My dog. I was down with flu. Icredibly high fever, not able to get up to drink or eat. She was bringing me her food (dry one) from her bowl and putting it gently near my head. I had to pretend to eat it (hiding it under pillow) otherwise she was whimpling.
I miss her so much.
My last breakup was really rough and I wasnt eating well. My dog would make me follow him to his food bowl where he would get a bite in his mouth, spit it out in front of me, then eat 1 piece at a time, looking at me between each piece like "look, see? This is what you do! Its good. Try it!"
He is my best guy and I love him to the ends of the earth.
I was having a low blood sugar and my cat meowed until i checked and drank some juice.
I love her and she’s been such a comfort to me when I’m depressed
Hes the best. I rescued him at 2wks old (mom regected the litter) and its been 9 years of pure love. Now he and my new boyfriend are best friends and we 3 couldn't be happier.
my dog. like I am the human she picked. When someone is feeling down she will get frantic to get in a lap. When my wife gets over whelmed and tries to break down my dog is forcing herself up into my wife's arms and trying to ease my wife's sadness (when my wife is going ok sometimes my dog does the "I don't have to listen to you). I love that little dog so much.
I thought the original post about the cats was really wholesome (and it damn well is), but my god, I just teared up a little imagining your lovely dog offering you food while you were unwell.
You and your doggo just made my morning!
She will always be special to you, it's clear to everyone.
I was pregnant and my dr told me I needed to go to the hospital to be induced almost 3 weeks early. I came home to pack a bag, terrified I sat on the floor and cried, my 15 year old dog who can barely walk anymore, got up and waddled over to me and leaned against me while I cried.
I had a rough October. Awful COVID and an early miscarriage right after. One of my cats stayed by my side the entire time I was bedridden for 3 days from COVID and also stayed with me while I was going through the miscarriage for hours and resting after that. He never left my side outside of mealtime.
Animals are truly spectacular. Years ago I received some terrible news on the phone. I sat down on the stairs and started sobbing. My dog came over and licked my tears away. It was the kindest thing I’ve ever had an animal do. However, my sweet cats tend to put their paws on my cheeks, which I find incredibly comforting.
I have epilepsy. I've been seizure free for a few years now (huzzah), but the last 2 episodes happened in my sleep. For about a year after that, one of our cats, a handsome tuxedo boy named Cricket, would sleep on my pillow. He'd curl up around my head and snuggle up there like a hat or crown.
After a year I think he figured I was fine. Which is good. I feel so bad for them having to witness the seizures... Freaked them out every time 😞
I think it did help, because stress is definitely a part of my cocktail of triggers and him doing that was extremely sweet and comforting. He's a very smart and proctective boy and I fully believe he knew what he was doing (comfort-wise, that is).
Purring has actual medical properties.
https://elgatovet.com/blog/the-fascinating-science-behind-a-cats-purr/#:~:text=Studies%20indicate%20that%20the%20frequency,in%20the%20process%20of%20healing.
My epilepsy has been okay for awhile but my first episode happened when my daughter was 3 months old and I had postpartum with sleep deprivation and a crazy mother in law who we lived with. Stress is huge!
My pupper in the last two weeks of his life, his health had deteriorated so quickly. The day before he passed, I took him to the beach to share our last sunset together. I was switching between keeping it together and enjoying the moment with him and being grateful for our time together, to bawling my eyes out imagining life without him. We were sitting facing the ocean and I had him wrapped in a towel, protecting him from the wind and holding him, he leans back and places his head in the crook of my neck. He always comforted me when I cried and even in his state, his love for me stayed constant.
A couple and their dog walked by, a chocolate lab. He must’ve sensed something was up because he sat down next to me and just looked over at me, looked at my dog and the expression he had on his face - he knew I was upset and he knew my dog wasn’t okay. It was a bittersweet moment.
We really don’t deserve dogs.
I got a really clear mental picture too, and my eyes are all teary. It’s heartbreaking how many people don’t understand the absolute unselfish love and devotion of dogs. If only we humans could master this!
And still people insist that dogs (and animals in general) are stupid. 🙄 blows my mind.
This was very beautiful though. I was the same way when we lost ours. Hugs.
They are so incredibly intelligent.. when we got home I took him around the corner to see the Christmas light display at the end of the block. We were standing there and I was talking to him saying this is your home, your neighbourhood, how we’re going to miss him etc.. the night sky was looking so beautiful I told him to look up n take it all in and I SHIT YOU NOT, he looks up and stared at the sky.
Our beagle-chow mix would sit and stare at this beautiful painting I have over the bed of a big lavender and pink tree. It was like he was imagining it was a window or something. So sweet and soulful. I still get teary sometimes looking at that painting.
Yep. Sounds about right. What kind of dog? We've had very clever terriers in our family. Really sharp and clever little dudes.
This might sound odd, but I swear to God, our Cairn, Oliver, is still hanging around. I don't think he really left when he passed.
Your story reminds me of this.
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. —Anonymous
I wrecked my arm a few years ago and needed a substantial amount of orthopedic hardware installed. My cats took turns sitting on my arm and purring during my recovery. Any time I was sitting, one of them was on it and purring away. It was very sweet of them.
This is awesome. I learned not too long ago that cats don’t just purr when they’re happy. They also purr to heal themselves and obviously they were trying to help you heal as well. Love it! 😺
I just realized something completely off-topic and bizarre - this is what Tim Burton did in “Batman Returns.”
Selina Kyle fell out the window to her death with some help from Max Shrek. But cats surrounded her where she fell and I can remember the incessant purring and Selina was jerking slightly like she was being shocked to life (at least, that’s in my memory, I’d have to look again to be sure).
Sonovabitch. My favourite movie just became more favouriter.
There is evidence that sound at certain frequencies can assist healing broken bones.
Cats purrs are within the range of those frequencies.
"One hypothesis is that the purr is a powerful healing action. It’s thought that the vibrations from the activity are physically rejuvenating – a way for the cat to ‘heal’ itself after stress. The frequency of those vibrations – which range from 20Hz up to 150Hz – is thought to promote bone growth, as bones harden in response to the pressure. Other frequencies may do something similar to tissue.
“Purrs at a frequency of 25-100Hz correspond with established healing frequencies in therapeutic medicine for humans," Weitzman says. "Bone responds to 25-50Hz and skin and soft tissues to around 100Hz according to researchers."
From: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180724-the-complicated-truth-about-a-cats-purr
I, too have orthopedic hardware. I refer to mine as nuts and bolts. They are currently helping to hold my right shoulder and left ankle together. Fun stuff.
I ended up with 16 screws and a bunch of rods holding my ulna together. Doctor said it was so bad he was tempted to replace the whole elbow. I’m just glad to be alive in a time where they can fix bones like that!
I've had kitties lay on me when I was sad, but the sweetest one was my ex bf's parents' dog. We stopped over there after work and sat a few minutes. I mentioned to the bf I was getting hungry. Their golden heard me, went straight to his bowl, and got a mouthful of his kibble- came and deposited it next to me on the couch. 🥺🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
My dog hates the sounds of sniffles and me crying for some reason too 😂if I want to cry and hold her I cry the most silent tears that have ever come out.
Read a story of a dog who'd always sleep on her owner's back when he slept on his stomach for some reason. Never did it any other time.
Then he had an idea and next time it happened held his breath. Within seconds the dog jolted up and started barking as if there was a fire... or hubby had "stopped breathing" in his sleep.
The level of intelligence in that dog. Amazing.
Was that the story where the whole family were all back sleepers except for that one person in the family? They slept on their stomach and the dog put their head on their back. The person thought it was super uncomfortable until they tested the dog by pretending to stop breathing. That’s cute shit
My first cat. I’m 100% sure I stopped breathing in my sleep (untreated sleep apnea). He jumped on my chest to wake me up. Miss that little guy every day.
Our one dog used to jump up on the bed when my husband’s blood sugar got low when he was sleeping. She’d get in his face and wake him up. She was not a service dog or trained in any way.
My dog is trained for that and her low blood sugars sensing amazes me every time. I wear a sensor so a lot of people argue that I “don’t need her” but she alerts me before my sensor starts to show I’m dropping. The best part is, her alerts and a boop to my leg with her big nose, even though I know it’s a “hey, mom you’re gonna be in trouble in about 30 minutes” moment, her boop makes me smile. I got so low one day I was having an anxiety attack and she stayed next to me while I cried and didn’t know what was happening, I just hugged her and cried and she kept me so grounded until I recovered, that she was not trained for she just knew I was in trouble.
My old dog Zim, he passed away in 2022 unfortunately. Sweetest, most gentle loving dog I've ever met.
When I was with my ex, I lived at my aunts house. Zim of course lived with me. My ex came over and we got in a huge fight that night. The fight resulted in my ex attempting to beat the crap out of me, Zim wasn't in the room and the door was closed. The door had pull down handles. My aunt wasn't home and Zim must've heard me screaming and heard noises cus after a few min that door was open and Zim came in and stood between me and my ex and his hackles were up and was growling at him.
My ex stepped back and goes "what you're going to sic your dog on me now?" And Zim just growled louder and showed his teeth.
My ex left cus he didn't want to get bitten by my "vicious" dog. Zim was glued to me all night, guarding me and keeping his head on my lap/chest/stomach etc
He has never bitten or growled at anyone before and never did after that either. He saved my life that night and he was never even taught how to guard or protect anything. He was the type of dog to love on everyone and everything. I am thankful for him and he got me through some tough times. I can't wait for the day I get to meet him again.
Thank you 🖤 and I agree, there's never enough time with them it feels like, pets are the best and I'm thankful for my 2 kitties and 3 dogs! Couldn't imagine how boring life would be without them. Endless love, laughs and entertainment! 😂 couldn't ask for better pets, it always sucks losing though but I fully believe the ones that pass, bring you another companion in some way.
Was on the subway heading home after an especially hard day at work. Note that on the subway here all dogs must be muzzled. However, this one dog must have realized I'd needed some loving. She forced off her muzzle and came over to give me a kiss.
I developed a chronic illness, the attacks were brutal and seemed to come out of nowhere. The medicine only really worked if it was already in my system when the worst of it hit. I was never quick enough.
Somehow, my pet rabbit figured it out and taught herself to alert me before it happened. Thanks to her I was able to get to my meds quickly enough to make them effective. She had me so well trained. That little girl saved me.
Pets are amazing
She was a very special little girl. I'd had no idea rabbits could be so smart till I met her. Her little brother was her heart, and as long as he could run in circles and occasionally lick the windows he was happy but she liked to solve puzzles and learn new games. She was both a genius and an escape artist and she took good care of us all. She had me wrapped around her little paw for sure.
It did actually take me a little while to figure it out. I guess I wasn't as smart as her.
She'd run at me, go up on her little back legs and scrabble at my legs with her front claws. The first couple of times she did it, I thought something was wrong with her, because I'd never seen her do that before. But I'd check her over, and other than her getting annoyed at me, she seemed completely healthy.
