Do cats go away to die?

I ask this because a girl at work has a 17 year old cat that's been missing since saturday.

Being the age she is she was quite frail and hardly went past her own doorstep for the last couple of years, but she started doing something the last few weeks that she's never done before and thats to lie on her front doorstep in the sunshine, along with curling up beside their labrador Max.

She's knocked on all the neighbours and checked their sheds, along with looking under the bushes nearby but nothing.

A few of us have said that were sure some cats go away to die, but she would just like her back if only to say goodbye to

Has anyone else heard this?.

I have heard of it happening before. My cousin's cat was also quite old and getting frail and suddenly disappeared one day. The family is convinced that she went away to die.

I've known this to happen more than once. The most recent one was a neighbour's cat, but we did find his body, he was curled up under the hedge in my field (where he liked to spend a lot of time anyway). We had a feral that we used to feed, he disappeared one day and we never did find out what happened to him. It can be heartbreaking for us, but the cat always knows!

My previous cat Smokey (RIP) left one day in the fall of 2002 he was an indoor-outdoor cat. Smokey never came back. He was at least 13 years old (we wern't sure having got him from a shelter) and had a bit of a cough the week leading up to his leaving we figure he either just went away to die in peace or something like a Fisher attacked and killed him. Befor that we had a cat named Samson and he died at home due to injuries he recieved being hit by a car befor we could get him to the vet to be put down.
I think it all depends on the cat. I have hears several people say that their outdoor cats just didn't come back one night.

My cat Sheba went to the neighbors yard to die in peace in the wildflowers

I've heard it, too, and friends of ours years ago had a cat disappear that way. Morris was missing for a few days and my friend's daughter found him way in a corner under some stairs.

Ive experienced this too- we had a cat, Stripey, that was fairly old and one day just disappeared. One of my FeLV cats crawled under a cupboard to hide when he was dying also

Yes, most cats will go away or hide in a very secluded, private place when they're seriously ill or dying. I'm not sure what's behind it, necessarily. Maybe they just like to be alone during that time. Does your friend have any idea at all where her kitty might be? I would say that it might definitely be what happened, given her age.

Sending some hugs your friend's way...

I think they do. They also hide when they're sick.... I hope she finds her soon!

I've heard of others cats goingaway to die and when my Jade was near the end, (she had lung cancer), she suddenly started wanting to go outdoors which was unusual for her. I would go out with her and she kept trying to wander away and I suspected she was wanting to find a place to die. It was within a few days that I had to take her to the vet to be put to sleep.

I'm sure if I had just let her out without staying with her, she would have gone missing.

Originally Posted by maherwoman

Does your friend have any idea at all where her kitty might be?

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No idea at all She's checked everyones yards and sheds and the bushes around them. She's even been out late at night calling for her.

I'm going to tell her to look where she wouldn't expect though after reading these because being under a cupboard or under the stairs even i wouldn't have guessed

Originally Posted by rosiemac

No idea at all

She's checked everyones yards and sheds and the bushes around them. She's even been out late at night calling for her.

I'm going to tell her to look where she wouldn't expect though after reading these because being under a cupboard or under the stairs even i wouldn't have guessed

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Poor thing...it's hard thinking something's happened to your baby and not having any idea how to help, or if you've missed the opportunity to say goodbye.

Let us know what happens. Hopefully it's just that her sweet kitty got over-curious.

I have heard of this Susan.

Animals do wander off sometimes when they are old.
I do know that animals do suffer from age related dementia just like us humans and there are usually signs of this before the animal goes 'missing',such as for example,
Going to the food/water dish and not drinking,then walking away and then going back to the dish or going into the garden to do their 'business' and coming back in without doing it and then five minutes later they are doing the same again,or doing things 'out of character' such as curling up with the pet dog that the cat has never got on with.
Age related dementia causes them to forget things,where they are and what they were doing or just about to do and it does get progressively worse faster in animals than it does in humans.
It could be Susan that your friend's cat has wandered off and 'forgot' her way back.Which does sound like a close possibility especially as the cat was doing things 'out of character' before she went missing.

I would keep looking for the cat.She could be lost and afraid.

{{{{come home safe vibes}}}}

My guess is that when cats are ill or injured...instead of going away to die, their instinct tells them to hide, in an attempt to avoid becoming the prey of a stronger predator.
I would exhaust all attempts to find this kitty before I gave up.

This is the difference between her and i. Although she's missing her cat, she never takes her for yearly checkups at the vet, the reason?, she thinks because she's old whats the point, so you can imagine how ticked off and frustrated i get with her

Now me i'd be staying off work and trawling the streets and fields looking for her along with ringing all the shelters, the vets etc...

The poor thing lives in the house with a hyper labrador and two loud teenage kids who's mother is forever shouting at, but i tell you something, she only lives less than a 5 minute drive from me, but if i found Sly i wouldn't tell her, she's coming home with me for some peace and quiet

Originally Posted by rosiemac

This is the difference between her and i. Although she's missing her cat, she never takes her for yearly checkups at the vet, the reason?, she thinks because she's old whats the point, so you can imagine how ticked off and frustrated i get with her

Now me i'd be staying off work and trawling the streets and fields looking for her along with ringing all the shelters, the vets etc...

The poor thing lives in the house with a hyper labrador and two loud teenage kids who's mother is forever shouting at, but i tell you something, she only lives less than a 5 minute drive from me, but if i found Sly i wouldn't tell her, she's coming home with me for some peace and quiet

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I would feel exactly the same Susan,She sounds young and maybe she doesn't know the importance of the check ups.

Maybe she just needs motivating into doing something,I would offer to help her find her and put posters out and things and if she still isn't interested I would try to find the cat myself and keep it.
After all if she makes no attempt to find her own cat then that must be considered abandonment and if so then you have the right to keep sly if you find her.
Or even find her a more loving home in her twilight years

Originally Posted by xocats

My guess is that when cats are ill or injured...instead of going away to die, their instinct tells them to hide, in an attempt to avoid becoming the prey of a stronger predator.
I would exhaust all attempts to find this kitty before I gave up.

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excellent point!

Believe it or not Diana she's nearly 40!. We all have problems but this girl makes them for herself and carries the world on her shoulders.

I can't be bothered to speak to her and thankfully her office is upstairs to mine so i don't have to, but she only told me because she knows how i love cats.

But i would love to find Sly myself like i say and bring her home, even if it meant her staying in my bedroom.

Did her cat come home yet...

No and i doubt it will now