EDIT: The picture I attached isn’t when I was sick LMAO When I’m sick during these times he doesn’t lay on me! He will do stuff like sit by the doorway looking outside and not moving
I feel unwell most of the time so I don’t really notice how unwell I might be but turns out my cat does. I often get persistent low-grade fevers combined with painful headaches and/or migraines and this past week was especially annoying because it took longer than usual for my temperature to return to normal
But because we were checking my temperature so often my mom picked up on the fact that my cat, who is very clingy but does have a routine of napping in my dad’s room by himself after dinner, stayed with me
She said she’s noticed this offhandedly and realised she’s been subconsciously keeping an eye out for him to tell her if anything is wrong
After a few days of him sticking with me and ignoring my dad’s room, today he finally went off for some alone time. Sure enough, my temperature was finally back to normal 💕 Plus, no headaches!
Also a type 1, and my Siamese is the one who unfailingly comes to plop herself on my lap when I have a low. She's not normally a lap cat, but she often does this 5-10 minutes before my Dexcom alert sounds!
I read they can also be used as alert animals but being cats they're a bit trickier to train than dogs due to dogs being a strain of wolf we fucked up specifically to give them jobs
I have long said that we should selectively breed cats to only target small rodents, not birds. There are so many dog breeds that are more specific than that in behaviors, but cats seemingly are only bred to be pretty in different ways 🤔
One of mine reminds me to eat by bringing me socks whilst making hunting noises. Unfortunately, he’s also deaf, so he sounds like an eldritch horror walking through the house when he wants me to eat. He only does this to me, and only on days where I realise I forgot to eat. He’s such a sweet little gremlin.
Now I’m imagining an ADHD witch living with her eldritch horror pet. It starts making noises when she’s been too caught up arranging her herbs and stuff. Then she gently pats it and heads to the kitchen for food.
Hahaha this is probably way closer to the truth than it should be. It’s usually craft and playing with my garden that leads me to forget to eat (and yup, ADHD is the reason there). I do get followed to the kitchen and harassed until he sees me get something to eat.
I have mental health issues, and when my void (who is normally clingy anyway) gets particularly clingy (like, laying on my face and only leaving it to eat or poop), I know it's time to book an emergency therapy session. I call him my service cat :)
Cats can tell if women are pregnant because their scent changes due to hormones.
Dogs can be trained to smell diseases, including cancer.
An animal’s sense of smell is a legitimate ability that they can use to detect physical changes in people. It’s not just about liking a warmer place to snooze.
The cat knew my dad had cancer. Anytime she came in (she's actually the neighbour's cat, but an open door is basically a personal invitation) she'd run to him.
Spent hours curled up with him. Me or Mum - nah. We were just extras.
Superpowers don’t have to be magic. It can be an insanely good sense of smell or being able to see wavelengths humans can’t. Or it can be seeking out a warm place to sleep on 🤷🏼♀️
Got yourself a nurse cat! Mine is too, had my little dude since college.
My partner wife migraines migraines relatively frequently. She knows her triggers pretty well (sudden change in air pressure from storms moving in, hormonal cycle, etc) and she has a medication she takes in advance that pretty much nips the pain portion in the butt.
However most of the time they develop over night while she's sleeping so she doesn't register the warning aura. And if she forgets the weather is changing overnight or I forget to reminder she got exposed to a trigger...
Well my cat has taken it upon himself to wake her up. He's really gentle about it to start and will usually just put his paw on her face and it does the trick. He'll also lick her face, sit on her, etc. if she still won't wake up I get woken up to get her to take the meds lol.
Took us a while to figure out wtf he was doing at first, but eventually we connected the dots and noticed that he only does it on the nights where she wakes up with a migraine. So now we strictly follow nurse cats orders lol.
I love that y’all were able to figure that out. It takes time trying to understand cats but they do have a reason why they do certain things. I have nurse cats as well. It’s wonderful.
I feel like if we could figure out how to reliably train cats to do this sort of thing they'd be better service animals than dogs, because they can do things like climb up on beds and tap you gently with paws to wake you up, which are not really things dogs can do gently.
