You will see a ginger tabby-and-white cat looking at a video of the cat’s former owner who has died. The cat looks intently and then gently head-butts (nuzzles) the image and rests his head on the screen. It’s a wow moment.
It is clear that this cat is looking at his former human companion, misses him badly and wants to be close to him again. It is very touching. There is quite a lot of discussion on the Internet about cats grieving over their deceased owner. It’s an interesting and difficult topic. Some cat experts don’t believe that cats feel the emotion of grief. However, there are many cat owners who would disagree. This video certainly indicates that domestic cats have memories including long-term memories and that they miss the experiences that they had and want them back.
It also shows that a cat can look at a video and recognize its contents which brings back memories. These are very human traits. It shows how observant domestic cats are and it certainly shows that they have quite sophisticated emotions.
When this cat gently head-butts the video screen he’s depositing scent onto the screen as if he is head-butting the person himself. We all know that cats do this all the time when they are close to their human companion. It’s a sign of affection. In this case it is a sign of loss and emotional hurt.
Until now, I had never seen anything quite like it. It’s a unique little video which has been justifiably shared many thousands of times. You may have seen it already, in which case I apologize. It’s a little lesson about cat emotions and one which should dampen the arguments of those who say that cats just act instinctively.
😭 That is so heartbreaking!
I found it very sad and it tells us a lot about cats.
Being very scientifically minded to the extent of atheist, I’ve questioned almost everything in life to a reasonable satisfaction of knowing it’s truth. One thing I see in humans is the tendency to decide things to the extreme; in this case that cats either feel emotions or not. Most things can be a matter of degree, and so while you have some cats that “apparently” don’t, others obviously do. I’ve studied cats most of my life and while I have strong feeling for them, I don’t let that decide what they feel. I give it to them… I have to, especially when I see evidence like this that we can all agree on. My lifetime of observation does matter too though, as does their feelings. Only if you don’t care does it not. Think about that too. IOW don’t be a jerk about it, if you’re one of those.
Hope you are well Albert.
There is no doubt in my mind that cats, and other animals, feel emotions.💜💜
Yes, more so than a lot of people give credit for.