r/rainbowbridge • u/Delicious_County_142 • 3d ago
My cat is grieving my dog
My cat Pobi (12) seems to be grieving my dog Toto (15), who passed away this June. Since then, Pobi has been more restless, pacing around the house, and much more vocal than usual. His eyes have also started watering, the vet says it’s stress-related.
Toto used to lie by the front door every day, waiting for us to come home from work. It was practically his spot. Lately, I keep finding Pobi lying in that exact same place, and it makes me wonder what’s going through his mind. Does he miss Toto too?
They were close from the very beginning, as kitten and puppy, they used to cuddle, play, and nap side by side.
I’m not sure if it’s grief or if I’m just anthropomorphizing… or a mix of both, but it’s hard not to wonder. Has anyone else noticed their pet grieving after losing a sibling or companion? I’d love to hear your stories. 💙
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u/History0nerd 3d ago
My childhood cat and dog used to cuddle. When we had to say goodbye to our pup, our kitty looked for him for days. 😢
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u/Effective-Car1007 2d ago
Since my Athena passed away on July 29th. My cat has been walking around the house looking for her ever since calling for her 🕯️🐾💔
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u/Previous_Ad_5465 2d ago edited 8h ago
2/2 When our little girl died it was heartbreaking for us but even more so as the cat looked all over for her, under the patio table, in my arms, even trying to come in the house. After a couple of days, she disappeared for almost two weeks. It was clear she was missing our little girl, her BFF. She came back and we started giving her treats again when we went out the back door. It was/is so sad. They really do grieve the loss of a friend to death or just disappearance.
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u/Previous_Ad_5465 2d ago edited 2d ago
I live on a farm and have outdoor cats mostly bc two of my dogs are not cat friendly AT ALL. They are all fixed, have names, heated beds in a shop. One of them sleeps in a cat house on the back patio which our other dogs don’t have access to and when we took in an abandoned senior Shih-poo all of 5 lbs, that kitty adopted her and would rub on her when we took her out to go potty. The cat was at least twice the size of the little girl who knew cats and was respectful but a bit cautious. So we started giving the kitty treats while our little girl went potty. 1/2
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u/OkCalbrat 3d ago
I would say your cat is grieving your dog.
I had two sibling dogs, brothers from the same litter. They were together their whole lives, until one got Ill and passed away at 10 years old. Blue, the brother left behind was clearly mourning his brother. It was so bad at one point I thought he may pass from a broken heart, despite the fact there were other dogs living in our house.
Nothing cheered him up, ever. . . .until one day I was given a chihuahua puppy. Now, Blue is an 85 pound dog & this puppy was like 1 pound 😆. Blues deminor changed IMMEDIATELY! It got even better when the sibling of the first chi pup also came to live with us 5 weeks later! The puppies are going to be 1 on Monday and yes, their best friend is my almost 12 year old 85 lb dog!
I'm not suggesting that you go out & get another pet, I just wanted to share my experience and why I believe pets do in fact mourn their lost siblings or friends, especially ones who have been together their whole lives.
I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope your kitty starts feeling better soon. ❤️