Do cats experience existential dread? : cat

[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 98 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I would say yes, to a limited degree, for a limited time, sometimes.

So I have a number of outdoor cats, and there was one time I went outside and one of my cats had died. Idek from what. His brother was just right beside him, sniffing him, trying to get him to move. I was like ooooh, this isn't good. I quickly grabbed the dead cat & moved out of sight, buried him.

But that damn cat wouldn't let it go. For a good couple days, he just had this thousand yard stare & a sad moaning meow. He discovered death, he seemed to realize death applies to everyone. Himself included. It reminded me of my own epiphany when I was 7 or 8, I almost wanted to chuckle a bit, it's like yeah bro welcome to the club. Death is our shared fate. Just try not to fixate on it.

So my cat's limit was about 2 days. After that, he seemed to move on & he was back to being happy again. Some extra seafood, catnip, and pets helped coax him out of the slump.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 27 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I'm weird because I'm very interested in what comes after death. Always been interested in reincarnation and those things.

When the day comes, it will be either nothing or something. Either way it's the end of working to live, so that's nice.

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Spoiler: you end up worshipping your God. Endless servitude.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'd laugh if it's a "congrats, you made it through, now go do whatever you want, reality is infinite so it's all there somewhere" and the religious ones pick the lamest afterlife where they just sit around singing and not sinning, following a god that they fully believe is jealous, arbitrary, judgemental, and authoritative. But he loves you and proved it by making his own son one of you and then making him get horribly murdered, which, by a technicality, means that you're no longer doomed because one time a woman wanted knowledge even though she was told she can't have it!

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 1 points 10 months ago

I think you mean authoritarian. Being authoritative is good.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Either way it's the end of working to live, so that's nice.

Not if it's reincarnation.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 2 points 10 months ago

Well at least get a break while coming back and growing up and being a teenager again...

[+] NegativeLookBehind@lemmy.world 54 points 10 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 27 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh they watch me clean it as they wait patiently to go poop in a fresh box.

[–] BlueMagma@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 months ago

I have two cats: they wait while watching me and then slightly 'fight' to go in the clean litter box first.

[–] beepnoise@piefed.social 22 points 10 months ago

I think my neighbours cat experiences existential dread if she hasn't eaten in 5 nanoseconds...

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Cats can't read Hegel nor Nietzsche, so I say no, they can't experience existential dread.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 5 points 10 months ago

It's true, my cat only reads at a 4th-grade level.

[–] johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'd say no, knowledge that we will some day die is unique to humans.

They certainly experience ennui though.

[–] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Now I wonder about elephants given that they have funerals and mourn their dead.

[–] flames5123@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Same with crows.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 months ago

We don't know that.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 10 months ago

every time they look at their food bowl, regardless of how full it is

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Outside of the occasional startle, no. The cat idle routine is very low level, not much going on there at all.

[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago

~murder murder murder murder murder murder rub face on thing murder murder murder~

[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

Since they are the land spirit of dread I don’t think they can.

[–] kindenough@kbin.earth 6 points 10 months ago

Yes I think, certainly every single time I move some furniture.

[–] AltheaHunter@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 10 months ago

Yes

[–] Chickenstalker@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

No. But they do wonder if they should buy a boat.

[–] sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago

This should answer your question.

[–] Ydna@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Furball ennui

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 10 months ago

Sigh. It's morning. Again.

[–] abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 10 months ago

No but they can experience existential fear (first time I took one of my cats on Holiday).

[–] Angry_Autist@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Of COURSE they do. Hell they feel existential dread towards things that aren't even there. Its just that their body language is so different from ours, that we don't usually recognize it.

Hell just staring into an unfamiliar cat's eyes can give it a case of the screaming jibblies.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Maybe. But Scooter is experiencing the immediate need for long pats on the back.