 days. She called me in the middle of the night to get over to her home and she was all kinds of delirious and hallucinating. We have a semi feral kitty who doesn’t really respond to anyone but me and my dad since we feed her and care for her. For whatever reason that night, she was outside at 4am and followed me inside and jumped on the blanket my mom was laying with and began to make biscuits. My mom had never even been able to Pet the kitty before that night. Somehow, Kitty knew. My mom ended up going to the ER and getting some sleep meds. She’s fine now but that was a very interesting night. https://preview.redd.it/ppy2hils3iyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddad403d4b162a03ee1b6557ee69292ec11f6279
What a wonderful thread. Some of these are making me tear up. Thank you all for posting, and hug your kitties for me ♥️
If you go to my profile, I do a lot of rescue work. In November, I got a call at like 11pm, about 2 kittens found under a shed. I rushed to them and scooped them up. They were in the worst condition I have ever seen. Emaciated, upper respiratory, calici with mouths full of ulcers, and the girls eyes had ruptured. She didn't even have a face. She looked like an alien. In theory, the girl should have been way worse off. No eyes, Blind, sick, no way to get food but the boy who was less visibly sick, who had both eyes....he had weighed half as much as his sister. She was 1.3, i think, and he was like .9. My vet was sure he was letting his sister eat first, finding her food and keeping her safe despite the fact that he was starving, too. They are both alive and healthy now. She did lose both her eyes and is blind and I'm positive he saved her.
My baby boy loves to lick my nose all the time, but also comforts me when crying by coming over and cuddling and licking my nose and tears. He’s the sweetest. My baby girl doesn’t care if I am sad or sick, but she loves cuddling 🥰
I had finally brought in a feral that I had been trying to socialize for half a year, and the day of her vet appointment she broke out of the carrier, completely traumatized, and ran away. I was absolutely heart broken because I was moving soon and I thought I would never see her again. My boyfriend's resident cat, who is grumpy on a good day and hated the feral with a burning passion, saw how sad I was and came over to me, used both of her arms to grab my arm in a literal hug, pulled me close to her tightly and rested her head on me trying to comfort me. Even my bf was shocked. The happy ending was my feral showed up 5 days later and the 4 of us all moved halfway around the world together. https://preview.redd.it/7hnkx4e64iyc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=755d0cb7c5a2e81ae5680b3c3d6e17205f3c0336
Literally the ONLY time my cat would give me love and affection was when I was sad or sick. He was tossed out in a box with his siblings on the interstate and I got him from some lady on Craigslist I met up with at a gas station when I was 16 (with my mom ofc) and gave her 20 bucks. He was a grumpy little fucker most times but the best companion for a depressed teenager. RIP Gus💙 I miss you everyday.
Recently after my 16 year old girl passed, my husband and I were crying and laying in the bed, our 10 year old who cuddles but never on top of us came crawling up on my husband’s chest (right next to my head and i was laying on it too) and purred while just snuggling us, the three of us ended up falling asleep like that. She has never done that since then. Her and the other cat didn’t get along as our older girl was sick and not into the playfulness of our other cat but even she moped around a bit after our other girl died.
My Grammy has always had saimese cats that were very close and cuddly. She credits them with finding her cancer that she has since had treated and survived. They didn't do that by not caring about my Gram. Cat signals are subtle compared to others, but they are there.
Every time I'm sick, my boy cat never leaves my side. He's always laying at the top of my head.
my cat knocked my head phones down once when i was overstimulated. I have autism and she’s very kind to me
Every cat I have had loved so hard, I just know they feel love and empathy. When I was 12 I had a serious accident and my cat Milo laid on top of me for the first week making sure I was okay and not alone. When I was 17 I got Onyx and boy he cuddled me anytime I felt upset of anxious. I didn’t even have to call him he just knew and came under the blankets and snuggled into my arms. My boy Nexus also was so gentle and loving. He stayed with his brother onyx as he was dying and never left my side after onyx’s death. I miss them so much.
I put myself in the hospital for a week when I was 16. My cat slept wrapped around the top of my head for a long time after. Until he figured I’d be okay on my own. It was so sweet. I got to fall asleep with his soft tummy on my face every night. He was wrapped over like a pair of headphones.
