Do your cats know when you're sick before you do?

And if so, does it make you paranoid when they get all snuggly for no apparent reason?

Ginger and Ophelia are my two very empathic/nurse kitties. They knew I was coming down with something by the end of last week. I laid down on the bed just to relax on Thursday evening, no intention of sleeping, when Ophelia came and laid on my lap. She is strong in the "Kitten Magic" - the magical ability to make whoever she lays on want to go to sleep. So, I ended up sleeping for a good couple hours with her.

Since I got home from work on Friday, Ginger has been all over me - snuggling at every opportunity.

Between those two things, I thought that maybe I was just fighting something. As of last night, it's a full blown stomach bug. I had toast and cottage cheese for dinner last night, and even that didn't sit well. Those two little girls can read me like a book!

That's a good question.I've never really thought about it.
I hope you start feeling better SOON though.
we got hit with the stomach flu bug too.

Hope you feel better soon, Heidi! I don't think Jamie knows I'm sick before I do, but he definitely knows where I'm hurting, and practices kitty heating pad/purr therapy. He's not a really cuddly cat, but will stick to me or hubby like glue if we're sick or injured.

Yep. And it's not just my cats. My buddy's cat usually ignores me most of the time but if I'm sick then she's all over me.

Hmmm..they haven't exhibited any foreknowledge, but Cindy can be trusted to come and give comfort when I'm under the weather, and Fawn and Suzy (who is not cuddly in the least ordinarily) look after Rob.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Heidi.

Never had them anticipate illness, but they are amazing at therapy - I am not ill often, but the last time DH was sick, the three snuggled up on him for magic cat-love and he was better in no time!!!!

(It wasn't so well appreciated last time my eldest was sick - they all grouped round him to try and cure him of his chest problem, triggered by his asthmatic reaction to them....... )

I call them my furry doctors! Doctor Jacob and Doctor Löki. They snuggle up if I'm sick - although I could have done without some of Löki's heavy-footed snuggling when I was recovering from the lump on my side rupturing!

Hmmm....I don't know about my girls. They are pretty cuddly anyway. And it's been a long time since I've really gotten sick.

But then Mooch has a way with me when I have a tummy ache. She'll knead my stomach and before I know it, it doesn't hurt.

The biggest shock was one day when my chest was kind of hurting and tight. I was laying on the couch and Mooch laid all 14lb of herself on my chest. At first she was heavy but she wouldn't move. After a few minutes though, I felt a whole lot better!

Knock on wood, I don't get sick, I can't afford to, who will feed them?

When I am down, tho, they will prowl around more to wherever I am, try to make eye contact, and start to wonder, why is she not acting her self?

Our three persians usually snuggle a lot with my mom, so that's nothing unusual. Lexi will cuddle with me off and on when I'm sleeping at night. Duchess, my mom's persian, was almost human. She would take care of us even when she was sick myself. When my dad was very ill, for months, she would sleep with him no matter where he was. She was always with him and she knew something was wrong with him before we did. I think some cats just have an amazing ability to detect illness before us. We had a calico male persian named Sebastian, but we had to give him away because two males do not get along. So we found him a good home to a mom and son. The mom found out she had cancer, but she noticed sebastian always laying with her before, during, and after. I don't think it's every cat, but there are many.

None of my cats have shown themselves to be oracles, but they definitely know when I am most stressed out. When I'm most stressed all three of them are either on or next to me. Kanoe is my most devoted nurse though. I was sick and in bed for three days last week and she stayed with me the whole time except to eat and do litter box duty.

They're my little angels... but they'll probably be relieved when I'm done with school and not so stressed out!

i dont know, but both of mine keep smelling my eye, this is a new thing from them and its starting to think i should go have it checked