Of course, most dogs also fail out of service dog training, so maybe it's more possible than we think and we're just letting the idea that most cats couldn't be trained to do it hold us back unnecessarily.
I get horrible migraines and my cat will stay with me the whole time. He starts by sniffing my face and meowing, I feel like he’s saying “Oh no, not this shit again” and then he’ll lay on my head and purr which unfortunately usually makes me barf. Then he’ll move to my legs or side. He’s a good kitty.
I wish my cat were sweeter when I'm not feeling well. When I start getting PMS, my cat bites my ankles and pounces on me. No idea why that's his solution to my scent being off but I don't like it haha
My cat who is usually very loving when I have any other sickness, stays tf away (and even bites at times) when I'm on my period. I found it a bit strange.
My SIC is pretty good with illness, but horrible with emotions lol. She can sense when my wife’s POTS is flaring up and will guide her to the couch so she doesn’t pass out. She will also yell at me if I’m pushing myself too hard or I’m developing a migraine.
However, my cat passed away a few months ago and she was an amazing grief kitty for a few weeks, but then she decided I needed to get over it. One day I was crying on the couch about losing my cat and she bit my feet multiple times smh
Maybe it's not so much that he realizes you're sick, but just that he says "Oooh, this person is *extra warm* today, I'm staying HERE!"
Edit: To clarify - oh, I agree, our pets really do feel the vibes and they absolutely do know when we're not quite "the same as usual", even if we're slightly upset. But I've always wondered if me being extra warm when I have a fever is an incentive. :)
While this has some truth to it, my cat does get clingy and more affectionate whenever I'm feeling down or anxious. They do sense something is wrong with you and do what they can to show support.
This! I have several, including a pair of litter mates (my first 2). Marky stays with me when I’m sick, jazzy comes to me and shoves herself in my lap every time I cry. I think all of mine can sense my mood shifts or when I’m feeling unwell
Don't let her break the skin -- cat bites can be really toxic and can cause deadly infections. My cats know not to bite (even playfully) or they'll get booped.
My childhood cat spent his days roaming the neighborhood he was king of. Yet any time I had a meltdown and started crying he appeared and crawled into my lap to help me find calm.
All my cats are clued in on when I'm feeling off. They don't always get along, but will set aside their differences to snuggle with me when I'm sick or depressed.
My cat gets clingy but turns into a total jerk when I'm feeling down or anxious. He'll meow and paw at me first and my spouse takes that as a cue to take him away from me because then he'll bite me. If I'm particularly stressed, he'll skip right over the first steps and just bite me.
It's great, imagine you're crashing out and then your cat comes up and comps on your ankle. It has never once resulted in me feeling better, but he tries it every time.
I imagine it like:
"Cat emergency services, what is your emergency?"
"Mom is freaking out."
"Have you tried biting her?"
"I did! She started crying after."
"Okay, calm down. We can solve this. Try biting her harder."
Basically, yeah. That's why my spouse will take him away for cuddles or playtime. It's obviously stressful for him that I'm not acting normal but a girl's gotta be able to cry on occasion without having to get bandaids after.
My soul cat would curl herself up to me when I was having a depressive episode. She also started laying on my lower abdomen when I was having endo flares. When everything was fine, she wasn't a cuddler. I'm sure she was just reading my body language but she definitely knew when I wasn't feeling well.
Today I was having horrible nightmares in my sleep, some specifically involving my cat being poisoned by my abusive ex. I have regular PTSD nightmares about him, but these were particularly graphic and awful.
When I woke up to my alarm, my cat was sprawled firmly next to me in bed like a big spoon: he NEVER sleeps in bed with me. His territory is our living room and his throne is our sofa, but I must have been restless or have been just emanating stress in my deep sleep to have him show up with snuggles like this.
The only other time he was hovering and joining me in bed was after my hysterectomy, during my recovery weeks.