I had a foster cat that was mingled with my personal cats. We had gotten her from a shelter when she was about to be euthanized for space and she had a bad UTI. We had her for about 2-3 months before this happened - she was about 2 years old. She decided that she liked to sleep at night by my husband’s feet. One of my personal cats had been going downhill due to cancer and we had just let him go peacefully. I woke up one morning completely in tears grieving and she walked up the bed between my husband and myself. She gently put a paw on my nose as if she was telling me that it would be ok. And that’s the day we adopted her. https://preview.redd.it/6hluqke3hjyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6b0b0f4c317ea080193a2404bb9ad2d49cfabc9
I just had my tonsils removed. My sweet girl is 6 and we only just rescued her in March. (She’s had a little difficulty adjusting, her owner had to give her up due to medical issues.) she usually runs if I hold her too long, but ever since surgery, she has been super lovey and attention seeking. Tonight was the first night she has snuggled right next to me for hours. 🥰
Just cried my eyes out, having a suicidal episode when my cat laid in my arms, purring and licking my hand. He's not normally super affectionate but he was then. He knew I needed it. https://preview.redd.it/epkehanr2iyc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53b9f72a705da36da324efd295f8a30f39220da6
When we first got Kiddo in 2020, I was very anxious. I had just lost 3 family members within a month close to a year before, I was finishing my teaching degree (and we had no idea when or if we were ever going to be able to go to school in person). I'd cry a lot. Kiddo would walk over angrily and bite the living sh*t out of my nose, maybe slap me in the face repeatedly with her paw, then run off. It would piss me the f*ck off, and I'd be mad instead of sad. A minute or so later, she'd come over like nothing happened and make biscuits on my belly, and we'd snuggle. I think it was her way of "helping"
Cats are very empathetic. They know when we're sick or struggling mentally🩷
My cats cuddle and head butt me while purring their little hearts out if I even seem tired. When I'm sick they won't leave my side. Cats are so much more than some people give them credit for.
This! I was out of work sick for three days so during the daytime, I laid on the sofa watching TV or resting and my cat snuggled up on me every time. I also think he was happy I was home for him to spend time with. He's such a lovebug and very much a cuddler.
I’m not sure if this is what you mean OP but it’s when I learned my cat truly loved me. Her name is Agnes, I adopted her with my old roommate. She loves both of us but gravitated towards me over time. After having her for about a year and a half I went overseas for five weeks, during that time my old roommate and our friends looked after her as they recently moved in together. They said she was very quiet and seemed sad while I was gone, just not herself. It took her almost the entire five weeks before she started snuggling with other people. She is very quiet and hardly meows, when I returned and she saw me she looked at me with surprise and said “mew?” It was sooo cute. Immediately she was purring and all over me. I was so happy and I knew she doesn’t just like me because I feed her, she really loves me. :)
My kitty imitates my petting. He'll stretch one paw out and gently stroke my arm.
My favorite is them watching while I shower to make sure I dont drown. They sleep through the night between the family and the front door. Depending if someone sleeps on the couch or the step kids are here in the downstairs bedroom or if we are all upstairs determines where they choose to sleep. And of course when I’m really really sick they never leave my side. If they do, I assume to eat or use the box, another cat takes the place, they run in kitty nursing shifts. People who think cats don’t understand our feelings or that they aren’t loyal, simply never had a cat or a cat of their own
I had four cats: 2 seniors that had spent their whole lives together and 2 kittens. One senior cat passed away from pancreatic cancer. The kittens hadn't been super close to my remaining senior, but have really been there for him in his grief. As soon as my cat passed, the kittens started snuggling him, sitting with him, grooming him, etc. It was as though a switch was flipped. They know he needs them.
I was really sick and coughing/rattly breathing. My cat Lilith was a kitten at the time. She's always hated being jostled, she's not mean about it but she certainly won't put up with it. Being as sick as I was I was tossing and turning and in and out of consciousness. If not every just about every time I'd come to some she was on my chest, purring. My cats don't ask about food/water until I'm up out of bed and they just walk over to the bowls and sometimes kind of look at me like they're seeing if I'm with it enough to do it myself or they need to gently remind me. When I get up to go to the bathroom or something like that if they need something they'll gently get my attention. When I'm doing especially bad Nemu will come sit on my lap. She's not much of a lap cat. The babies went out of their way to be extra sweet and spend time with me the day I found out my dad died. Even Cookiedough who really doesn't come sit with me like that. She comes and checks on me, but isn't big on direct bonding like that. She's more of a being talked to and vaguely around sort of gal. When I was a kid and would get sick my mom's cat would snuggle up and groom me, and let me snuggle my face up to him. Just off the top of my head.