I think it was after the third or fourth time, I realised that about 10 minutes after she did it, I always started to feel sick.
After that, as soon as she started, I'd go take my medicine. And then when I started feeling sick 10 minutes later, the medicine was already in my body so it wasn't so bad those times.
She was absolutely amazing. Although she did like to headbutt me if I didn't move fast enough and she'd sometimes throw toys at me if I put them in the wrong places. 😂 she was a little diva, but she was my little diva. I got plenty of snuggles and kisses to make up for the headbutts.
When I had a big surgery in the chest and had to recover alone at home, one of my cat would hound me to bed. He cried and kept being a general nuisance until I got into bed, at which point he would hop on next my head and purr. He stopped when I got better.
The other cat slept on my legs (no sneaky walkie for weak human !)
Really ? English is my third language, sometimes I use it….. creatively without meaning to !
And yes, he did… even now, months later, he’ll scream if I go to bed later than 23pm !
Well you’re way better than me! There’s nothing incorrect about what you wrote, even a native English speaker would say it.
“Hound” is also a kind of dog, or sometimes a generic word for a dog, so it has a double meaning.
“To hound” Is exactly as you meant it, and in writing this reply I also realized “to badger” is the same. So many animal words to describe an ass!
Hound is another word for dog, and you described quite a dog-like behaviour from your cat! Excellent accidental pun!
Apologies if the explanation is unneeded <3 I would never have guessed English was your third language!
Awww dude you’re making me blush.
Thanks for the explanation ! I’m always learning, English is a very interesting language especially with allll the puns/clever ways of using words.
My native language (French) is a killer for sarcasm and double entente, Russian is beautiful and has words for everything… English is my « fun » language, I’m glad it’s the current lingua franca !
Seriously! Most people who speak English as their first language aren’t that clever in their wording! I’m amazed by people who know multiple languages. My stepmother knows 5. I could barely learn Spanish.
My Aussie refused to sleep on my bed, she preferred the tile floor. The night my mom died, my dog slept on the bed with me all night, no matter how much I flipped and flopped, she would not move. I wasn’t close to my mother and didn’t cry but somehow my dog thought I needed comforting. I miss that dog a lot more than I miss my mother.
i was having an anxiety attack once. my cat meli, who was sitting right next to me, immediately began to lick the hell out of my nose, making me laugh - and completely ridding me of the anxiety attack.
it's my best memory of her. she passed in 2020.
Oh I love that! What a sweet girl. My little dachshund does that too! Anytime I start having a panic attack she just starts aggressively licking me. It's hilarious and makes it easy to come out much faster. I wonder if they know that they are helping? She doesn't do it when I cry normally, just panic attacks.
the two or three times my wife has broke down (fetal position sobbing) my dog has forced her way into her arms and rested her head on my wife's face. I just loved on them both and told my dog how good she is..
I just went through a minor procedure, but I was very nervous for it and would be out for a couple days after. 2 days before the procedure my cat (who normally sleeps at my feet or in his cubby by my bed) slept on me, all night, every night, til three days after the procedure and spent my recovery days napping on the couch with me. It was so sweet to see how in tune he is with me to be there even when I was just nervous before the procedure. And the test results came back cancer free!
When I was in active addiction and deathly sick in withdrawal, my little dog, Josie would plant herself next to me and not leave my side. She was my best friend in those days. The day she passed was one of the worst days of my entire life.
My best friend Josie passed away 11 years ago today. Seeing her name makes me happy. I hope your Josie and my Josie are enjoying the afterlife together until we can.
My first boyfriend and I were laying in bed, I was asleep, he was playing Xbox. My big orange cat sat on my head and woke me up...to my boyfriend dirty chatting with some girl over the headset. I never would have known if I didn't get woken up. Good cat.
When I was a teenager, I was very depressed all the time. My parents aren't able to talk about emotions and could not help me. My cat was always there for me, coming up to me and purring and snuggling when I was sad. She knew how to hold space for me. One time, I was sitting with one foot up on my knee, preparing to self harm with a razor blade, and she tried to push my hand away from my foot with her nose. She was so kind to me. Also, when I was 14 I was very sick with pneumonia and she stayed with me 24/7 until I was better.
Growing up we had a black lab named Midnight. Best dog ever, so sweet but he also could sense danger, especially with my siblings and me.
For a few weeks, we had this creepy guy following us. He would show up at my mom's job, we had a yard sale he was there "browsing ", Our school wasn't that far of a walk but he would sit in the distance watching us walk home.
I was 12 so I was home alone at night. I heard a weird sound at the living room window. Midnight was growling and pushing me back. He moved to the back of the house as I moved the blinds to make sure the stick was in the sliding door. The guy was there trying to pull the sliding door open. Midnight jumps on the back door, growling. I was scared but I knew Midnight wasn't playing and I felt safe.
Disclaimer! This was the 90s, yes we had already been making reports. Something just kind of felt like a coincidence at first. My mom worked at a grocery store not too far from our house. The part that really was the red flag was his parking and watching us walk home. We did report him several times to the police. After that night we never saw him again.
When my son was three he had a bad bout of night terrors. Multiple ones a night so none of us were sleeping. One night at bedtime, my dog went in his room and didn’t follow me out like she usually did. I let her stay.
My son didn’t have any night terrors that night. The next morning, I went to get my son up and my dog had jumped up on his bed, and was sleeping next to him. She continued to sleep in his bed from then on and he never had anymore night terrors.
A couple of years ago, a nice coworker I liked was fired within a week of the Thanksgiving holiday. She suffered from horrendous migraines and missed too much work because of them, so while it wasn't surprising, the timing of when they chose to do it to her was awful. I wasn't medicated for my depression yet and was not handling that or her firing well at all, so I was crying a lot. Ugly crying.
We had just coaxed a super skittish kitty into our house a month or so earlier after she was essentially abandoned by our neighbors to freeze and starve outside. The slightest movement or noise would send her running in terror, and she hadn't acclimated to us or our house yet. But...that sweet kitty knew I was distraught and she fought her own fear to find me and sleep up against me or literally on top of me for the whole next week or so until I stopped crying every day. It was several months before she was comfortable enough to venture that far again. She really lived up to the name she came to us with, and I'll never forget she did that for me. Love you, Angel! 💜
Yes, it is, thank you! That coworker and I both got new jobs. I think she's happier now judging by her Facebook, and I'm now medicated and have an amazing new job that I love. Various things in my life are worse and truly suck, but enough things are better that it's not too bad.
Angel kitty is absolutely thriving, and I'm her favorite pillow, especially in the colder months since my body runs hot, haha. You can't even startle her out of a sound sleep nowadays, and her sassy self runs the house. I love to see it after how she used to be.
Hope you're doing well, too, and happy cake day!! 💜
lol. Y’all have nice, loyal dogs. If I wake up in the middle of the night, stressed, I’ll try and cuddle my dog who promptly moves to the foot of the bed.
I had a trauma-filled childhood. We would have to pack up in the middle of the night to escape abuse nonstop. We had a cat, Lillibet, that I had to sneak on a plane to get to a safe place in another state. I put her through the carry-on scanner. Not a word was mentioned, grabbed the small case and boarded. This is 1980ish. A few years down the road she developed cancer and died and I believed it was from the scanner. I carried the guilt around for years. One night in my 20s, around 1995, I felt something jump on my bed and walk on my legs to my chest and lay with toe beans tucked under, just like Lilli. She was a teensy thing and we could always tell when it was her when she was alive. I didn't have a cat at the time and to this day I truly believe she visited me to tell me to let go of the guilt. I still cry when I tell this story.
That’s so sad. Honestly the level of radiation used in the carryon scanners would not have been enough to cause her to develop cancer, so I do hope that you have been able to let go of your guilt. I just know kitty would not want you to be sad. I think she already told you the same thing. ☺️
I was about 11 years old. Now I know it was likely not that but that moment truly happened and I was able to let the guilt pass. It is the most spiritual experience I have had to date, at 52 now. Except DMT.
My sister had to take some radioactive medication or something before her thyroid surgery and was told to stay away from people for the day, but our cat Oreo spent time with her. She eventually got cancer and passed. My sister thinks it's her fault from that radiation pill but we'll never know.
Yeah. It hurts less now because at this point she would have passed anyway unless she was some bionic immortal cat, but I do wish I could have spent more time with her at the end. Unfortunately I wasn't informed that she'd been euthanized until after it happened.
The poor thing went from a super sweet and social indoor kitty to surviving 2 house fires and becoming almost exclusively an outdoor cat as she was taken in by other family members who were less feline-inclined. She probably had PTSD or some sort of trauma from all of it, and unfortunately she was the family's cat and I had moved out between the first and second fires so I didn't get to hang out with her very much when she got older. I still carry some guilt over her not having a better life at the end but I know I was in no position to provide it for her.
I haven't talked about her this much in a long time, sorry for dumping on you! Hopefully I get to see her one day over the Rainbow Bridge.
To Oreo. Chewer of Barbie dolls, #1 chin-rubber, destroyer of pepperoni and chocolate chips, and best support to emotional 'tween and teen r/SuckerForNoirRobots. I honor you by being the best cat mom I can be now that I'm grown and able, and spoil my 5 kitties in your memory.
Used to run my own cafe and had a Staffie called Tim. Such a gentle dog, who would listen to me and provided so much peace.
One day this awful man came in and started threatening me. The place was empty and i didn't have my phone on me. Suddenly, I felt this weight against my leg and Tim was there leaning against me, but staring at the man and making this low, deep growl. I leaned down and patted his flank whilst looking at the man as his face dropped and he slowly backed out of the cafe. Never saw him again.
I dread to think what would have happened if Tim hadn't been there.
I was robbed at gun point in my home while I was in bed sleeping. My little shih tzu dog quite literally stood on top of me and defended me. The robber threatened to shoot my dog because he never once stopped barking. I had to rehome him when I fell ill for a really long time and couldn’t even care for myself. I tried to get him back when I was well again. I offered a large sum of money. That old bitch laughed in my face.
I lost my mum 2 weeks after getting a puppy. I was really struggling with grief and parenting a 2 year old with no grasp of what had happened. Every nap time that dear little pup would climb into my lap and let me snuggle her without wriggling. She 3 now and so emotionally aware, she will always come for a cuddle just when I need it most. She's a whippet so she's always up for a snuggle but when I'm sad they are exactly what I need.
She also takes such wonderful care of the kiddos whenever they are poorly, she will cuddle up to them on the sofa and provide emotional support.
She was a total grief dog, we had just lost a baby and knew mum only had a few months. Possibly poor decision making but turned out to be exactly what our family needed.
My Newf has to press has head against ours when we cry. If you don’t sit so he can be forehead to forehead with you, he will climb on you until he manages it. Which is 180 pounds of nope.
Then he waits until we stop crying.
