http://www.petloss.com/muns.htm

DO PETS GRIEVE?

What many people find hard to believe is that animals can form very firm
attachments with each other. Even pets that outwardly seem to barely get
along will exhibit intense stress reactions when separated. In fact,
grieving pets can show many symptoms identical to those experienced by
the bereaved pet owner. The surviving pet(s) may become restless,
anxious and depressed. There may also be much sighing, along with sleep
and eating disturbances. Often, grieving pets will search for their dead
companions and crave more attention from their owners.

How can an owner help the grieving pet? By following the following
recommendations:
1. Keep the surviving pet(s) routines as normal as possible.
2. Try not to unintentionally reinforce the behavior changes.
- if the pet's appetite is picky, don't keep changing the food. All that
does is create a more finicky pet.
- don't overdo the attention given to the pet(s) as it can lead to
separation anxiety.

3. Allow the surviving animals to work out the new dominance hierarchy
themselves.
- there may be scuffles and fights as the animals work out the new
pecking order (dogs mostly)

4. Don't get a new pet to help the grieving pet(s) unless the owner is
ready.
- will backfire unless the owner is emotionally ready for a new pet.
- people still grieving won't have the energy for it.

Should the owner let the surviving animals see and smell their dead
companion?
There is no evidence that doing so will help the surviving pet(s), but
some people claim that it does.
Usually, all it accomplishes is to make the owner feel better.
Therefore, if the owner wants to have the surviving pets "say good-bye,"
then it should be allowed.

HEALING

It could be that the cat is not grieving - but it definitely misses her mom.
I had to look after our cat when the rest of the family was on holidays for
some weeks. The cat knew me perfectly well and liked me, but every single
night she went meowing from room to room realising that some people were
missing. It nearly drove me crazy. The cat didn't meow much normally. And it
didn't stop until my parents and especially the mother were back.

Carola

Where in the title alt.cats does it mention "like" or "love"?
I have lurked in this newsgroup sweetheart longer than you have been posting
to it so don't come the big "I am".
I find it helpful to know what goes through the mind of some obsessive cat
owners so as to know how to deal with them when confronted with their
"pets", that incidentally I don't want, when they come into my garden to
satisfy their instinct for killing and crapping.
It didn't take me long to realise that the best thing to go through the mind
of some of these irresponsible owners is a bullet.
Don't be ridiculous, pets don't grieve, they pick up on a change brought
about by the grieving of a person and it manifests itself in an alteration
of the pets behaviour. You put it down to grieving because you like to think
the cat has enough savvy to recognise love and loss but in truth all it is
doing is showing its dissatisfaction at being treated slightly
different..... Selfish bastards .... if you can level human emotions on a
dumb animal.

Daz

Kept looking for him !!! he told you?? Has it ever crossed your mind that
the cat having been placed in a strange environment was at the very least
curious??
He looked at you , questioning .... to use your vernacular.... Bull sh.t...

That tells me you believe what you want to believe.

I wouldn't call it a problem as such just a healthy disbelief of what some
people are so ready to accept without any form of logical; proof.
If it fits in with their idea of cats being divine and thinking like humans
then that MUST be the answer.
Cats are dumb animals, they are selfish in our terms, but to a cat it is
just instinctive behaviour and the sooner owners recognise this the better
it will be for those of us who don't want to be inflicted with what a lot of
us consider to be, vermin.

Daz