Those with pets, have you observed them go off to die?

[Dominus]

In my life, I have had 3 dogs and 1 cat die of old age. Another dog died of cancer. I have always had a doggy door at every house I have lived in. The ones that died always went outside and died as far away from the house they could get to.

Well, we got a 18 year old cat that's been acting really old. She disappeared on us last night. I'm waiting for sunlight to come out so I can go around looking for her. But we are both thinking it happened again, that she went off to die outside the house.

I have read that this is an instinct they still retain from their cave living day back when. Pack animal go off to die so their carcass doesn't affect the rest of the pack.

Has anyone else observed this behavior in your pets?

 

[rareboy]

We've never had an animal outside and have no had them go and hide near the end.

They have always just wanted to be near us.

 

[Araucaria]

I can't say that I've had a pet that went outside to die. The closest I've had to that was in 2020 when my cat Mango was dying, she went to a remote spot under the bed in a room I almost never go in unless it's to retrieve an item. At one point I picked her up and brought her to be with me. As sick as she was, she dragged herself to that same spot in the other room, where she stayed until she died.

Contrast that to Phoenix, my pet cockatiel who died later that year. He wanted to be with me, and I let him out of his cage. He came up to me and laid on my chest where he died.

I concluded from these experiences that pets have their own preferences about whether they want to die by themselves or with their owner.

 

[LeicsDom]

All my cats have always come to me when they were near the end.
One specially had a pelvic aneurysm and couldn't walk but managed to drag himself the length of the garden to get to me for help

 

[NotHardUp1]

I've never noticed pet owners going off to die elsewhere.

 

[Kahaih]

/\ Increasingly, very few people expire at home.

Animals, including humans, seek sanctuary when they feel weak and vulnerable.