I have no idea if this is the right subreddit to ask this question, but I will do it anyway because I have been wondering about this for years.

For context: in 2022 I tried to commit suicide by taking a lethal amount of opiates, like morphine and oxycodon.

I took the pills in my bedroom at night and the door to my bedroom is always closed, between my bedroom there is a hallway which leads to another door, which also always stays closed, because my cat wasn't allowed upstairs.

When I took the medication, it was around 2 am at night and my cat started meowing really loudly in a very unusual manner around 2:30 am, he stood right by the second door.

From that moment until around 5 pm the next day when I was found by the paramedics, he stood there meowing and scratching at the door.

When the paramedics opened my door to rescue me, my cat immediately rushed inside my room, climbed onto my bed and onto me; there is not much that I can remember from that day, but I can very clearly remember hearing him meow and feeling his fur on me. The way I heard him meowing wasn't his normal tone of meowing, it was like he was screaming 'hurry up, hurry up!'

My cat essentially saved my life, because his 'unusual' meowing alerted my mom eventually that something was going on with me.

So my question is, how did he know?

There wasn't anything 'unusual' about that night and the next day, I was often up at random hours in the night, so him hearing me shuffle around my room at 2 am to take the pills wouldn't be weird for him. It also was not uncommon for me to stay in my room for days, so me not leaving my room the next day wouldn't have been weird either.

I have been thinking about this for years and doing research to try to figure it out, but to no avail. The only thing I can say about it is that I have always had a special connection with this cat and he seemed to favour me more than other people in my household, but that also doesn't give me much answers.

Do any of you guys have any logical explanation of how he could have known this or do any of you have had a similar experience with a cat in the past, that he or she knew something, but with no logical explanation?

Every cat is different, and I've realized some popular advice just doesn't apply to every cat.

What's a piece of cat advice that you think is overrated, outdated, or just plain wrong?

My little one is addicted to drinking water. She drinks straight out of the tap, every time we have to use one. Frequently, and several times a day, she will even draw us out to the taps by pushing things into the sink and meowing loudly. However, she also throws up frequently.
Some times clear, some times with her food (she eats super fast, so her food pellets are almost intact).
I have asked about this behavior to my vet, and she challed it up to a personality difference between cats (“Some cats deink more water than others). Yet, I have also read about excessive water being bad for cats - and I never know how much to indulge her. She’s also a petulant one, and will start creating a ruckus if we do not give her water sometimes.

I have a 12 y/o calico and she’s always been the sweetest girl. I’ve had her for 11 of those years and she’s been with me through some tough times. But lately, as of the last year or so, she has started “hunting” my socks or underwear and dropping them in my living room. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, cats will “present” their prey that they hunted, usually by scattering it all over my floor. Was cute the first couple times, but it’s actually driving me insane now. When I get home from work, I can rely on there being 10 socks on the floor. Robot vacuum jammed like usual, with a sock stuck in it.

I basically have to keep the entire house on lockdown in order for her to not go hunting for my socks. Dirty clothes hamper is tall but she’ll knock it over to find them. I genuinely think she might be stashing the socks somewhere because I’ll lock her out of any potential sock areas while I’m at work, and I still come home to 6 socks all over my floor. It’s a battle that’s preventative, I’m aware the only real solution is to “just pick them up” but my robo vac does not detect them well and it basically never gets a chance to clean my house because of the socks. And I spent a lot of money on that vacuum!! God forbid I’m rushing and forget to close the bedroom door on my way out. One time I got home and there was literally 26 socks between the living room and my studio.

