How come when I am sick the cat sleeps on me...

[SunnySong]

I would like to think it is sending me good vibes....

But I have my suspicions.

[david13]

1. It's a warm body. They like a warm body to sleep on. When you

are sick, you move less, and maybe have a temperature, and they like the extra warmth.
dc

[Sweet Freedom]

2. I think they know...

I recently had surgery and my cat sat by my side for two solid days. Every time I opened my eyes, he came up to my face and put a paw on me.

[Darth_Kitten]

3. Awh........that's so sweet.

:D

[Sweet Freedom]

21. I thought so, too.

[hamsterjill]

5. I think so, too

One of male cats is immensely protective of me. If I am sick or feeling down, he sticks to me like glue. I've decided that he either really, really loves me, -OR- realizes that if something happens to me there's not anyone else there to open that Fancy Feast can!!!

[Sweet Freedom]

22. It's probably both, but

don't ever buy one of those self-feeders!

[bdamomma]

20. Aww, they know when something is wrong.

[Sweet Freedom]

23. Yes, I think so.

I've had other cats do this. I even had a cat who seemed to know right away when I was pregnant. She curled around my stomach everyday for nine months. :)

[ashling]

4. Your cat is

looking for an opportunity to suck the life out of you. :shrug:

[MorningGlow]

6. Definitely helping

Yes, the fuzzy bastards are usually opportunistic, but whenever I've been sick, they've done what they can to help me heal, which is usually to keep me warm and just...be there.

And when I was going through a rough time emotionally last year and was crying a lot, my buddy kitteh (the other one is a pisspot) slept above my head, something she'd never done before, sending her purry vibes into the top of my head. And it really was a comfort. When I came out of my rough time, she went back to sleeping at my feet.

Nobody can tell me that kittehs don't know when a hoomin is in pain. I've seen otherwise.

[stray cat]

7. Maybe you forgot to feed them?

:hi:

[skygazer]

8. My cat does that

But the cool thing is that he doesn't pester me the way he does when I feel well. He just snuggles up and is quiet. Usually, he's asking to go in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and... well, you get the idea.

I've discovered that my horse is the same way. I've got a cast on my lower leg right now so I can't move too fast. My horse, who is a young and frisky Thoroughbred, is usually quite a handful to walk but since I've had the cast on she's been a perfect angel, slowing down to match my pace and stopping nicely when i need to rest.

Your cat may be evil but my animals are pretty sweet. :)

[Orsino]

9. I think they know.

Or perhaps you're running a particularly comfortable fever.

[applegrove]

10. Because you are sleeping throughout the day when you are sick and the cat finally

has someone who shares the same values as him/her. LOL!

[SunnySong]

13. Now that has a lick of truth...

Though when my dad had at home hospice his cat (who was an outdoor mouser) wouldn't leave his side.

[applegrove]

14. My cats get very excited when I am sick and have to go back to sleep in the middle of the day. There

is lots of purring and snuggling.

[Liberal_in_LA]

27. good point! lol

[Digit]

11. My kitty, now 18 yrs old always tried to help when I felt ill

If I had a tummy-ache, she was there to massage my tummy...she would gently knead her little paws into my tummy to make me feel better.

She was my first kitty and is a very small Maine Coon being all of 7 lbs most likely from being rescued off the streets at Christmas time. Living off the streets probably had stunted her growth.

Whatever the body part, either she would lay on it or knead it if possible.

Now that she is an old lady, I go over and pick her up and massage her all over paying special attention to her ears (her favorite part to be rubbed).

Immediately she will begin kissing me up and nuzzling me in appreciation. I get the total slobber treatment and love it because she is expressing her complete love of me.

I tell her, Aw Honey, it is time you get some payback for all you have given me over the years, just lay back and enjoy.

Animals are the best thing in the world...they are total love

[rurallib]

12. they like their meat fresh

[distantearlywarning]

15. I think they know when people don't feel well

One of my cats (Maine Coon mix) is an independent young male cat - doesn't typically sleep with us because he has so many interesting feline things to do at night.

But I had major surgery last year and was in bed for a week. From the minute I came home from the hospital he never left my side. He slept on the bed or on the floor next to my side of the bed, literally every second I was laying down. If I got up to go to the bathroom or whatever, he got up and followed me and sat next to me until I went back to bed.

When I started to feel better, he went back to his old routine.

It was very obvious to me that he clearly knew that I wasn't well and for whatever reason felt that he needed to be in contact with me or observe me or watch over me or whatever you want to call it. Although this is anthropormorphizing a bit, I definitely did feel at the time that he was attempting to act in a protective/comforting way towards me. And I was very grateful for his care and concern, and would do the same for him if he ever became ill.

What's funny is that we have another cat, and the second cat didn't act that way towards me when I was sick. But I always felt since they were kittens that the "caretaker" cat was "my" cat - he seemed to have a distinct preference for my company since young kittenhood, while the other cat bonded more strongly with my husband. I suspect if my husband was sick that the other cat would probably do the same thing for him.

[Liberal Veteran]

16. All cats have a little Oscar the Angel of Death Cat in them.

:evilgrin:


Honestly, one of my cats does that as well. She "tolerates" my affections and petting on her own time table, but when I am feeling poorly, she's right there laying beside me purring away as if to comfort me.

[KT2000]

26. check post #17

I posted some info about cat purrs you might enjoy.

[KT2000]

17. Does the cat purr?

Had a cat who put her chin on my head and purr when I could not fall asleep. It works!!

That got me to investigate the cat purr. It turns out that just about all cats purr with a similar frequency. (jaguars are different) Cats purr when they are happy and when they are injured too. Cats are also known to be very fast healers. Some believe that purring aids in the healing by being a body massage that vibrates their skeletons as well as organs. Possibly stimulates certain healing properties too.

It turns out that doctors have long used machines on people who have had orthopedic surgery to assist bone healing. The machine is placed over the injury and vibrates - the same frequency that cats purr!!

[pokerfan]

18. she's Just waiting for you to stop breathing...

;)

[WolverineDG]

19. One of my kitties is a "nursemaid"

when one of the others isn't feeling well, she'll curl up next to them & rarely leaves their side, purring very loudly. When I'm sick, she sits or sleeps near me & purrs too.

When no one's sick, she tends to keep to herself. BTW, she also snores. :rofl:

dg

[Rob H.]

24. My cat does the same thing

I took a sick day a couple of months ago and felt bad enough that I just stayed in bed all day. She never left my side. :)

[AngryOldDem]

25. Animals, for some reason, know when you're not feeling well.

In a way, I find it comforting.

[Arugula Latte]

28. On the rare occasion that I'm actually sick enough to stay in bed during the day

I have all three kitties around me instantly.

[Heidi]

29. Tenderizing. (nt)

[old mark]

30. Cats wait for you to die so they can start to eat you.

I read that a dog would reluctantly eat a dead human if he was really starving...a cat would not wait at all.

Stay alert.


mark

[LWolf]

31. My cat (and my dog, too) always knows if I'm not okay.

Physical or emotional, if I'm feeling bad, they hover as close as they can get.

Of course, they do that anyway, lol, but when I'm down they are more vigilant.

[Lil Missy]

32. My pets all know when I'm sick, or really depressed. They watch over me when that happens.