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One of our cats was very old (18+) and sick. We made the choice to have her euthanized to end her suffering and the vet came to our house to do it. One of our o

One of our cats was very old (18+) and sick. We made the choice to have her euthanized to end her suffering and the vet came to our house to do it. One of our other (male) cats loved her and always tried to cuddle her. My wife took the old kitty out of the room where they were cuddling, and after it was done she thought she would let him say goodbye. He got very upset at my wife and hissed at her for days. He's normally very sweet with my wife, but he was clearly distraught at losing his friend and seeing her dead. He didn't just think she was sleeping, and he blamed my wife. I've always known our cats have emotions and understand a lot about the world they're in, but after that experience, I have no doubt that they are conscious.

nkoren 2y ago
A friend of mine had two kittens -- siblings, who were very close to each other. One of them was hit by a car and killed. I had adored this kitten, so in memory of her I did a chalk drawing portrait of the kitten, and brought it over to my friend as gift, about a week after the kitten had died. The surviving sibling had, during that time, seemed somewhat morose and unresponsive, but also kind of cryptic in the way that cats can be. Hard to read. But when the surviving kitten saw my drawing, he began crying so piteously, reaching out and clawing towards the drawing -- and this went on for most of an hour -- that there was absolutely no mistaking the emotion behind it, and soon everybody else in the room was bawling as well. (Also, I was impressed that he responded to a drawing; it was a decent drawing, but quite abstract relative to (say) a photographic representation. Cats usually seem oblivious to photos in any case, and this is one of the things which confounds animal consciousness research: it's very hard to tell the difference between something that an animal can't do, and something an animal doesn't want to do. I suspect that most of the time, cats simply can't be arsed to process static 2d imagery, because what's really the point of doing so -- but in this case, an overwhelming emotional imperative overrode that natural disinclination, proving that both the cognitive and the emotional capacity is there.) Anyhow, ever since witnessing that display of emotion, anybody who tells me that animals aren't conscious or don't have real feelings immediately gets ranked -- per my personal hierarchy of the spectrum of consciousness -- as being far below the level of that kitten.
- mr_toad 2y ago
  Cats seem far more likely to react to hearing a cat on TV than seeing it.
  - dr_dshiv 2y ago
    Hypothesis: Cat eyes have a higher frame rate than human eyes. Higher frame rate TVs may work better.
    - filoeleven 2y ago
      According to this video, cats’ frame rate is 50 hz, a bit slower than humans’ 60 hz, but with much sharper vision. So perhaps it’s the pixel size and not the frame rate that matters most. Dogs do have a higher frame rate, so your hypothesis could fit their behavior if dogs don’t watch TV. https://youtu.be/Gvg242U2YfQ?si=Tsfan1-W2DdrDkVi https://youtu.be/Gvg242U2YfQ?si=Tsfan1-W2DdrDkVi
  - notnaut 2y ago
    We turn the tv on muted with birds vids flying around for our cats. 2 are obsessed. 2 don’t respond at all.
- michael1999 2y ago
  That's sweet and sad. I've had cats and rabbits that mourn, and it is impossible to mistake. Some cats don't care, but others become very close. And bonded rabbits mourn for months. Recognizing the chalk drawing isn't as surprising as you might think. Cat vision emphasizes movement, edges, and contrast. Photos are very flat, but sharp lines catch the eye. An image doesn't have to be perfect to summon a strong memory.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago
  That story hit me in the heart, thank you for sharing
stevula 2y ago
This reminds me of a story of my friend who had two cats who were brother and sister. One time when my friend went on a trip and left his roommate in charge of catsitting, the male cat was tragically killed by a car. The roommate found the body and, not wanting to leave it on the street, put it in a duffel bag and brought it home. Of course the sister cat smelled the bag and knew exactly what was in there. She came to her own conclusions and carried a grudge against the roommate for years (hissing, glaring, etc) until they finally moved out. It was especially peculiar because she is one of the most friendly, cuddly cats with everyone else.

nkoren 2y ago

A friend of mine had two kittens -- siblings, who were very close to each other. One of them was hit by a car and killed. I had adored this kitten, so in memory of her I did a chalk drawing portrait of the kitten, and brought it over to my friend as gift, about a week after the kitten had died. The surviving sibling had, during that time, seemed somewhat morose and unresponsive, but also kind of cryptic in the way that cats can be. Hard to read. But when the surviving kitten saw my drawing, he began crying so piteously, reaching out and clawing towards the drawing -- and this went on for most of an hour -- that there was absolutely no mistaking the emotion behind it, and soon everybody else in the room was bawling as well. (Also, I was impressed that he responded to a drawing; it was a decent drawing, but quite abstract relative to (say) a photographic representation. Cats usually seem oblivious to photos in any case, and this is one of the things which confounds animal consciousness research: it's very hard to tell the difference between something that an animal can't do, and something an animal doesn't want to do. I suspect that most of the time, cats simply can't be arsed to process static 2d imagery, because what's really the point of doing so -- but in this case, an overwhelming emotional imperative overrode that natural disinclination, proving that both the cognitive and the emotional capacity is there.) Anyhow, ever since witnessing that display of emotion, anybody who tells me that animals aren't conscious or don't have real feelings immediately gets ranked -- per my personal hierarchy of the spectrum of consciousness -- as being far below the level of that kitten.

mr_toad 2y ago
Cats seem far more likely to react to hearing a cat on TV than seeing it.
- dr_dshiv 2y ago
  Hypothesis: Cat eyes have a higher frame rate than human eyes. Higher frame rate TVs may work better.
  - filoeleven 2y ago
    According to this video, cats’ frame rate is 50 hz, a bit slower than humans’ 60 hz, but with much sharper vision. So perhaps it’s the pixel size and not the frame rate that matters most. Dogs do have a higher frame rate, so your hypothesis could fit their behavior if dogs don’t watch TV. https://youtu.be/Gvg242U2YfQ?si=Tsfan1-W2DdrDkVi https://youtu.be/Gvg242U2YfQ?si=Tsfan1-W2DdrDkVi
- notnaut 2y ago
  We turn the tv on muted with birds vids flying around for our cats. 2 are obsessed. 2 don’t respond at all.
michael1999 2y ago
That's sweet and sad. I've had cats and rabbits that mourn, and it is impossible to mistake. Some cats don't care, but others become very close. And bonded rabbits mourn for months. Recognizing the chalk drawing isn't as surprising as you might think. Cat vision emphasizes movement, edges, and contrast. Photos are very flat, but sharp lines catch the eye. An image doesn't have to be perfect to summon a strong memory.
Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago
That story hit me in the heart, thank you for sharing

stevula 2y ago

This reminds me of a story of my friend who had two cats who were brother and sister. One time when my friend went on a trip and left his roommate in charge of catsitting, the male cat was tragically killed by a car. The roommate found the body and, not wanting to leave it on the street, put it in a duffel bag and brought it home. Of course the sister cat smelled the bag and knew exactly what was in there. She came to her own conclusions and carried a grudge against the roommate for years (hissing, glaring, etc) until they finally moved out. It was especially peculiar because she is one of the most friendly, cuddly cats with everyone else.