Losing a pet is one of the most upsetting experiences for an owner; however, this new research claims losing a pet could be just as harmful to all the other pets in the home. Researchers from Oakland University recently published a study finding that cats show some important signs of mourning in the loss of another pet.
In a questionnaire-based study of 412 respondents who owned cats, many changes in feline behavior were established in cats who had lost companions. These ranged from changes in the pattern of sleep, appetite, and play to demands for more attention, hiding, and spending more time alone.
The study builds on previous findings by researchers at the University of Milan in 2022, which determined that dogs do engage in activities indicative of grieving in response to the death of a fellow pet. Before then, it was unclear whether cats did so.
“Whereas dogs, descended from pack animals, might reasonably respond more strongly to the death of a conspecific, cats under human care have adapted to live among conspecifics and their capacity to respond to the loss of a companion warrants further study,” the researchers noted in their study, published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
The results indicated that the effect of the identity of the lost animal was a factor, cats who had co-habited for a longer period showed greater increases in the demand for attention. There were also suggestions that the behavior of the surviving cat was also affected by the level of grief demonstrated by the owner, such that a cat may be sensitive to displayed emotional states.
Lead study author Brittany Greene said that in fact, these new findings seem to be a direct contradiction to the long-held myth of the separateness and autonomy of cats. “Our study reveals that domestic cats exhibit behavioral shifts that reflect their canine equivalent,” she said. “The psychological experience of loss is universal throughout the animal kingdom, and the bonds forged with our pets are a mirror of the care and connection we provide.”
They hope this study will encourage pet owners to be in tune with the emotional needs of their surviving pets after losing a companion, acknowledging that loss is not just a human experience.
The study epitomizes the deep emotional ties within the animal kingdom and underscores that feelings of loss are not singularly a human sensibility. As we learn more about the depth of these bonds, it becomes clear that our pets are much more emotionally complex than what may have been previously thought.