Where do cats go to die and why are they never home before they die?

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The cause of death for cats can be serious illness, injury, old age, or an accident. Anticipating an imminent end, the animal often leaves its home, never to return. It is natural that the question arises why cats leave home to die. After all, even if the pet does not have the opportunity to leave the apartment, it simply hides in an inaccessible place, for example, somewhere in a closet.

There is no clear answer as to why this happens. There are several versions of this pattern, none of them have been scientifically confirmed.

Where do cats go before they die?

The pet tries to find a quiet place near the house. If he lived in a private house, then such a place could serve as a barn, basement, porch, or garden plantings.

A sick cat suffers from an illness and hides from human eyes

Where do cats go to die if they have lived in an apartment all their lives? In this case, they can run to the park, hide behind trash cans in the yard, or under a car. If it is impossible to get out of the house, the pet can hide under the sofa, bed, bathroom, behind a closet, or on the balcony.

Note! It should be a quiet and dark place. The pet rests there, regains its strength, and if it succeeds, it returns to its owner.

Where do cats go from home?

Reasons why cats leave home

The cat breed is very sensitive to change. These representatives learn about the approach of death a couple of days before death. After that, they begin to look for a suitable place.

Natural instinct

Why cats leave home: old age and health problems

This behavioral feature is characteristic of the entire cat family; wild cats, lions, tigers, and pumas also do the same. Science explains this by protecting their relatives from enemies, since the smell of the dead attracts enemies.

For your information! The sick animal is greatly weakened, so in search of protection from enemies it finds a safe place.

Reluctance to traumatize the owner’s psyche

Why do cats leave home to die? It is believed that domestic cats have human-like character traits. Therefore, the animal leaves home so as not to cause moral harm to its owner. But there is still no confirmation of this theory.

Running away from pain

Domestic fluffies are very patient with pain and endure it steadfastly. A wounded animal tries to cope with its injuries on its own and tries to heal them. Unlike dogs, which in such a situation turn to their owner for help, cats will hide and behave independently.

A sick cat will try to cope with the disease on its own.

Important! If the animal is absent for a long time, you should go in search of it, otherwise it may die.

Burying your pet correctly

After the death of a cat, owners are faced with the question: how and where to bury their pet? The option of “throwing it into the garbage chute” will not work; it is inhumane and prohibited by the Veterinary and Sanitary Rules for the collection, disposal and destruction of biological waste.

So, you can bury a dead animal:

at a pet cemetery;
through cremation;
independently in the forest or on your own site.

There are catastrophically few specialized burial places for pets. They are, as a rule, only in large cities. The services of companies involved in burying pets are very expensive. But then you won’t have to worry about anything: they will allocate a place, dig a grave, and erect a monument. If the company provides cremation services, bury the urn with the ashes in a cemetery.

For cremation, it is enough to contact a veterinary clinic. As a rule, more or less large clinics have everything necessary for this. The service is not cheap (3-5 thousand rubles), but the most acceptable from an environmental point of view.

If you lack finances and time, you can bury the cat yourself in the forest or at the dacha. But we must remember that the Veterinary and Sanitary Rules for the collection, disposal and destruction of biological waste prohibit burying domestic animals near populated areas, in water protection, forest park and protected areas. As corpses decompose, they poison groundwater and soil. In addition, a pet that dies from an infectious disease can cause an epidemic among people and animals.

If you decide to bury your pet yourself:

Choose a secluded place where fruit trees will not grow and children will not play.
Dig a hole at least two meters deep.
To prevent the release of toxins hazardous to health during the decomposition of a corpse, pour bleach or another chlorine-containing disinfectant containing at least 25% active chlorine at the bottom of the pit at the rate of 2 kg per 1 m2.
Sprinkle the pet's corpse with the same disinfectant.
Place the animal in a box or coffin and bury it.
Place a mound at least 1 m high above the grave.

If your pet dies from a viral disease, contact your veterinarian. Most likely, experts will advise disinfecting the premises.

How do cats behave before they die in an apartment when they cannot leave?

Why cats love boxes and bags: why do they climb into them?

The average lifespan of domestic cats is about 15 years. When reaching this age, it is necessary to carefully monitor the animal. Some changes in behavior and appearance may indicate imminent death, for example:

breathing changes, it becomes rapid and heavy. A healthy cat takes up to 30 breaths per minute;
often the eyes become glassy, the pupils dilate, the tongue hangs;
heart rate decreases. According to standards, the animal’s pulse should be in the range of 140-220 beats/min;
the pet refuses to eat its usual food, drink water, loses weight, and the skin becomes flabby;
Due to a hungry lifestyle, toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Feces and urine are dark in color and in minimal quantities. The mouth smells unpleasant.

