I had a cat since my teenage days and she was never affectionate, hated to be picked, would never come to anyone's lap, etc. but she didn't like being alone. She'd always find the room with the most people in sit on a couch or something.
Come 2019 and out of nowhere she started sleeping in my bed, headbutting my hand for hugs, and would even come to my lap when I'd watch tv, or sit on my PC desk when I was on the internet or playing a game. Shortly after she stopped eating and a month later she died...
Yes and also counterpoint - our 16 year old cat (who had never done anything like this before) suddenly decided to haunt our bedroom, headbutting all night long, placing her head in your hands while you sleep, etc.
She is closer to 19 now - still doing it. Correlation does not always = causation... Sometimes you just broke the barrier through to them.
It's true that correlation does not equal causation, however it is a rather well documented and proven habit of cats to seek out more affection shortly before they die.
So it's not a guarantee that it means your car is dying, nor does every cat do this either, however it is a very distinct and real possibility.
Additional nearly happy story alternative. We had two cats, but in February our eldest cat died. He had Cancer and he was older so it wasn’t sudden, but still emotional. But this story isn’t about him. It’s about our “younger” girl. She is currently 13 years old. She’s always been around and accepted pets, but she didn’t cuddle and refused to be held. She would rather cuddle her brother. But when he died, I think she realized we both needed each other, she became my teddy bear at night and comes to cuddle me during the day and put her head in my neck for big hugs. She even sometimes sits on my husband’s lap, but thankfully I’m the clear favorite. She’s definitely older and has some slight health issues, but it’s clear this is not a dying thing, it started out as a group mourning and has continued with her accepting us as her new clowder.
My dog spent ages sniffing my right breast every day i can home from work and nowhere else for like 8 weeks. Turned out Inhad breast cancer again and after my mastectomy he has not had an iota of interest in that area or sniffing me anywhere else.
Piggybacking off your comment to point out why some older cats become affectionate as they get age.
Older cats lose their senses like people do. It's not unusual for aging cats to seek more comfort from their humans as their eyesight and hearing decline. You're their protector and comforter.
Also, it can be harder for older cats to keep warm, so they'll seek out their human to cuddle with to warm up.
Thank you for this comment. My 16 year old cat started being extra affectionate and lays down on top of me at night (she never did that before) and I’ve been freaking out thinking this it
Yep, this is my asshole void. He's now 14½ and until a couple of years ago would only want laps and cuddles when he was poorly (if he was wanting mammy's lap I always knew to look all over for a cat bite going septic). And if he ever did want non-poorly cuddles, it was with Dad.
But the last couple of years as soon as I'm sitting still he wants on my lap. He sleeps on my pillow at night and has to be pressed up against me in some way.
He's not really "himself", and I do still worry that something is going on somewhere, but it's honestly been 2-3 years of "not being himself" and we've had so many tests done at the vet and they can't pinpoint anything wrong, so who knows?
I have a cat and she's about 5 now. About two years ago I got really sick and she started sleeping on my pillow above my head, she's been doing that for two years now.
Mine started sleeping on my pillow after I fell off my horse and bruised my back pretty badly. I think now she just likes that she can be closer to Mummy^^ We just had her yearly checkup at the vet and everything is fine^^
She's always been a cuddler, not just a lot more than before I hurt myself^^
I remember reading a story about this big orange cat who lived in an old folks home. He would just wander around and visit with the old people. Sometimes, he couldn't be around a person enough, he wanted to cuddle with them constantly. So much so that the staff watched for that to happen because it meant the person's end was near, they'd die in a few days
Have you ever seen Dr Sleep? It's the sequel to The Shining when the kid is all grown up. At one point he gets a job in nursing home and they have a cat who does that.
I just got done reading the book after having read The Shining and having watched the movie [Doctor Sleep]. The book is.... not the greatest, but I'm really satisfied with how the movie took the original book, the Kubrik movie, and the written sequel and made a respectable homage to each of the three
The follow up on this that you're missing is that the people who were very sick tended to use heating pads because they were cold. The cat liked these heating pads
This is a "correlation does not mean causation" story and you forgot the second half of it.
If this is the same one I read about, they later solved the mystery. The thing was that, when the poor person started to get weaker, as a standard procedure the staff would give them warmer/comfier blankets, and the cat went after those blankets, creating the false impression that the cat knew that person was about to die. Poor kitty just wanted warmer blankets.
This video has Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining how people misunderstand signs, although in a different context (even if it's also health related).
I was really sick last year. Laying on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. My cat was very upset about it. Climbing all over me. Bit my ear. The next day my girlfriend made me toast with butter and he stole a piece. Still a cat.
I was once feeding my aunts dog butter bread, had two slices right. Finish feeding him the first and go to grab the other to eat it myself and the little bastard grabs the second piece and runs to his kennel to eat it. Little friggin mooch. lol
Had really bad lungs when i was a kid. We are talking like less then 50% functioning cause of strong asthma. So i had rattling breathing noises always.
Creator didn't care, he wanted a cat so a cat we got. (Which hated him :D )
So this tiny furballl sneaks into the room (door was open so my mum could hear if i stop breathing cause of an attack, the other choice was to sleep in the room on the floor) and lies on top of my chest.
Mum couldn't hear my rattling breathing and rushes in, sees the cat throws him out. Rattling breathing restored, kid alive.
Rinse repeat: rattling stops => Mum rushes in => cat on top => cat thrown out, this time in addition light smack on the butt => kid alive => breathing noises => back to bed
At the third time this night (bare in mind i slept through all of this i was just 7) this little furball would hiss at my mum, while clawing in the blanket so she could not get him off.
My mum told me that is when her momma bear instincts stopped for a second and she listened for the first time in my life to me breathing normal.
He slept with me for years.
--------
I am still allergic to cats, but him purring on my chest throught the night helped me so much.
Over 30 years later i have still my asthma but over 80% lung function.
RIP Garfield
PS: If someone finds a typo, it's your christmas present.
Went to visit a friend. She has a cat that hates to be on laps, hates to be carried. May tolerate the owners (my friend and her boyfriend) but anyone else she would smell and go away.
She smelled me and went to my lap. She didnt know me and made herself confortable on my lap. Something she doesnt even do to my friend.
My friend thinks i have a special animal whispering magic.
What she doesnt know is that im a carrier of a genetic mutation. My body is producing cancers in overdrive. Fortunately i have an healthy immune system that is keeping them in check. But its expected me to have a few of them until my death. I still think the cat smelled that.
Did not expect that turn. I hope you are ok? I have thoughts but nothing you or people who love you haven't thought and asked. Good luck and happy years.
My mother already had 4. And they are surveying a potential 1,5cm mass to see if its benign or not.
And thats going to be my future. It sucks... But its just another day.
Just this week i heard around 200 kids were conceived through a sperm bank and the donor didnt know he had the same mutation. Those kids, got a delayed warning. At least i knew what i should expect.
This is a strange perspective. I found out years ago I have SLE Lupus Nephritis, and after reading your excerpt it makes me wonder if the reason I always get told I’m good with cats and that they choose me is because they’ve been able to sense that I’m terminally sick 🤒
There is some strange misconception people get, likely based on media depictions, that any sort of cancer diagnosis is an immediate death sentence. What they don't know is that most cancers are very slow growing, and the body can keep them in check for potentially the extent of your natural lifespan.
