Do your cats know when you're sad - and do they respond?

lookingglass · Sep 28, 2006

8-Bit somehow knows when I am going to go through a depressive episode, so he will do things to make me laugh. Once when I was crying, I had accidentally left my underwear drawer open, he got in and dug around. He found the nicest pair of frilly undies and some how got them stuck on his head. He then walked around the bedroom trying to look very serious with his gray ears sticking out of a lace thong. Even in that sad moment I laughed out loud!

rosiemac · Sep 28, 2006

Originally Posted by lookingglass

He found the nicest pair of frilly undies and some how got them stuck on his head. He then walked around the bedroom trying to look very serious with his gray ears sticking out of a lace thong. Even in that sad moment I laughed out loud!

I think that one would make anyone laugh in their darkest moments. Typical of Bit

crittergirl · Sep 28, 2006

My now Bridge kitty, Beamer was very much in tune with me. He would be by my side when I was sick and was my constant companion whenI had such a horrible time with my Ex. That is one of the things that I was going to emphasize in my Bridge post, but I have not been able to post yet. though I love all my cats, Beamer was my first and the most sensitive to my moods.

RIP sweet baby!

jugen · Sep 28, 2006

When I was upset because DH and I were fighting, Rocket came up to me and crawled on me letting me cry into his fur. He is the most loving cat in the world.
Twig tries but he's not very good at helping his meowmy, he does help his daddy though. He bats at his daddy until he picke him up, that usually ends all arguing because the cats hate loud noises. So I guess, Twig AND Rocket help us in their own ways. The girls run away when we fight because they don't like loud noises.

happyhendrix · Sep 28, 2006

They do know. whether I am sad or crying they give lots of love. Kind of to let me know everything will be ok.

theimp98 · Sep 28, 2006

the old kitty i had anytime i was upset or mad always seemed to some how end up in my lap.

hmm heyu does not seem to care how i am doing,

4crazycats · Sep 28, 2006

The only cat that doesnt seem to pick up on it when I'm sad is Annie. But it could be because I just got her a little over a month ago. Bagheera always climbs in my lap and cuddles if I am sad. Kitten usualy rubs on me. Lily lays on my chest and purrs and meows at me. So yes they do know IMO when Im sad or upset about something.

yarra · Nov 7, 2006

I love this thread.

Roxie, my little Walmart find, has been the sweetest most concerned cat I have ever known.

Now, she's not the brightests. Not even nearly.

But when I am sad, or my man and i get in a fight, she is RIGHT there, usually with a paw on my lips if she can get it there. lol It makes me smile and she knows that she is in for some hugs.

She will lay right beside me until I am done crying.

There are other times though, where she confuses loud noises coming from mommy as mommy being upset.

Case in point:

I broke out some music the other day. I was an opera major in College and dabbled in Jazz once outside of school. I haven't sang in YEARS. Neither of my cats have ever heard me sing. It's sad really.

Polly sat cowering in the corner staring wide eyed at me the entire time. Roxie on the other hand. Paced in front, behind, to the side of , and ON me the entire time. Mewing, she even jumped on my shoulder and looked in my mouth, VERY concerned as to this noise that was coming out of it.

LOL

BUT, Roxie is the cat that we have to lock out of the bedroom during those, Ahem, Special times between two people in love, ahem. She will NOT leave us alone. It's very disturbing to be in the middle of said act and having a cute innocent kitty in your face pawing your lips!! Or hearing your partner say "Ummm, the cat is sniffing my butt"

LOL

Again. I think she associates mommies loud noises with pain. lol I am surprised she hasn't tried to attack my DBF yet wilst in the throws of passion.

LOL

Sorry, TMI?

natalie_ca · Nov 7, 2006

Yes, they both know when something is wrong and get more cuddly than they usually are and tend to stay closer to me than they usually do.

eburgess · Nov 7, 2006

When I'm sad or feeling lonely, Limerick cuddles in my lap and purrs extra loud... really cute!!

kiki_585 · Nov 7, 2006

Sadie is always very aloof and still is quite shy so she doesn't really do anything when I am upset. But Stanley on the other hand loves to cuddle. He will come and head butt me until I smile. He won't move until he thinks I am okay.

My sister was telling me about one time her and her bf were fighting. Milo went and crawled up into her lap and would cuddle with her and then if her bf said anything or moved Milo would turn and glare at him! So he is definitely in tune with his meowmy.

lokismum · Nov 7, 2006

Yes, they're all over me if they think I'm upset about something! If I'm hurt, Jacob goes into "Lassie" mode frantically trying to get help (I cut my leg badly once and he was quite upset, running to the top of the stairs and looking out the door to see if any help, and then back to me, back and forth talking to me all the time)!

trouts mom · Nov 7, 2006

Trout doesn't notice...she is not very supportive

starryeyedtiger · Nov 7, 2006

All of my animals can tell when something is wrong. Especially Velvet- she is like my best friend- she's always there if i cry or just need a friend- she's such a sweet kitty! I love my little Velveteen

miagi's_mommy · Nov 7, 2006

all my furbabies can tell when something is up especially Tiger and Jenny
(my rottie mix) and they are extra cuddly when something is wrong or if I am sick.

persi & alley · Nov 8, 2006

Originally Posted by arcadian girl

I never can talk about this with non-cat people, because they just don't believe it, they think it's wishful thinking..but it's just happened to me too many times to just be coincidence.