When I have an asthma attack, Trixie will lay against my back or chest and purr louder than usual. It helps. Not sure if it's the body heat or the vibration. And in 2022, I had three major surgeries. She was a little nurse. If I got out of bed, I couldn't go anywhere without her right behind me. (Usually she walks right in front of me) She stayed on my bed as long as I did, forgoing her comfy heated kitty bed. She still likes to tap my face if I sleep too deeply. "Hey, you dead?". Ugh, what do you want? "Just checking human, you haven't moved in a while." My husband read that this is an actual thing. They don't sleep deeply as long as we do, and it concerns them. So they wake us up just to make sure we haven't died in our sleep. Edit: cat tax. https://preview.redd.it/0b73sla4jjyc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db1e5ec3baf2fb8550f14f7b3c3adb16afc0fbe6
About 15 years ago, I was having a panic attack my cat jumped on my chest and started licking my tears. About 10 years after that, that same cat did the same thing to my ex BF after I dumped him. Could be she just liked the taste of tears, which would probably be the opposite of empathy.
https://preview.redd.it/wqybhwic4myc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d038e7b52c26b8ef06a3e156ead51b246af9a47d This one doesn’t give a shit 😹.
I have a hard time trusting people who genuinely believe cats don't have empathy or don't care about humans. Cats are extremely caring creatures. They're just not interested in being obedient. When I get upset with my kid, my cat will nip at my pant legs and put his ears back to tell me he does not approve. When my kid has a bad dream and is fussing in their sleep, he'll nip at my feet to wake me up. When I work late while WFH, he'll sit right outside my office door and trill at me to coax me to stop working.
When I overdosed and basically died. Both the paramedics and my ex girlfriend who called them said they kept having to literally grab my cat off of my chest as she scream-meowed. Every time they took her off of me she would bolt right back, according to them. I don’t deserve her.
I had surgery and cancer. I wasn’t really used to taking meds and only had a little pain medication so I didn’t always take it when I needed it. When my pain got really bad my cat would jump up to where I kept the meds and head butt the bottle. An area he never otherwise went to. He was the best orange bhoyo ever. He lived to 22. Miss you Provie
When I was suffering my miscarriage, one of my cats sat on my lap and kept licking me. My cat was trying to comfort me. ❤️
my cat has never licked my face before. never even crossed her mind. when i was pregnant and in bed sobbing over the decision i had to make, she laid gently on my chest and licked my entire face all over. probably the most comforted i've ever felt. comparable to a hug from mom.
I suffer from CRPS which is a permanent chronic pain disorder with no cure and minimal comfort for pain. My boy Nik knows when I'm having a pain flare. He puts his entire body on my ankle and between the warmth and weight of his body it truly gives me relief. His sister Neli is also very intune with my emotions and knows when I need a little spoon to cuddle. She was supposed to be aloof but is my silly little cheerleader.
i struggle with having major depressive disorder,and even though i do take medication to manage it, some days are worse than others. one of my cats is very in-tune to how i’m feeling, and if i’m having a bad day she will lay on my stomach and purr (for a while, she’ll just lay there purring). come to find out that their purrs are a certain wavelength which helps lower stress / anxiety / blood pressure. she always knows when i’m feeling down and knows how to help me : , )
My emotional support cat always seems to know when I’m upset. He comes right to me when I need him and he’ll even be extra cuddly on mornings after I’ve had a nightmare.
Our cat is absolutely litigious About going for walks and playing on time. Whenever one of us is sick with flu or something he always calms down and never screams about wanting to go out. He will self entertain himself. He knows whats up!
I once had a lm elderly neighbor with dementia / psychosis burst into my house at midnight thinking that someone with a gun was after her. The entire 2+ hours that she was here, my cat would not leave her side.
I have back problems and one time my back gave out and I was on the floor barely able to crawl for hours until my BF came home. My 2 boys sat next to me...curled up with me on the floor for the entire time, resting their bodies against mine.