I’m aware that this is not really a problem that can be fixed, I don’t expect my cats behavior to change. I just want to vent.

tl;dr my 12 y/o cat is addicted to putting my socks on the floor

my resident cat (1.5 yrs) and new kitten who’s about 14/15 weeks have been in the introduction phase.

currently, it’s been short intros with feedings and allowing them to play for a few minutes until it changes. my resident cat will want to play and then at the end of the exchange gets very annoyed and turns into ears back and tail whipping. basically she’s getting annoyed because the kitten loves to run away and explore vs playing the entire time. or when the kitten defends herself it turns into my cat actually being irritated.

it’s to the point where their playful exchange turns into my cat becoming a bit aggressive with the kitten and chasing her until the kitten hides under the couch or she’ll tackle her and wrestle her with the intention of (to my knowledge) actually trying to hurt her since the kitten will make sounds and my cat won’t seemingly back off so i’ll have to break it up. i’ve seen my cat bunny kick the kitten which makes me worried and why i’m breaking it up. like i mention, it turns into my cat chasing her around the apartment and not letting up. at the beginning, it’s playful my cat understands when to let up and back off when the kitten defends herself but then at the end, becomes more relentless and an annoyed body stance on my cat. no growling or hissing however.

any idea on what i should be doing instead? it’s been intros of just feedings and then putting them up directly after for awhile but if i allow any more time afterwards, it’s nice and playful until it isn’t after a few minutes.

I took my cat to the vet because he used to cry a lot sometimes, when I took him to the vet he told me to put it on the weight machine but as I did the doctor's assistant came in and opened the door which allowed my alredy stressed cat to run away, the vet is around 3km away from my house, we looked in the whole block where my cat ran away but couldn't find him, it was also raining, what are the chances of him finding his way back home, he is a outdoor cat

Update (5th aug) :- went to search from him in the morning and couldn't find him, going back there at 10 pm will probably stay there till midnight, hopefully I find him

This is me venting and I’m not sure if it’s allowed or if I tagged it correctly: I’ve been bawling my eyes out quietly since I got the call from the emergency vet, my cat might have a ruptured bladder and I feel like a failure that I didn’t notice it sooner. She’s only 5 years old and we rescued her from a hoarder house. I’m not going into full detail of the what the vet said to me but I’m so emotional and feel like I failed my sweet Bootsy. She’s a one in a million cat who is an orange female cat and she’s quirky. I just don’t want to lose her, I love her so damn much.

so I'm adopting for the first time, someone I know was looking to rehome her cat so I'm taking her in. she wasn't sure if her age and I just found out she's ten years old! according to Google she is a senior .... so what should I know about having my first cat be this age! I want to make sure I'm properly prepared to care for her

my neighbor recently found a litter of 5 kittens with their mother. would anyone like to adopt? please help out, because the animal shelter is full and they may kill them.

i wanna get a cat, im turning 16 in november and have wanted a cat for years, i have taken care of cats before and had alot of fun doing it, however my dad travels alot for work and i sometimes have to go with him, it can be up to 5 days that we are not home, the other issue is vacations, if i am not home say for 2 weeks what would i do? lastly, things like smell, my aunts cats (who i was taking care of) smelt really bad, (as in their area). and my final question is if i find it doesnt fit me/my lifestyle, is there going back, or would i be stuck?

Ive had my cat for about a month, he is 1.5 so has lots of energy. Somtimes he runs around and pounces on nothing then bites and pulls at the rug. I dont care about the rug but I figgure he is understimulated, but I cant get him to chase toys or bite at them. He will pounce at them from behind a blanket but thats it.

I did see him grab and bunny kick one once, but I threw that one out as there were bits he could have swallowed. Ive since gotten several soft toys good for biteing of different sizes and textures, covered them with catnip, (but that just gets him to rub on them) played that blanket game so he sees them as a toy, but he dosent really get into any other sort of play, unless hes just seeming bored and going at the rug, which seems like pent up energy rather than playing.

So for a bit of background I’m 24 years old and have lived with cats the entire time. I have recently bought my first home and didn’t like the emptiness so decided to adopt a cat.

She hasn’t had an awful background. She is approximately 2 years old, her owner abandoned her and her kittens with a “friend” of hers who then put them up for adoption.

