Animals instinct

[samex]

My gorgeous Jack Russell was my consatnt companion when I was ill. She would follow me everywhere, wait outside the toilet, crash with me for nanna naps. Last weekend she went into renal failure and we had to put her down. The inhumane option was to watch her starve to death. My son and I are still shattered and keep looking out for her and expecting her to leap on my lap as soon as my bum hits a chair. I certainly can't explain what it is but she knew that I needed care during treatment but the look in her eyes last weekend also told us that she knew that her time had come. She was 14.

[sarah]

Hi everyone, Hi Annie333, I wonder how the patients felt about this? If that was a renowned occurrence, I can imagine some anxiety being associated with having this cat jump up on your bed! Great stories 🙂

[Annie333]

Hello Sarah. I don't think they were upset by this. The lady who bought the puppy gave the impression by the time the cat sat on the end of their bed, they were quite ready to go. Maybe the cat on the end of the bed was actually a blessing??? My grandmothers nursing home in Thomastown just had a pet day. They were able to hold animals, feed them and so on. My grandmother who was never an animal person was petting a dog. This I found incredible but she loved it! I love animals, they love you unconditionally. And don't I know it! I have 3 labradors 🙂

[sarah]

Hi Annie333, it's just like - dah-dah dah dahh.. the cat's on the bed... if you know what I mean. I think you did. In the context however, I can see how it would be a blessing yes. I love animals too, and just so, so, much. They are like little ones of us, I mean that as little humans in the colective sense, not as a narcisistic comment ;) My little mushy (my puddy pie) is here with me now, grooming herself from having a quick adventure out in the rain. She leaves a sloppy residue over her fur these days when she grooms due to losing her teeth in her mature years. She's about 18 now, and been with me on the journeys, more than family, more than friends. I owe her heaps! Seems you're the same with your labbies understandably 🙂

[Jax]

Hi all, I do believe animals pick up on illness. My cat was extremely affectionate and used to sit right on top of my chest (I have thymic carcinoma) which is in the chest. Even when I came home from hospital he knew i was in pain and used to come and sleep with me all night, cuddling into me. Now he hardly comes near me and i actually miss him.

[sarah]

Hi Jax, I am wondering why this might be. If you are fresh from treatment, maybe your moggie can smell the chemicals? I often wondered how my smell must change after being in hospital. There's also the question of other dimensions that I wonder if animals tune in to - maybe they can "see" that you are not 100%. I would feel a little rejected anyhow, if my moggie "hardly came near me" in such a situation. Maybe it's different with gender too. My cat is female and sticks close by. Males tend to wonder a lot, going by watching my neighbour's cat. Age too must be a factor. Is that a picture of your moggie? If so, he is very photogenic 🙂

[jsbach]

I have a small fox terrier cross who for some reason became very clingie to me and would follow me everywhere. She would always come to find out where I was, often checking every room in the house. I couldn't work out what was going on and thought that it was due to her being very old. A few months later, I was diagnosed with cancer.

[sarah]

Hi jsbach, stories like that just blow me away, seriously. There's so much that we don't know what goes on with them probably. I was saying to a friend just last night - considering a child picks up language from exposure to our use of it, it might then be likely that animals too understand our language from their exposure to us, a lot more than we give them credit for. They are just not physically equipt to talk back to us, to confirm this. I always keep this in mind when I talk to my moggie; I don't need to bellow orders at her, or talk down to her, she understands if I simply speak. I try to talk to her often, incase the odds are she can understand. I wouldn't like her to think that I am ignoring her presence. Don't you just love them.

[Jax]

Hi Sarah, My cat looks very similar to the pic, this was an avatar i chose on the website. I havent had treatment yet, but home from hospital since 22 December and of course had drs appts in between then and now so as much as we dont like smell of medical, maybe he can pick up on it as well. My sister in law had a cat and he used to be all over her 24/7 then she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and when she came home for her last weeks, he would sit and stare at her in the doorway of her bedroom, he would never go near her - i thought that very strange as you would think they would want to cuddle you more and give you comfort, same with my cat he is almost 3 years old so age could be a factor in this instance, although my sister in laws cat was older. I may look at getting a female cat LOL and show my male cat what its all about. Regards, Jax

[Jax]

Hi Sarah, My cat looks very similar to the pic, this was an avatar i chose on the website. I havent had treatment yet, but home from hospital since 22 December and of course had drs appts in between then and now so as much as we dont like smell of medical, maybe he can pick up on it as well. My sister in law had a cat and he used to be all over her 24/7 then she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and when she came home for her last weeks, he would sit and stare at her in the doorway of her bedroom, he would never go near her - i thought that very strange as you would think they would want to cuddle you more and give you comfort, same with my cat he is almost 3 years old so age could be a factor in this instance, although my sister in laws cat was older. I may look at getting a female cat LOL and show my male cat what its all about. Regards, Jax