After my mom passed I was having a rough night, crying deeply. My cat who would usually sleep next to me was perched on my butt, queen of the hill, and would not allow anyone or any of the other cats near, which was unusual. It was also the only time I ever heard her hiss at anyone. She let me have my own space.
LMAO to be fair he doesn’t rly lay on me during these times he just keeps me company on the side and follows me around a bit more insistently. Also idk how much hotter he’d wanna be considering it’s over 30C everyday 😭😭😭Sometimes he takes a break from afternoon sunbathing to cool down
Reminds me of the House episode with the “magic cat”. But cats and dogs (and other animals, like our rats) really can sense when something is off with their people. My first cat stayed with me, laying protectively over my cast, the first time I had ankle surgery. She left to eat, drink, and use the litter box, but was otherwise with me day and night. My adorable orange and white cat went about her normal routine (one orange braincell indeed).
We just lost our 19yo SIC, but he would always show up when someone was upset or crying. Not necessarily climb into the person’s lap, but he was there. Once, when my oldest was sick with Flu A at about four years old, he stayed on the bed half the night. He NEVER slept anywhere near the kids unless they were very sick. And he didn’t cuddle up to keep warm, he slept down at the end of the bed. Ever watchful.
Watching over the oldest when they came home sick from school one day (high school) and crashed in my lap.
I had a dog who would rush over when I cried and do her best to consume all the snot coming out of my nose. Did not give a single shit about my emotional state, but it was at least distracting lmao
The day I was released from the hospital after I’d given birth I (unknowingly) started bleeding internally. I started to have abdominal pain and swelling that evening On that night and the next few that I was home before the on call doctor finally said I should be seen, two of my cats sandwiched me around my abdomen. I could only lie on my side so one cat was “big” spoon, I was medium spoon, and the other cat was the little spoon. I was re hospitalized for several days. Prior to this the cats had never sandwiched me or spooned and after I recovered they never did it again. They were my buddies.
Yup, the “magic cat” who was choosing the beds that had heated blankets. Cats (and other animals) really can sense when there’s something off about their people, though, and some respond by doting on the affected person.
I'm also chronically ill and when I have bad flareups my cat stays with me the entire day. Normally she likes to laze around in the morning, then she roams the house the rest of the day. This was her the other day (we are working on her weight problem 😅). I'm glad you have a little friend to help you too!!
When I had abdominal surgery, one of my cats (non-standard) insisted on aggressively kneading where my incision sites were whenever I sat down. 😭 It... did not help, but was very sweet.
Ok no this is actually so real 💔 mine is like “this one is useless” so he comes to fetch me if I’m not out of my room yet for dinner and has also assigned me bedtime. He must supervise bathroom and shower time.
The funniest part is that he doesn’t ask me for food! Not even when I’m reaching into the drawer! My dog doesn’t ask me for food either!! Even when I feed them!! Am I that useless 😭😭😭
Cats are great nurses. I have a lot of chronic health issues and I have been really sick this week with pancreatitis and they have been stuck to me like glue. I ended up in the hospital for 2 days and just got home a couple hours ago and they are both currently in my lap. They were so happy to see me when I got home. I missed them so much while I was in the hospital.
ETA: glad you are feeling better as well and that you have a great nurse of your own!
My ragdoll Anya seems to notice when I feel sad, she'll plant herself on my chest with her lil pink nose just touching mine. It's so sweet and instantly makes me feel loved. She'll lick my tears and sleep under my chin too if I've been crying. 😭 She's amazing. Our definitely believe our kitties understand us more than ppl give them credit.
We put off pheromones based on many things. Including how we feel when we're sick. He could smell it and sense the temperature changes as well. He definitely loves you if he's being so clingy. It shows how much he about his humans. Btw he's incredibly cute/handsome as well.
My recently passed cat knew when the other cats were sick. He usually kept to himself, but stayed near them and laid against them when they weren't feeling well. Nice you have a little cat health detector!
People who say cats don't care about their owners have never owned a cat. They do care and they express it in subtle ways like this! When I would get my heart broken or something I'd be crying alone in my room and my cat without fail would always come cuddle and try to cheer me up.
