We adopted Binky and Wingnut together. Wingnut was around three months old at the time. We’d gone to the pet store (this was a local shop that partnered with a no-kill shelter for adoption events) looking for a kitten. Or at least a young cat. I figured between three months and two years, give or take. And the event had a good handful of kittens, but their rule was that you could only adopt a kitten if you also took an adult cat.
No big deal. We found Binky and immediately fell in love with him.
Binky and Wingnut were together for twelve years. Every day (except the night Binky spent at the vet after his tooth extraction and the almost two weeks Wingnut spent at the vet after all of his surgeries for his UTIs.
The last week or so before we lost Binky, he and Wingnut spent a fair bit of time together. Whether that was because Wingnut knew what was happening or because Binky was giving off a vibe… I don’t know.
They were close when they were younger, but after Wingnut’s surgeries…he was always a little touched in the head, and the two of them weren’t glued to one another’s sides any longer.
But the last couple of weeks, I thought Wingnut knew. And now that Binky’s gone, he’s grieving too. He’s never been the most vocal cat. A lot of silent meows when he wants food, but that’s about it.
Since we lost Binky, he walks around the house just yowling.
I had to know. So I played a video of Binky for him. Wingnut was in another room, and when he heard Binky meow on the video, he came running with a look…it broke my heart.
So yes. Cats can grieve.
Wingnut was always our middle child. The quiet one. The one who never acted up (unless he decided to pee on something, which happened from time to time). Now, he’s the oldest. I don’t think he has any idea what to do or how to be.