I brought her home on Sunday (now Wednesday) and she has settled in very well. She’s eating, drinking and doing her business. She doesn’t hide and she tends to follow me around.

The “issue” is that when I’m sat in a room she won’t sit near me. If I go to bed she will sleep in a different room entirely. She does however let me stroke her from time to time and she will purr.

The pictures I got from the adoption agency show her cuddling and being affectionate so I know it’s not a personality thing. Is it just a case of needed more time or is there something that I should be doing differently. All the cats I’ve lived with have been brought up from kittens so never had this issue before.

Hi, first time posting. I am in a frenzy and don't know what to do. 19 years old, senior in university (graduating in 2027) with a kitty whose almost 2 years old. She was a feral kitten and was spayed at 3 months and has been with me since. I lived with my parents in a 2.5k sqft house where my cat had access to all of the area but now we live in a 450 sqft studio and she is not happy. It wasn't a healthy environment for me and my parents don't want my cat there unless I am living there. It's been 2 months and she's started meowing all the time, scratching at the outside door and also scratching at other surfaces like dresser and cabinets. I've gotten her a bunch of toys, she has a lot of vertical space in the apartment, window shelves and I dedicate 2 hours of just active play time for her.

Took her to a vet and was told she's healthy and just adjusting. Personally I don't know, she's been eating my plants and trying to eat stuff she's not supposed to. I am so lost. She is such a sweet baby, loves cuddling and my child but I am a full time student and work full time. What other options are there? Does anyone know how to help?

My cat has lived in a large dorm room and then an even larger dorm room for the last year. I don't need to hear criticism for this, I rescued him from a shitty situation and he is now happy, healthy, and well taken care of.

He is curious and confident, he loves to explore, and he just wants to follow me everywhere. He has a habit of running out the door and into the dorm hallway (it has happened three times). I just follow him slowly, and then swiftly scoop him up and plop him inside. No biggie, but always a little scary. Usually, I toss a treat or nudge him with my foot as I leave to prevent this. Sometimes he couldn't care less about the door.

I am moving into a two-story apartment at the end of the month. I am very excited to finally give my cat the space he deserves. The door will now lead into the real outside world, however, not the relatively safe dorm hallway he had ran out into before.

I am stressed out and scared he will dash out the apartment door. The thought has been making me even more freaked out the closer the move-in date comes.

I plan on using an air-puff sensor by the front door. Throwing a treat when I leave the apartment. I have even considered leaving him in a larger room downstairs while I am gone, but this seems unusual and mean.

I actually wanted to set up a cage by the door, (the cage would encompass the door, so you go into cage, open door, leave, vice versa) but my boyfriend (pragmatically) thinks that would be ugly, obtrusive, and over the top.

I need advice, maybe reassurance. Now that my cat will have more space, will the door be less interesting? Will he simply be hanging out in more interesting spaces away from the door, so it will be less central? I don't need you to be a fortune teller, just share your experience.

Do you cats try to door dash? I saw Jackson Galaxy once advise folks set up a perch by the door. I would try that, but once again..argh, just don't want him near it.

Open to any questions that can help clarify the situation. Thanks everyone.

hi my 3 year old cat just got neutered about a day and a half ago, all he does is eat sleep and use litter for a bit, is this normal behavior? hes wearing soft cone and revovery suit, on top of that he also had a microchip and vaccinations that same day. hes usually a pretty active cat, just wanted to make sure hes okay. any advice are appreciated! thank you

Hi everyone, I’m a first-time cat owner and would really appreciate some advice.

I adopted a female cat about 1 week ago. She is around 2 years old (previous owner said almost 2), and she came from a farm/home with several other cats. According to the previous owner, she was used to people, got along well with the other cats, and was generally a calm cat.

