Do Cats Grieve? New Study Says Felines Can Mourn the Loss of Fellow Pets — Including Dogs

Researchers studied more than 400 cat owners and their pets' behavior after another animal died in the same household

Cats can grieve the loss of other pets — including dogs — according to a new study.

Researchers from Oakland University in Michigan released their findings in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science earlier this month, after they set out to see if felines are able to mourn when another animal in their shared household dies.

After surveying more than 400 cat owners about their pets' behavior after another cat or dog died, the study determined that cats showed behaviors that are typically associated with grief, including eating and playing less.

Jennifer Vonk and Brittany Greene, the study's co-authors, also found that cats similarly spent more time alone, looked for more attention from their owners, slept more and appeared to search for their deceased animal companion.

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Related: 'Grief is Grief': Why the Death of a Pet Can Feel Worse than Losing a Human Loved One

“It made me a little more optimistic that they are forming attachments with each other,” Vonk, a professor of psychology at Oakland University, said, per NPR.

“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,” she continued, adding: "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.”

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In a statement to The Sunday Times, Vonk also said that she thinks cats are mischaracterized as being antisocial, compared to their dog counterparts, and are capable of feelings many associate with canines.

“Unlike dogs, we tend to think that cats are aloof and not social,” she told the outlet. “I think we’ve been mischaracterizing them.”

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