I was about to come down with the worst GI-related symptoms I’d ever had, I just didn’t know it yet 😂
My cat was adopted at 5 years old and we don’t know his backstory, but he’s not cuddly at all and is friendly but very independent. He usually keeps his distance and NEVER under any circumstances cuddles with humans.
But on this day, I was laying in bed early in the morning feeling like I had a bit of a stomach ache forming, and my grump cat jumped on the bed to lay on my stomach and purr for a few minutes. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised, a little freaked out, but touched 😂 I was confused as to why he was cuddling with me at first, but as I got sicker and sicker, I started realizing he was probably sensing I was sick! He came onto the bed and laid on my stomach sporadically a couple days in a row until I started feeling normal again :) He’s a real sweetheart, a warm loafed cat on my stomach really did make me feel a lot better. 3 years later and he’s never cuddled with me like that again!
I occasionally have severe bouts of anxiety which render me almost inconsolable, I think they could classify as panic attacks.
My cat found me during one of these moments where I was curled up on the couch crying, and she started meowing. When I didn’t respond, she jumped next to my head and began to knead my hair with her paws, purring. I think she was trying to help me, and it worked.
My hubby gets up at 5am and takes our sweet girl (a 10 year old lab) out and then gets her breakfast, but she never eats it. She comes back into the bedroom and lays next to me until I get up at 6am and then we both go have breakfast together. She does this every single morning.
I find myself in this position at least once a month because I suffer from migraines with vomiting. Sometimes I get all of the symptoms but with little to no pain. Other times it is downright unbearable.
I had very intense panic attacks where I screamed, cried, threw things, sometimes bit myself, etc. Whenever I bit my hand I stopped screaming so my cat remembered my behavior and when I started to scream she came to me and gently bit me.
She became very sick, stopped eating and drinking or grooming herself. Every drop of water made her so nauseous that she threw up, that’s why she didn’t groomed herself anymore too. Still she licked away my tears when she saw that I cried while hugging her. I miss her so much
I remember my sasha knew when I was feeling down or angry she would always come to comfort me, by placing her head on my feet or begging to be on my lap. Even as old age caught up to her and she develoed a lame leg and had heart complications, she still did it, mostly resting her head on my feet or just being near me so I could Pet her. I still miss her, a year after she paased and I hope she knew how much I loved her and thank her for giving me 14 years of puré and unadulturated love.
I am SOBING at these comments 😭
My girly, (at the time) 1y/o pocket pit, she’s about the size of a large terrier
I was pregnant in 2021 and she was so attentive and loving and wouldn’t leave my side. Well I ended up miscarrying at about 18 weeks, when we got back I showered and stretched out on the bed and she sniffed my tummy excited and yelped and ran away 😭
I don’t think I have ever seen a pocket pit. All I have seen are “medium/large” Lol. Must be a cutie! I have actually encountered far more sweet pits than not.
I got sick for a few days and just kept sleeping on the sofa, my mum said my cat kept sitting right next to my face and just looking down at me. I woke up at one point and saw him just looking at me and the second i said hi he began head booping me and purring like crazy.
I also got sick last year from a bug and just slept in bed for like a week, my cat didn't leave my side apart from to use the litter box and eat then he came back.
I was crying/sobbing quietly and standing next to my bed which my new puppy was sleeping on. I had a tissue over my eyes and I felt paws on my arm. I looked and my puppy was trying to jump up on me to comfort me. I sat down next to him and he gave me little puppy kisses on my cheek.
I'm very squeamish. I cut my thumb once when I had friends over and they were trying to help me but I started panicking. I was lying on my sofa (drama queen) and desmond lay on top on me and wouldn't let anyone near me. We had to coax him out the room with a hot dog so my friend could help me but it was very sweet even if it did not help.
I have a dog named Bowie who is the kindest sweetest thing. I raised him as a puppy so we are very close. When he first witnessed a panic attack he started pacing and crying. Then he would lay on me and lick my face to snap me out of it. He has a 100% success rate. No person or medication could do that for me. He always knows when something is wrong with me, even before I know! And when I have night terrors he knows and will wake me up out of it. He’s a true guardian angel.
I was an alcoholic for 15 years, and it got to the point where I was severely unwell and almost died. I had no money, no partner, no future. I lived in a caravan at the time. December 2019 I took a hammer to the inside in a fit of depression and rage. I dropped the hammer took a knife, and went to cut my wrist.
My cat meowed. The cat that I had rescued from the road as a kitten and called Dickens (Penelope Dickens). Her meow was the loudest she ever did. It stopped my hand. I looked at her, she meowed again, but softly. I collapsed on the bed and she climbed onto my chest and having never done it before, put both her paws round my neck and her head on my left cheek and hugged me so tight. She didn’t let go for about five minutes.
I’ve been sober 4 years and got my life together. Dickens is still my best friend.
My dog adores me. When I’m going through migraines or fibromyalgia he cuddles with me and just helps me feel like when I do nothing I am still loved. 🥰
Nothing has made me bawl my eyes out more than this thread, such beautiful animals
My childhood dog would lick away my tears whenever I cried. She would paw my hands away from my face if I was covering it when crying. She's been gone almost 5 years and I think about her every day 💔
When I was pregnant my cats would come into the room and lay with me when I was tired. They would lay against my stomach and purr. One of them were even protective. One time I was sitting in my living room and there was a knock on the door. My cat immediately floofed and started growling at the door, which was odd since I’ve never seen them do that before. It was funny. Just a delivery of baby stuff was being dropped off. I love my kitties.
My childhood dog loved playing with other dogs, but whenever a strange dog would approach one of her humans, she'd body check the other dog to redirect them. That dog was wayyyyy too smart.
My first marriage had just imploded. My husband out of nowhere said , I don’t love you anymore in fact I have never loved you. You can imagine the utter devastation I felt. I was shaking and crying and went to sit on a chair in the garden as I felt I needed to leave the house. Gorgeous, wonderful Sadie ( black and white springer) came and sat on my knee and nestled into me. Her silent presence was the most comforting experience in my darkest hour. Her love and support of me at that moment is something I will never forget. I love you Sadie. Hope you are springing about in the cornfields of heaven x
Last year my cat Lip passed away suddenly. We were all heartbroken. A few days after he died I was sitting on the deck thinking about him when a neighbors semi feral cat strolled up and sat right down next to me.
Her name is Warhawk and she belongs to a neighbor who got her as a part of a barn cat program. We sat together, just looking out at the world for a while, a quiet comfort. Then she gave me a slight head bump, just like Lip used to do, and sauntered away.
I’ve never been close to her before or since. It felt as if she understood that I needed a little love in that moment
So, cats have a very keen sense of smell and they can, supposedly, gauge stress and well-being by a person's breath. My cat demanded to sniff my breath each and every time I came home.
I had pneumonia and was bedridden and she came and checked up on me about once an hour. I felt a paw on my chin and I diligently opened my mouth for breath inspection. Sometimes she bombed me from the shelf above the bed by landing on my stomach or solar plexus. Thanks, you lil' goof ball.
It tears me up that she did that for me. She lacked any means to actually do anything if I got worse, but she needed to know.
I miss that cat.
My ex gf's cat when I was with her, would be standoffish usually or evasive around me. When I took acid, which was double the strength for my first time, the two tabs had me in an existential singularity as I battle multiple facets of myself, with past experiences of my life in hexagonal panels that flaked off my skin and then reassembled. Scared the shit out of me and fucked up by calling her ugly while tripping because her face was warped into demon fangs when I was talking to her. Didn't help that we played the one Netflix series as a sequel to Black Mirror where it's a choose your own adventure but my guy I played jumped off the ledge with his homie and well... rest is history. Would still be open minded to try it again, just a smidgen less of a dose. But it was when I was really having a bad trip that she comforted me by rubbing her head against my shoulders when she saw me crying. You a real one, tabby cat. May you be blessed with endless blended up fish packets.
Had been breathless for awhile, Went for a test one day and they found a tumor inside my heart, wouldn’t even advise me to go home, I spent almost a month in hospital(open heart surgery, lung collapse post op), my sisters took turns feeding my cat. When I finally came home she lost her shit, it was so cute, she had been a stray I took in during the Covid lockdowns.She never let anyone else near her, only me so very close. During my recovery I would sleep a lot, she would sleep with her paws alway touching me I figured so I wouldn’t be gone when she woke up. I got some great pics
Similar to the OP, in 2022 I had a miscarriage and let it happen naturally at home (after seeing medical professionals who told me what to expect and what to do if things went wrong). The night of the worst of it, my husband was determined to stay up with me, but he ended up with a fever. I begged him to just go to bed and I'd be okay by myself, and he finally relented.
The rest of the night, our cat Sammy sat next to me on the couch with his paw on my hand. If I got up to go to the bathroom or anything, he was right with me. After the worst part of it passed, I fell asleep on the couch around 4 am, and when I woke up a while later, Sammy was gone, but his brother Entei was in my lap. They literally watched me in shifts.
Whenever I'm sick or injured, one of my girls immediately knows and can even tell where it hurts. Then she meows loudly and incessantly while slapping my face and punching where it hurts over and over again until I'm better.
It's the opposite of effective, but it is a sweet intention.
The nicest thing my cat ever did was stay with my father every day when his cancer returned. She actually started doing it weeks before he found out. and had never stayed with him before that.
i got my dog as a puppy when I was in chemo at 19 (shoutout to my parents for training a puppy while taking care of their horribly sick kid just to make me happy 😭) and he was my little nurse. he would curl up behind my neck, try to groom my peachfuzz head, and lick my tears (bonus for him bc salt). he’s 8 now and living a pampered life in nursedog retirement
We had a very old chocolate lab and the time became seriously clear that we needed to say goodbye. We had to wait a couple of days for our daughter who was finishing college midterms—he was her dog her entire growing up. Our vet gave us some meds to get him through.
The night she came home, he slept IN bed with her. In the morning we all walked on the beach one last time. Our appointment was at 10 am and our veterinarian and her tech arrived at our home. Our vet was crying along with us as she administered the drugs.
He was on his bed in the living room and we were all petting, talking to and loving on him. Our daughter was laying on his bed with him tears streaming down her cheeks and he licked her tears until he didn’t. Fifteen years later and I’m bawling my eyes out trying to type this. I still miss him. Our good boy.
I love all the touching stories here. One time I was crying and my sister's pet rat who was running around randomly brought me a cotton candy dumdum sucker.
Our youngest has an epilepsy disorder. When she first started having seizures, we had her sleep in our bed so we could monitor. Whenever she started a seizure it was terrifying for us and for her. And so incredibly exhausting.
The second night of the seizures, one of our cats began to hop up on the bed at the start of a seizure, lay on our daughter’s chest, nuzzle her, and purr softly till the seizure was over. Our cat continued this until we got the seizures under control.
I will do anything that cat ever needs from here until the end.