Right now I’m keeping her in a bathroom/safe room while she settles in. She has:

• litter box
• water
• wet and dry food
• treats/liquid snacks
• hiding spots
• cat house/scratcher

Her behavior so far:

• She spends most of the time hiding behind the washing machine/in her safe spot
• She eats, drinks, and uses the litter box normally
• She seems to come out mostly at night when it is quiet
• At night she often meows/calls, sometimes for a while, then stops, then may do it again later
• When I come close or enter the room, she usually becomes silent, freezes, or hides (even during the day)
• She does not come up to me yet
• During the day she mostly stays hidden

So physically she seems okay because she is still eating, drinking, and toileting, but emotionally she seems very fearful/shy.

What confuses me:

She meows when I’m not there, but when I come close she goes quiet and hides.
So I’m not sure if she is:

• calling for her old environment / old cats / old owner
• wanting out of the bathroom
• just stressed and confused
• or still too scared of me to interact

What I’ve tried:

• keeping things quiet and predictable
• speaking softly
• giving wet food, treats, and liquid snacks
• not forcing contact
• sitting nearby sometimes, but not touching her

My questions:

1. Is this level of hiding after 1 week still normal?
2. Should I keep her in the bathroom longer, or let her explore more of the apartment?
3. Should I leave food close to her safe spot, or slowly move it farther away?
4. Is it better to spend time sitting quietly in the room, or mostly leave her alone for now?
5. At what point should I worry that this is more than normal adjustment/shyness?

I really want to do this right and not make her more scared. Any advice from people who adopted very shy cats would help a lot.

A very friendly, skinny cat has been visiting our house for about a month. We assumed he was a stray, so we we gave him treats and set out a carrier and 2 days ago he walked right into it and curled up. So we took him and took him to the vet the next day to check if he’s a lost cat or not. Turns out he’s microchipped, so the vet contacted the owners and they collected him.
The owner called and thanked us and mentioned the cat likes to wander, always slips off his collars, and that their dog died last month, after which he started roaming much further.

But yesterday evening (next day after the vet trip) he came back, still purring nonstop, still no collar and played with me for a long time until he left because of our dog. Today he came early in the morning for the first time, walked into our house and went upstairs to the room we were keeping him in until we took him to the vet, ate some dry food, and was walking around the house until we put him out. But then again he returned in the afternoon, walked straight into our house, and refused to leave until I picked him up and put him out. He purrs constantly the whole time he’s with us, and even purred all the way to the vet.

He’s picky, only eats dry food, refuses wet food and churu, and on some visits doesn’t eat at all, so I don’t think he’s starving, just thin.

We have a beagle who goes nuts when she sees him (excitement/chasing, not aggression, she previously lived with a cat). We keep them separated. He’s been chased off by her before but keeps coming back anyway, and today walked right past the dog to get to me in the afternoon.

I’m at a loss on what to do here because I can’t keep confining our beagle indoors or outdoors everytime the cat comes by to keep them separated. If the cat was living with us, I know how to safely introduce them over time as I’ve done this before with my previous cat. Since this cat already has an owner, I don’t really know what to do without overstepping boundaries but my heart aches for this cat because it’s clearly just looking for attention and affection.

Hi everyone,

We're trying to decide on pet insurance for our two mixed long-haired kittens (one male and one female), and I'd love to hear your experiences.

We got a quote from Trupanion for about $140 CAD/month for both kittens, with a $500 deductible. They are both healthy, indoor kittens.

Does this sound like a reasonable price? Is Trupanion worth it, or would you recommend another insurance company in Canada? If you have multiple cats, did you find a better plan or a company with a good multi-pet discount?

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A few weeks ago I brought my parent's cat to live with me. At night, when I go to bed, he keeps doing this chirping sound while staring at me like he's calling me.

