The second Sunday in September is National Pet Memorial Day—a day when we remember those animal companions who live on in our memories. Both humans and pets grieve over the loss of an animal companion, and there’s new research about grief in cats to deepen our understanding of our feline friends’ feelings. I’ll share these new findings in this blogpost.

Cat-astrophic Loss

The grieving process for cats may start during a serious illness in their companion. Previously inseparable cats may may suffer a breakdown of their relationship when one develops a serious illness. Pain or frailty prevents the sick cat from interacting with their healthier companion.

After the death of their companion, the surviving cat will typically eat, play and sleep less—all typical grief behaviors for cats.

The new study found that the longer two animals had been BFFs, the more attention-seeking behaviors the surviving cat exhibited after the death of their companion. These behaviors were directed at not only human family members, but dog and cat family members as well. The most heart-breaking grief behavior reported in this study was surviving cats searching for their missing companion, even if that companion was a dog.

Coping with Grief

If you find yourself caring for a grieving cat, here are some easy steps to help your feline friend through the grief:

Keep the routine the same. Even though their companion is gone, the stability of a familiar routine will provide comfort.

Spend extra time with your cat. You might be their only friend right now.

If you’re thinking of adding a new pet to the household, time the addition carefully—the right time might not be immediately after the loss of another pet.

Try stress reducing therapies like pheromone diffusers and L-theanine supplements.

AMC has a number of resources to support your entire family in the grieving process, including your grieving pet.

AMC’s 8th Annual Celebration of Life

For readers whose pets have crossed the rainbow bridge, AMC invites you to join our 8th Annual Celebration of Life. At this event, we come together to remember the pets we’ve lost and the lives we shared. To honor those beloved companions, author Victoria Schade and AMC’s licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) Jamie Cohen will share words of reflection. To learn more about this free Zoom event and register please follow this link.