When a cat senses its end is approaching, it prefers to seek solitude. To find out why pets leave home to die, let's look at folk beliefs and scientific opinions on the matter.
Signs
Many strange behaviors in cats still have no explanation.
There are several folk beliefs that explain this strange behavior:
- They sense trouble in the house and decide to take it with them. If, for example, there's a sick person in the house, it's believed they'll recover.
- They don’t want to upset their owners with their death because of their love for them and go away.
- A misfortune is about to happen in the house, and the animal is in a hurry to escape from it.
- The family is expecting a new addition, so the cat is making room for the newcomer. Perhaps someone in the household is pregnant. It could even be a dog or another animal.
- If a pet leaves home to die, it's certain it gave one of its lives to someone else. It must be their favorite. Such a person will have good luck in the future.
In England, it's generally considered a bad omen if a cat dies in the house instead of leaving. Misfortune awaits its owners in the near future. And if a cat climbed into the coffin of a deceased person, it was killed to prevent further misfortune.
Scientists' opinion on why cats leave home to die
Since ancient times, cats have been considered sacred animals in many cultures.
Let's try to explain this behavior in cats by turning to science. There are several opinions on this matter:
- In their natural habitat, cats live in prides, or groups. Therefore, a sick or weak individual cannot compete with healthier members of its own kind. This forces it to leave the pride and try to survive alone. This gives it a better chance of survival. This instinct has also been preserved in domestic cats.
- Sick animals are unable to escape a predator and therefore seek shelter. This is another natural instinct common to many animal species.
- There's also a theory that animals experiencing severe pain seek out a place where they can feel better. Or they go in search of a cure for their illness. Everyone has seen cats eating green grass outside—and there's a reason for that.
- It's easy to infect other animals in a pride, so a sick cat must leave its kin for their own good. Furthermore, a rotting body is an even more dangerous source of infection, and cats live in a specific pride territory. A sick animal must move as far away as possible. Domestic cats transfer all their instincts to humans, perceiving them as members of the pride. Their attitudes correspond accordingly.
It's important to understand that cats differ in many mental characteristics. Therefore, the behavior of different pets varies significantly, given differences in breed and origin. Some will die in the house, while others will head off into the woods. Whether this is explained by superstition or science is irrelevant. Animals decide for themselves how to end their lives.