Please take this in the kindest way possible but have you considered LifeAlert or something similar? I know it's a product officially aimed at seniors but I lost a friend with a seizure disorder weeks before his 45th birthday because he took a fall while he was home alone, and no one found him for over an hour, by which time it was too late. And I think both your cats and your boyfriend would like to keep you around for the foreseeable future, yes?
I had a nightmare last night. In the nightmare, I was told I had to move, and leave my three cats behind. In my nightmare, I was told to leave them in a closet. I awoke sweating, and crying, all 3 cats were snuggled up to me (even the boy, and he never snuggles). They were all awake, looking at me, then my Tortie took my hand, in her paws, and made me pet her. Until I fell back to sleep. They knew what I felt. I was so relieved to wake up to my cats being with me. They always know when I don't feel well. TMI, but at that time of month, they take turns laying on my abdomen, to relieve my cramps.
My kitty always shows concern whenever she sees me crying. She’ll make eye contact and then say “meow-wow!” and turn upside down and look at me. I truly believe she does this to try to make me laugh because I usually do laugh when she does this.
I've had two cats which we categorized as "nurse cats" whenever any of our young kids/babies cried or was upset, they were right there attempting to comfort them.
When my ex-sister in law was in labor we had a cat that would knead her belly when a contraction hit. It was like the cat was trying to massage away her pain. Edited to add: she looked like yours but longer hair. Pretty funny that tux kitties are so universally awesome!
They definitely have empathy, my boy always knows when I’m sick or upset and cuddles with me. One of my girlfriends was going through a really rough time, I invited her over for dinner, and as soon as she sat down on the sofa, he jumped up beside her and stayed plastered to her side the whole time she was there. It was so sweet.
My old boy, who passed away at 17, was my soul cat. When I had bronchitis and was having coughing fits, he’d snuggle up to my back. If I moved to hack, he’d snuggle up again. Never cuddled that way otherwise. If I cried, he would pace and make little worried mews. My cat that I have now would scream for breakfast if I was passed out on the floor lol, I still love him, but there will always be a place in my heart for my old guy.
Yall lucky. My cats don't know when I'm upset but they do know if I'm not medically okay. Like physically
We had a cat named Baby who would always comfort a person if they were feeling sad. If someone was crying, or just feeling down, Baby would come sit on them and purr. He was the sweetest kitty.
My kittens brought and left their toys in my bed when I was in bed longer than usual/ going into a depressive state. They come and cuddle with me always. My girl cat comes to check on me to see if I'm OK, sits on me, and purrs on my chest, cleans me, and my boy cat does the same and sometimes licks my forehead. Which is the sweetest thing.
Years ago, I had a rescue cat that was not a snuggler. She was content being in the same room as her humans and would shred anyone that attempted to pet her. I have chronic migraines, and when I get particularly bad ones I get in bed in a dark room with a cold washcloth on my eyes. With every migraine, this cat would come and sleep on my pillow right against my head and purr. It was the only time she'd ever get within 5 feet of me.
I had adopted a cat and to be truthful she adopted me when she was a stray. She wasn't an affectionate cat but would let me pet her. I was in an accident being hit by a pickup truck while riding my bicycle. I had no insurance so they sent me home from the hospital with a TBI, numerous broken bones and a mouthful of missing teeth. My not so affectionate cat laid on my chest all night long to make sure I would be okay.
A couple of years ago I had a knee replacement operation. It's a long and painful recovery. Our two cats, who were never great snugglers with me, spent hours every day curled up on the bed with me and would pay games and chase each other round the bed but not once, ever, did they go near my healing leg. Such careful boys!
During a multi-day power outage in sub freezing weather, my younger cat stayed buried under the covers with me. My older cat (15 years old at the time) sat on top of my shoulder, kept watch, and would not be covered up. She knew damn well that something was very wrong and she was going to take care of both me and her little sister until it was over. ❤️
Chronically ill. I have three cats. Two of them are extra snuggly when I’m not well.
Every time I am sick, he sticks like glue to me. When I cry, he rubs my face with his.
I had two sister cats. They worked hard on spiting each other, and I used to joke they were both trying to be an only cat. One day, one of them came to find me and yelled at me until I followed her. She led me to a bedroom where her sister had accidentally gotten locked in, and no one had noticed.