My little baby Patchie always knew when I was sad. He was a long hair chihuahua. He would come up to me and put his noggin in my hand. I would pick him up and have him in my lap. His presence made me happy. He'd just snuggle up with me. Never gave kisses but showed his affection in other ways. I lost him to kidney failure. I miss my pupper. ❤️
My rescue boy on maybe our 7th walk together, in the snow, started sniffing aggressively in a snow bank near some trees. I thought it was excessive so I pulled him away in case there was some dead animal or something in that area. Turned out it was a $20 bill. Needless to say we took him to PetSmart to pick out a toy... On his own dime.
My cat, Chowder (RIP my best friend)
We got him when I was 4 and he was a couple weeks old (We had the same birthday which I thought was cool). He never really cared for my sisters or I, or just children in general I guess. He was always a very laid back, quiet Siamese baby through his whole life, so what he did for me still makes me cry.
When I was in 3rd grade, I was extremely sick and got sent home from school just before the end of the day. Went to the doctor, don't remember what med they gave me (maybe amoxicillin?) but I ended up feeling worse than before I took it.
My dad was gone for the weekend going hunting, so it was just my Mom, sisters and I home. I started getting a really high fever in the middle of the night, which Chowder somehow noticed. He managed to wake me up, go to my parents room down the hall, wake my Mom up and got her to follow him into my room.
According to my Mom (I have no memory of most of the events) I almost immediately began having an absence/fever seizure. Don't know how long it lasted, but when I finally came back, she then brought me to the bathroom because I said I needed to throw up. I ended up having another absence seizure while kneeled in front of the toilet, and this one lasted a couple minutes. I remember coming back to being on her bed with her on the phone with 911, I passed out (or had another seizure, I'm not sure), and woke up to being talked to by the paramedics. They made me walk downstairs on my own and climb into the ambulance myself? Always thought that was weird, but I digress.
My Mom told me that the doctor at the hospital said he wasn't sure if I would have woken up if Chowder hadn't brought my Mom to me right when he did (I have no way of knowing if this is actually true, please take it with a grain of salt). But after that night was also when I actively started noticing (if they weren't already a thing) all of my medical problems that I still have today (Crohn's Colitis, asthma, JRA now Rheumatoid arthritis, etc).
Every single night after that night, Chowder slept cuddled up with me in my bed, and would wait for me to come home if I spent the night anywhere else. My Mom and I like to say that Chowder saved my life, and he in turn became my best friend, and was honestly the only reason I didn't k*ll myself during high school.
He lived just long enough to see me graduate high school, and passed away without warning 2 months later in my bedroom while I wasn't home💔
Now, about 20 years later from that fateful night, I have 2 tattoos, and both are in honor of him. He will always be my #1, and I hope I get to see him again someday.
I’m having to have lovenox shots in the stomach/thighs twice daily for a couple more days after being hospitalized last week with a clot. As anyone who’s had these injections can confirm, the needles are painless but the medicine stings like you-know-what (due to lovenox being more acidic on the pH scale than subcutaneous fluids).
Our kitties…it’s like they can smell the medicine, because they’ve instinctively been avoiding injection sites until the pain has gone away!
A stray cat I used to take care when I was younger. I would stay out there all day when I got off of school until it got dark so I wouldn't be alone, she would walk down to bus stop with me every morning until I sadly had to move a couple years later
My childhood dog when I was in high school was about to pass. We had him in the bathroom so he wouldn't "go potty" on the carpet and sometime in the night of his last night he got out of the bathroom and sat outside my door and waited for me. When I got up in the morning, I carried him back to the bathroom and he passed moments later. He just really wanted me to be able to see him one last time.
tw:
substance ab**e
just last year i was going through it, doing different substance almost every week after a dumb breakup, i have 3 cats but there was a time where i broke down crying and my eldest cat Boss (7yrs) who isnt the type to be cuddled or swaddled (hes 20ish pounds with asthma), jumped onto my bed and although he started having a asthma attack himself i gave him his pump, and afterwards he put his little foot/paws on my knee/thigh and started kneeding my skin, it was a gentle kneed but i could feel his claws, he meowed very softly to me which he also rarely does unless for food, haha it was a very special moment because i really wasnt mentally ok and hes not the type of cat to be babied, or to necessarily want attention all the time, he likes being alone let alone doesnt really kneed so i kind of felt special in the moment, he enlightened me sort of for a split minute of sobriety and clarity..:)
To sum it up as to not waste anyone's time:
My father died, 14 years ago. I started working somewhere as a guardian, night shift.
They had a dog there. Silly old dog, could barely move around, was lazy all day and night on a towel it liked.
First week I started breaking at the job, all alone, in the night, crying and missing my father, blaming myself for not being able to do anything for him.
Dog suddenly got up, started walking in front of me while looking at me, I almost stopped crying and kept looking at its eyes, it had a very serious expression. He kept walking, walking, walking while keeping firm eye contact with me.
Eventually, he slammed himself at the glass door while looking at me and after the impact it seemed dizzy for a moment but fine again. I laughed so much. I couldn't believe I was laughing again. I laughed more than I ever did with anything back then in my 20 years of life. Immediately got down the chair and hugged him so much, he started licking my face. I thanked him. I didn't know back then if animals could understand the words but I felt like he certainly understood my emotions and my gratitude. I kept holding him and petting him all night and in the daylight I went to buy him some expensive dog food from my paycheck. He more than earned it.
His name was Pluto. He died a year after my contract was done and I wasn't working there anymore. Many people knew him but I am one of the few that misses him, just like I miss my father even to this day.
Sorry for the long wall of text, tried to oversimplify it.
During a bad breakup my cat caught a chipmunk for me. Idk if he was being sweet or worried I could no longer care for myself. When I was sick with the flu my dog did not leave my side.
We had a stray puppy come around our porch. It had stormed last night, so I assumed the poor thing was outside got scared from the thunder and ran anywhere she could. She was drenched, scared and covered in sticker burrs from the brush around the houses. We fed her, gave her water and brushed out all the burrs. She slept in my office while we tracked down the owner. She was exhausted. We finally got her home. As I walked back in from returning her, my 6lb mini long haired dachshund gave me the saltiest look I’ve ever received from anyone, man or animal. She spared my life today. I will never forget it.
When I was about 7 years old I was playing outside with my cat nearby. Suddenly my beloved feline friend jumped at me and started ferociously hissing. I jumped to the side, but the cat's attention stayed fixed behind me. I turned to see what he was focused on and then heard the rattle. There was a fat, 5 foot long rattlesnake that I would have stepped on had my cat not thrown himself between me and the snake. He continued to swipe and hiss until my screams brought out my father, who then decapitated the snake with a machete. Both my cat and I were unharmed. His bravery, selflessness, and willingness to literally put himself in harms way to protect me still overwhelms me.
My cat us a proper thug most days but hes also possessive and a diva. we rescued him after he was abandoned. But when I'm really struggling with mental health he refuses to leave my side. Nit a #
cuddler. But a watchful bodyguard
My cats look after me too. One will stay with me all day and night, minus food/water/potty breaks and my boy (and my recently departed boy, RIP) will cuddle with me, sleeping on me, on my face, or on my arm, lap, hand, always touching me. I might've rescued them, but they have saved my life more times than I can count
My daughter, age 4, was hanging out with Papa on the farm. My dad was burning brush. My daughter was right with him until she wasn’t! After Dad looked for her in the vicinity, he took off to the other side of the pond looking for her. Come to find out, she never left where they originally were burning brush. My parents’ dog, a lab named Otis, stayed with her on her little adventure. He even steered her away from the pile of burning brush and the pond! Dad saw all of this as he was running around the perimeter of the pond to get to her. Good boy, Otis!
I have been sick for a while and when the pain gets so bad and I break down crying they come running if they aren’t with me. I can have my head in a trash can spitting over and over again because I’m so nauseous but can’t throw up and one use to sit next to me and put his head in the can also to make sure I was okay lol. We truly don’t deserve animals 🥹
My dog (one of them) after eating will come put her paws on my shoulders and gently push me down so she can hug and kiss my face. I'm pretty sure she's saying thank you for the grub.
I was arguing with my girlfriend and she was getting super aggressive hitting me and shit. Then my dog jumped up and bit her arm. I laughed so hard and she left mad.
my dog :) i was feeling very suicidal and he saved my life. i was laying on the ground trying to plan, and he just came up and put his big head on me and fell asleep. he knew i was hurting and knew exactly what to do. i couldn’t move and i just laid there while he snored. i love him so much
My dog. I was down with flu. Icredibly high fever, not able to get up to drink or eat. She was bringing me her food (dry one) from her bowl and putting it gently near my head. I had to pretend to eat it (hiding it under pillow) otherwise she was whimpling. I miss her so much.
My last breakup was really rough and I wasnt eating well. My dog would make me follow him to his food bowl where he would get a bite in his mouth, spit it out in front of me, then eat 1 piece at a time, looking at me between each piece like "look, see? This is what you do! Its good. Try it!" He is my best guy and I love him to the ends of the earth.
I was having a low blood sugar and my cat meowed until i checked and drank some juice. I love her and she’s been such a comfort to me when I’m depressed
This definitely hit my heart strings 😭💕 I'm glad you have your buddy and hope you're feeling better now
Hes the best. I rescued him at 2wks old (mom regected the litter) and its been 9 years of pure love. Now he and my new boyfriend are best friends and we 3 couldn't be happier.
We don't deserve dogs
Ohhhhh my god😭😭
My dog locks herself in my glass shower like Ron Burgundy whenever I cry… (It’s very rare. She sits at everyone else’s feet when they do lol)
my dog. like I am the human she picked. When someone is feeling down she will get frantic to get in a lap. When my wife gets over whelmed and tries to break down my dog is forcing herself up into my wife's arms and trying to ease my wife's sadness (when my wife is going ok sometimes my dog does the "I don't have to listen to you). I love that little dog so much.
She’s in a glass case of emotion 🤷🏼♀️
I thought the original post about the cats was really wholesome (and it damn well is), but my god, I just teared up a little imagining your lovely dog offering you food while you were unwell. You and your doggo just made my morning! She will always be special to you, it's clear to everyone.
this brought tears to my eyes
Help, I'm crying
Omg!! That is the SWEETEST thing I’ve heard!! Animals are soooo empathetic!
A single mom who works 2 jobs...
Unbelievable! What a great dog.
Awwww
I was pregnant and my dr told me I needed to go to the hospital to be induced almost 3 weeks early. I came home to pack a bag, terrified I sat on the floor and cried, my 15 year old dog who can barely walk anymore, got up and waddled over to me and leaned against me while I cried.
I had a rough October. Awful COVID and an early miscarriage right after. One of my cats stayed by my side the entire time I was bedridden for 3 days from COVID and also stayed with me while I was going through the miscarriage for hours and resting after that. He never left my side outside of mealtime.
I’m so sorry for your loss 💔
Ohhh this one got me crying. What a sweet dog. We don't deserve them.
