In a viral TikTok video shared by pet owner Pasha Marlowe (@neuroqueercoach), we meet her 16-year-old cat who is very ill with kidney disease and is scheduled to be humanely euthanized in just a few days. And then we see a dog sniffing around the cat and another dog lying on a couch.
According to Marlowe’s video, the cat is always upstairs while the dogs are usually downstairs, and they have never been together. This time, however is a completely different story; the cat joined the dogs downstairs on the couch, and the dogs didn’t bark or growl. She described the dogs as being “completely silent” and that the dogs decided to hang out with her.
Check out the video:
Do pets know when they are going to die? According to PetMD, animals do seem to understand the concept of death. Elephants grieve for the loss of a herd member and whales won’t leave their dead babies behind, but the concept of death becomes a more existential question.
One veterinarian told a heartbreaking story of having sedated the family dog at the pet’s home and then inserting the intravenous catheter where he would administer the final injection for euthanasia. Up until that point, the family cat had remained at a distance, but just as the vet began the injection, the cat walked up to the dog and the vet, laid down beside the two and placed her paw gently on the dog’s leg as if to say, “I’m here with you. It’s okay.”
Many families have shared their own stories how they knew it was time; some recount their pets withdrawing and no longer wanted to be loved, or in some scenarios no longer seemed to care what was going on around them in their own homes. And the stories go on and on; some being gut wrenching while others might just help us understand that our pets totally bonded to us, knew in their instinctive minds and bodies when it was time to leave.
It’s obvious veterinarians both agree and disagree. We are never going to know whether pets know when they are going to die, but we do need to understand, when the end is near, we provide them with the love and care they need to make those last few days, hours or just minutes as kind as can possibly be.
In this video which garnered nearly 2.2 million views, pet owners related with their own experiences; some of the heartbreaking responses:
She didn’t want to be alone.
They know. They are supporting her in her transition ♥️
KT
Those pups can smell and feel the difference in the sweet cat, I’ve seen it before with a friends cat + their dogs. Bless all the pets!
TikTok
Rest in peace beautiful kitty.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
ANIMALS UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE–FAR BEYOND WHAT HUMANS DO!