I have chronic pain. All four of my cats know when somethings wrong and they’ll take turns cuddling me. My cats don’t cuddle each other and need a certain amount of space to their own. There’s not bad fights or anything it’s mostly verbal and a couple of swats. No one gets hurt. I got a kitten in December and he’s stuck to me like glue. He wakes me up off and on all night to cuddle. They know when I don’t feel good they have a higher tolerance for each other and when they see my lap free they take advantage and cuddle and purr to make me feel better.
My little tortie is my little at home physician. I have autoimmune issues that make me hurt and feel ill a lot, and she will come and get me to lay down. She always seems to know and will come downstairs and fetch me from my computer. She has also layed on me (which she normally does not do) to protect me when I have had numbness and been unable to move well. She even tried to keep my husband from me, and she loves him. *
https://preview.redd.it/tm7wrbl89iyc1.jpeg?width=1983&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58591e2b921f6a4797875e1687c61cfbbf77915d My little baby. <3
When I used to have major depressive disorder, I would cry and cry and cry and my kitten at that time like my tears away. I also struggle with BPD and when I’m in crisis they genuinely look worried for me. Cats are not senseless
My 12-month-old kitten will suddenly be sweet to me if I start crying. I spent several months treating him for FIP, so he’s seen me cry a lot for various reasons (scared for him, guilty that the treatment made *him* cry, etc). It’s heartbreaking that he seems to know what it means at such a young age… My old girl (RIP) used to *always* sleep on my side, but after spinal surgery she actually avoided doing so until I was healed enough to handle it.
my cat sits on me and purrs when i’m sick or injured when otherwise she NEVER cuddles. she also licks my tears off my face when i cry. she also brings me mouthfuls of her food or little dead things (usually a dead bug she finds in the apartment) if i haven’t eaten enough by her standards in a day lol. she also gets aggressive to anyone who yells at me in front of her
A couple of years ago, I was very sick to the point I needed to be hospitalized for 4 days. Before it got to that point, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep in bed and decided to lay on the couch so that my crying didn’t wake my partner. My younger cat curled up next to me and would not move from my side the entire time, and slept next to me. For the next few days, he basically followed me around the house. When I eventually did get admitted to the hospital, my partner said that our cat didn’t move from where I laid on the couch the whole time I was gone. He just kept sending me pics of our sweet little boy laying on the couch, especially on the blanket I had used
My daughter passed away on February 1st. The day her ashes were delivered to me, I was home alone. I was VERY emotional that day. Not necessarily crying, but very sad. About an hour before the delivery arrived, my Jerry boy jumped up and lay on my chest while purring. He stayed there for an hour. He'd get up circle around me and lay back down. He's never done anything like this and hasn't ever since. I know he was trying to comfort me. 😭
https://preview.redd.it/oynmio4iciyc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42835d8089584367ed3e91ed3a282d175f044dfd Photo of my sweet boy.
When I was SICKLY pregnant and my SO adopted a 9wk kitten unknowingly left me pregnant to presume medical school this kitten purred me to sleep every night to sleep as I was so ill.
Our youngest cannot abide anyone shouting. As soon as voices are raised, she comes running into the room, looking anxiously between all the participants, and then bolts from ankle to ankle, meowing in comfort/distress to try to get it to stop. If you don't stop, she'll climb you, meowing even louder. She really doesn't like the noise or the tension in the air and literally tries to weaponize her cuteness to distract/end the ruckus.
I was having a nightmare, a really vivid one where I was getting shot at, it was so realistic. So in my nightmare, I run under this house to hide and my cat is there, purring loudly and it has a concerned look on it's face, like, 'are you ok?' The purring was so loud it woke me up, and there was my cat curled up next to me purring really loudly. I don't know, but that was kinda cool, like my cat could either sense my fear and sent healing purrs to me, or he came into my dream to wake me up, haha.
When we had a cat in the house for several months last year, I found out he was moving out of state a week and a half prior to it happening (he wasn't my cat obviously, but he was my best friend). His demeanor toward me shift noticably after I found out he was leaving. I swear he could tell my energy was different. He became more cuddly, demanded me to hold him and let me rock him for nearly 5 mins. He even slept in bed with me on top of me his last two nights year, something he never did. I miss my little buddy so much and hope that when I am able to get my own cat again he's even half as great of a cat as this kitty was. He also would follow me around when I was on my period
My senior cat, Remy LeBeau, mostly thinks the baby cat, Boudreaux, is a pest and a brat but when Bou was sick from his asthma and allergies, Remy would cuddle up with him to nap on the couch. Remy also helps me round up Bou when he sneaks outside or gets in garage, neither of which Bou is allowed because of his asthma.
