--- title: "Research Finds That Cats Feel Grief When Their Fellow Pets Die… Even Dogs" description: "In a new study, researchers have found that cats seem to experience grief when other pets they live with die." date: "2024-08-10" modified: "2024-08-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cats-feel-grief-research" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "animals" - "cats" - "grief" - "the digest" --- # Research Finds That Cats Feel Grief When Their Fellow Pets Die… Even Dogs ![In a new study, researchers have found that cats seem to experience grief when other pets they live with die.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Tears of a Cat In a new study, researchers found that cats seem to experience grief when other pets they live with die — and those feelings can even extend to their frenemies, dogs. As [*NPR* reports](), researchers from Michigan's Oakland University found that after another cat or dog in their household passed away, cats ate and played less than normal. With those behaviors being associated with grief in humans, these findings could suggest that cats experience something akin to mourning after the animals around them die. Published in the [journal *Applied Animal Behaviour Science*](), this study conducted by psychologists is one of the only known papers dealing with the emotional states of domesticated cats. Jennifer Vonk, an OU psychology professor who co-authored the paper, told *NPR* she only knew of one other that [dealt with grief in housecats](). For their study, Vonk and coauthor Brittany Greene spoke to 412 cat caregivers and asked them how their pet behaved after either another cat or a dog in their household had died. On average, the caregivers said that regardless of the species of their fellow pets, the cats wanted both more attention and time alone, ate less, slept more, and — perhaps most heartbreakingly — would look around for the animal that had passed. Essentially, the cats behaved akin to the way we humans do when we grieve — which runs counter to the increasingly challenged notion that [cats don't have deep feelings](). ## Not Like Us While the cats didn't exhibit "huge changes" to their personalities, Vonk said that the findings were in line with studies that had looked into [grief in dogs](), which are both [believed to be more social]() and [have generally been studied more regularly](). "For me, the most compelling finding is that when cats were reported to change their behavior in ways that would be consistent with what we would expect for grief," Vonk told *NPR*. "It’s predicted by things like the length of time that the animals lived together or the amount of time that they had spent together engaged in various activities or the quality of their relationships." As the psychologist notes, there could be some confounding factors at play in the study's design — not least that pet owners may have been projecting their own grief onto their feline companions or that the cats may have been trying to console their humans (which is probably the sweetest thing we've heard all week). A cat person herself, Vonk said that her research has also uncovered some new personal ideas and feelings about the animals. "Maybe it’s more likely than I thought before that cats do have those feelings," she told *NPR*. **More on cats:** [*Mutation Has Led to a New Type of Cat, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()