My housemates cat is usually a lot more affectionate towards me when I'm doing poorly, lays on my chest quite often when I'm having anxiety or I'm overstimulated
This exact thing happened to me back in like 2015, i hated the cat and it hated me and suddenly she started to be super affectionate after she got cancer and we had to put her down. Shit sucks man im sorry
My roommate's cat and I often had an agreement that she left me alone and I left her alone. The only time this treaty would be broken was the final days of a vacation when cat was so attention starved (I took care of physically don't worry.) she would come seeking me out.
One year right before they went on vacation I had lost my dog. So they went on vacation, almost day one their cat walked in my room looking for me and my dog and was very confused and no dog. Looked everywhere and this either wise quiet cat was immensely vocal. She had a similar relationship to my dog as she did me. She didn't mind him in the are just as long as he wasn't in her bubble. Once she confirmed her fears. She did not leave my side. Played on my chest if I layed down. Sat in my lap.
Normally I know it's because they are sick but sometimes they also just know
My mom’s cat hates cuddling and hates affection in general. Strictly on her term in general. That said she would come and cuddle with me everytime I was stressed out or sad or my mom is. They know. I don’t know how. I moved and I miss her dearly but after I left the state and left my mom my cat spent a lot of time with her for the first month or so. Now that a new normal has been established she’s back to being ornery and stand off-ish but she was there for my mom for the hardest part of the transition.
They're really so sensitive. I think they can read us just off of hearing our hearts beating from across the room. One quiet day I noticed that when I turn around my bones creak and my cat reacted to the noise and looked up at me. When you're stressed or sick your heartbeat shows it. When my stepdad was dying my cat uncharacteristically came to sit with him and purred loudly at his side. I think subtle things like that must just be so obvious to them
God damnit my cat is doing this right now. He started sleeping with me every night, something that used to just be an occasional thing. And whenever I'm laying on my back he climbs up on my chest and purrs in my face.
For the last 6 months he has had barely any appetite and has been rapidly losing weight. He's been to the vet countless times, thousands of dollars in tests and scans, they can't find a smoking gun. His blood work came back as healthy as a 2 year old (he's 12). His teeth were surprisingly clean for never having had a teeth cleaning. No bad teeth, and his jaws looked good on x-ray. No tumors found by feel, X-ray, or ultrasound. He's just slowly wasting away.
He started sleeping with me every night about the time he was just starting to lose serious weight.
My mom's cat stopped eating when she was 14 and started getting skinnier and skinnier. Someone mentioned feeding her meat flavored baby food and we figured we didn't have anything to lose. She loved it and stayed with us for another 2 years. I can't guarantee it will work for your baby but it doesn't hurt to try! I hope you are able to find a solution!
Mine did the same. I wouldn’t say he was never affectionate, just not physically so. He always needed to be in the room with me, he was my little shadow. But when he got sick, he started sleeping on my pillow just like this. He was a very good boy.
FWIW if anyone is reading this freaking out about their previously-ornery cat thinking they're about to die, I have an 11-year-old JERK and every winter she becomes the sweetest baby love the second temps dip under freezing. She recovers her attitude promptly each spring.
ETA: she is actually the world's greatest sick day companion
Same thing happened to me this year. This cat lived with us for like 8 years, always felt like a roommate. Until about 6 months before her death, she knew our bedtime routine. She knew the nights wrestling was on. She was never on our bed before then and then she all of a sudden was IN our bed. Then she stopped eating. Tragic. I miss her.
My cat was lovable most of the time but she was a half faral monster. Didn’t like snuggles. Once she got sick though she slept on top of me the rest of her life. If I rolled over she would just like log roll on me and stay on top of me.
My family cat growing up NEVER liked being held and hated forms of affection. She very much preferred being alone. Towards the end of her life she started meowing at my mom and wanting all sorts of attention from her. She broke when the cat came, sat right on her lap, and just laid there.
My mom took that as a sign that something wasn't right, and she was right. A vet visit later she was confirmed to have cancer and was too far into it to do anything about it. Was rough, but I know my mom loved those closing moments with her.
At 14 she probably has arthritis, there is a relatively new treatment called Solensia you should look into. It made my 16 year old comfortable jumping and stretching again.
Same. I had a cat that was just not a lap cat, didn't care for petting, just the occasional head bump on your leg. Then one day she's climbing onto my lap and getting bitey if I wasn't petting her. A month later she was gone.
Il what you mean I had a car who was affectionate but then stopped being so and didn't want to be inside no more but then one day she wanted to be inside more became like the little girl she was but then I noticed a bad smell coming from her breath and rear after a while she wanted to leave and never came back I suspect that she was poisoned and wanted to be with with us for a while longer before wanting to hide far so she wouldn't attract predators I still miss her
I remember that trees are immortal because they have an undead-like biology. 1% of the trunk is alive and the rest is dead. And the only thing that kills them are outside forces.
I got pretty sick last year and was struggling to breathe. What did my fatass cat do for the first and only time ever in his life? Sat right on my chest. Nearly suffocated under his weight because I was too weak to get him off. I was admitted to the ICU and ended up on a ventilator for a bit shortly after this.
So yeah, he knew I was very sick but he also nearly took me out trying to comfort me.
Edit: I’m doing better and fatass cat is back to his usual ways.
I'm currently reading Snake Eater by T Kingfisher, and a psychic character calls into the radio station because she can feel that the main characters are attempting to "break something big", which effects her. So she demands, paraphrased, "Whoever is messing around northeast of Quartz Creek, either stop it or do it harder."
They also may just remove themselves. My brother’s cat just up and left home one day. Her bowl would go uneaten but we’d see her footprints in the snow so we knew she was close by. Then my mom found her one morning curled up in the wood shed. Seems like she passed peacefully.
Last day for one of mine was terrible and he never wanted to be held. he always hid all his life. that day he wanted to be held like a baby and kept putting his paws in my hands. Sweet scaredy boy. RIP
My boy is running out of time. We think he might have a month or so in him bjt its weird how they just know. I think death has a close connection to cats, i noticed it when my boy strated getting sick, he would stare at a spot in our room that has nothing significant near it. I think that was death visiting. He would just stare, as if he was being spoken to. Our house is pretty clean so we dont have mice or bugs inside and the geckos tend to be on the window outside rather than where he was staring (beside my partners side of the bed next to his cupboard)
It sounds woo science but cats are a little strange. Im very sceptical of woo science so its not often i just jump to ghosts. The atmosphere and his face just seemed different.
This is why I tell everyone that comes over how my cat doesn’t usually like people. I tell them they are one of those cats that can tell when people die, but not right away, first I start asking small questions, uh so just curious, you feeling okay? Been to a doctor recently? Then I tell them I got the cat from a retirement home. It keeps people away at least.
Can confirm. Am pregnant. My cat of 5yrs now cuddles me for hours on end when previously I think she only willingly touched me for 15min total in her life.