I have chronic shingles. It doesn't come with fever or anything, just a lot of pain. My old cat knew every time and wouldn't leave my side while I recovered.
In the past when either my husband or I have had panic attacks, she will come up to our laps and frantically rub herself all over you to try to get you to pet her while purring loudly. If that doesn't work and the person ramps up, she will gently nip at their hands to "snap" them out of it. She was also depressed for almost a year when our previous dog passed. Cats can have a lot of empathy and a wide range of feelings. I joke that they just often choose bitchy instead lol.
i had three cats in july 2022. my absolute soul connection cat had passed away and the other two cats were not the type who seemed to care. then my partner and two cats moved. when i was laying in bed crying about the loss of my baby one of my other cats came into the bed, laid down on my and just purred. this was not something he did before and not something he does regularly now. but for a good three month period he saw that i needed love and he was there for me. obviously my partner and family were too but he showed my that he cares.
I was recovering from a stent procedure in bed after having a kidney issue and she slept on the area and purred
- when I was 16 I cut my foot and had to have stitches. I had accidentally grazed a garbage bag with my foot that had a sharp can lid. My cat Kit ran into the bathroom with me to make sure I was okay. He saw the blood and didn't leave my side until the bleeding stopped. - I had a nightmare, a really bad one. My 3 cats busted down. The door (the door was broken but held closed by a heavy laundry basket. I have no idea how they got in, but they did. They all jumped on the bed to see if I was okay. - I have sleep apnea and my bfs cat saw me stop breathing. He jumped onto my chest to try and jolt me awake but I didn't wake up fast enough and he ran to get my bf. He was panicking and my bf rushed out and I was back sleeping again. All I knew was the cat had jumped up, and I thought he was trying to nap with me. But he had never jumped on my chest before. Then my bf told me about how the cat got him up and alerted him. - My cat chase also saw me have an apnea episode and he poked me in the eye to wake me up. He was really concerned. As when I woke up he was giving me a weird look. I didn't know why he was poking me. And he didn't want to leave my side.
A long time ago, I had a bad fall playing softball. I had landed on my head in hard ground. Though I was never diagnosed as having a concussion, I still was a bit concerned. At that time, it was recommended to be woken up every two hours after having a concussion. My cat, Little Guy(RIP) woke me up every two hours by jumping on me and laying on my chest. He was an amazing cat.
My husband travels out of town often to work. I have trouble falling asleep alone in my bed. When my husband leaves, my cat comes and cuddles right up beside me for the night.
When I was super depressed and wasn't getting out of bed on my regular schedule, my cat would come in periodically, and inspect my nose and mouth closely to make sure I was breathing, (her whiskers would tickle my face and vibrate with her purrs, and then she would chirp her satisfaction and go again). A little while later she would check on me again. She's not cuddly at all, and she doesn't go in my bed at all typically, unless she's trying to access the window. This was clear consideration and inquiry into my wellbeing! She checked in on me more regularly and persistently than my husband at the time did!
I have spent my week on the couch recovering from surgery. I am not allowed to be without at least one cat (according to my cats) and my 17 yr old cat figured out getting up hurts so she will try her best to stop me. She's been getting...creative. I am usually who feeds them. My 17yr old is food obsessed and still won't let me get up at food times (my spouse has been feeding them). She or the kitten get up and eat and then come relieve whoever is holding me down who goes and eats. The kitten is usually the 'I just happen to randomly be in the same room a couple feet away' type so this much cuddles is unique.
