Does your cat know when you're sick?

I could swear our cat knew we were sick this last weekend. Me and my hubby got sick with a stomach flu type virus on Christmas Eve day (good timing eh? We missed both family get togethers ) and were sleeping and running to the bathroom most of the day and then decided that we need to stay up for a few hours that evening or we wouldn't be able to sleep that night. We sat/laid on the couch watching TV and Frankie came up and was all cuddly and sleepy by us, letting us pet him and purring. Now this isn't his normal self. Normally when we're on the couch, he's pouncing on us and only lets you pet him for a minute or two. He was like a different cat. It was very sweet. I wonder if and how they know you're sick.

Yes they know! Lee and I we both sick on the 18th with the stomach virus and both girls laid in the bed with us most of the day.

They most certainly do!!!

Oh my Mikey does. Whenever Dan and I get into an argument and I am mad..mikey cheers me up and when I get bad tummy aches he lays on it and kneeds it for me like he's making bread! I dont know how he knows but he does!!

Yes I do think they know when we are sick. A few mth back I was sick with a stomach bug. And I ended up falling asleep on the couch. When I awoke this is what I saw:
(hubby took the picture)
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Rebel24/Ping pictures/2005_0810cat0017.jpg(clickable)

Reilly always knows when I'm sick. I had a tummy flu a few months ago and he would only leave my side to use his litterbox and drink. Sydney doesn't seem to be as intune to things like that yet though.

Oh, yes, they do. Zissou won't let me out of her sight if I've so much as a sniffle. She also knows when I'm cold, because she lays on my feet. I know some would say she's cold, but if that were the case she'd pick a warm spot like my lap, not my icy-cold feet

My sister's cat will headbutt your face, purr, and lick your tears off your chin when you're sad. Zissou doesn't get sad yet, she is scared when I cry.

I think she has a little cold right now from her cousin kitty, she's been very sleepy and snuggly all day.

Anyway, I feel your pain. I was violently ill on Christmas night, up all night with stomach pain so bad I thought I was gonna have to go to the ER and Hope you're feeling better!

Yes they do. Usva especially is quite the little nurse. She's extra affectionate and won't let me out of her sight when I'm sick.

Originally Posted by Ping

Yes I do think they know when we are sick. A few mth back I was sick with a stomach bug. And I ended up falling asleep on the couch. When I awoke this is what I saw:
(hubby took the picture)
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Rebel24/Ping pictures/2005_0810cat0017.jpg(clickable)

Click to expand...

OHHH, what a cute, cute site
Yup, my kits definitely read my moods and myhealth. Cats (and horses) can determine illness by smelling your breath, and moods by observing body language.
Joey and Amy Rose, especially, are my health indicators. So is my former feral, TommyScott. They can act very demonstrative even though I don't realize that I've got something going on, and then, bang, on comes a kidney or bladder infection, or this last time, tommyscott was super-affectionate and the next morning, I broke out in shingles

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Oh, yes, they do. Zissou won't let me out of her sight if I've so much as a sniffle. She also knows when I'm cold, because she lays on my feet. I know some would say she's cold, but if that were the case she'd pick a warm spot like my lap, not my icy-cold feet

My sister's cat will headbutt your face, purr, and lick your tears off your chin when you're sad. Zissou doesn't get sad yet, she is scared when I cry.

I think she has a little cold right now from her cousin kitty, she's been very sleepy and snuggly all day.

Anyway, I feel your pain. I was violently ill on Christmas night, up all night with stomach pain so bad I thought I was gonna have to go to the ER and

Hope you're feeling better!

Click to expand...

Thanks. I am feeling better now. I know what you mean about thinking about going to the ER. I couldn't keep any fluids down and was getting so dehydrated that me and my husband were wondering if I should go in for an IV. Thank God it finally stopped after about 12 hours.

All your stories are so cute. I love the picture of Ping with her cat all cuddled up on her. It sure is amazing how sensitive these fur babies can be. Gotta love it.

Topaz only considered me the can opener and wouldn't willingly let me hold her until I came home from the hospital after my accident. Then she would sleep with me.

When Mom went hypoglycemic last year, she stayed on the bed while the EMTs worked on Mom. Ari went into hiding.

Some years ago, Mom's fave cat, Gulliver, brought her a present when she was having a bad arthritis day. Unfortunately, it was a baby mouse and Mom is not fond of mice.

Both our cats are attuned to our moods, but in different ways. Oz knows when we're unhappy and becomes a total lovebug; because of his size, he's the perfect hugging cat, and he'll just sit there and let you hug him while he purrs away. When my grandmother died in 2005 and J's in 2006, Oz would follow us around and make sure we had someone to hold on to when we felt really sad. Spike, on the other hand, is my little therapy cat: whenever I have a migraine, he stays with me the whole day and won't leave my side. He curls up beside me in bed, purring against my stomach, and when I get up to be sick he follows me into the bathroom and back to bed again. If I could just train him to hold my hair back when I throw up, he'd be perfect at helping me cope with my migraines.

Oh, they definitely know. A few years ago I had a bad case of the flu, and my baby (Jasper, now at rainbow bridge) wouldn't leave my side. He curled up beside me on the bed, and if I opened my eyes he would gently close them with his paws like he was saying "go to sleep, you'll feel better". It was the sweetest thing!

Hope everyone is feeling better!

Most definitely. My roommate is home sick with the stomach flu (or whatever it is that makes you flip a coin as to what end you put over the toilet!).
Wilbur and Milo were loving little angels, apparently. They stayed snuggled on her bed all day and didn't do *anything* bad.

Until I came home. Then they figured they had a healthy, warm body to clean up after their "tornado sessions."

I honestly believe that they do know when we are sick or in need of extra attention. For years when it was just Melody and I, every time I was sick or depressed she would never fail to leave my side, and now that the numbers have grown to 7 kitties, each and every one will go out of their way to make sure we are ok whenever ill. I am now 5 months pregnant and it has been a rough pregnancy with TONS of all day sickness and my kitties have been my little angels at my side, there for me whenever needed to help try and make me feel better, I call them all my little midwives!

Both of my kitties know when I'm not feeling well. They're both super cuddly normally, but when I'm not feeling well I have a cat pasted up against me on either side of me.