Its likely she already had toxoplasmosis. Once you had it its not gonna infect you again. But she should make sure to get testet just to be sure. The test cost 20€here in germany. Idk where u/mayesdot is from tho.
Our cat hasn’t left my pregnant wife alone the last 9 months (she’s due any week) and it’s weirded us both out 😂 cat’s old as shit and all of a sudden she is never not within a 15’ radius of my wife, we both can’t decide whether she’s about to die or it’s because of the pregnancy lmao
Cat i owned for 10 years did this on a Thursday night in August 25. I didn't think much of it but she'd had a rough few months of minor health issues and despite my allergies, I let her sleep next to my head that night.
Wife found her struggling with breathing the next afternoon and we euthanaised that night. She had a rare untreatable type of heart failure that backed up fluid in her lungs.
Im so glad I let her sleep there that night instead of moving her as the memory of her booping, cuddling and purring makes the passing easier (knowing that she was happy and knew she was loved).
One of my cats was completely indifferent to his brother. They didn’t fight, but they didn’t cuddle, either. One night, he starts grooming him out of nowhere and will not leave him alone. First thing the next morning, we take the one being groomed to the vet because he’s breathing a little weird. Heart failure. I’m convinced he could sense it.
My boys are both like that. I might actually be smothered in my sleep if they get any more affectionate.
Wouldn't really complain about going out that way, though.
I needed this subthread badly after the top comments. lol.
My tortie was born in 2007. Was incredibly standoffish. Over the years I have gradually turned her into an affectionate cat, although not a lapcat. She tolerates being held for a few minutes sometimes. THere's limits. But she always liked pettins these days and stays close to me and follows me wherever I go. lol.
Yeah, I've had my orange since he was a kitten and he was never really the snuggly type but around 2, 2.5 years old he gradually started wanting to cuddle. Like he saw my younger cat being super snuggly and getting affection and he was like FINE I GUESS and started laying on my feet or arms in bed. Now he's almost 6 and a total Mama's boy.
Cats can warm up over time, and that's very normal and not alarming. If they're suddenly super affectionate out of nowhere, that's when you have to worry 😅.
(Tbf, any sudden behavioral change is cause for concern, not just being affectionate.)
Although people here say that this usually means the cat is unwell or dying, I think she cat she has is a breed that lives very very long. And the cat on the picture doesn’t look old or sick. In this breed it’s actually very very common for cats to be mean and unaffectionate, and the only thing that can get them softer is time. Also, they can start to really like your bed, while still not liking your company at all. My grandmother has the exactly same cat that the girl on the picture has, the cat is 18 years old now, and it only stopped being an asshole when she was around 10 (the cat… of course)- she tolerates my grandmother and sleeps in her bed and lets to be petted, but god forbid you or anyone else get within 1 meter diameter near her. Once I got my legs severely scratched just by WALKING next to her. Walking, I didn’t even look at the god damn cat. So for these cats, it’s normal that they are acting mean and suddenly one day they get a closer bond with you and tolerate you, even when they’re fine. Unless we don’t have clear, definite information that the cat is dead or sick from this girls social media… I think the cat is totally fine.
Either the person's gonna die, the cat's gonna die, or one of them is pregnant. Most likely is the cat's going to die.
*BUT* cats also randomly change their preferred sleeping spot every 1-6 weeks. It could just be that the cat decided to sleep on the bed for no particular reason, and is going to do it for the next few weeks, and then decide on a new sleeping spot again. I've had over 10 cats and they all do it.
I have a cat who chirps. We call her "squeaky" as a nickname.
For some odd reason she goes from being an eternally catnip dosed cat with the biggest case of the zoomies to the most cuddly cat in the house this time of year... strange.
I’m not even trying to be funny, but how do you guys lose your best friends multiple times and just go on?
My dog got hit by a car 15 years ago and it hurts as much as it did that day. My current dog and cat are hitting middle age and losing them crosses my mind every single day. They’re all I have.
When I lost my “soul cat”, for lack of a better word, this Irving Townsend quote really helped me:
Another cat? Perhaps. For love there is also a season; its seeds must be resown. But a family cat is not replaceable like a wornout coat or a set of tires. Each new kitten becomes its own cat, and none is repeated. I am four cats old, measuring out my life in friends that have succeeded but not replaced one another.
Remembering that “succeeded but not replaced” part helps a lot. We talk a lot about how our girl must have handpicked her successor :)
You think about how they lived a life full of love, safety, comfort, food, and the best care you could provide. You gave them that. If they're gone, it is also loving them to keep giving a life full of food, safety, comfort to someone new that needs love and safety. By that love every bit of food, safety, comfort, and attentive care you give the new pet is also bestowing more love onto ones you miss.
I like to think of it like each pet's life weaves into my life like a big warm blanket and each time it gets bigger, which makes it a better blanket. I will use my better blanket to bundle up and snuggle another cat that needs a loving home. I'm a better owner because I loved and cared for my past cats. I learned a little more each time and all my love for them goes into loving for the new ones.
This used to be a major thing in the times of tuberculosis. Kids who were sick would be breathing very irregularly when they slept but other people couldn’t tell.
Cats could, and would sleep on the child trying to warm it up. Trying to help. Because they knew it was sick. Then the child would die from their disease and the cats were blamed and often killed for “suffocating” the child.
Unless it’s a newborn cats don’t weigh enough to suffocate a child even if they wanted to.
I've anecdotally heard about cats getting more clingy when someone is pregnant. Never heard the "about to die" thing, though that would probably fit better with the meme.
My cat was a former stray. Super shy and skittish, only really liked and trusted me.
One day, she was acting weird. Loss of coordination, bumping into stuff, missing her jumps, being super demanding for pets and attention, and eating like a damn pig! Even stealing food from our hands!
She'd plop down on the dinner table when we played boardgames with STRANGERS!
Turned out she ate an ambien tablet that my dad had left out...
The fanciest cat food, she wouldn't touch. But this dumb flavorless little pill? Yum!
Called the vet, but considering the dose, she told us to just let her ride it out and keep an eye on her.
She was zonked out for several days! And then turned back to her old self lol.
That cat was probably tripping balls. I was prescribed ambien in high school and holy shit I hate that medication. If you don’t fall asleep within like an hour, it puts you on autopilot with hallucinations that are indistinguishable from reality. You basically stop being sentient lol
Judging by the comments it turns out cats are like those older generations parents that never said anything affectionate in life, then when they are dying, say 'I was actually slightly fond of you'...
And it was the most poignant emoting they ever did...
Had a medical Emergency a bit ago. Couldn't walk for 2 weeks. My Shadow became my Comfort Blanket. He hardly cuddles anymore since I'm "better" still love each other.
And I'm sitting here, with my rescue cat, who I rarely see, who has just been in and rubbed himself all over me, and is cuddling me, probably 6th time in his life, please no
Could just be that you did something he approves of. My one cat suddenly became much more performatively affectionate bc we finally figured out that she was signaling for us to make a lap for her with her eye movements. The lap shape and size had to be to specifications. I’m not joking.
Just this winter (she’s ten, in good health) she’s figured out the concept of going under blankets. Sometimes cats just have weird hang ups or communication attempts.
