does my cat know I’m suicidal?

[loslassen]

this is a genuine question.

I've had my cat since I was 7 years old, she saw me grow up and I fought so hard to keep her when my mom was giving away all our cats a couple years ago, thanks to that she's still here with me and now I live with my dad. Either way she's old now, but she's shown no illness or bad health signs, she's just fat and inflamed which I am concerned about but I can't afford a proper diet for her. Either way she runs around, grooms herself, drinks lots of water and poops properly, all good signs of a healthy pet, she's never been affectionate though, in fact she hates being held and will rarely snuggle, she only lays down next to my chest at times but usually lays and sleeps with me through the night next to my legs or butt or back.

my first suicidal thoughts appeared when I was 11, then they didn't develop into actual ideation until November 2022, and in the past 5 months I've actually had genuine planning and intent. Since the middle of last year my cat has been much more interested in being near me, she has to be in the same room as me at all times, and will often sit and lay on my desk next to my workspace, she follows me downstairs whenever I go get food even if she doesn't want to get food herself. I was paranoid it's because she's getting older and might die soon, but she looks fairly healthy and she's not super old yet, she hasn't developed blindness or deafness, she's years away from actually looking senile. In the past 2 months she's been extremely attached to me, and my sister tells me she will cry by the door when I leave the house.

shes's seen me attempt twice, but never came too close to me.

so the question runs down, does my cat know I'm suicidal? Does she sense my intentions? Is she intelligent enough to tell? Does she know I'm the one soon to die?

 

[greebo6]

Its often said animals have a kind of 'sixth sense' about stuff like that.
Don't leave your cat , she loves you.

 

[OnceThougtTwiceDone]

Wait, so how much time was it before it turned to ideation?

 

[willitpass]

I don't know about being suicidal itself, but animals can sense when something is off. I've been in a very bad state lately and my cat has been cuddlier than ever. She is always in the same room with me, but as of the last week she has started coming up and curling up in my arms whenever she gets the chance. She's not usually one to sleep on me, just next to me. She knows something is up, I'm not sure I would say she knows I'm suicidal though. But she can smell the stress hormones that I'm releasing that humans can't smell. She can probably sense the changes in my blood pressure and such. She knows something.

 

[loslassen]

Wait, so how much time was it before it turned to ideation?

about 6 years, from when I was 11 to when I was 17, I'm 18 now

 

[OnceThougtTwiceDone]

about 6 years, from when I was 11 to when I was 17, I'm 18 now

Okay, just checking.

Also probably not, I don't think cat society is developed enough to understand the concept of suicide.

 

[Pluto]

 

[Throwawayacc3]

Okay, just checking.

Also probably not, I don't think cat society is developed enough to understand the concept of suicide.

I think you need to check this further. Being in this state you'll be more stressed, lower mood, feeling down, etc. a lot of this will have severe chemical imbalances for both your brain and your body. Why does this matter?

Cats and dogs may have a "sixth sense" but it's actually their sense of smell smelling the imbalance in you and understanding that it's not correct. I have a German pointer and since my partner left she's been way more inclined to stay with me most of the day (she's a hunting dog and generally likes to be with me at night and in her bed during the day).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518869/

Dogs especially can determine what's going on with a person mentally/psycologically way earlier than any other human can (they just can't talk to us and explain it).

Dogs/cats have been shown to know when your period has started (or is), pregnancy, depression, stressed - and there are other studies but they all boil down to the same conclusion - it's not a "sixth sense" but they KNOW what's going on.

Edit: it's up to you but please don't leave your cat alone. I don't care about people and how they treat me but cats and dogs are not the same as people.