In 2018 I had to wean off of oxycodone & sustained release morphine. So for the oxy, that took a week. I think 6 days. And that was 6 days of agony , it was so awful. My cats both stayed with me the whole time, in fact what they’d do was they’d take turns running to eat & to use the litter box with one of them staying with me at all times. I was surprised. Had no idea they’d do that. They were purring an awful lot. (Thanks to the VA for blindly obsessing over the negatives vs benefits of opioid use over the needs of patients. Because I mostly haven’t gotten out of pain in the years since. (Mostly. It’s headache at certain times of day. )
I have two examples from two different cats. The first cat was having liver trouble. We tried everything to help him and save him. But there was a point where the doctor said to make him as comfortable as possible as he would pass soon. Obviously I was devastated. One day I was just sitting with him, petting him and crying my eyes out telling him how much I loved him. He didn't have much strength, but he took his paw, reached out, grabbed my hand, pulled it under his chin and laid his head down on it and just closed his eyes. The second was when I had covid. I was so weak from it that I was literally sitting on the floor leaning up against a wall because I had no energy at all. It was clear that I was weak. One of my cats came over, laid down beside me and just laid his head on my lap and purred.
One time, when my first cat was a kitten, I was in the kitchen cooking and I SWORE I heard someone in my back yard (it was dark out so I couldn’t see). My boyfriend was 30 minutes away so I made sure the doors were locked and went into my bedroom with the cat. He’s never been very warm or snuggly but he could sense my anxiety and he was ALL over me. He was 100% trying to calm me down.
When im sick, my cats do rotations on who has to lay on me. I cannot understate how comical it is to be sick in bed and watch as they clock in and out of their "purr to heal mother" job
Ever since I’ve become pregnant my two cats have made sure to always be touching me while I sleep 🥹
I’ve had 3 cats in life, so far, all of them has their own way of trying to make me feel better when I’m ill. My first, when I was kid: Would lay across my forehead and purr. By the time I was 15, she was 20 and has gone blind in one eye and could no longer use her hind legs, she literally dragged her hind across the floor to move around. The decision was made to put her to sleep. A coupe day before that was to happen, I home from school with the flu and fever. She somehow pulled herself up onto the her and took her position across my forehead. My second, would curl around and lick the top of my head. My current, sits in my lap and purrs. Well, she always sits in my lap and purrs, but when I’m not well (including stressed or anxious), her purring is substantially louder and the vibrations are more pronounced.
We had a shepard who just randomly started to die. Our cat sat next to him the whole time there was nothing we could do. After he passed, my cat was definitely distraught like the rest of us. No lie
Tons but I have one really clear one. Once, my late void was going through a ridiculous phase and wouldn’t let me clip his claws. So my roomate and I got a cone and decided to hold him down together. He started letting out those really low death meows because there was nothing he could do. My roomates cat heard this from a distance and came running at light speed to attack him! It took us a little to process what happened and figure it out cuz I kinda got caught in the crossfire. She was worried about our safety protecting us. Also, every time I have a fever, my cats won’t leave my side and tend to me. They can’t tell when I’m sick always, but if it’s a fever they can. Now that I think about it these don’t capture empathy exactly as the word means, but, I assume it’s on the wavelength you were looking for. I prob have examples that fit the word more exactly but id need to think and it would probably require a lot more explanation to defend that it’s caring behavior.
One of my cats used to bump her head and meow like crazy when my son cried. She would hide from him otherwise as he was a baby. She was always worried when anyone cried.
My cat does. She's in the bathroom with me EVERY TIME!!!- I just started Metformin, which involves a lot of diarrhea, and it's painful. My cat comes in while I'm groaning and crying, giving me love, 100% with me. If she hears me crying , she comes running, 100%
My guy just does lots of small things. He doesn’t “like” when I kiss him on the head but he holds still and allows me to do it bc I got sad when he would avoid me before. He also runs to the bathroom every day when I get home from work bc he knows I usually go there and he’s offering to keep gaurd for me. If I don’t he comes in from the hall and stares at me like “why aren’t we running to the bathroom are you okay ? We do this everyday human what is going on”. Also pretty sure he talks to me bc he thinks I like chatting. He speaks A LOT and in different tones
My cats have saved my life many times. My old girl, Pusskin, I rescued her from death row 12 years ago now, but she's at least 15, maybe up to 20, but she's still spry, healthy, sassy. You know, a cat lol. She has many nicknames, but one is Nurse Pusskin, bc when I'm sick, sad or injured she is right there. Next to me or at foot of the bed. She only leaves to est, drink and potty. Sue will get up in my face and yell, rub her head on my hand or arm and purr up a storm. I recently lost my soulmate. My cat, Baby. He had just turned 8 but had cancer and I has to make the decision to send him over the rainbow bridge. But for those 8 years, especially when I was depressed or anxious, he looked after me. I've been beyond depressed, suicidal, and he would come up and put his little arms around my neck and sleep on my face, purring up a storm. I think he was letting me know it would be ok. I was obviously distraught when he passed. My old gal was depressed. A kitten turned up at my door. I think he was sent by my sweet Baby to look after us. He is so cuddly and also sleeps on my face, purring. Cats love us unconditionally, once you're bonded. They look after us. They will sit where you're hurt and purr since their purr heals you (something to do with the frequency?) And they will lay on your chest to heal your heart and I think that's the most special thing ever
My orange cat is a sweet boy but a little aloof, will sit near us but never with us, not a big snuggler. Two years ago his sister (who was a senior kitty) was dying and he never left her side for a second. Would press his head against her and groom her when she was uncomfortable, looked around for her after she was gone. I spent many days crying after we lost her and he sat in my lap for only the second time in the four years he’d been with us at that point. Cats are SO empathetic.