Pretty sure my ex's cat did this with me when he knew I was leaving. That cat was always indifferent or even randomly scratchy, but the last day I spent at my ex's place, the cat was all over me.
My cat started doing this kind of thing a few years ago. She was super standoffish and would rarely let anyone near her. Now she is a total lap cat and healthy, or as healthy as a fat cat can be. It isn’t always a fucking death sentence
Usually it means death or serious illness, though I have a friend who inherited a grandparents cat that was 9 when they got it. She was very feral and lived primarily outside, after 2 years, she disappeared for two weeks and they thought she died. Randomly came back one day and became an inside cat, refused to go outside, screaming for attention. Began loosing her sight and hearing not long after. They assumed that maybe it was a sign of death or illness.
That cat is now 15 years old and just keeps shrugging off death like she's got a personal thing against it. She is now such a little freak too. Constantly wet because she sucks at cleaning herself, has eye buggers she won't let you clean, and can't retract her claws anymore. So you can hear her coming on the tile and when her claws stick in the carpet- "skp" "skrrp" "skrp".
Other than that, she's completely healthy. Good appetite, still gets around, and hasn't had any complications. So uh, meme says cat is dying, but I believe cats have the ability to say "nu-uh" and just change behaviors out of spite 🤷
while it is true that cats can smell death and go comfort dying people.. they will also get into your bed to stay warm in the winter or suddenly become affectionate in old age. my persian cat hated being held when he was little but when he was around 7 or 8 he started sitting in my lap constantly until he passed at 11 years old.
My cat does this because I basically saved her from serious injury when she was younger and she sees me as a comforter and caregiver for her so she will annoy me with her butt hugs and paws to the face for attention and I’ll love her back 3000% more than she understands
I had a cat growing up who was mean. One day, she got really affectionate while I was laying on the floor. Five hours later, she was dead from a house fire.
I don’t think she knew she was about to die (the house wasn’t even on fire yet 😅), but I’ll always be grateful for that last day with her.
You know the rumors about cats and death isn’t actually true. What had happened was hospitals and homes noticed cats gravitating to certain people who often would die after the cat would love being around them.
And it turned out of them were just running insanely high fevers or naturally ran hot, and cats fucking love heat.
The common trope is that a suddenly affection cat is terminal. However, some cats just warm up very slowly (my cat lived 21 years, she got affectionate around years 11 & 12 and proceeded to become more affectionate the older she got.)
The joke is that cats can basically sense if someone is about to die and suddenly start cuddling with that person. If you're a cat owner, then it usually comes in phases, especially if there are other people or animals in the house.
This needs to be corrected to point out it’s female cats that tend to do this. I’ve had male cats my whole life and they do things like this starting when they’re kittens. All male cats have ever wanted to do (in my experience) is be close to their owners like my golden retriever does.
I remember when my boy's liver failed, I had to inject water into him. At one point physical contact started to irritate him and he no longer visited me before bed. The night before he passed he came and sat on my chest for 15 minutes.
Shiiiiit. My cat is 14. Suddenly started acting abressive to my grandmother and uncle. He hadn't been agressive to anyone who lives in my house. He Suddenly began to cuddle me. I don't know if it's because my pet gecko just died, or what. I have ADHD, so my emotions change quickly. I have been fine every time he has come to cuddle.
I had a cat since my teenage days and she was never affectionate, hated to be picked, would never come to anyone's lap, etc. but she didn't like being alone. She'd always find the room with the most people in sit on a couch or something.
Come 2019 and out of nowhere she started sleeping in my bed, headbutting my hand for hugs, and would even come to my lap when I'd watch tv, or sit on my PC desk when I was on the internet or playing a game. Shortly after she stopped eating and a month later she died...
Jeez I’m so sorry.
Yes and also counterpoint - our 16 year old cat (who had never done anything like this before) suddenly decided to haunt our bedroom, headbutting all night long, placing her head in your hands while you sleep, etc.
She is closer to 19 now - still doing it. Correlation does not always = causation... Sometimes you just broke the barrier through to them.
It's true that correlation does not equal causation, however it is a rather well documented and proven habit of cats to seek out more affection shortly before they die.
So it's not a guarantee that it means your car is dying, nor does every cat do this either, however it is a very distinct and real possibility.
That sentence hits me right in the feels, man.
I know..... Same..... Let it out......
https://preview.redd.it/valrss2b0s6g1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=22da7cf0db0f77206d1fea2cda5516d7cf484e10
Oh my god, they're saying goodbye. Hopefully I'll see my old cats again one day in the void...
In the void you will stay home to destroy glasses while they work all day to come home and feed you.
Thats nice to hear and thank you for your happy story ☺️
Get you and your partner screened for cancer.
Additional nearly happy story alternative. We had two cats, but in February our eldest cat died. He had Cancer and he was older so it wasn’t sudden, but still emotional. But this story isn’t about him. It’s about our “younger” girl. She is currently 13 years old. She’s always been around and accepted pets, but she didn’t cuddle and refused to be held. She would rather cuddle her brother. But when he died, I think she realized we both needed each other, she became my teddy bear at night and comes to cuddle me during the day and put her head in my neck for big hugs. She even sometimes sits on my husband’s lap, but thankfully I’m the clear favorite. She’s definitely older and has some slight health issues, but it’s clear this is not a dying thing, it started out as a group mourning and has continued with her accepting us as her new clowder.
Thanks for this.
My dog spent ages sniffing my right breast every day i can home from work and nowhere else for like 8 weeks. Turned out Inhad breast cancer again and after my mastectomy he has not had an iota of interest in that area or sniffing me anywhere else.
He obviously knew before.
Piggybacking off your comment to point out why some older cats become affectionate as they get age.
Older cats lose their senses like people do. It's not unusual for aging cats to seek more comfort from their humans as their eyesight and hearing decline. You're their protector and comforter.
Also, it can be harder for older cats to keep warm, so they'll seek out their human to cuddle with to warm up.
Thank you for this comment. My 16 year old cat started being extra affectionate and lays down on top of me at night (she never did that before) and I’ve been freaking out thinking this it
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Yep, this is my asshole void. He's now 14½ and until a couple of years ago would only want laps and cuddles when he was poorly (if he was wanting mammy's lap I always knew to look all over for a cat bite going septic). And if he ever did want non-poorly cuddles, it was with Dad.
But the last couple of years as soon as I'm sitting still he wants on my lap. He sleeps on my pillow at night and has to be pressed up against me in some way.
He's not really "himself", and I do still worry that something is going on somewhere, but it's honestly been 2-3 years of "not being himself" and we've had so many tests done at the vet and they can't pinpoint anything wrong, so who knows?
Also can happen the other way around. Sometimes they know when the human is sick.
I have a cat and she's about 5 now. About two years ago I got really sick and she started sleeping on my pillow above my head, she's been doing that for two years now.
Mine started sleeping on my pillow after I fell off my horse and bruised my back pretty badly. I think now she just likes that she can be closer to Mummy^^ We just had her yearly checkup at the vet and everything is fine^^
She's always been a cuddler, not just a lot more than before I hurt myself^^
Hope your better now and you got a affectionate kitty out of your illness.
