Hey all, first-time poster here. I was curious as to what may be behind a bit of cat behavior. Any ideas? Much appreciated! 
So here's the background: Sammy-Boo was 18 years old when we had to have him put to sleep. He slid downhill over the last 6 months of his life, was dragging his back end with his front paws, couldn't groom himself, and was in a lot of pain. It was time. I cannot believe how much I miss him. He was a really great cat.
We brought his body home from the vet's to bury him in the backyard. As he'd been unable to groom himself for quite some time, we thought it fitting that we bathe his body before burial. He and Jenny-Girl, our other cat, had a complex relationship and we really didn't know what to expect from her in terms of a reaction, but we thought seeing him before burial might prevent confusion on her part---meowing for him, wondering where he was, etc. We thought we'd offer her some finality with respect to Sammy. We brought her downstairs where we'd laid out Sammy's body and set her down next to him. She briefly sniffed him and then began walking away purposefully. I pet her as she walked past, and she hissed at me, then walked up the stairs and into the bedroom and that was that.
She has always been very skittish, but has come a very long way over the past few years. (We're not sure, but we think she might have been abused in her past.) She is very, very soft-spoken; and when she does meow, it's always quite short and soft. However, she'd never hissed at anyone---just the odd stray cat walking through her territory. The whole thing seemed exceedingly unusual for her. She was fine and all, and didn't really act strangely after we buried Sammy. It was just that one weird reaction. Anyway, I'm always trying to get more into her head, and so I thought I'd find out what other cat owners thought about this. Any insights? Thanks much.
--Danny
Sammy
Jenny
So here's the background: Sammy-Boo was 18 years old when we had to have him put to sleep. He slid downhill over the last 6 months of his life, was dragging his back end with his front paws, couldn't groom himself, and was in a lot of pain. It was time. I cannot believe how much I miss him. He was a really great cat.
We brought his body home from the vet's to bury him in the backyard. As he'd been unable to groom himself for quite some time, we thought it fitting that we bathe his body before burial. He and Jenny-Girl, our other cat, had a complex relationship and we really didn't know what to expect from her in terms of a reaction, but we thought seeing him before burial might prevent confusion on her part---meowing for him, wondering where he was, etc. We thought we'd offer her some finality with respect to Sammy. We brought her downstairs where we'd laid out Sammy's body and set her down next to him. She briefly sniffed him and then began walking away purposefully. I pet her as she walked past, and she hissed at me, then walked up the stairs and into the bedroom and that was that.
She has always been very skittish, but has come a very long way over the past few years. (We're not sure, but we think she might have been abused in her past.) She is very, very soft-spoken; and when she does meow, it's always quite short and soft. However, she'd never hissed at anyone---just the odd stray cat walking through her territory. The whole thing seemed exceedingly unusual for her. She was fine and all, and didn't really act strangely after we buried Sammy. It was just that one weird reaction. Anyway, I'm always trying to get more into her head, and so I thought I'd find out what other cat owners thought about this. Any insights? Thanks much.
--Danny
Sammy
Jenny