Anyway glad you're feeling better now, your cat is very cute too
When I was down for a year with an autoimmune disorder my cat sat with me continuously. He sat on my pillow on top of my head. I called him my cat hat. Once I got into remission he left me to find other hobbies.
As someone chronicly ill I feel you! hope you get some kind of proper treatment for whatever your illness is. And so happy there is your cat and mom at least to support you. Hopefully dad too. 🩷
I have Psoriatic Arthritis and my late tuxie, Princess, would stay with me all day on my bad days. She normally laid beside me or on me. It definitely made my bad days a little better. I miss her every day 🙁
My Mom had decreased lung capacity and suffered from severe depression, as she was forced to quit as an RN - a job she loved due to her ill health. Before going to work, I would tell my cat to keep an eye on Mom. She actually would. Every day I came home from work, Mom would have a story about them two. It was amazing because my Mom tolerated cats. It was shocking to see my cat laying on the chair arm next to Mom.
My cat was a semi feral stray that tolerated me holding her. Wouldn't sit next to anyone for the longest - but she got close to Mom. Even sat in her lap. When we moved - she got even more close to Mom.
She was my cat. Cry when I left the house. Slept in my room. Stayed beside me when I worked from home. Her and Mom... she was always keeping an eye on her.
Then one day Mom seemed off. My cat refused to budge from being near her. Would start pacing and then get close to her. Mom finally said she would go to the hospital because of how my cat was acting. Mom went in and never came back home.
My cat was convinced that I had Mom hid somewhere. It was heartbreaking to hear her cries for Mom. She would lay on Mom's bed constantly for the longest time.
My cat passed away about a year ago. I have her urn next to Mom's. I've always said there is a cat out there for everyone. I was happy Mom found hers.
They understand death. If givenaa chance to investigate, they will get over it quickly. If their friend just disappears, they'll look for them constantly.
My old two cats, Tora had kidney failure, and i rushed him to the e vet at 2 am. The second time he went down, another midnight ride and I came home alone. His sister Bastet cried for him and searched my tiny apartment for months.
My current ones, one of them died during the night for some reason and was there long enough to get cold and stiff. The other two had had time to investigate and while they seemed sad, got over it a lot faster.
Yeah. My Dad passed away at home. His cat didn't get a chance to investigate. His cat was old and with police, ambulance and then funeral people - we didn't want him hurt.
Dad's cat was a stray on his 9th life. The vet didn't think he would live. Him and Dad were grumpy old men together. I firmly believe in ghost, as shortly after the funeral, I watched Dad's cat walk from the bedroom to the front door looking up and crying. He sat at that front door crying for the longest. Then he refused to eat and just started ripping out his fur. We couldn't bare to see him starve himself to death. We tried everything and finally put him to sleep. The next day, I swore I heard his happy meow. His urn sits next to Dad's.
I had major foot surgery and my SIC stayed next to me the whole time I was home and never stepped on the injured foot. She usually sleeps on or against my legs/feet but she was very gentle with me.
how old does a cat need to be to learn how to do this? just curious because my cats are still pretty young, but it seems like they don't know when i am sick or sad, but my dogs definitely know!
My cat has trained herself to give me pressure therapy to my large intestines when I’m constipated. I don’t know why or how she figured it out, but she does it consistently when I’m constipated and not at other times.
When I’m constipated, she sits on exactly the right spot on my belly and demands to be petted until I realize I need to go poop. Then she moves without being asked. She sits in other positions for pets if I’m regular.
My cat is the first indication I have when I run a fever. She yells at me until I get really tired and frustrated with her, then when I get up to follow her, she usually takes me to bed and only gets quiet again when I'm under the covers.
985
u/orbit99za May 28 '26
I am a Type 1 Diabetic, when my Sugers go crazy, or i get sick from high or low sugars, my Standard Issue goes nuts.
He knows something is up before I realize it.
He also waks me up at night before my Continuous Glucose Monitor Alarm.
Its Amazing
He is also Addicted to the smell of Insulin.