I remember reading a story about this big orange cat who lived in an old folks home. He would just wander around and visit with the old people. Sometimes, he couldn't be around a person enough, he wanted to cuddle with them constantly. So much so that the staff watched for that to happen because it meant the person's end was near, they'd die in a few days
Plot twist: the cat was just a serial killer.
The funny thing is that it’s a great cat story either way.
By that metric, so is the grim reaper
Have you ever seen Dr Sleep? It's the sequel to The Shining when the kid is all grown up. At one point he gets a job in nursing home and they have a cat who does that.
I just got done reading the book after having read The Shining and having watched the movie [Doctor Sleep]. The book is.... not the greatest, but I'm really satisfied with how the movie took the original book, the Kubrik movie, and the written sequel and made a respectable homage to each of the three
The follow up on this that you're missing is that the people who were very sick tended to use heating pads because they were cold. The cat liked these heating pads
This is a "correlation does not mean causation" story and you forgot the second half of it.
I worked in a nursing home. I can confirm we used the cats as an indicator.
If this is the same one I read about, they later solved the mystery. The thing was that, when the poor person started to get weaker, as a standard procedure the staff would give them warmer/comfier blankets, and the cat went after those blankets, creating the false impression that the cat knew that person was about to die. Poor kitty just wanted warmer blankets.
This video has Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining how people misunderstand signs, although in a different context (even if it's also health related).
I was really sick last year. Laying on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. My cat was very upset about it. Climbing all over me. Bit my ear. The next day my girlfriend made me toast with butter and he stole a piece. Still a cat.
"You had food yesterday and look what you did with it."
~ the cat, probably
I was once feeding my aunts dog butter bread, had two slices right. Finish feeding him the first and go to grab the other to eat it myself and the little bastard grabs the second piece and runs to his kennel to eat it. Little friggin mooch. lol
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I know someone who's cat detected their breast cancer.
Had really bad lungs when i was a kid. We are talking like less then 50% functioning cause of strong asthma. So i had rattling breathing noises always.
Creator didn't care, he wanted a cat so a cat we got. (Which hated him :D )
So this tiny furballl sneaks into the room (door was open so my mum could hear if i stop breathing cause of an attack, the other choice was to sleep in the room on the floor) and lies on top of my chest.
Mum couldn't hear my rattling breathing and rushes in, sees the cat throws him out. Rattling breathing restored, kid alive.
Rinse repeat: rattling stops => Mum rushes in => cat on top => cat thrown out, this time in addition light smack on the butt => kid alive => breathing noises => back to bed
At the third time this night (bare in mind i slept through all of this i was just 7) this little furball would hiss at my mum, while clawing in the blanket so she could not get him off.
My mum told me that is when her momma bear instincts stopped for a second and she listened for the first time in my life to me breathing normal.
He slept with me for years.
--------
I am still allergic to cats, but him purring on my chest throught the night helped me so much.
Over 30 years later i have still my asthma but over 80% lung function.
RIP Garfield
PS: If someone finds a typo, it's your christmas present.
Oh my god! That’s so amazing!! Little kitty healed you!
Yeah. That kinda happened to me.
Went to visit a friend. She has a cat that hates to be on laps, hates to be carried. May tolerate the owners (my friend and her boyfriend) but anyone else she would smell and go away.
She smelled me and went to my lap. She didnt know me and made herself confortable on my lap. Something she doesnt even do to my friend.
My friend thinks i have a special animal whispering magic.
What she doesnt know is that im a carrier of a genetic mutation. My body is producing cancers in overdrive. Fortunately i have an healthy immune system that is keeping them in check. But its expected me to have a few of them until my death. I still think the cat smelled that.
Did not expect that turn. I hope you are ok? I have thoughts but nothing you or people who love you haven't thought and asked. Good luck and happy years.
My mom has it. So cancer is something im used to.
My mother already had 4. And they are surveying a potential 1,5cm mass to see if its benign or not.
And thats going to be my future. It sucks... But its just another day.
Just this week i heard around 200 kids were conceived through a sperm bank and the donor didnt know he had the same mutation. Those kids, got a delayed warning. At least i knew what i should expect.
This is a strange perspective. I found out years ago I have SLE Lupus Nephritis, and after reading your excerpt it makes me wonder if the reason I always get told I’m good with cats and that they choose me is because they’ve been able to sense that I’m terminally sick 🤒
There is some strange misconception people get, likely based on media depictions, that any sort of cancer diagnosis is an immediate death sentence. What they don't know is that most cancers are very slow growing, and the body can keep them in check for potentially the extent of your natural lifespan.
My housemates cat is usually a lot more affectionate towards me when I'm doing poorly, lays on my chest quite often when I'm having anxiety or I'm overstimulated
This exact thing happened to me back in like 2015, i hated the cat and it hated me and suddenly she started to be super affectionate after she got cancer and we had to put her down. Shit sucks man im sorry
Her last fuck you. Made you fall in love and then died. Rest in peace
What a hilarious way to frame it, thanks
But also something a cat would totally do. "I don't feel good and it's constant. Better make a human suddenly care about me just to mess with them".
It does fuck with you on a very deep level. Very dark.
That’s what cats do lol
This is how I'm phrasing it when my mom and her husband's evil cat that only tolerates him gets returned to sender (satan)
TBH very on brand for cats. Still love them tho.
My roommate's cat and I often had an agreement that she left me alone and I left her alone. The only time this treaty would be broken was the final days of a vacation when cat was so attention starved (I took care of physically don't worry.) she would come seeking me out.
One year right before they went on vacation I had lost my dog. So they went on vacation, almost day one their cat walked in my room looking for me and my dog and was very confused and no dog. Looked everywhere and this either wise quiet cat was immensely vocal. She had a similar relationship to my dog as she did me. She didn't mind him in the are just as long as he wasn't in her bubble. Once she confirmed her fears. She did not leave my side. Played on my chest if I layed down. Sat in my lap.
Normally I know it's because they are sick but sometimes they also just know
My mom’s cat hates cuddling and hates affection in general. Strictly on her term in general. That said she would come and cuddle with me everytime I was stressed out or sad or my mom is. They know. I don’t know how. I moved and I miss her dearly but after I left the state and left my mom my cat spent a lot of time with her for the first month or so. Now that a new normal has been established she’s back to being ornery and stand off-ish but she was there for my mom for the hardest part of the transition.
They're really so sensitive. I think they can read us just off of hearing our hearts beating from across the room. One quiet day I noticed that when I turn around my bones creak and my cat reacted to the noise and looked up at me. When you're stressed or sick your heartbeat shows it. When my stepdad was dying my cat uncharacteristically came to sit with him and purred loudly at his side. I think subtle things like that must just be so obvious to them
God damnit my cat is doing this right now. He started sleeping with me every night, something that used to just be an occasional thing. And whenever I'm laying on my back he climbs up on my chest and purrs in my face.
For the last 6 months he has had barely any appetite and has been rapidly losing weight. He's been to the vet countless times, thousands of dollars in tests and scans, they can't find a smoking gun. His blood work came back as healthy as a 2 year old (he's 12). His teeth were surprisingly clean for never having had a teeth cleaning. No bad teeth, and his jaws looked good on x-ray. No tumors found by feel, X-ray, or ultrasound. He's just slowly wasting away.