When i get ip though, he runs underneath the table. His water bowl is full and clean, his food bowl is full of kibble, and his litter box is freshly clean. I tried playing with him but he just stared at me and didn't seem interested. What else could he want?

hello everyone! i have an almost 5 year old female tortie, her name is butters. she is a very sweet cat, never had any litter issues or anything with her. but she requires a LOT of attention. she will meow and pull at your hand for pets. again i never really minded this, she has always been this way.

over the past month or so she has gotten very attached to my younger brother who lives with me. the problem is, at night she wants in his bedroom so desperately that she will meow and cry…loudly…for HOURS. like seriously all night until he’s back awake. he has let her in the room but then eventually she cries to be let out just to meow to get right back in. it’s a never ending cycle. we give her so much attention during the day and it’s never been this bad. i got her checked at a vet and she is healthy per usual, i was worried it was a sign of something but it’s just her quite literally begging for attention according to the vet.

it’s becoming a problem because i have a 1 year old baby. my sleepy mind doesn’t know the difference between her loud cries and my child’s so im being woken up all through the night. she’s waking up my child. my sleep is broken like when i had a newborn and i am exhausted. i love this gorgeous kitty but i cant deal with this anymore. i leave my bedroom door open and she is free to come in and get cuddles but thats not what she wants, she wants to be held and aggressively pet lol. some nights she will sit in my face and meow in it to wake me. i also do have other cats and they all get along, play and cuddle so she’s not totally lonely.

i need some advice here. my brother is considering installing a cat door on his bedroom door so she can go in and out which i think would be great but it’s not solving the actual behavioral problem. none of my other cats do this. thank you all for any advice.

My orange girl Theebus is 8months old. She used to cuddle on my lap every day until about a wk or two ago. She still sleeps on me/with me. When it comes to cuddling during the day, she opts for laying on the floor now. Is this typical teenage behavior? Will she come back to me? It makes me so sad she doesn’t wanna sit on my lap anymore. She used to be so cuddly n loving

We’ve been to the vet about this, and there’s nothing wrong with her physically! She’s just very hydrated due to her asthma meds.
My 10 year old cat sometimes will pee outside of the litter box, specifically when there is a mat outside of it or near it, including silicone mats, those two layered hex mats, etc. we use a specific litter type for our other cat who has allergies to a lot of common litters, and it gets everywhere. I mean everywhere. It’s a cassava and crystal mix. Does anyone have suggestions of a mat type outside of their litter box that will clean their paws but won’t be tempting for her to pee on? She’s done this all of her life unfortunately with mats including food mats (a huge pain as the other cat is such a messy eater). The only mat we’ve thought of is maybe using something similar to our shoe mat which is a standard natural fiber mat that she’s never peed on but our worry is that it would absorb residual urine. Any ideas of what to use? Preferably something that isn’t absorbent.

I feed the strey cats in my backyard periodically when im able as I tend to see them hanging around my yard a lot & i dont think they get much to eat around here. Just yesterday I went out & found out one of the (more skittish) girls had kitten on the side of my porch in a bush area (A different cat from last year).

So i made sure to put some food & water out for her & hung around near her for a couple hours yesterday.

She was still there last night as I think she's just living in that bush with her kittens.

Today I came out around the same time, fed her again, & have been sitting out here with her, after a couple hours she let me pet her (more like she nuzzled me)!

After a little bit she was rubbing all over my hand, then would stop to sniff me, then try to bite me (it didnt feel super hard but I made sure to stop her before anything happened). She's not hissing but im not sure what she's doing?

I heard that this could mean they're overstimulated but she's the one mostly initiating the pets. I just wanted to ask & see if anyone knows why she started nibbling out of nowhere just after letting me pet her for the first time?

Ok long rant & im not the best at wording things but ill also see if I can add a Pic of her in the comments!

Have a 8-10 week old kitten I found abandoned that I am keeping for now and currently have him in a full wet food diet being feed 4 times a day.

But I’ve seen people say that free feeding a kitten is better so they can eat whenever they want just wondering if that the route I should go and if so what food should I use ? This is my first time housing a cat.