# re: Will cats eat their owners after the latter die? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 2, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289 "2001-06-02T02:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/1 "2001-06-02T02:38:41Z")
…you can see another fictionalized account of this in an X-Files Episode. In the episode: Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose (Clyde Bruckman is played by Peter Boyle), Season 3 (available now, on DVD from Fox Home Video), Episode 4. … in this episode, a Pomeranian eats it’s elderly owner after she passes away. This dog must’ve been poorly fed however, because it only waited one day before digging in. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/2 "2001-06-02T16:28:48Z")
This is referring to the most recent Staff Report, «Will cats eat their owners after the latter die? (05-Jun-2001}» People that have signed up for the [Straight Dope mailing list](http://www.jokeaday.com/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=straightdope-list) receive advance notice for the Staff Reports. The latest one will be soon posted on the Straight Dope home page. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/3 "2001-06-02T17:38:29Z")
I don’t know if the link is intended to work before June 5 or not, but it does. [Will cats eat their owners after the latter die?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdepradation.html) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/4 "2001-06-02T21:56:38Z")
Occasionally pets don’t wait until you’re dead. [Poodle chews off lower lip of sleeping woman.](http://www.macontelegraph.com/content/macon/2001/06/01/local/DOGBITE0601HOMT.htm) > [@](#): > > Police determined the woman’s poodle chewed off her lip while she was in a drug-induced sleep. > > Although the woman’s family members believe an unknown chemical caused the injury, the woman admitted to police that she frequently allowed her 1-year-old poodle, “Shorty,” to lick her lips after she drank sweet tea. She also told them her dog had taken her false teeth out of her mouth several weeks earlier and chewed them up while she slept. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/5 "2001-06-03T22:37:43Z")
From the original question > [@](#): > > It went on to explain that house cats have a survival instinct that kicks in when their owners die, and they will eat parts of them in order to live because they cease to recognize their owners as people and more as a food source. In my experience, cats _always_look on the human who lives with them as a food source, either as a primary source or as a provider: the feline equivalent of “look, you can do this the easy way, or the hard way…” ---
**Author:** ![Pathros\_1983](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@Pathros\_1983](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pathros_1983)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/6 "2001-06-04T01:56:51Z")
Alright, sorry if this seems like im mocking what anyone already said, or if this was already addressed, but perhaps someone can dispel some of my questions. How would a cat know? simply instictual? or could I play dead and the cat would start nibbling at me? What about cats who are abused as it is? cats that are outdoor cats? or perhaps it was just one sick kitty who ate his owner? In any case, im making sure my cat has plenty of food for the night. eschew obfuscation. ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/7 "2001-06-04T05:49:07Z")
I am somewhat disappointed that no one bothered to comment on my shameless plug for the X-Files DVD ;o) But irregardless, to comment on the above comment, “How do they know?” (assuming that the question is, how do they know if you are really dead) Well, while not being an expert of any kind on animals or biology, I would assume, that a cat’s sense of smell, while probably inferior to that of a dog, is still greatly more sensitive than our own. And I would further presume that that fact alone would enable to tell if you were breathing. Of course, animals in general are not terribly bright, so if you were in a drug induced coma, your breath would be slow and shallow, and thereby fooling the animal that you were in fact dead and instead of playing opposum. And further more, once any creature is dead, they begin to decompose, another indicator that most animals would pick up on far quicker than the average human. (not to mention the lack of heat, ect.) After that, I would assume it’s mostly instinct and well… hunger. As for why cat’s are less loyal than dogs… well, that jest goes without saying don’t it? My opinion, keep 'em outdoors and let them eat the mice. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/8 "2001-06-04T15:47:48Z")
I think one of my cats _will_ eat me alive, if I don’t move fast enough. And every morning she licks my wife’s nose. My Wafe says it’s love, but I think the cat’s just checking to see if she’s _done_ yet. ---