He started sleeping with me every night about the time he was just starting to lose serious weight.
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My mom's cat stopped eating when she was 14 and started getting skinnier and skinnier. Someone mentioned feeding her meat flavored baby food and we figured we didn't have anything to lose. She loved it and stayed with us for another 2 years. I can't guarantee it will work for your baby but it doesn't hurt to try! I hope you are able to find a solution!
Same with our car that was with us for 15 years. We just let it do it's thing one day he went out to play and never came home. Cycle of life.
Mine did the same. I wouldn’t say he was never affectionate, just not physically so. He always needed to be in the room with me, he was my little shadow. But when he got sick, he started sleeping on my pillow just like this. He was a very good boy.
Its a universal behavioral cue to seek comfort and affection from self pity
If you find these things interesting
Its perfectly normal to want people to know when we are hurt or sad.
Same goes for cats, since he can't talk he seeks comfort instead.
When he's at his best self is he his true self. The rest is emotional responses
I like you. The way you communicate seems very pure.
You both have identical avatars lol
Wym
FWIW if anyone is reading this freaking out about their previously-ornery cat thinking they're about to die, I have an 11-year-old JERK and every winter she becomes the sweetest baby love the second temps dip under freezing. She recovers her attitude promptly each spring.
ETA: she is actually the world's greatest sick day companion
Same thing happened to me this year. This cat lived with us for like 8 years, always felt like a roommate. Until about 6 months before her death, she knew our bedtime routine. She knew the nights wrestling was on. She was never on our bed before then and then she all of a sudden was IN our bed. Then she stopped eating. Tragic. I miss her.
My cat was lovable most of the time but she was a half faral monster. Didn’t like snuggles. Once she got sick though she slept on top of me the rest of her life. If I rolled over she would just like log roll on me and stay on top of me.
My family cat growing up NEVER liked being held and hated forms of affection. She very much preferred being alone. Towards the end of her life she started meowing at my mom and wanting all sorts of attention from her. She broke when the cat came, sat right on her lap, and just laid there.
My mom took that as a sign that something wasn't right, and she was right. A vet visit later she was confirmed to have cancer and was too far into it to do anything about it. Was rough, but I know my mom loved those closing moments with her.
I can't read this thread clearly - gotta be all this dust in the air.
I did not need to read this. My eldest cat is 14 and showing her age, over the last few months she's become much more affectionate. 🙁
Older cats feel the cold more, like old people.
It's winter.
At 14 she probably has arthritis, there is a relatively new treatment called Solensia you should look into. It made my 16 year old comfortable jumping and stretching again.
Same. I had a cat that was just not a lap cat, didn't care for petting, just the occasional head bump on your leg. Then one day she's climbing onto my lap and getting bitey if I wasn't petting her. A month later she was gone.
Il what you mean I had a car who was affectionate but then stopped being so and didn't want to be inside no more but then one day she wanted to be inside more became like the little girl she was but then I noticed a bad smell coming from her breath and rear after a while she wanted to leave and never came back I suspect that she was poisoned and wanted to be with with us for a while longer before wanting to hide far so she wouldn't attract predators I still miss her
Cats get hyper affectionate when either they, or someone near them, is about to die. Most cats just get the sense that they are running out of time.
wait... so youre telling me my cat was dying for 18 years???
Technically, we are all actively dying.
Living is the number one cause of death
How do we cure ourselves of life?
Become vampires
Or aspire to the purity of the blessed machine.
I remember that trees are immortal because they have an undead-like biology. 1% of the trunk is alive and the rest is dead. And the only thing that kills them are outside forces.
Hey, I just watched that video too.
What video?
PRAISE THE OMNISSIAH
I prefer the gifts of nurgle, but thanks for the offer
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Vampires eat less garlic bread.
Being born I thought was the leading cause.
No its water. Water causes death. Everyone who has come in contact with water has died.
Do hydrogen Monoxide is a true killer
Yup, that's why I "don't put chemicals in my body"
I mean... Yeah? Technically?
Well, there's two modes. Either they get suoer affectionate, or they suddenly start trying to get out of the house to go die alone somewhere.
Sounds like your cat knew they were dying, but then discovered the joy of your mutual affection? So they hung around for another 18 years or so.
I got pretty sick last year and was struggling to breathe. What did my fatass cat do for the first and only time ever in his life? Sat right on my chest. Nearly suffocated under his weight because I was too weak to get him off. I was admitted to the ICU and ended up on a ventilator for a bit shortly after this.
So yeah, he knew I was very sick but he also nearly took me out trying to comfort me.
Edit: I’m doing better and fatass cat is back to his usual ways.
He was just impatient. "Get better or die, pick a side ffs"
I'm currently reading Snake Eater by T Kingfisher, and a psychic character calls into the radio station because she can feel that the main characters are attempting to "break something big", which effects her. So she demands, paraphrased, "Whoever is messing around northeast of Quartz Creek, either stop it or do it harder."
fucking wheezing bc that's how I act towards my cats. "either push it to the floor or stop threatening to! fuck!"
Do or do not. There is no try.
Really hoping its me at deaths door and not my cat rn...
They also may just remove themselves. My brother’s cat just up and left home one day. Her bowl would go uneaten but we’d see her footprints in the snow so we knew she was close by. Then my mom found her one morning curled up in the wood shed. Seems like she passed peacefully.
Last day for one of mine was terrible and he never wanted to be held. he always hid all his life. that day he wanted to be held like a baby and kept putting his paws in my hands. Sweet scaredy boy. RIP
My boy is running out of time. We think he might have a month or so in him bjt its weird how they just know. I think death has a close connection to cats, i noticed it when my boy strated getting sick, he would stare at a spot in our room that has nothing significant near it. I think that was death visiting. He would just stare, as if he was being spoken to. Our house is pretty clean so we dont have mice or bugs inside and the geckos tend to be on the window outside rather than where he was staring (beside my partners side of the bed next to his cupboard)
It sounds woo science but cats are a little strange. Im very sceptical of woo science so its not often i just jump to ghosts. The atmosphere and his face just seemed different.
This is why I tell everyone that comes over how my cat doesn’t usually like people. I tell them they are one of those cats that can tell when people die, but not right away, first I start asking small questions, uh so just curious, you feeling okay? Been to a doctor recently? Then I tell them I got the cat from a retirement home. It keeps people away at least.
One of three things:
Oop is going to die
Oop's cat is going to die
Oop is going to do the opposite of die (give birth at some time in the next 9 months)
Can confirm. Am pregnant. My cat of 5yrs now cuddles me for hours on end when previously I think she only willingly touched me for 15min total in her life.
It is because you are warmer. Just let someone else change the litter box whilst preggo.
Yes outsource the litter box duty, toxoplasmosis is incredibly dangerous for pregnant women
Its likely she already had toxoplasmosis. Once you had it its not gonna infect you again. But she should make sure to get testet just to be sure. The test cost 20€here in germany. Idk where u/mayesdot is from tho.
