Do pets know when their owner is sick?

I think our pets do know when we're not feeling well. Like people, some care and some don't. Our older cat, Cujo, will come to me and rub against me and purr a lot when I'm crying. Sometimes I pretend to cry just to get him to come to me, it can be cute what he does. My brothers dog, Chance, hangs around my mom whenever she's not feeling well (migraine, upset stomach). My grandmas dog, Misty, will curl up against my grandmothers chest when my grandma has a cold or allergies. I know everyone has their own opinion on this but I really don't think it's just in our minds. I mean, some of us raise these pets from puppies and kittens and they grow attached like we do. The way we can see that they aren't feeling well, they see it in us as well. We don't understand dog or cat and they don't understand human but it's the body language. We all speak that fluently. Ok, not all of us, but still =P

This is definately true. We give of phermones and don't realize it. Story 1: A friend is going through chemo for cancer. One the cats, who normally will not leave the friend alone, will not go near her for three days after a treatment. Story 2: My sister had a cat named Maggie who ALWAYS used her litterbox. That is, until my sister got pregnant. Then Maggie started peeing in one particular spot on the carpet. No matter what they did, Maggie would pee there (but pooped in the box as normal). After the first trimester, Maggie stopped doing it. My sister had the baby and everything was normal. The doctors had told my sister that, if she didn't get pregnant within three months after my niece's birth, my sister would need fertility treatments to get pregnant again. Three months passed. Four. Five... Suddenly, Maggie started peeing in the exact same spot again. My sister didn't say anything to her husband, put picked up a pregnancy test on her way to work and... bingo! She was pregnant. Barely pregnant, as it turned out - not even a full 4 weeks yet. However, Maggie knew. Story 3: My boy, Mynx, knows when I'm sick and when I'm depressed. He usually stays on my feet and sleeps at my knees at night, but if I'm sick, he moves up to where I can hold him. If I cry, he gives me kisses. Animals definately know more than we give them credit for!!!

your pets defianatly know when you are sick or not feeling well esspecially cats they have a natural healing effect on us so when we are sick or sad or just not feeling up to par there they are. when you have a cut let a cat lick it and it will heal faster

hmmm well its not like that actually its we who think that they r noiticing, so we try to make out the clues and scenario our selves!

honestly,I really don't know.because my pets are three rats.they are clever .but I don't think they know when I am sick.maybe the dog and cat do know.

I agree with that belief, but i cant be more sure about dogs than cats.Dogs have a weird sense that tells them of humans emotions (anger,happiness or such)only by smell. So dogs can understand if you are sick or sad, just by the smell.Then they tend to hung around you more and look you with that wonderful look they can sometimes give to their owners, or a smile that can make our hearts melt.Such wonderful animals! I have had many dogs but hadnt been sick or sth around them so i cant tell from personal experience.What i know though, is my dogs dont wander around me to play with me when i am angry or outta mood.They can sense it.

I think they do know. Our cats tend to come and sit with us more when we are sick. It's quite comforting to have them around.

I think animals are good readers in our emotions and habits. They very well could pick on illnesses etc.. I strongly believe they're smart enough to notice these things, I don't own a pet though. ~Joey P.s My friends dog is funny when he's ill.. :P

Yes I think they do know..I was very ill for a while and my Italian Greyhound would crawl under the covers and snuggle up to my back or legs where the pain was the worse ..she always seemed to know where I needed comfort. xoxoxoxo

i honestly think that before my dog passed away that she really knew when i was sick. She was an amazing dog. When i was sick she would lay in bed or on the couch with me all day until i was feeling better. She also knew when I was in a good mood and when i was sad. Animals seem to do a better job of reading emotion than we do LOL.

Hi cher913, I feel certain that pets know when their owner is sick. I've noticed that if I lie down during the day, which doesn't happen often, my cat with come around as if he is wondering what's wrong. Cats and dogs are much smarter than we give them credit for. Blessings.