BUT.... a change has come over Kylo, (our oldest cat, we have three). Kylo was never overly robust, like a typical cat. She was sister to Luna whom I wrote about earlier this year... Luna died of trauma after being attacked by dogs. Kylo changed after the loss of Luna. It was in your face obvious... however, she kept her affection for my grandson, Ashton. It was strange, Kylo acted more like a dog than a cat... following Ashton from room to room, sleeping with him, waiting outside the bathroom for him to finish showering. When Ashton went to school, or left the house for any reason, Kylo went into seclusion, until Ashton returned home.
It's getting worse. When Ashton is not home you can go find Kylo, pick her up, but she is listless. If you put her down she'll instantly seek one of her hiding spots, awaiting Ashton's arrival home.
So here's what's bugging us... worrying all my family... when Ashton isn't home it's like deep, dark, depression for Kylo... debilitatingly so, or so it seems. There are occasional somewhat very brief moments when Kylo will almost seem playful... mostly with the other two cats, not so much with the rest of us.... but then it's right back to depression, or what we're interpreting as depression.
And Kylo isn't really playful with Ashton... she just needs to be near him. If Ashton is in bed then she's on him. While near Ashton she seems content but seldom 'playful'... in a typical cat manner.
Kylo is just over 1 year old
So... my question - - can cats grieve? Grieve for a lost sister? And if so... then grieve for I guess it's been 8 months now? - JamesJM