Note! The animal tends to constantly lie alone, hiding from household members.

An old cat may not eat anything for several days.

Yorkshire Terrier sneezes

Sneezing in a dog occurs when the nasal mucosa is irritated. If a dog's sneezing lasts only a few minutes and goes away without other signs of illness such as refusal to eat, lethargy, coughing, it is most likely not a serious irritation of the mucous membrane caused by dust or pollen. Dogs often sneeze two to three times after waking up when using strong aromatic substances (perfumes, aerosols), tobacco smoke, dust and mold. This is a completely normal reaction of a dog to a stimulus.

If a Yorkshire Terrier sneezes throughout the day, the dog shows signs of anxiety or, conversely, is lethargic and refuses to eat, this indicates the presence of a viral infection or a cold. The process may be accompanied by coughing, wheezing and heavy breathing. During sleep, a sick animal breathes mainly through an open mouth. You must immediately contact a veterinary clinic.

Such signs are characteristic of canine tracheobronchitis (kennel flu, as dog lovers call it). Basically, a dog can become infected with kennel flu at exhibitions or training with other animals. During illness, the dog sneezes, coughs a lot and for a long time. Coughing attacks can cause your dog to vomit. To avoid this, you need to vaccinate your pet in advance.

What to do if your dog sneezes often and for a long time, but is completely healthy, active and does not refuse to eat. Most likely, your pet is having an allergic reaction to a specific irritant. It is necessary to find out what the dog is allergic to. If the source of irritation is not excluded, allergic reactions become more severe: skin irritation, itching, hair loss. Some allergies are seasonal.

If the sneezing process is accompanied by scratching of the nose, the release of fluid or even blood, most likely your pet has a foreign body stuck in his nose and needs to go to the hospital. You should not try to remove the object yourself, so as not to cause further damage to the dog.

For some breeds, sneezing is a natural process. Dogs with flattened and flat noses sneeze, wheeze and produce salivary fluid due to the specific structure of the nose.

The process of sneezing is a dog’s natural reaction to irritation of the mucous membrane caused by external or internal pathogens.

Various superstitions and signs

Why does your Yorkie tremble at home and stick out its tongue: reasons

Popular wisdom says that if a cat died unexpectedly, while he was cheerful the day before, then you should pay attention to the circumstances under which this happened:

if one of the family members is to blame for the death, then this means a quick theft that a loved one can commit without being caught;
if a pet died due to household appliances, then you should expect problems at work;
if a pet falls from a height, then this is fraught with family problems, even divorce;
if the animal is poisoned, then you should beware of casual acquaintances, you should not suddenly change your life, do rash actions both in your career and in your personal life;
if the cat died as a result or during a fight with another animal, then you should expect a dirty trick from close friends.

There are a lot of superstitions and signs associated with cats.

Euthanize a dying cat or let it die on its own

Special drugs are used for euthanasia

The decision to euthanize an animal is one of the most difficult. To decide to euthanize your beloved pet, you need to look at the situation from the outside. Even if a dying cat were offered royal terms, she could still die. And sometimes it is no longer possible to look at this suffering, and the most humane way to relieve a cat from suffering seems to be killing. And even if a person clearly understands that pity for a cat is stronger than the reluctance to part with it, it is extremely difficult to decide on such a step. It's always hard to part with a friend about whom there are so many vivid memories. And how much joy he brought when he was little. The pranks once committed by a cat no longer seem like a universal catastrophe, but a trifle. Therefore, after thinking it over again, you need to consult a veterinarian. It is easier for a stranger to soberly assess the situation.

If the decision is made, you need to choose a method of euthanasia:

The cat is given anesthesia, and after switching off, a drug is given that stops the heart or respiratory activity.
An injection of ditilin (listenone), a drug that stops the functioning of the respiratory muscles, is given.

The first method is softer. Strong anesthesia causes the cat to fall asleep. While asleep, she does not feel the injection of magnesium sulfate (or ammonia solution). The injection is given intravenously or into the heart. Sometimes after the injection there will be agony, but the cat will not feel anything because she will be unconscious. The second method is tougher: your pet will be conscious until death. After the injection, the cat will begin to choke, will feel it, fight in agony, but will not be able to do anything about it. Euthanasia is carried out in a clinic or at home (for this, a veterinarian is called in advance). You also need to decide in advance what to do with the body (bury or cremate).

The cat left home and did not return: what to do

If the animal does not appear at home for a long time, then you need to go in search of it. If it lived in a country house or in a village, then you can find it by posting advertisements in places where there are a lot of people.

In an urban environment, you can find a fugitive through animal search websites, social networks, and open groups.