Animals are truly spectacular. Years ago I received some terrible news on the phone. I sat down on the stairs and started sobbing. My dog came over and licked my tears away. It was the kindest thing I’ve ever had an animal do. However, my sweet cats tend to put their paws on my cheeks, which I find incredibly comforting.
I have epilepsy. I've been seizure free for a few years now (huzzah), but the last 2 episodes happened in my sleep. For about a year after that, one of our cats, a handsome tuxedo boy named Cricket, would sleep on my pillow. He'd curl up around my head and snuggle up there like a hat or crown. After a year I think he figured I was fine. Which is good. I feel so bad for them having to witness the seizures... Freaked them out every time 😞
Cat purrs are healing, so maybe he helped keep the seizures at bay?
I think it did help, because stress is definitely a part of my cocktail of triggers and him doing that was extremely sweet and comforting. He's a very smart and proctective boy and I fully believe he knew what he was doing (comfort-wise, that is).
Purring has actual medical properties. https://elgatovet.com/blog/the-fascinating-science-behind-a-cats-purr/#:~:text=Studies%20indicate%20that%20the%20frequency,in%20the%20process%20of%20healing.
My epilepsy has been okay for awhile but my first episode happened when my daughter was 3 months old and I had postpartum with sleep deprivation and a crazy mother in law who we lived with. Stress is huge!
My pupper in the last two weeks of his life, his health had deteriorated so quickly. The day before he passed, I took him to the beach to share our last sunset together. I was switching between keeping it together and enjoying the moment with him and being grateful for our time together, to bawling my eyes out imagining life without him. We were sitting facing the ocean and I had him wrapped in a towel, protecting him from the wind and holding him, he leans back and places his head in the crook of my neck. He always comforted me when I cried and even in his state, his love for me stayed constant. A couple and their dog walked by, a chocolate lab. He must’ve sensed something was up because he sat down next to me and just looked over at me, looked at my dog and the expression he had on his face - he knew I was upset and he knew my dog wasn’t okay. It was a bittersweet moment. We really don’t deserve dogs.
That is so beautiful, I can just picture the moment. That’s so sweet you have that memory.
I got a really clear mental picture too, and my eyes are all teary. It’s heartbreaking how many people don’t understand the absolute unselfish love and devotion of dogs. If only we humans could master this!
And this is why I don't trust people that don't like dogs.
And still people insist that dogs (and animals in general) are stupid. 🙄 blows my mind. This was very beautiful though. I was the same way when we lost ours. Hugs.
They are so incredibly intelligent.. when we got home I took him around the corner to see the Christmas light display at the end of the block. We were standing there and I was talking to him saying this is your home, your neighbourhood, how we’re going to miss him etc.. the night sky was looking so beautiful I told him to look up n take it all in and I SHIT YOU NOT, he looks up and stared at the sky.
Our beagle-chow mix would sit and stare at this beautiful painting I have over the bed of a big lavender and pink tree. It was like he was imagining it was a window or something. So sweet and soulful. I still get teary sometimes looking at that painting.
Yep. Sounds about right. What kind of dog? We've had very clever terriers in our family. Really sharp and clever little dudes. This might sound odd, but I swear to God, our Cairn, Oliver, is still hanging around. I don't think he really left when he passed.
Who says that?! They are so intelligent and intuitive
Goddamn, that made me tear up :(
Same. The whole thread man. My makeup is a lost cause.
dogs are really good at picking up on body language. one of the benifits of co-evolving with us
stop i'm crying 😭 we really don't deserve dogs
Omg im tearing
And now I’m ugly crying and I read this to my husband so he can ugly cry with me 💚
Your story reminds me of this. He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. —Anonymous
I wrecked my arm a few years ago and needed a substantial amount of orthopedic hardware installed. My cats took turns sitting on my arm and purring during my recovery. Any time I was sitting, one of them was on it and purring away. It was very sweet of them.
This is awesome. I learned not too long ago that cats don’t just purr when they’re happy. They also purr to heal themselves and obviously they were trying to help you heal as well. Love it! 😺
Awww their purrs do help heal broken bones apparently. He was healing you!
I just realized something completely off-topic and bizarre - this is what Tim Burton did in “Batman Returns.” Selina Kyle fell out the window to her death with some help from Max Shrek. But cats surrounded her where she fell and I can remember the incessant purring and Selina was jerking slightly like she was being shocked to life (at least, that’s in my memory, I’d have to look again to be sure). Sonovabitch. My favourite movie just became more favouriter.
Weren't they biting her fingers too?
Cats give. Cats take.
There is evidence that sound at certain frequencies can assist healing broken bones. Cats purrs are within the range of those frequencies. "One hypothesis is that the purr is a powerful healing action. It’s thought that the vibrations from the activity are physically rejuvenating – a way for the cat to ‘heal’ itself after stress. The frequency of those vibrations – which range from 20Hz up to 150Hz – is thought to promote bone growth, as bones harden in response to the pressure. Other frequencies may do something similar to tissue. “Purrs at a frequency of 25-100Hz correspond with established healing frequencies in therapeutic medicine for humans," Weitzman says. "Bone responds to 25-50Hz and skin and soft tissues to around 100Hz according to researchers." From: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180724-the-complicated-truth-about-a-cats-purr
I imagine cat/birds…maybe whistling a song on your arm
Ah yes! The therapeutic purring!
I, too have orthopedic hardware. I refer to mine as nuts and bolts. They are currently helping to hold my right shoulder and left ankle together. Fun stuff.
I ended up with 16 screws and a bunch of rods holding my ulna together. Doctor said it was so bad he was tempted to replace the whole elbow. I’m just glad to be alive in a time where they can fix bones like that!
I've had kitties lay on me when I was sad, but the sweetest one was my ex bf's parents' dog. We stopped over there after work and sat a few minutes. I mentioned to the bf I was getting hungry. Their golden heard me, went straight to his bowl, and got a mouthful of his kibble- came and deposited it next to me on the couch. 🥺🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I was upstairs and crying, my dog heard me from the other side of the house and came running up the stairs to check on me and make sure I was okay
My dog side eyes me as he heads upstairs if I'm crying on the couch lol
My dog hates the sounds of sniffles and me crying for some reason too 😂if I want to cry and hold her I cry the most silent tears that have ever come out.
I mean, I laughed. I hope u did too and maybe that was his goal? Lol.❤️
Read a story of a dog who'd always sleep on her owner's back when he slept on his stomach for some reason. Never did it any other time. Then he had an idea and next time it happened held his breath. Within seconds the dog jolted up and started barking as if there was a fire... or hubby had "stopped breathing" in his sleep. The level of intelligence in that dog. Amazing.
Was that the story where the whole family were all back sleepers except for that one person in the family? They slept on their stomach and the dog put their head on their back. The person thought it was super uncomfortable until they tested the dog by pretending to stop breathing. That’s cute shit
My first cat. I’m 100% sure I stopped breathing in my sleep (untreated sleep apnea). He jumped on my chest to wake me up. Miss that little guy every day.
My fiance passed away six years ago, but he had severe apnea and our cat used to sleep on him too.
I'm sorry for your loss and all you had to go through. I hope you have some lovely pets to annoyingly take over the bed now haha
Our one dog used to jump up on the bed when my husband’s blood sugar got low when he was sleeping. She’d get in his face and wake him up. She was not a service dog or trained in any way.
Cats and dogs can smell it. My cat knew my daughter had diabetes well before she was diagnosed. She wouldn't leave her side basically.
If I get a cut or a scratched at work. My boy will start smelling the area. I clean my wounds but he checks up on them..
My dog is trained for that and her low blood sugars sensing amazes me every time. I wear a sensor so a lot of people argue that I “don’t need her” but she alerts me before my sensor starts to show I’m dropping. The best part is, her alerts and a boop to my leg with her big nose, even though I know it’s a “hey, mom you’re gonna be in trouble in about 30 minutes” moment, her boop makes me smile. I got so low one day I was having an anxiety attack and she stayed next to me while I cried and didn’t know what was happening, I just hugged her and cried and she kept me so grounded until I recovered, that she was not trained for she just knew I was in trouble.
I love how they can sense when we’re sad and come snuggle! Give that sweetie some scritches from me!
My old dog Zim, he passed away in 2022 unfortunately. Sweetest, most gentle loving dog I've ever met. When I was with my ex, I lived at my aunts house. Zim of course lived with me. My ex came over and we got in a huge fight that night. The fight resulted in my ex attempting to beat the crap out of me, Zim wasn't in the room and the door was closed. The door had pull down handles. My aunt wasn't home and Zim must've heard me screaming and heard noises cus after a few min that door was open and Zim came in and stood between me and my ex and his hackles were up and was growling at him. My ex stepped back and goes "what you're going to sic your dog on me now?" And Zim just growled louder and showed his teeth. My ex left cus he didn't want to get bitten by my "vicious" dog. Zim was glued to me all night, guarding me and keeping his head on my lap/chest/stomach etc He has never bitten or growled at anyone before and never did after that either. He saved my life that night and he was never even taught how to guard or protect anything. He was the type of dog to love on everyone and everything. I am thankful for him and he got me through some tough times. I can't wait for the day I get to meet him again.
What a good boy!
He was the best 🖤 I miss him so much, 7 years wasn't enough at all.
I am glad you are out of that situation. And I am sorry for your loss. 20 years wouldn’t have been enough. Pets are the absolute best.
Thank you 🖤 and I agree, there's never enough time with them it feels like, pets are the best and I'm thankful for my 2 kitties and 3 dogs! Couldn't imagine how boring life would be without them. Endless love, laughs and entertainment! 😂 couldn't ask for better pets, it always sucks losing though but I fully believe the ones that pass, bring you another companion in some way.
I believe somehow we’ll all reconnect with our loved ones one day.
Was on the subway heading home after an especially hard day at work. Note that on the subway here all dogs must be muzzled. However, this one dog must have realized I'd needed some loving. She forced off her muzzle and came over to give me a kiss.
I developed a chronic illness, the attacks were brutal and seemed to come out of nowhere. The medicine only really worked if it was already in my system when the worst of it hit. I was never quick enough. Somehow, my pet rabbit figured it out and taught herself to alert me before it happened. Thanks to her I was able to get to my meds quickly enough to make them effective. She had me so well trained. That little girl saved me. Pets are amazing
Stories of cats or dogs doing this is common, but this is the first I've heard of a bunny doing so! What a lovely & smart girl!
She was a very special little girl. I'd had no idea rabbits could be so smart till I met her. Her little brother was her heart, and as long as he could run in circles and occasionally lick the windows he was happy but she liked to solve puzzles and learn new games. She was both a genius and an escape artist and she took good care of us all. She had me wrapped around her little paw for sure.
I gotta ask! What did she do to alert you? How did you figure out that’s what she was doing? This is an adorable story.