She's prolly in the US which means it's gonna cost her $69,420,003.50
Our cat hasn’t left my pregnant wife alone the last 9 months (she’s due any week) and it’s weirded us both out 😂 cat’s old as shit and all of a sudden she is never not within a 15’ radius of my wife, we both can’t decide whether she’s about to die or it’s because of the pregnancy lmao
Oopsies
Cat i owned for 10 years did this on a Thursday night in August 25. I didn't think much of it but she'd had a rough few months of minor health issues and despite my allergies, I let her sleep next to my head that night.
Wife found her struggling with breathing the next afternoon and we euthanaised that night. She had a rare untreatable type of heart failure that backed up fluid in her lungs.
Im so glad I let her sleep there that night instead of moving her as the memory of her booping, cuddling and purring makes the passing easier (knowing that she was happy and knew she was loved).
I'm so sorry about your cat, but I'm glad you had that last night of snuggles.
One of my cats was completely indifferent to his brother. They didn’t fight, but they didn’t cuddle, either. One night, he starts grooming him out of nowhere and will not leave him alone. First thing the next morning, we take the one being groomed to the vet because he’s breathing a little weird. Heart failure. I’m convinced he could sense it.
One of my cat's randomly started being affectionate around a 4 years ago. Could just be that she gained the cats trust.
I've noticed that cats often get more affectionate when they get a bit older, mostly the ones that were a bit standoffish to start with.
My cat is gonna be super affectionate lol. He's already the biggest snuggler
The shelter volunteer who helped me pick mine sure knew his cats! I asked for the cuddliest one, and I have to imagine that's exactly who I received!
My boys are both like that. I might actually be smothered in my sleep if they get any more affectionate.
Wouldn't really complain about going out that way, though.
My cat became suddenly super sweet and affectionate when our other cat passed away. She made it another couple years to the good old age of 17.
I needed this subthread badly after the top comments. lol.
My tortie was born in 2007. Was incredibly standoffish. Over the years I have gradually turned her into an affectionate cat, although not a lapcat. She tolerates being held for a few minutes sometimes. THere's limits. But she always liked pettins these days and stays close to me and follows me wherever I go. lol.
Yeah, I've had my orange since he was a kitten and he was never really the snuggly type but around 2, 2.5 years old he gradually started wanting to cuddle. Like he saw my younger cat being super snuggly and getting affection and he was like FINE I GUESS and started laying on my feet or arms in bed. Now he's almost 6 and a total Mama's boy.
But was it sudden?
Cats can warm up over time, and that's very normal and not alarming. If they're suddenly super affectionate out of nowhere, that's when you have to worry 😅.
(Tbf, any sudden behavioral change is cause for concern, not just being affectionate.)
Holy shit you've been pregnant and/or dying for four years?
Although people here say that this usually means the cat is unwell or dying, I think she cat she has is a breed that lives very very long. And the cat on the picture doesn’t look old or sick. In this breed it’s actually very very common for cats to be mean and unaffectionate, and the only thing that can get them softer is time. Also, they can start to really like your bed, while still not liking your company at all. My grandmother has the exactly same cat that the girl on the picture has, the cat is 18 years old now, and it only stopped being an asshole when she was around 10 (the cat… of course)- she tolerates my grandmother and sleeps in her bed and lets to be petted, but god forbid you or anyone else get within 1 meter diameter near her. Once I got my legs severely scratched just by WALKING next to her. Walking, I didn’t even look at the god damn cat. So for these cats, it’s normal that they are acting mean and suddenly one day they get a closer bond with you and tolerate you, even when they’re fine. Unless we don’t have clear, definite information that the cat is dead or sick from this girls social media… I think the cat is totally fine.
My aloof cat sleeps on me. Either it means one or both of us has been dying every winter for years, or I am warm to sleep on.
Big same. The sample size is big enough for me to be confident it’s a cold thing
Mine sleeps under the covers in winter and on my pillow in the summer.
Plot twist: the cat is fine.
but OP is preggo
Preggo with ALL the cancer
Choriocarcinoma babyyyyyy
Literally
Well that's pretty dark then...
No, this is Reddit, they are both dead
Either the person's gonna die, the cat's gonna die, or one of them is pregnant. Most likely is the cat's going to die.
*BUT* cats also randomly change their preferred sleeping spot every 1-6 weeks. It could just be that the cat decided to sleep on the bed for no particular reason, and is going to do it for the next few weeks, and then decide on a new sleeping spot again. I've had over 10 cats and they all do it.
My cats "mysteriously" get much more affectionate when it's cold out
I have a cat who chirps. We call her "squeaky" as a nickname.
For some odd reason she goes from being an eternally catnip dosed cat with the biggest case of the zoomies to the most cuddly cat in the house this time of year... strange.
I’m not even trying to be funny, but how do you guys lose your best friends multiple times and just go on?
My dog got hit by a car 15 years ago and it hurts as much as it did that day. My current dog and cat are hitting middle age and losing them crosses my mind every single day. They’re all I have.
When I lost my “soul cat”, for lack of a better word, this Irving Townsend quote really helped me:
Remembering that “succeeded but not replaced” part helps a lot. We talk a lot about how our girl must have handpicked her successor :)
I didn’t know I needed to read that. Thank you.
You think about how they lived a life full of love, safety, comfort, food, and the best care you could provide. You gave them that. If they're gone, it is also loving them to keep giving a life full of food, safety, comfort to someone new that needs love and safety. By that love every bit of food, safety, comfort, and attentive care you give the new pet is also bestowing more love onto ones you miss.
I like to think of it like each pet's life weaves into my life like a big warm blanket and each time it gets bigger, which makes it a better blanket. I will use my better blanket to bundle up and snuggle another cat that needs a loving home. I'm a better owner because I loved and cared for my past cats. I learned a little more each time and all my love for them goes into loving for the new ones.
This used to be a major thing in the times of tuberculosis. Kids who were sick would be breathing very irregularly when they slept but other people couldn’t tell.
Cats could, and would sleep on the child trying to warm it up. Trying to help. Because they knew it was sick. Then the child would die from their disease and the cats were blamed and often killed for “suffocating” the child.
Unless it’s a newborn cats don’t weigh enough to suffocate a child even if they wanted to.
oh that's heartbreaking. We don't deserve cats.
I've anecdotally heard about cats getting more clingy when someone is pregnant. Never heard the "about to die" thing, though that would probably fit better with the meme.
In the summer we don't have a cat in the fall we have one. Happens every year.....
My cat was a former stray. Super shy and skittish, only really liked and trusted me.
One day, she was acting weird. Loss of coordination, bumping into stuff, missing her jumps, being super demanding for pets and attention, and eating like a damn pig! Even stealing food from our hands!
She'd plop down on the dinner table when we played boardgames with STRANGERS!
Turned out she ate an ambien tablet that my dad had left out...
The fanciest cat food, she wouldn't touch. But this dumb flavorless little pill? Yum!
Called the vet, but considering the dose, she told us to just let her ride it out and keep an eye on her.
She was zonked out for several days! And then turned back to her old self lol.