My childhood kitty, Susie (we had lots of cats but Susie was mine) wasn't even a lapcat - she would sleep at the foot of my bed, snuggled up to my ankles every night, but she didn't get on my lap. She was sweet, but not a lovebug-that just wasnt her. As my mom used to put it, "Susie is her Own Cat". But, in my childhood, when I was having a hard time, if I'd start crying (and it happened more than it should, because my childhood really wasn't the best), Susie would come into my room and hop up on the bed, and headbutt me, and look at me inquisitively, like "What's wrong, mommy?". She'd purr, and rub against me, and settle down next to me for a while...and it always made me feel so much better. She's at the bridge now, but it's one of the things I'll always remember about her.

Fast forward to present day, and I rescue The Wonton from the streets of San Francisco. A few months later, I'm upset about something, and yeah, crying, sitting on my bed. Wonton comes right up to me, and just like Susie, he just seems so curious. But it's not simple curiosity, because if it were, he'd check it out, and then go off to do something else. But no, he head butts me, keeps trying to reach up and headbutt my face, sniffs at the tears on my cheeks, and then crawls into my lap, purring, and settles down. He will get in my lap if I'm at the puter, sitting in a chair, or sitting on the floor, or sitting indian style on the bed, but if I'm just sitting at the edge, he usually never tries to get in my lap - unless I'm crying. And that wasn't an isolated event. If he sees/hears me crying, he will come see if I'm ok, and comfort me, everytime. And you can't tell me it's something else, I just don't believe it, the behaviour is too specific, and not explainable by anything else.

Just another reason I love Wonton

So my question is - do any of you have cats who do this? Do you believe that they know you're sad, and are trying to comfort you? I do

Four weeks ago I had surgery on my abdoment. When I came home from the hospital, Persi would not lay on my lap like he always does and just last night I guess he felt I was better enough that he started laying on my lap again. Yes, I am a believer!

satai · Nov 8, 2006

Molly and Bobby are both good to me that way - and neither of them are really lapcats (I think Bobby would like to be, but he's just to big for my little lap - he can barely squeeeeeeeeze his enormous form onto BF's lap). If I'm upset about something or studying something upsetting (and I specialise in politics, so that's really quite often) she is right next to me, just quietly being supportive, not looking for lots of attention, just being there.

Bobby will give up his own time to stay in and nap with me if I'm not feeling well. (In fact, he's the only cat I'm really 100% happy to have with me no matter how sick I am, because he just snuggles and sleeps, no awkwardness at all).

SlÃ¡ine helps too, but in other ways that I can't really talk about here.

Slayer is adorable, but much more her father's cat. Although yesterday I was getting a little panicy looking for Talin, wandering the house looking for him, and she (quite delibrately, I think) led me straight to where he was hiding and outed him.

gay4cats · Feb 13, 2012

Cats definitely can sense when your sad, they are sesitive to our emotions. My very first cat (out of many) was a fat orange tabby named Tunsis. She wasn't very affactionate, but did like to be close by me. But whenever I would cry no matter where in the house she was she came right up to me and rubbed my face to comfort me. Now I am 19 and Im pregnant with my first child and my current cat is a 9 month old, all white short hair, with a tail that seems to be too long for his body. But he could sense I was pregnant before I did! He has always been so affectionate and loves to cuddle, but lately he will gently sniff my belly and sometimes rest his head on it.

haurvatat · Jun 30, 2014

Absolutely. And not even necessarily about important sad things. I had a crying fit just a short while ago about, of all things, a character from a television show. Anubis, my black cat, was nowhere nearby, but the instant I sniffled he tore through the house like he heard an air raid siren to determine immediately if I was okay. He stayed for a few minutes after I stopped crying, then went back about his business. It's not the first time he's done something similar.

Pumpkin, on the other hand... well, she'll sniff your face and then be awfully confused as to why you aren't busy petting her. She'll kind of ignore you and wait until the whole thing blows over, but she won't really leave you, either. Then again, she's not especially comfortable showing affection to anyone... right up until they try to get to sleep. Then the headbutts and the nudges begin. Of course, she might just be avoiding crying people because of some kind of hygiene issue. This is a cat who washes her paws in the water dish after using the litter box, so fastidiousness is less theory and more established fact.

stewball · Jul 1, 2014

Oh well there's something wrong with me.y last 2 cats spent all their time on my lap and in my bed at night but ignored my very frequent crying.
My 2 cats now would ignore me even if I lay on the floor :sigh:

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Do your cats know when you're sad - and do they respond?

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