What do cats think?

[depthss]

This may sound like a stupid question, probably because it is, but does anyone know how cats feel about death? Will my cat understand I'm dead or will he feel confused and abandoned? He's been abandoned by his old owners once before, and I don't want him to think I'm leaving him too.
Also, Im planning to take a lot of substances and shoot myself if I don't overdose. Would the sight of my body after being shot bother my cat? I don't know if cats can feel traumatized the same way people can, so would he mind the body?
My cat is the only thing that's kept me alive this long, as stupid as it sounds, I feel like I might not even be able to CTB until he dies if I find out it would confuse or traumatize him

 

[Rosebud0924]

It's not a stupid question at all. My 2 cats are a huge reason that I'm still hanging on. I don't know how a cat would respond to seeing a body with that kind of trauma. But I do know that when my dad passed away at home from cancer, our cat knew that he was gone. We had to wait a couple of hours for his hospice nurse to come and declare an official time of death, and then wait for the funeral home to come get him. So we were there a while, and our cat climbed into bed with him and waited the whole time until he was taken away. This wasn't something she had done before when he was alive.

One day after he died, my mom found the cat curled up on one of dad's old shirts. So she kept it folded in a spot for her and she napped on it until dad's scent faded. Your kitty will definitely know that you're gone and some of them have their own way of grieving. I can't really say if they view it as abandonment the way we humans do, but they can certainly miss their human.

 

[4everHeartBroken]

This may sound like a stupid question, probably because it is, but does anyone know how cats feel about death? Will my cat understand I'm dead or will he feel confused and abandoned? He's been abandoned by his old owners once before, and I don't want him to think I'm leaving him too.
Also, Im planning to take a lot of substances and shoot myself if I don't overdose. Would the sight of my body after being shot bother my cat? I don't know if cats can feel traumatized the same way people can, so would he mind the body?
My cat is the only thing that's kept me alive this long, as stupid as it sounds, I feel like I might not even be able to CTB until he dies if I find out it would confuse or traumatize him

You don't sound "stupid" at all. Sounds like you are a good human being who truly cares about your cat. That's just being human. We need more good humans in this world.

 

[Throwawayacc3]

They think "meow" lol.

But seriously. Most mammals will mourn over death (that includes people). Dogs seem to go into a spiral as if the person is coming back and do this until they pass which is such a cruel existence. Cats seems to be a bit different personality wise but they don't take it well. If you have a bond or a companion (not a person) then I think ctb is off the cards until they go. Humans are complete garbage, animals are not.

I've seen a cockatoo pluck out all her chest feathers due to stress/abuse, another had bitten off a toe due to abandonment. It's really quick and noticeable in exotic birds. Bit harder with smaller mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, etc).