Cat howling all the time now after death of feline friend

by Barbara
(Canada)

Missy giving a kiss to Ginger

Missy giving a kiss to Ginger

My cat Ginger is a 17 almost 18 year old domestic short hair orange tabby male. After the sudden death of our 15 year old female tortise shell domestic/ persian mix, he seemed to become very needy, and very vocal. He howls all day and all night, and i find it hard to sleep and get rested. I bring him to bed with me and that seems to settle him, but he only stays for a short time then leaves and starts to howl again. It is very painfull to listen to as he has never done this before, and I am still grieving for the loss of "Missy" and I think this is his way too. I'm not sure if he is calling her, or me. It seems he still looks for her. His appetite is good, I think he is lonely. The night that Missy had passed i slept in the spare bedroom with him as he felt more comfortable in there as that is where they slept. I also slept in there the next night as well. It has just been over a week, and it is getting worse every day. Is there anything i can do to help settle him? I dont want another cat right now i'm not over her yet and dont know when i will, but i dont know if he wants another friend.

I had missy for 3 great years, i took her from an animal hospital where her previous owner wanted to put her down as she couldnt keep her anymore. I was the receptionist there and the vet would not put down the poor girl so she asked the owner to surrender her to them and they would find her home, a week later i took her home and the two cats bonded quickly as i assume it was that they were close in age. Last year my cat Ginger stopped grooming
most of himself, so Missy stepped in to help. Now that she is gone i dont know if he will continue this behavior. I brush him every day. He still cleans his face and paws but not his body.
As I type this letter he is howling excessively and now has come now into my bedroom where i am and is sitting in the door way meowing, now he stopped to take a drink, as quickly as he finished he started again. I am really unsure of what to do whether i should let this pass or should I find him a new friend to keep him company as i work 10 hours a day. Please any advice or calming words are appreciated.

Thanks
-Barb

Answer by KAte
Hi
i am so sorry to hear of your loss, i know how painful it can be.

To answer your question. Cats do grieve for other feline friends and this is completely normal and will pass. It can be very distressing to see but it is a natural process which like our own grief has to take its own course. All you can do is to be there for them as much as possible and also to try and distract them with games and new toys etc for a while.

A new pet friend is not the answer and rarely helps in fact it often makes things worse.

i have a page about cat grief which you may find of further interest here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-grief.html

However your cats howling could also have something to do with his age. often as cats get older there eyesight or hearing may weaken and this can make them feel insecure and causes them to call out more. this is often worse at night time. Please see this page for more on this behavior.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/senior-cat.html

I hope my pages are able to provide you with some help.

best wishes Kate

Comments for Cat howling all the time now after death of feline friend

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Death of 2 cats
by: Anonymous

We have our 14 year old Felix that was first in the house and then joined Fizyy 10 years later my nan and grandad passed and we took on his cat Bailey they allied lived together for 3 years then Bailey became diabetic and Fizzy had a sudden death ,Fizzy was found by Bailey and he alerted us and Fizzy died in my arms. The other 2 saw . Bailey died 3 months after fizzy b3cause of his diabetes he’d been fighting with for a year worth of injections. So in a very short space we lost 2 cats they never lived happily together they were always fighting we had so many calming plug ins.Now 3 months after Felix has started to become really demanding and crying lots, he brings us random toys,and objects he finds laying round the house. As soon as we go to leave the house we hear him crying in the hall. We give him lots of attention but don’t know what else to do. I could not bare the heartache of getting another cat.
My cats constantly crying.. He lost his brother of 13yrs 3weeks ago
by: Anonymous

My cat lost his 13 year old brother 3 weeks ago he has become very vocal crying squeaking I work night shifts and this goes on during the day and the nights if he cannot see me he does not want to go out unless I go out with him I'm just hoping our grief will pass it bad enough that I'm devastated..so must he as they where close from 5weeks old till 13yrs old together. I didn't realise how clingy he actually is now the only cat he gets lots of attention and loves being close to me x
My cat is grieving
by: Anonymous

Lost one of my beautiful Burmese girls almost 3 weeks ago due to kidney issues. My two girls were the best buddies. My well cat knew something was wrong with her sister for several weeks and pretty much avoided her. Now that my sick baby is gone, her sister is so lost without her. We’re giving her extra attention but she is still looking for her sister and howling. So sad to see her this way. I’m still grieving too, as she was my little shadow. Amazing how much we can love our fur babies.
Help me understand.
by: Anonymous

I found all this very helpful but I'm now wondering if my cat is still grieving. It's been 13 months since her mate died tragically from a fall off a 9 story balcony & we believe in the early dark hours of the morning our surviving cat was with her. Our cat has cried consistently since that very day & it appears she is either searching for her mate or calling for us We live in a small apartment so we're never far from her. It's all very strange, I was wonder what do you think of her behaviour.
Cat howling months later
by: Anonymous

My oldest cat was 14 when she passed away a couple of months ago. Needless to say I was and still am devastated. Her companion who I still have is 13 years old. Months later she is still howling constantly. I’m handicapped and live alone so it’s very hard for me to deal with as I’m grieving as well. The oldest cat was my best friend. The cats hated each other so, I didn’t expect this but, she seems quite depressed. I don’t know what to do anymore.
Grieving Cat
by: Anonymous

I have just lost one of my cats and his brother is going around howling so pitiful all the time. The cat that is left is stone deaf so I can't even talk to him to comfort him. I bought him a fake cat which he lies next to as it mimics breathing and purring, but at night he howls the house down. It is so distressing to listen to and I often have to get up 2/3 times a night to comfort him, even though he can come to bed anytime with us. I am at a loss as how to help him. My cat died about 2 weeks ago.
Cat howling
by: Joyce

My eldest cat has just turned 16, about 18 months ago he started howling and looking lost all the time I took him to the vet but there was nothing medically wrong with him. I've had him since he was 5 weeks old and he has always been the only cat in the house and happy that way! A few months after the howling started I was offered a rescue cat and decided to take him in. Low and behold the howling stopped overnight! All he needed was a furry friend, they love to curl up on the sofa together soooo sweet!
I hope you do find a new furry friend for your sad cat, every cat is different but it sure worked for me!
cat howling after friend death
by: Julie

Could possibly be sx of diabetes also. Seen the vet lately?

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