That cat was probably tripping balls. I was prescribed ambien in high school and holy shit I hate that medication. If you don’t fall asleep within like an hour, it puts you on autopilot with hallucinations that are indistinguishable from reality. You basically stop being sentient lol
My old roommates' dog loves the taste of pills and that bitter spray that's supposed to prevent chewing
Judging by the comments it turns out cats are like those older generations parents that never said anything affectionate in life, then when they are dying, say 'I was actually slightly fond of you'...
And it was the most poignant emoting they ever did...
Unless your cat is orange.... Then it's just a thing they do. Lol
We have two oranges. One is aware we exist. The other is super affectionate. He gets on the counter by the door and gives me hugs around the neck.
I've heard if orange cats are male they are dumb but sweet. Orange females are the opposite.
Have a male and female that are orange. Both are dumb and overly sweet.
My cat is like this but it's because it's winter and hes cold lol. He's affectionate in cycles.
There are some cats in nursing homes that begin sleeping next to residents within a few days of their death
Unexpected Doctor Sleep reference d
Cats are murdering old folks!?
Had a medical Emergency a bit ago. Couldn't walk for 2 weeks. My Shadow became my Comfort Blanket. He hardly cuddles anymore since I'm "better" still love each other.
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My old cat wouldn't eat anything but his meow mix and I mean anything
He was also a grouchy bastard who hit you over anything
A month before he died he got extremely affectionate and started eating all sorts of food.
Cats tend to know when they go and they change their attitude a lot...
My condolences to this person, hope it was a peaceful death.
And I'm sitting here, with my rescue cat, who I rarely see, who has just been in and rubbed himself all over me, and is cuddling me, probably 6th time in his life, please no
Cats can see Death.
CATS ARE NICE
God damnit. This happened to me and my ex last year. And yes, then our cat passed away just over a year ago.
Could just be that you did something he approves of. My one cat suddenly became much more performatively affectionate bc we finally figured out that she was signaling for us to make a lap for her with her eye movements. The lap shape and size had to be to specifications. I’m not joking.
Just this winter (she’s ten, in good health) she’s figured out the concept of going under blankets. Sometimes cats just have weird hang ups or communication attempts.
Pretty sure my ex's cat did this with me when he knew I was leaving. That cat was always indifferent or even randomly scratchy, but the last day I spent at my ex's place, the cat was all over me.
My cat started doing this kind of thing a few years ago. She was super standoffish and would rarely let anyone near her. Now she is a total lap cat and healthy, or as healthy as a fat cat can be. It isn’t always a fucking death sentence
Usually it means death or serious illness, though I have a friend who inherited a grandparents cat that was 9 when they got it. She was very feral and lived primarily outside, after 2 years, she disappeared for two weeks and they thought she died. Randomly came back one day and became an inside cat, refused to go outside, screaming for attention. Began loosing her sight and hearing not long after. They assumed that maybe it was a sign of death or illness.
That cat is now 15 years old and just keeps shrugging off death like she's got a personal thing against it. She is now such a little freak too. Constantly wet because she sucks at cleaning herself, has eye buggers she won't let you clean, and can't retract her claws anymore. So you can hear her coming on the tile and when her claws stick in the carpet- "skp" "skrrp" "skrp".
Other than that, she's completely healthy. Good appetite, still gets around, and hasn't had any complications. So uh, meme says cat is dying, but I believe cats have the ability to say "nu-uh" and just change behaviors out of spite 🤷
My cat suddenly became more affectionate the moment my dog died. They were very close
Poor baby lost their best friend. 😭
the joke is either they are dying or you are dying.
while it is true that cats can smell death and go comfort dying people.. they will also get into your bed to stay warm in the winter or suddenly become affectionate in old age. my persian cat hated being held when he was little but when he was around 7 or 8 he started sitting in my lap constantly until he passed at 11 years old.
My cat does this because I basically saved her from serious injury when she was younger and she sees me as a comforter and caregiver for her so she will annoy me with her butt hugs and paws to the face for attention and I’ll love her back 3000% more than she understands
I knew it wasn't swipe-able BUT I SWIPED
I had a cat growing up who was mean. One day, she got really affectionate while I was laying on the floor. Five hours later, she was dead from a house fire.
I don’t think she knew she was about to die (the house wasn’t even on fire yet 😅), but I’ll always be grateful for that last day with her.
I wish I didnt know
You know the rumors about cats and death isn’t actually true. What had happened was hospitals and homes noticed cats gravitating to certain people who often would die after the cat would love being around them.
And it turned out of them were just running insanely high fevers or naturally ran hot, and cats fucking love heat.
The common trope is that a suddenly affection cat is terminal. However, some cats just warm up very slowly (my cat lived 21 years, she got affectionate around years 11 & 12 and proceeded to become more affectionate the older she got.)
Cats are known to be affectionate with those on the cusp of death. Like an adorable little grim reaper
Cats can sort of sense when they’re about to die, and they start to act differently. Either that, or the person is about to die.
That’s why I’d prefer dogs beside cats
Cats and dogs are known to smell or detect cancer at early stages and use this kind of alerting system to tell the person they care about.
Every time my non snuggle cat gets in my lap
“Are you dying???”
“AM I DYING?”
Both of us are still kickin
peter's left arm's second cousin twice removed here,
OOP may have a serious illness that the cat can sense
I don’t buy this. Cats are weirdos. My cat goes through phases of being extremely affectionate and then totally ignoring me. Wouldn’t read too deep
The joke is that cats can basically sense if someone is about to die and suddenly start cuddling with that person. If you're a cat owner, then it usually comes in phases, especially if there are other people or animals in the house.
My cats know when I’m having a hard time because they will both cuddle up with me when we sleep
There have been multiple instances of cats that live in nursing homes only seeking out affection from people who are about to die
My mom’s cat started getting on my lap when I played games 5 years ago, during Covid. Cat was born 7 years prior.
She seems to have a cardiac condition (heart murmur), but she is doing pretty fine.
I suppose that sometimes, they just get older and the relationship just grows.
This needs to be corrected to point out it’s female cats that tend to do this. I’ve had male cats my whole life and they do things like this starting when they’re kittens. All male cats have ever wanted to do (in my experience) is be close to their owners like my golden retriever does.
It's probably one of 4 things 1: the cat is dying 2: the OP is dying 3: the OP is pregnant 4: the OP got the cat's trust Just for y'all's information
https://preview.redd.it/vafh7sy7xt6g1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c67ff0305934be2909241c821d7c28af7339520
It could have something to do with the story of the cat that could "smell" when patients were soon to die and would sit near them.
OR...you need to get YOUR health checked🤔🤔
We had a mean a snot cat that turned loveable after getting her fixed
There is some old wife tale that animals can sense death, and this might suggest the she will 💀
I remember when my boy's liver failed, I had to inject water into him. At one point physical contact started to irritate him and he no longer visited me before bed. The night before he passed he came and sat on my chest for 15 minutes.
Shiiiiit. My cat is 14. Suddenly started acting abressive to my grandmother and uncle. He hadn't been agressive to anyone who lives in my house. He Suddenly began to cuddle me. I don't know if it's because my pet gecko just died, or what. I have ADHD, so my emotions change quickly. I have been fine every time he has come to cuddle.
Are you saying that as long as my cat is an a s s to me, i should be grateful ?