10 Heartbreaking Animal Mourning Rituals

My family once has a cat and her son. We had them a yr or so, and one morning one wasn't there for breakfast. I asked my daughter, "where`s Sachimi?". Her son looked at me, then went to the yard...and started meowing.....in a questioning way, like he was calling to her. Later on we heard a neighbor was catching cats, and getting rid of them, as the neighborhood cats started to disappear.

I know animals have feelings just like humans do. I have a dog that I got when she was 7 and a half weeks old and she is like a baby to me. She knows when Im hurting and when I don't feel good. I got really sick when I was 16 and she never left my side. I think that anyone who says animals don't have feelings has never owned a pet before.

We've seen this over and over again...dogs who help each other when they're hit by cars, squirrels that defend their dead friends against crows...you can't tell me that animals don't "get it...and to think that there are ******** out there who think it's ok to be cruel to them...beautiful and sad stories...

Humans VS Animals. I will take the Animals. People have to realize animals have souls also and feel pain and sorrow when a close friend or companion dies. I have 3 parrots and when I was upset when my sister passed away they felt my sorrow also and knew I was sad and they cried out like they were crying. I love my 3 parrots (all girls) and they know when im sad and hurt or upset.

We have rabbits and they have so much love, like dogs or any other creature they have feelings and all it takes is a little time and food and clean water and the reward last a lifetime, I remember my very first pet, cheers to all animal lovers!!

These are really beautiful posts. I've spent time on other boards debating over contentious issues, but this is a wonderful break from that.

At first blush, I thought it was spurious to attribute human emotions to a dolphin - of course there would be an instinct to carry the ailing infant to the surface so it didn't have to swim for air. But carrying the dead for days speaks to something more profound. Many social mammals exhibit mourning behavior. The gorilla Koko was despondent for months after the death of another gorilla named Michael, her companion for 24 years.

We had two cats that were litter mates. They both became very elderly for cats - 18 years. When one died apparently of a heart attack, I prepared the body to bury in our backyard. The surviving cat came up and smelled the body and let out the most God-horrible cry I had ever heard from her. I put her friend in the ground, splashed a little red wine on the top of the grave and thought nothing further The surviving cat then slept on and off for several months on top of the grave of her friend . It was very strange.

One of my dogs passed away recently..his buddy..another dog that had been with Oscar since day one..mourned..he stayed in his bed....for days would not leave it at night....and has been sad since. He misses his friend.

This made me burst into tears.