One of the most revealing demonstrations of the feline-human bond of love is what happens when the cat or his owner is suddenly left alone, and the companionship on this earthly plane ends. We humans have found many ways of coping with our loss. One of the most comforting ones isthe belief in The Rainbow Bridge, which tells of a magnificent garden in heaven, where our departed pets haveshed their earthly pain and ills, and romp together in a grassy bower filled with flowers, under the rainbow, each with an eye turned toward the bridge, just waiting for his beloved human to finally appear so they can cross over together. This lovely poem, written by William N. Britton, as "The Legend of the Rainbow Bridge" has brought untold comfort and peace to everyone who has read it following the loss of a beloved animal companion. Truthfully,most of us who believe in some form of life after death cannot imagine such a life without the joy of reuniting with all our loved ones, including our feline companions.
Comfort can also be derived by sharing our grief, along with reminescing about happier days in the past. One can talk with a close friend, one who understands and shares the kind of bond we're talking about. People with Internet access are fortunate in this respect. New friendships are forged every day by the common bond of mourning the loss of a feline companion in forums and newsgroups. Memorial pages allow us to share our grief, while celebrating the life of a departed cat.
Do Cats Mourn?
We can never know, for sure. Certainly, cats who have lost a human companion, either temporarily, because of a trip or vacation, or permanently, because of the death of a caregiver, demonstrate those traits that in humans we would define as depression:
- Lack of appetite
- Lethargy
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- "Clinginess" with remaining human companions
- Excessive vocalization or unusual quietness
Indeed, our Bubba exhibits many of these symptoms every time his beloved Asa leaves for a weekend trip. He sleeps day and night, usually in the spot on Asa's side of the bed, where he usually feels his buddy's knees curled around him, or alternately, on a sweatshirt at the foot of the bed which is fragrant with Dad's scent. Conversely, he greets Asa's arrival home with annoyance, and will often counter Asa's affectionate greetings with a flip of the tail and a turned back. (No one has been scorned thoroughly until they have experienced that treatment by a cat.)
At least one animal behaviorist, Myrna M. Milani, DVM, has another take on this apparent mourning behavior. Her conclusion is that cats do not share the same definitions of "here" and "gone," or "life" and "death" as we humans do, and that their apparent mourning of alost human companionmay stem more from the sudden changes in their normal routine: the ritual manner in which their food is served, or the unexplained ceasing of daily games the human buddy had devised, than from the loss of the human companion. In her article, Owner Loss and the Human-Feline Bond, Dr. Milani offers valuable advice to those who have "inherited" the caregiving of a cat who has lost his owner, as well as suggestions for ensuring a smooth transition for your catin the event of your own demise.
In any case, it is probably safe to say that, for whatever reasons, cats do mourn the loss of a human companion, and demonstrate their loss much in the same way that we do.
From beginning to end, the bond between a cat and his human is a precious tie,one that can't really be duplicated in other relationships. There is an old saying that "love makes the world go 'round." While no one can dispute the power of love for one's country, love for a child, or romantic love, there is nothing quite comparable to the selfless love shared between cats and their humans.