**Author:** ![Polarbear158](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/848f3c/32.png) [@Polarbear158](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polarbear158)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/9 "2001-06-05T19:39:23Z")
I wonder if cows find it icky thet we eat them as soon as they are dead? With cats, that makes me wonder just who owns who. Maybe we’re just cattle of sorts and don’t realize it yet 😉 As for how cats know? I don’t know, but I do have an interesting tidbit. When my Dad was dying, his favorite cat slept in the bed with him nearly nonstop for three days. About 20 minutes before he died, the cat got up, got in a chair across the room and stared at him until he passed on. I thought his mopey behavior afterward was a kitty form of mourning, but maybe he’s disappointed at missing a delicacy. You never know… ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/10 "2001-06-05T20:30:30Z")
I consulted She Who Possesseth The Noble Kitty Tail, and after a simple rewording of the OP question was performed at her request (see Dictionary entry for “owner”) she deigned to reassure me that she would definitely wait until _AFTER_ I was dead before eating my body, unless of course I’d recently handled cheddar cheese or albacore in which case all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![deepstblu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@deepstblu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deepstblu)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/11 "2001-06-06T14:15:33Z")
Ok, it’s a dog instead of a cat, but how in the name of Nick Lowe can we let this subject go by without a mention of “Marie Provost” (actually Prevost)?: [http://www.jauko.nl/tot/tab/l/lowe\_nic/marie\_pr.htm](http://www.jauko.nl/tot/tab/l/lowe_nic/marie_pr.htm) She died on January 23rd, the same date as Charles Kingsley, an English clergyman whose most famous quotation appears to be “Young blood must have its course, lad, and every dog its day.” ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/12 "2001-06-06T17:38:39Z")
As to why cats dig in sooner. . . I’m told that dogs can be fed a vegetarian diet, but that cats cannot. If they require more animal protein to function, perhaps that’s why their hunger overcomes sentimentality faster. [sub]My cat is forcing me to type this apologist claptrap. She threatens to withold purring for a week, and to severely limit petting privileges.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![fbaggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@fbaggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fbaggins)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/13 "2001-06-08T16:37:44Z")
[http://www.baynet.net/~poser/issue5/cats.htm](http://www.baynet.net/~poser/issue5/cats.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/14 "2001-06-09T12:42:03Z")
Grossest thing I ever read about that actually happened: A woman left her newborn daughter and her dog that had not been fed in 4 days alone in her apartment. Enough said. She was convicted of negligent manslaughter. ---
**Author:** ![bagkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bagkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagkitty)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/15 "2001-06-15T03:26:12Z")
A slightly more than apocraphyl story about this: When at university, a friend’s father was visiting after having just returned from a training session with the FBI (the friend’s father was with the RCMP). Part of the course had to do with determining time of death on the basis of “animal interference with human remains”. What he related to us was, all things being equal, you could assume that the corpse had been dead at least 72 hours if a pet dog (belonging to the deceased) had “interfered” with the body, but that if a cat was present NO INFERENCE AS TO TIME OF DEATH could be made. Kitty would chow down as soon as it got hungry. What we took from this was that dogs were silly, sentimental slobber factories, and that cats, once again, proved they were more intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/16 "2001-06-16T05:28:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bagkitty \* > A slightly more than _apocraphyl_ story about this: I predict that typo will become very popular on the SDMB. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bagkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bagkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagkitty)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/17 "2001-06-18T10:44:26Z")
What can I say. I live in Alberta, we don’t have a department of Education, we have a department of Learning. Obviously, they didn’t learn me 2 good. _oh, the shame_ ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/18 "2001-06-19T06:50:00Z")
Not ashamed! I meant you have uncovered hidden meaning in the word by your accidental typo. You should be pleasantly surprised (as I was). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/19 "2001-06-20T05:23:16Z")
Of course, we still haven’t addressed the _real_ question here, yet. Namely: Will cats eat their owners after the _former_ die? ---
**Author:** ![boomvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@boomvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boomvark)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-will-cats-eat-their-owners-after-the-latter-die/67289/20 "2001-06-20T07:42:56Z")
The usual wake-up call around my house involves 3 cats chewing on my feet. I don’t think they’d wait for me to die; comatose would be close enough.