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 27 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 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 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 14 points 3 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 3 months ago

I think you mean authoritarian. Being authoritative is good.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

Not if it's reincarnation.

[–] 1984 2 points 3 months ago

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

[–] NegativeLookBehind@lemmy.world 54 points 3 months ago (1 children)

“It’s so weird. I shit in the box, and then the next day it’s just, gone. Where does it go? Who is stealing my poop?”

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 27 points 3 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 3 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 3 months ago

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

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 21 points 3 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 3 months ago

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

[–] johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 12 points 3 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 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] flames5123@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Same with crows.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago

We don't know that.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 3 months ago

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

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 9 points 3 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 3 months ago

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

[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

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

[–] kindenough@kbin.earth 6 points 3 months ago

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

[–] AltheaHunter@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 months ago

Yes

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

Sigh. It's morning. Again.

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

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

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

This should answer your question.

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

Furball ennui

[–] abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 months ago

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

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

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

[–] Angry_Autist@lemmy.world 1 points 3 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.