Note! If the cat has a chip, you can find it by its signal. It is best for the pet to have a collar on which the data for communication with the owner is written.

If the body of an animal is found outside the home

Most often there are situations when a dead animal is found outside the home. In this case, the sign warns the finder about imminent financial income, a successful trip, meeting his soulmate; if the cat is white, and if it is black, then this promises problems with enemies.

Note! Fate is favorable to the cat's owner, he is not guilty of the death of the pet, the cat, dying, takes away all the troubles from the house.

When pets die, they take all family troubles with them

Natural care

A sign about why pets die naturally can be both good and bad. To understand what portends the death of a cat, you need to remember the gender of the animal and its age.

The death of a kitten is a sign indicating misfortune. A person will have to deal with a lot of problems related to his personal life and relationships with friends. Due to overload and constant busyness, the pet owner will be angry, gloomy and rude, which will cause discontent among others. However, changing your behavior or the way you communicate will not work for a long time.
The death of an adult cat is a harbinger of emotional overload. Many unpleasant and joyful events will happen soon. It will take several days to comprehend what happened, however, due to busyness, this time will not be available. Constant changes will lead to the fact that a person will not be able to adequately respond to what is happening and perceive events.
If an old cat dies in the house, the person will have to explain several times what exactly he is going to do. His plans will be incomprehensible to his acquaintances. Their anxiety about the future will irritate them, since a well-thought-out system takes into account many possibilities, however, they will not be able to stop explaining or ignore the concern.
The death of a cat is a bad sign. A sign warns a person of trouble. While communicating with one of his old friends, a person will not notice the threat, which is why a dangerous conversation awaits him. Only by thinking through a way to stop communication can the pet owner be able to change the current situation. To get out of the situation you will have to make the maximum amount of effort and forget about other activities for a while.
When a cat dies, a person faces large financial costs. Unplanned purchases and urgent investments will force you to resort to deferred funds. However, it will not be possible to quickly restore cash reserves, since further everyday spending will force a person not to save the funds received.

The opinion of modern animal psychologists

Felinologists and animal psychologists warn that you should not endow an animal with emotions inherent in humans, or try to explain the actions and relationships of a pet through this prism.

Having thought wisely, it is unlikely that a cat will think about the peace of mind of its owner before dying. At this moment, he first of all obeys his natural instincts. In natural selection, there are no such concepts as mercy, so a sick animal must leave the pack and die alone.

Even herbivores can expel or kill a sick fellow tribesman. Therefore, in such a situation, the sufferer only has to look for a safe place so that he is not eaten by predators, and try to recover.

Natural instincts cannot be fooled

Note! Professionals also say that cats have premonitions of death - just a myth. A pet cannot foresee a quick death, such as an accident. It can think about death only during a long illness. Experts believe that leaving home is associated with depression due to a serious illness in which the animal tries to retire.

Scientists, however, have noticed another feature in the behavior of cats. In case of danger, while walking on the street, she will not hide behind her owner. Most likely, he will climb a tree or hide somewhere. Physical pain is perceived by a pet as an attack by an invisible enemy, so it tries to hide from it in a safe place. That’s why animal corpses are found in basements and garages, and domestic cats, unable to leave the apartment, die in closets, behind the sofa.

There are also fluffies that stay with their owner until the very end. It depends on the dog’s temperament, his breed, and how trusting the relationship is.

A beloved pet will not hide behind its owner in case of danger

In any case, it is important to love and protect your pet, to be attentive to it to the last. Of course, you want to support your pet before death, to be close to him. If the animal has not left the house, it means it wants to. If the cat runs away, don’t be upset, he chooses how he will die, this is a natural process for animals.

Eastern religions

In Islam, cats are treated with special care because the Prophet Muhammad himself paid attention to them. This holy man did not disdain to sleep with cats in the same bed and even drink from the same cup

Therefore, the Muslim religion instills a kind attitude towards animals from childhood.

Taking care of and helping all living beings is what Islam calls for.

Islam has a different opinion regarding the presence of cats in heaven. Muslims believe that all animals are sinless and have nothing to repent of. Paradise was created for man, his corrected soul. After death, animals are buried, their bodily shells dissolve and become part of the common space. According to Islam, a cat has no soul.

Judaism believes that animals have souls just like humans. They can go to heaven after death if they deserve it through their actions on earth. Judaism also considers several types of animal souls - lower and higher. The lower souls are reincarnated as animals, while the higher ones may deserve to become human.

In Buddhism there is no concept of soul. They believe that there is a world stream of consciousness that takes on different bodily forms.

For cats, as for humans, hell and heaven are a certain psychological state. This state depends on the person or animal itself, how they organize their thinking and their life in the physical shell. That is, animals also have karma.