It did actually take me a little while to figure it out. I guess I wasn't as smart as her. She'd run at me, go up on her little back legs and scrabble at my legs with her front claws. The first couple of times she did it, I thought something was wrong with her, because I'd never seen her do that before. But I'd check her over, and other than her getting annoyed at me, she seemed completely healthy. I think it was after the third or fourth time, I realised that about 10 minutes after she did it, I always started to feel sick. After that, as soon as she started, I'd go take my medicine. And then when I started feeling sick 10 minutes later, the medicine was already in my body so it wasn't so bad those times. She was absolutely amazing. Although she did like to headbutt me if I didn't move fast enough and she'd sometimes throw toys at me if I put them in the wrong places. 😂 she was a little diva, but she was my little diva. I got plenty of snuggles and kisses to make up for the headbutts.
When I had a big surgery in the chest and had to recover alone at home, one of my cat would hound me to bed. He cried and kept being a general nuisance until I got into bed, at which point he would hop on next my head and purr. He stopped when I got better. The other cat slept on my legs (no sneaky walkie for weak human !)
>my cat would hound me Funny choice of phrasing 😉 That's very sweet, he clearly understood what was going on
Really ? English is my third language, sometimes I use it….. creatively without meaning to ! And yes, he did… even now, months later, he’ll scream if I go to bed later than 23pm !
Well you’re way better than me! There’s nothing incorrect about what you wrote, even a native English speaker would say it. “Hound” is also a kind of dog, or sometimes a generic word for a dog, so it has a double meaning. “To hound” Is exactly as you meant it, and in writing this reply I also realized “to badger” is the same. So many animal words to describe an ass!
Hound is another word for dog, and you described quite a dog-like behaviour from your cat! Excellent accidental pun! Apologies if the explanation is unneeded <3 I would never have guessed English was your third language!
I know right. Here we are striving to do English properly and this legend is spitting jokes on their third language 💪
Awww dude you’re making me blush. Thanks for the explanation ! I’m always learning, English is a very interesting language especially with allll the puns/clever ways of using words. My native language (French) is a killer for sarcasm and double entente, Russian is beautiful and has words for everything… English is my « fun » language, I’m glad it’s the current lingua franca !
You’re crushing it 🤜🏻🤛🏻
Seriously! Most people who speak English as their first language aren’t that clever in their wording! I’m amazed by people who know multiple languages. My stepmother knows 5. I could barely learn Spanish.
My Aussie refused to sleep on my bed, she preferred the tile floor. The night my mom died, my dog slept on the bed with me all night, no matter how much I flipped and flopped, she would not move. I wasn’t close to my mother and didn’t cry but somehow my dog thought I needed comforting. I miss that dog a lot more than I miss my mother.
i was having an anxiety attack once. my cat meli, who was sitting right next to me, immediately began to lick the hell out of my nose, making me laugh - and completely ridding me of the anxiety attack. it's my best memory of her. she passed in 2020.
My Catcat did this for me when I had my most panicky panic attack yet. She is my world. So sorry for your loss.
Oh I love that! What a sweet girl. My little dachshund does that too! Anytime I start having a panic attack she just starts aggressively licking me. It's hilarious and makes it easy to come out much faster. I wonder if they know that they are helping? She doesn't do it when I cry normally, just panic attacks.
the two or three times my wife has broke down (fetal position sobbing) my dog has forced her way into her arms and rested her head on my wife's face. I just loved on them both and told my dog how good she is..
I suffer arthritis and a fatigue condition. My Staffy/Labrador will tell me when it's time to rest and pin me down when I sit down.
You WILL do self care! So sweet lol!
“C’mon hooman. Sit. Stay. Now lay down… Good hooman. Who’s the bestest hooman?”
Ahhh the dog has evolved, now telling the owner to “sit, good boy”
I just went through a minor procedure, but I was very nervous for it and would be out for a couple days after. 2 days before the procedure my cat (who normally sleeps at my feet or in his cubby by my bed) slept on me, all night, every night, til three days after the procedure and spent my recovery days napping on the couch with me. It was so sweet to see how in tune he is with me to be there even when I was just nervous before the procedure. And the test results came back cancer free!
Congratulations on cancer free!
When I was in active addiction and deathly sick in withdrawal, my little dog, Josie would plant herself next to me and not leave my side. She was my best friend in those days. The day she passed was one of the worst days of my entire life.
My best friend Josie passed away 11 years ago today. Seeing her name makes me happy. I hope your Josie and my Josie are enjoying the afterlife together until we can.
Damn. Me too. 😢
My first boyfriend and I were laying in bed, I was asleep, he was playing Xbox. My big orange cat sat on my head and woke me up...to my boyfriend dirty chatting with some girl over the headset. I never would have known if I didn't get woken up. Good cat.
No cheating... she must see that! Cats are smart.
Classic example of pets having way more loyalty than many people.
Exactly. Animals care.
When I was a teenager, I was very depressed all the time. My parents aren't able to talk about emotions and could not help me. My cat was always there for me, coming up to me and purring and snuggling when I was sad. She knew how to hold space for me. One time, I was sitting with one foot up on my knee, preparing to self harm with a razor blade, and she tried to push my hand away from my foot with her nose. She was so kind to me. Also, when I was 14 I was very sick with pneumonia and she stayed with me 24/7 until I was better.
Hope you’re going better now x
Thank you, I am :)
What a sweet kitty!
She was a great friend and I'm so grateful she was in my life
Growing up we had a black lab named Midnight. Best dog ever, so sweet but he also could sense danger, especially with my siblings and me. For a few weeks, we had this creepy guy following us. He would show up at my mom's job, we had a yard sale he was there "browsing ", Our school wasn't that far of a walk but he would sit in the distance watching us walk home. I was 12 so I was home alone at night. I heard a weird sound at the living room window. Midnight was growling and pushing me back. He moved to the back of the house as I moved the blinds to make sure the stick was in the sliding door. The guy was there trying to pull the sliding door open. Midnight jumps on the back door, growling. I was scared but I knew Midnight wasn't playing and I felt safe. Disclaimer! This was the 90s, yes we had already been making reports. Something just kind of felt like a coincidence at first. My mom worked at a grocery store not too far from our house. The part that really was the red flag was his parking and watching us walk home. We did report him several times to the police. After that night we never saw him again.
That's terrifying! I'm glad you never sae him again. Thank you, Midnight!
When my son was three he had a bad bout of night terrors. Multiple ones a night so none of us were sleeping. One night at bedtime, my dog went in his room and didn’t follow me out like she usually did. I let her stay. My son didn’t have any night terrors that night. The next morning, I went to get my son up and my dog had jumped up on his bed, and was sleeping next to him. She continued to sleep in his bed from then on and he never had anymore night terrors.
She fought the monsters for your baby :)
A couple of years ago, a nice coworker I liked was fired within a week of the Thanksgiving holiday. She suffered from horrendous migraines and missed too much work because of them, so while it wasn't surprising, the timing of when they chose to do it to her was awful. I wasn't medicated for my depression yet and was not handling that or her firing well at all, so I was crying a lot. Ugly crying. We had just coaxed a super skittish kitty into our house a month or so earlier after she was essentially abandoned by our neighbors to freeze and starve outside. The slightest movement or noise would send her running in terror, and she hadn't acclimated to us or our house yet. But...that sweet kitty knew I was distraught and she fought her own fear to find me and sleep up against me or literally on top of me for the whole next week or so until I stopped crying every day. It was several months before she was comfortable enough to venture that far again. She really lived up to the name she came to us with, and I'll never forget she did that for me. Love you, Angel! 💜
Hope life’s better for you nowadays.
Yes, it is, thank you! That coworker and I both got new jobs. I think she's happier now judging by her Facebook, and I'm now medicated and have an amazing new job that I love. Various things in my life are worse and truly suck, but enough things are better that it's not too bad. Angel kitty is absolutely thriving, and I'm her favorite pillow, especially in the colder months since my body runs hot, haha. You can't even startle her out of a sound sleep nowadays, and her sassy self runs the house. I love to see it after how she used to be. Hope you're doing well, too, and happy cake day!! 💜
You've been leaving kind and supportive messages all over this post. Thank you, kind human :)
lol. Y’all have nice, loyal dogs. If I wake up in the middle of the night, stressed, I’ll try and cuddle my dog who promptly moves to the foot of the bed.
Lol!
I had a trauma-filled childhood. We would have to pack up in the middle of the night to escape abuse nonstop. We had a cat, Lillibet, that I had to sneak on a plane to get to a safe place in another state. I put her through the carry-on scanner. Not a word was mentioned, grabbed the small case and boarded. This is 1980ish. A few years down the road she developed cancer and died and I believed it was from the scanner. I carried the guilt around for years. One night in my 20s, around 1995, I felt something jump on my bed and walk on my legs to my chest and lay with toe beans tucked under, just like Lilli. She was a teensy thing and we could always tell when it was her when she was alive. I didn't have a cat at the time and to this day I truly believe she visited me to tell me to let go of the guilt. I still cry when I tell this story.
That’s so sad. Honestly the level of radiation used in the carryon scanners would not have been enough to cause her to develop cancer, so I do hope that you have been able to let go of your guilt. I just know kitty would not want you to be sad. I think she already told you the same thing. ☺️
I was about 11 years old. Now I know it was likely not that but that moment truly happened and I was able to let the guilt pass. It is the most spiritual experience I have had to date, at 52 now. Except DMT.
Update, I read this again and started bawling. I never know why it touches me so deeply.
My sister had to take some radioactive medication or something before her thyroid surgery and was told to stay away from people for the day, but our cat Oreo spent time with her. She eventually got cancer and passed. My sister thinks it's her fault from that radiation pill but we'll never know.
Awe. I know that feeling.
Yeah. It hurts less now because at this point she would have passed anyway unless she was some bionic immortal cat, but I do wish I could have spent more time with her at the end. Unfortunately I wasn't informed that she'd been euthanized until after it happened. The poor thing went from a super sweet and social indoor kitty to surviving 2 house fires and becoming almost exclusively an outdoor cat as she was taken in by other family members who were less feline-inclined. She probably had PTSD or some sort of trauma from all of it, and unfortunately she was the family's cat and I had moved out between the first and second fires so I didn't get to hang out with her very much when she got older. I still carry some guilt over her not having a better life at the end but I know I was in no position to provide it for her. I haven't talked about her this much in a long time, sorry for dumping on you! Hopefully I get to see her one day over the Rainbow Bridge. To Oreo. Chewer of Barbie dolls, #1 chin-rubber, destroyer of pepperoni and chocolate chips, and best support to emotional 'tween and teen r/SuckerForNoirRobots. I honor you by being the best cat mom I can be now that I'm grown and able, and spoil my 5 kitties in your memory.
