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Strange - my cat's behaviour has changed this week...
Hi everyone - I thought I would post this topic under 'Interesting' not sure if anybody else has noticed their cat or dogs behaviour changing since diagnosis of BC. I was diagnosed last week, have been feeling very anxious. Day by day I have gradually noticed a change in my cat's behaviour, she has been sitting with me a lot more than usual and keeps looking at me as though analysing! The strangest occurence was tonight - she was sitting on the arm of the chair with me and started 'paw-ing' my arm then with her paw touched my sickly breast - how strange and fascinating is that! I feel she senses something is wrong. I was wondering if anything like that has happened to others?
Daysie x
Hi Daysie
yes I had this when I was first diagnosed. One of my cats, who refused to have any contact with me started to want to come and sit on my tummy, predominantly on my left side, the side of the cancer. At any opportunity he would try to do this. His need to be close to me hasn't diminished even 4 months after end of treatment.
I am with you in thinking that our animals are able to sense we are ill.
karen x
I have a tortoise in a vivarium in my computer room - his behaviour changed after my dx - if he saw me, he was marched straight up to the front of the vivarium and banged on the the glass for attention. He has calmed down now.
Animals are intuitive but I never thought a tortoise would fit into that category.
interesting, so the behaivoir changed once you knew it was cancer, not during the waiting for results? that is so wiered. I can see that animals would respond to sever mental stress. Perhaps you were so scarey with the worry before DX but then calmed down once you knew the result and it was releived that you were more relaxed.
dogs can be trained to detect cancer. here are two stories about it
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0112_060112_dog_cancer_2.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97979&page=1
Hi Old&lumpy
My cat's behaviour changed after diagnosis, I was more stressed before biopsy results. Thank you for the links I will read them in a few minutes.
Daysie
Had a new puppy feb 2010, was diagnosed april 2010, has always been a mammys boy,maybe he knew , hasn't left my side all through chemo , rads and only now he is starting to go and sit with my husband,but if i walk in the room he's straight over to me ,
My cat has always regarded me as her best cushion, and thinks anything that has me lying down as an opportunity to curl up on top of me and have her ears scratched, so she took advantage of all the lying down I did during chemo.
Our pets certainly pick up something of our emotions from body language, tone of voice, and probably things like changes of odour. With cats in particular, I wonder if small changes in temperature might have an effect.
Yes,my cat's behaviour has changed, but so has mine. I am sitting down more and not rushing around as much as I did before BC. i also have mpre reflective time to analyse their behaviour.
Having said that, my male cat who is usually out most of the time has taken to being indoors and sitting on the duvet on my lap.
Who can blame him!
I've always had cats and am convinced they pick up on our emotion and stress and find them a great comfort.
Mine too. I can't remember exactly when it started, but he climbs up to the bedroom window and taps on the window to be let in at night. Before I got BC it would be one or two nights a week, but it was almost every night from the time I was recalled. He's easing off now. I think its his response to my stress and need of comfort.
My husband has pointed out that he's a black cat and what does that make me?!
ps - in case anyone takes that the wrong way, he's implying I have witchlike tendencies. Well, a broomstick would be mighty handy
Funny I had almost forgotten about this! My son and his now wife have a collie dog who is only young,she was still a puppy last year when I was diagnosed and has a really lovely temperament.She started to whine every time she saw me and would not leave me alone, at the the time it caused some amusement but it got worse for a few weeks which was strange but we didn't think anything of it. Then I had my diagnoses and further down the road she is back to her sunny happy self around me? Did wonder if it was a long stretch that she may have known something wasn't right but now I think she knew. After reading some of your responses I am now convinced animals are so canny compared to us humans! love to all x
My dog always has taken every opportunity to sit on my lap and has been a great comfort during it all. Except for the day I had chemo, them he sat on anyone else's. Think if could smell it and didn't like it! Can't say I blame him! No change in the cat though. Pets are amazing.....
Fascinated to see this post as I had been wondering about posting on the same subject. I am newly diagnosed (lumpectomy tomorrow. I think my cats started behaving oddly before diagnosis. The female has always liked sitting on the back of the sofa behind me but for two or three months now she has been pawing at my left shoulder (LHS cancer) in a very irritating way. My male cat has always been a bit standoffish but now has taken to sitting beside me whenever he can. I wonder if they knew something before I did??
Hi Daysie
You may have a very sensitive cat who has picked up on your cancer like dogs apparantly can.
My cat's behaviour didn't change at my diagnosis but it certainly did when I had chemo. He is a very active, outdoor cat especially in the summer but when I had chemo he sat like a guard with me for the first (and worst) three days after every chemo session.