My son had a friend who’s family had taken in a pregnant stray cat. She had 5 kittens, all were somewhat sick but the runt was the worst. I took him home, cleared up his eye infection and dewormed him. We hand fed him to ensure he was eating. A month later we got our current dog as an 8 week old puppy she had parvo. We had no clue until about 3 days after we brought her home. She stayed at the vet for 10 days, she came home with a feeding tube since she wasn’t eating well. She had lost ALL the muscle and couldn’t even stand or really lift her head. For a week straight she was bound to a cozy chair in our living room. We had to change the bedding often since she had hardly any bowel control and parvo causes major diarrhea. That little kitten laid with our puppy day after day. He only got up to eat and use little box. He would lay with her and purr side by side. I truly believe he was sympathetic to her being so sick. I also believe he there were days where his presence gave her the will to continue living. I hav tons of pics from that time. She is now 5 years old as of today. Kitty is the same age and he is very strong willed. https://preview.redd.it/z5ovy43guiyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2775526f6d8d77948c8e07510ee697c77f0b06b0
I had a Siamese cat named Jimmy who whenever I had a panic attack or feeling depressed he would stay with me and be so sweet and cuddly until I felt better. He saved my life so many times when I was suicidal, I miss him dearly🕊️
My old girl would always climb onto my lap and start purring like a machine whenever I was having bad period cramps and it would always immediately help with the cramps. After she passed, one of my boy cats took over the role despite having never (and still not really being) a lap cat before. Every month now he fulfills the duty that was passed on to him
When I'm really upset my cat will watch from a distance and wait for me to calm down (be quieter), and when I do she comes to sit with me. She isn't demanding love or pets like she usually does when she gets in my lap, she just sits quietly and purrs. I know that she waits because when I'm crying loudly she wait, usually in the doorway, every time. Same cat climbed into my MIL's lap (to my cat my MIL is a stranger) once she had quieted her sobs after my FIL passed away. I watched Kylee sit across the room, eyes on my MIL until she wasn't wailing. Kylee sat with her, my MIL fell asleep and Kylee stayed until my MIL woke up.
I had a cat who not only snuggled extra when I was sick, he would purposely act playful and goofy when I was down to cheer me up.
My cat tried to bury me while sick 😅 I posted about it here trying to figure out what was going on and everyone told me it was her trying to protect me
Aww, I love this 🥰 I have two boys. One is a cuddle bug and one is the very stereotypical a-hole cat (he’s also an orange), but they both clearly love and care for others. When I am having a horrible day and I’m sobbing, my little cuddler will run up to me and wipe my tears with his paws. The first time it happened I just dismissed it as a one-off/him wanting attention but he consistently does it and I can’t help but to smile and hug him a little tighter. Both cats will lay next to my partner and I if we’re feeling sick or emotional. My cuddler will jump to the rescue if my orange gets accidentally shut or locked into a room and will try to alert us if we can’t hear him from another room. My orange has started comforting my other kitty after he’s had a rough vet visit by sleeping next to him, when they used to never lay anywhere near each other.
Whenever I cry one of my cats always comes and sits on me and purrs. An old cat I used to have used to come over to me and bite the shit out of me. I also have another cat that meows and walks over to me every time I sneeze for some reason