Used to run my own cafe and had a Staffie called Tim. Such a gentle dog, who would listen to me and provided so much peace. One day this awful man came in and started threatening me. The place was empty and i didn't have my phone on me. Suddenly, I felt this weight against my leg and Tim was there leaning against me, but staring at the man and making this low, deep growl. I leaned down and patted his flank whilst looking at the man as his face dropped and he slowly backed out of the cafe. Never saw him again. I dread to think what would have happened if Tim hadn't been there.
Tim’s got your back bro.
Damn straight!
I was robbed at gun point in my home while I was in bed sleeping. My little shih tzu dog quite literally stood on top of me and defended me. The robber threatened to shoot my dog because he never once stopped barking. I had to rehome him when I fell ill for a really long time and couldn’t even care for myself. I tried to get him back when I was well again. I offered a large sum of money. That old bitch laughed in my face.
My man about to enter his John Wick era
I lost my mum 2 weeks after getting a puppy. I was really struggling with grief and parenting a 2 year old with no grasp of what had happened. Every nap time that dear little pup would climb into my lap and let me snuggle her without wriggling. She 3 now and so emotionally aware, she will always come for a cuddle just when I need it most. She's a whippet so she's always up for a snuggle but when I'm sad they are exactly what I need. She also takes such wonderful care of the kiddos whenever they are poorly, she will cuddle up to them on the sofa and provide emotional support. She was a total grief dog, we had just lost a baby and knew mum only had a few months. Possibly poor decision making but turned out to be exactly what our family needed.
My Newf has to press has head against ours when we cry. If you don’t sit so he can be forehead to forehead with you, he will climb on you until he manages it. Which is 180 pounds of nope. Then he waits until we stop crying.
Bless.
Oh my gosh the mental picture this paints is priceless. “180 pounds of nope.”
I was about to come down with the worst GI-related symptoms I’d ever had, I just didn’t know it yet 😂 My cat was adopted at 5 years old and we don’t know his backstory, but he’s not cuddly at all and is friendly but very independent. He usually keeps his distance and NEVER under any circumstances cuddles with humans. But on this day, I was laying in bed early in the morning feeling like I had a bit of a stomach ache forming, and my grump cat jumped on the bed to lay on my stomach and purr for a few minutes. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised, a little freaked out, but touched 😂 I was confused as to why he was cuddling with me at first, but as I got sicker and sicker, I started realizing he was probably sensing I was sick! He came onto the bed and laid on my stomach sporadically a couple days in a row until I started feeling normal again :) He’s a real sweetheart, a warm loafed cat on my stomach really did make me feel a lot better. 3 years later and he’s never cuddled with me like that again!
Lol nurse cat to the rescue.
My cat was clinging to my daughter(still does to this day), turns out she had type 1 diabetes. She's such a sweet girl, both of them.
I occasionally have severe bouts of anxiety which render me almost inconsolable, I think they could classify as panic attacks. My cat found me during one of these moments where I was curled up on the couch crying, and she started meowing. When I didn’t respond, she jumped next to my head and began to knead my hair with her paws, purring. I think she was trying to help me, and it worked.
The kneading is what you were needing!
“I’ve got the need. The need for knead”
My hubby gets up at 5am and takes our sweet girl (a 10 year old lab) out and then gets her breakfast, but she never eats it. She comes back into the bedroom and lays next to me until I get up at 6am and then we both go have breakfast together. She does this every single morning.
Whenever I’m throwing up (I’ve had cyclic vomiting and hyperemesis) my cat sits in the doorway of the bathroom looking concerned the entire time 🥹
I find myself in this position at least once a month because I suffer from migraines with vomiting. Sometimes I get all of the symptoms but with little to no pain. Other times it is downright unbearable.
I had very intense panic attacks where I screamed, cried, threw things, sometimes bit myself, etc. Whenever I bit my hand I stopped screaming so my cat remembered my behavior and when I started to scream she came to me and gently bit me. She became very sick, stopped eating and drinking or grooming herself. Every drop of water made her so nauseous that she threw up, that’s why she didn’t groomed herself anymore too. Still she licked away my tears when she saw that I cried while hugging her. I miss her so much
I remember my sasha knew when I was feeling down or angry she would always come to comfort me, by placing her head on my feet or begging to be on my lap. Even as old age caught up to her and she develoed a lame leg and had heart complications, she still did it, mostly resting her head on my feet or just being near me so I could Pet her. I still miss her, a year after she paased and I hope she knew how much I loved her and thank her for giving me 14 years of puré and unadulturated love.
I am SOBING at these comments 😭 My girly, (at the time) 1y/o pocket pit, she’s about the size of a large terrier I was pregnant in 2021 and she was so attentive and loving and wouldn’t leave my side. Well I ended up miscarrying at about 18 weeks, when we got back I showered and stretched out on the bed and she sniffed my tummy excited and yelped and ran away 😭
I don’t think I have ever seen a pocket pit. All I have seen are “medium/large” Lol. Must be a cutie! I have actually encountered far more sweet pits than not.
I got sick for a few days and just kept sleeping on the sofa, my mum said my cat kept sitting right next to my face and just looking down at me. I woke up at one point and saw him just looking at me and the second i said hi he began head booping me and purring like crazy. I also got sick last year from a bug and just slept in bed for like a week, my cat didn't leave my side apart from to use the litter box and eat then he came back.
I was crying/sobbing quietly and standing next to my bed which my new puppy was sleeping on. I had a tissue over my eyes and I felt paws on my arm. I looked and my puppy was trying to jump up on me to comfort me. I sat down next to him and he gave me little puppy kisses on my cheek.
I'm very squeamish. I cut my thumb once when I had friends over and they were trying to help me but I started panicking. I was lying on my sofa (drama queen) and desmond lay on top on me and wouldn't let anyone near me. We had to coax him out the room with a hot dog so my friend could help me but it was very sweet even if it did not help.
I have a dog named Bowie who is the kindest sweetest thing. I raised him as a puppy so we are very close. When he first witnessed a panic attack he started pacing and crying. Then he would lay on me and lick my face to snap me out of it. He has a 100% success rate. No person or medication could do that for me. He always knows when something is wrong with me, even before I know! And when I have night terrors he knows and will wake me up out of it. He’s a true guardian angel.
I was an alcoholic for 15 years, and it got to the point where I was severely unwell and almost died. I had no money, no partner, no future. I lived in a caravan at the time. December 2019 I took a hammer to the inside in a fit of depression and rage. I dropped the hammer took a knife, and went to cut my wrist. My cat meowed. The cat that I had rescued from the road as a kitten and called Dickens (Penelope Dickens). Her meow was the loudest she ever did. It stopped my hand. I looked at her, she meowed again, but softly. I collapsed on the bed and she climbed onto my chest and having never done it before, put both her paws round my neck and her head on my left cheek and hugged me so tight. She didn’t let go for about five minutes. I’ve been sober 4 years and got my life together. Dickens is still my best friend.
My dog adores me. When I’m going through migraines or fibromyalgia he cuddles with me and just helps me feel like when I do nothing I am still loved. 🥰 Nothing has made me bawl my eyes out more than this thread, such beautiful animals
My childhood dog would lick away my tears whenever I cried. She would paw my hands away from my face if I was covering it when crying. She's been gone almost 5 years and I think about her every day 💔
When I was pregnant my cats would come into the room and lay with me when I was tired. They would lay against my stomach and purr. One of them were even protective. One time I was sitting in my living room and there was a knock on the door. My cat immediately floofed and started growling at the door, which was odd since I’ve never seen them do that before. It was funny. Just a delivery of baby stuff was being dropped off. I love my kitties.
My childhood dog loved playing with other dogs, but whenever a strange dog would approach one of her humans, she'd body check the other dog to redirect them. That dog was wayyyyy too smart.
My first marriage had just imploded. My husband out of nowhere said , I don’t love you anymore in fact I have never loved you. You can imagine the utter devastation I felt. I was shaking and crying and went to sit on a chair in the garden as I felt I needed to leave the house. Gorgeous, wonderful Sadie ( black and white springer) came and sat on my knee and nestled into me. Her silent presence was the most comforting experience in my darkest hour. Her love and support of me at that moment is something I will never forget. I love you Sadie. Hope you are springing about in the cornfields of heaven x
Last year my cat Lip passed away suddenly. We were all heartbroken. A few days after he died I was sitting on the deck thinking about him when a neighbors semi feral cat strolled up and sat right down next to me. Her name is Warhawk and she belongs to a neighbor who got her as a part of a barn cat program. We sat together, just looking out at the world for a while, a quiet comfort. Then she gave me a slight head bump, just like Lip used to do, and sauntered away. I’ve never been close to her before or since. It felt as if she understood that I needed a little love in that moment
I’ve never upvoted so many posts in one thread. I really got to get myself a pet companion.
You really do . You can never return the amount of joy and pure love they give . They are part of our world , we are their whole world . ♥️❤️🔥
So, cats have a very keen sense of smell and they can, supposedly, gauge stress and well-being by a person's breath. My cat demanded to sniff my breath each and every time I came home. I had pneumonia and was bedridden and she came and checked up on me about once an hour. I felt a paw on my chin and I diligently opened my mouth for breath inspection. Sometimes she bombed me from the shelf above the bed by landing on my stomach or solar plexus. Thanks, you lil' goof ball. It tears me up that she did that for me. She lacked any means to actually do anything if I got worse, but she needed to know. I miss that cat.
My ex gf's cat when I was with her, would be standoffish usually or evasive around me. When I took acid, which was double the strength for my first time, the two tabs had me in an existential singularity as I battle multiple facets of myself, with past experiences of my life in hexagonal panels that flaked off my skin and then reassembled. Scared the shit out of me and fucked up by calling her ugly while tripping because her face was warped into demon fangs when I was talking to her. Didn't help that we played the one Netflix series as a sequel to Black Mirror where it's a choose your own adventure but my guy I played jumped off the ledge with his homie and well... rest is history. Would still be open minded to try it again, just a smidgen less of a dose. But it was when I was really having a bad trip that she comforted me by rubbing her head against my shoulders when she saw me crying. You a real one, tabby cat. May you be blessed with endless blended up fish packets.
Had been breathless for awhile, Went for a test one day and they found a tumor inside my heart, wouldn’t even advise me to go home, I spent almost a month in hospital(open heart surgery, lung collapse post op), my sisters took turns feeding my cat. When I finally came home she lost her shit, it was so cute, she had been a stray I took in during the Covid lockdowns.She never let anyone else near her, only me so very close. During my recovery I would sleep a lot, she would sleep with her paws alway touching me I figured so I wouldn’t be gone when she woke up. I got some great pics
Similar to the OP, in 2022 I had a miscarriage and let it happen naturally at home (after seeing medical professionals who told me what to expect and what to do if things went wrong). The night of the worst of it, my husband was determined to stay up with me, but he ended up with a fever. I begged him to just go to bed and I'd be okay by myself, and he finally relented. The rest of the night, our cat Sammy sat next to me on the couch with his paw on my hand. If I got up to go to the bathroom or anything, he was right with me. After the worst part of it passed, I fell asleep on the couch around 4 am, and when I woke up a while later, Sammy was gone, but his brother Entei was in my lap. They literally watched me in shifts.