He only left my side if someone else came in the room to see me and then only to have something to eat and do his business. Then he was back. We called him my intensive care nurse. I love him more than ever now. Elinda x
I think animals are very intuitive with this kind of thing. I dont have pets myself but my dad and stepmum has two king charles spaniels, we visit them every sunday and the dogs normally come say hello then go back to their part of the sofa to sleep but since diagnosis they stay very close when we visit and one of them insists on curling up on the back of the sofa just behind my head so ive almost got a head cushion hehe
Also we have some good friends who we house/dog sit when they go away on holiday and often visit them. They had a german shepherd (has sadly passed away now) i had miscarriage early in the year and when i went round shortly after this he wouldnt leave my side but he normally says hello then bounds to the back door waiting for us to go out and throw his beloved ball for him.
Treatment had this effect for me. My cat was a kitten as such at dx ans I think he was brought up with it, but his mate is a clumsy great labrador homed in straight away. I couldn't touch for a few days after chemo. We think I must have smelt odd to them.
Hello
I'm so glad I caught this post, I was starting to think that I should look up Animal Behaviourists on yell.com.
I have a small, long haired female kitty who is pretty vocal normally, but for the past five/six months has been EXTREMELY demanding of attention, food, constantly wanting to sit on my lap or next to me on my left side, on my lap when I'm on the phone, computer or sleeping - it was really upsetting/stressful as she pretty much yelled all through Christmas & New Year with me having no idea why, even taking her to the vet to see if she was ill. At this point I had no idea of my diagnosis.
I was then diagnosed on 26/1/2012 with high grade DCIS of the left breast, my next appt is with the consultant to (I guess) to discuss the procedure, but since this date Molly has completely calmed down.
It's too coincidental!
Janice x
Hi there,
My dog Cassie has changed so much since my final diagnosis and when I returned from my parents at Christmas time. She has always been 'my' dog, she came to work with me in the gardens I worked in for 8 years, so we have always been together.
I can't go anywhere without her, she even follows me to the loo and sits and waits. I try and walk her as best I can and although I can see her dissapointment at such a short walk, she will always be on the look out for me when I have had enough and turns round to come bck home........The trouble is at nearly 10 she is becoming a bit of a porker, so she's on diet food lol.......
She's such a comfort to me, I luv her to bits. A friend asked what provision I have made for her in my will lol, it did make me laugh. I said she was the families dog and didn't expect much would change, perhaps I ought to specify that she must have a pigs ear every day for the rest of her life........Must call the solicitors
) 
)
Clare xxxx
When I was on chemo I'd often stay with my son. I couldn't keep his Rottweiller Bruce out of my bed. He'd nudge open the bedroom door, put his big nose under the duvet and worm his way in. His persistance deserved a medal and in the end I gave up and rolled over... when I'd wake up in the middle of the night he'd be beside me pretending to be asleep with one eye slyly half open. Each morning there we'd be - two heads on the pillow. As soon as I finished chemo he was back in his own bed and never tried to get into mine again!
Josie x
U know i was wondering if i was alone in this. i have several animals, dogs, goldfish and a bunny, more for the children than for me or so I thoight. Well My dog never used to come near me or my FIL well before getting officu=ially diagnosed he would come and sit next to me, rest his head on my lap and for my FIL too. we both got diagnosed with cancer within weeks of one another. I believe that animals are more in tune with us han we realise and that they know when we are ill. we must give off a smell or something. So glad that someone started this thread. Many people would laugh in the face of this idea
I've been discussing this thread with my husband who used to be a research scientist. He says that it's well known that some dogs can smell cancer - apparently our scent changes slightly. Perhaps cats can do the same.
Lilac
I've never been a sweaty person but had a very sweet sweaty smell on me for months before I was diagnosed. I couldn't get rid of it no matter how often I showered. I'd smelt it once before on a friend who had cervical cancer but didn't put two and two together. It went as soon as I had the lumpectomy, and to be honest I'd pants it if I ever smelt it again!
My female cat Mitzi has gradually since DX become my bestfriend, she gets into bed with me in the morning and likes to spoon with me, she also sniffs at my mx site as if she knows somethings not right, she runs away straight afterwards, her son Ted (see my profile pic) has not changed a bit, but he is a boy I think cause she's female she is extra intuitive she is definitely in tune with me she wont leave me alone, if she had her way she'd follow me to the loo. LOL. I so could not be without them, they are so important to me and I love them.
Sending you all love and light
sarahlousie xx
How strange. I have had a very wierd thing with my cat Patch. She has been very affectionate and also follows me everywhere, which is out of character for her as she has always been 'awkward'! I just thought she was getting old and soft (she's 18). She has been a bit under the weather last week so we took her to the vet where we found that she also has cancer. The outlook isnt good for her, but she is on steroids and we are giving her a really good diet so I am hoping she will be around for a while yet. It sort of felt like she is taking my cancer away from me. It feels odd to say that, but she is now my constant companion, lovely company and beautiful soft purry cuddles come my way constantly!!
Joan xx
My little Dachshund dog knew that there was something different going on but didn't like to come near me when I had just had my Chemo. he used to have a very strange look on his face as if he was really worried. The rest of the time he didn't leave my side. Sadly he died in April but he was a very special little dog and went through it all with me.