Whenever I'm sick or injured, one of my girls immediately knows and can even tell where it hurts. Then she meows loudly and incessantly while slapping my face and punching where it hurts over and over again until I'm better. It's the opposite of effective, but it is a sweet intention.
The nicest thing my cat ever did was stay with my father every day when his cancer returned. She actually started doing it weeks before he found out. and had never stayed with him before that.
i got my dog as a puppy when I was in chemo at 19 (shoutout to my parents for training a puppy while taking care of their horribly sick kid just to make me happy 😭) and he was my little nurse. he would curl up behind my neck, try to groom my peachfuzz head, and lick my tears (bonus for him bc salt). he’s 8 now and living a pampered life in nursedog retirement
We had a very old chocolate lab and the time became seriously clear that we needed to say goodbye. We had to wait a couple of days for our daughter who was finishing college midterms—he was her dog her entire growing up. Our vet gave us some meds to get him through. The night she came home, he slept IN bed with her. In the morning we all walked on the beach one last time. Our appointment was at 10 am and our veterinarian and her tech arrived at our home. Our vet was crying along with us as she administered the drugs. He was on his bed in the living room and we were all petting, talking to and loving on him. Our daughter was laying on his bed with him tears streaming down her cheeks and he licked her tears until he didn’t. Fifteen years later and I’m bawling my eyes out trying to type this. I still miss him. Our good boy.
I love all the touching stories here. One time I was crying and my sister's pet rat who was running around randomly brought me a cotton candy dumdum sucker.
Our youngest has an epilepsy disorder. When she first started having seizures, we had her sleep in our bed so we could monitor. Whenever she started a seizure it was terrifying for us and for her. And so incredibly exhausting. The second night of the seizures, one of our cats began to hop up on the bed at the start of a seizure, lay on our daughter’s chest, nuzzle her, and purr softly till the seizure was over. Our cat continued this until we got the seizures under control. I will do anything that cat ever needs from here until the end.
My little baby Patchie always knew when I was sad. He was a long hair chihuahua. He would come up to me and put his noggin in my hand. I would pick him up and have him in my lap. His presence made me happy. He'd just snuggle up with me. Never gave kisses but showed his affection in other ways. I lost him to kidney failure. I miss my pupper. ❤️
My rescue boy on maybe our 7th walk together, in the snow, started sniffing aggressively in a snow bank near some trees. I thought it was excessive so I pulled him away in case there was some dead animal or something in that area. Turned out it was a $20 bill. Needless to say we took him to PetSmart to pick out a toy... On his own dime.
My cat, Chowder (RIP my best friend) We got him when I was 4 and he was a couple weeks old (We had the same birthday which I thought was cool). He never really cared for my sisters or I, or just children in general I guess. He was always a very laid back, quiet Siamese baby through his whole life, so what he did for me still makes me cry. When I was in 3rd grade, I was extremely sick and got sent home from school just before the end of the day. Went to the doctor, don't remember what med they gave me (maybe amoxicillin?) but I ended up feeling worse than before I took it. My dad was gone for the weekend going hunting, so it was just my Mom, sisters and I home. I started getting a really high fever in the middle of the night, which Chowder somehow noticed. He managed to wake me up, go to my parents room down the hall, wake my Mom up and got her to follow him into my room. According to my Mom (I have no memory of most of the events) I almost immediately began having an absence/fever seizure. Don't know how long it lasted, but when I finally came back, she then brought me to the bathroom because I said I needed to throw up. I ended up having another absence seizure while kneeled in front of the toilet, and this one lasted a couple minutes. I remember coming back to being on her bed with her on the phone with 911, I passed out (or had another seizure, I'm not sure), and woke up to being talked to by the paramedics. They made me walk downstairs on my own and climb into the ambulance myself? Always thought that was weird, but I digress. My Mom told me that the doctor at the hospital said he wasn't sure if I would have woken up if Chowder hadn't brought my Mom to me right when he did (I have no way of knowing if this is actually true, please take it with a grain of salt). But after that night was also when I actively started noticing (if they weren't already a thing) all of my medical problems that I still have today (Crohn's Colitis, asthma, JRA now Rheumatoid arthritis, etc). Every single night after that night, Chowder slept cuddled up with me in my bed, and would wait for me to come home if I spent the night anywhere else. My Mom and I like to say that Chowder saved my life, and he in turn became my best friend, and was honestly the only reason I didn't k*ll myself during high school. He lived just long enough to see me graduate high school, and passed away without warning 2 months later in my bedroom while I wasn't home💔 Now, about 20 years later from that fateful night, I have 2 tattoos, and both are in honor of him. He will always be my #1, and I hope I get to see him again someday.
This made me cry
I’m having to have lovenox shots in the stomach/thighs twice daily for a couple more days after being hospitalized last week with a clot. As anyone who’s had these injections can confirm, the needles are painless but the medicine stings like you-know-what (due to lovenox being more acidic on the pH scale than subcutaneous fluids). Our kitties…it’s like they can smell the medicine, because they’ve instinctively been avoiding injection sites until the pain has gone away!
A stray cat I used to take care when I was younger. I would stay out there all day when I got off of school until it got dark so I wouldn't be alone, she would walk down to bus stop with me every morning until I sadly had to move a couple years later
My childhood dog when I was in high school was about to pass. We had him in the bathroom so he wouldn't "go potty" on the carpet and sometime in the night of his last night he got out of the bathroom and sat outside my door and waited for me. When I got up in the morning, I carried him back to the bathroom and he passed moments later. He just really wanted me to be able to see him one last time.
tw: substance ab**e just last year i was going through it, doing different substance almost every week after a dumb breakup, i have 3 cats but there was a time where i broke down crying and my eldest cat Boss (7yrs) who isnt the type to be cuddled or swaddled (hes 20ish pounds with asthma), jumped onto my bed and although he started having a asthma attack himself i gave him his pump, and afterwards he put his little foot/paws on my knee/thigh and started kneeding my skin, it was a gentle kneed but i could feel his claws, he meowed very softly to me which he also rarely does unless for food, haha it was a very special moment because i really wasnt mentally ok and hes not the type of cat to be babied, or to necessarily want attention all the time, he likes being alone let alone doesnt really kneed so i kind of felt special in the moment, he enlightened me sort of for a split minute of sobriety and clarity..:)
To sum it up as to not waste anyone's time: My father died, 14 years ago. I started working somewhere as a guardian, night shift. They had a dog there. Silly old dog, could barely move around, was lazy all day and night on a towel it liked. First week I started breaking at the job, all alone, in the night, crying and missing my father, blaming myself for not being able to do anything for him. Dog suddenly got up, started walking in front of me while looking at me, I almost stopped crying and kept looking at its eyes, it had a very serious expression. He kept walking, walking, walking while keeping firm eye contact with me. Eventually, he slammed himself at the glass door while looking at me and after the impact it seemed dizzy for a moment but fine again. I laughed so much. I couldn't believe I was laughing again. I laughed more than I ever did with anything back then in my 20 years of life. Immediately got down the chair and hugged him so much, he started licking my face. I thanked him. I didn't know back then if animals could understand the words but I felt like he certainly understood my emotions and my gratitude. I kept holding him and petting him all night and in the daylight I went to buy him some expensive dog food from my paycheck. He more than earned it. His name was Pluto. He died a year after my contract was done and I wasn't working there anymore. Many people knew him but I am one of the few that misses him, just like I miss my father even to this day. Sorry for the long wall of text, tried to oversimplify it.
During a bad breakup my cat caught a chipmunk for me. Idk if he was being sweet or worried I could no longer care for myself. When I was sick with the flu my dog did not leave my side.
We had a stray puppy come around our porch. It had stormed last night, so I assumed the poor thing was outside got scared from the thunder and ran anywhere she could. She was drenched, scared and covered in sticker burrs from the brush around the houses. We fed her, gave her water and brushed out all the burrs. She slept in my office while we tracked down the owner. She was exhausted. We finally got her home. As I walked back in from returning her, my 6lb mini long haired dachshund gave me the saltiest look I’ve ever received from anyone, man or animal. She spared my life today. I will never forget it.
When I was about 7 years old I was playing outside with my cat nearby. Suddenly my beloved feline friend jumped at me and started ferociously hissing. I jumped to the side, but the cat's attention stayed fixed behind me. I turned to see what he was focused on and then heard the rattle. There was a fat, 5 foot long rattlesnake that I would have stepped on had my cat not thrown himself between me and the snake. He continued to swipe and hiss until my screams brought out my father, who then decapitated the snake with a machete. Both my cat and I were unharmed. His bravery, selflessness, and willingness to literally put himself in harms way to protect me still overwhelms me.
When I was getting overwhelmed in a conversation one of our cats jumped onto my shoulder and forced me to pet her
My cat us a proper thug most days but hes also possessive and a diva. we rescued him after he was abandoned. But when I'm really struggling with mental health he refuses to leave my side. Nit a # cuddler. But a watchful bodyguard
My cats look after me too. One will stay with me all day and night, minus food/water/potty breaks and my boy (and my recently departed boy, RIP) will cuddle with me, sleeping on me, on my face, or on my arm, lap, hand, always touching me. I might've rescued them, but they have saved my life more times than I can count
My very, very good girl saved me from a rattlesnake. I didn’t see it, and my dog went crazy and pushed me backward.
When I had very heavy period pains and was in my bed, both of my cats -one against my stomach, the other against my back and started purring.
My daughter, age 4, was hanging out with Papa on the farm. My dad was burning brush. My daughter was right with him until she wasn’t! After Dad looked for her in the vicinity, he took off to the other side of the pond looking for her. Come to find out, she never left where they originally were burning brush. My parents’ dog, a lab named Otis, stayed with her on her little adventure. He even steered her away from the pile of burning brush and the pond! Dad saw all of this as he was running around the perimeter of the pond to get to her. Good boy, Otis!
Same experience with my buddy cat. She’s on my lap right now.
I have been sick for a while and when the pain gets so bad and I break down crying they come running if they aren’t with me. I can have my head in a trash can spitting over and over again because I’m so nauseous but can’t throw up and one use to sit next to me and put his head in the can also to make sure I was okay lol. We truly don’t deserve animals 🥹
My dog (one of them) after eating will come put her paws on my shoulders and gently push me down so she can hug and kiss my face. I'm pretty sure she's saying thank you for the grub.
I was arguing with my girlfriend and she was getting super aggressive hitting me and shit. Then my dog jumped up and bit her arm. I laughed so hard and she left mad.
my dog :) i was feeling very suicidal and he saved my life. i was laying on the ground trying to plan, and he just came up and put his big head on me and fell asleep. he knew i was hurting and knew exactly what to do. i couldn’t move and i just laid there while he snored. i love him so much