We have sometimes watched on television how animals will opt for the carcass of its kind when faced with the option of starving to death and the carcass of its own. The cat is naturally inclined to eat flesh, whether dead or alive.
So if you die living alone with your cat, you might just become its next meal. Of course, if it cannot find any other alternative. This begs the question, “will cats eat you?” The answer is yes, but it depends. Read on for a more in-depth analysis of the topic.
There are some reasons as to why you could become food for the cat when you die;
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If You Are A Recluse- Someone That Stays Alone
If you live alone with a cat, and you are a recluse, your cat may eat you when you die. Stories abound of people who were found to have been eaten by their cats after they died.
This happens in most cases when the neighbors fail to notice the absence of the occupant of the house on time. As a result, cats often have enough time feasting on their owners after death. Such cases are common after the cat has consumed the other food items available to it.
The Phenomenon Called ’Post-Mortem Animal Predation’
When you die and are alone with cats, the cat will only go on for two days without food before it feeds on your remains. This phenomenon is called the Post-mortem predation. Post-mortem animal-predation is the consumption of flesh and deeper tissues of a body after the death by an animal.
This is carried out by insects, birds or other predatory animals such as domesticated cats. Domestic house cats are highly skilled predators. They can hunt as effectively as their wild counterparts. So, whether domesticated or not, all cats have this post-mortem animal predation instinct. This alone goes to show that it is embedded in them to eat flesh.
Cats Will Not Kill You
Other big cats such as the lion, tiger, jaguar, etc. hunt and kill for food when hungry. The domesticated cat will not kill you even when it is hungry. But the cat will eventually feed on you when you die if it is hungry.
This is not to say it will eat humans if it had options, but if it runs out of options, it just might. Just to be clear, it will only eat you when you are dead. Whether the cat liked you or not is no longer a question when you die. She will start eating parts of the corpse until it eventually eats all.
Cats Are Not Loyal Pets
Research has shown that cats are not as loyal as other pets. As earlier said, if you trap a cat with the remains of the owner, she will desert it almost immediately the owner dies. That goes to show how disloyal she is as a pet. Having said that, there have been recorded cases that prove dogs could also feed on the remains of their owners. But dogs, unlike cats, wait a more extended period of time before descending on the remains of their owners if trapped in.
It is important to remember that any animal will do the same if you leave it without food for a long time. But when it comes to cats, the case is different. A cat’s waiting period can range from one day or two days tops, after which it will help itself to the human remains. Regardless of the love affair, you had with your feline friend before you died, she will feed on your body if that’s the only meal available.
Cats Are Obligate Carnivores (No Vegetable Or Fruits)
Obligate carnivores strictly eat meat. Cats are among animals that subsist mainly on a diet that consists of meat only.
What is obligate? By definition, obligate means to compel or constraint. By nature, obligate carnivores live on meat only. Examples of such animals include hawks, crocodilians, eagles, and cats of course. A cat is classified here as she cannot digest vegetable matter. A meat-only diet provides an obligate carnivore with vitamins and fatty acids in a preformed state.
These animals cannot make the amino acids that their bodies need. Amino acids are any organic compounds containing an amino and carboxyl group, which serve as a building block for proteins. And the amino acid that occurs in proteins is essential for the growth and healthy metabolism. So, we can infer that cats eating human flesh are something that’s pretty much in their DNA.
Unlike most mammals, cats have a different digestive system. Their digestive system is fashioned to eat raw flesh. Also, as compared to most mammals of their size, cats have the shortest digestive tract.
When there are no provisions for the future
Make provisions for the cat as you do with your other family members. Get a pet sitter ready, just in case. You can arrange with a pet sitter to check in every other day if you are gravely indisposed. So that in the event you die, before the pet sitter arrives the next day, your remains will still be intact. If at all the cat would have started feasting, you will still be recognized.
The cat sitter can also adopt the cat or take it to a pet store if you requested for that. This will ensure that the cat is in good care even after you are gone. You can also have friends or acquaintances check up on you regularly to monitor your health. Also, in the instance where you can no longer take care of the cat, they can help with that responsibility. This will prevent any instance of you not being able to feed the cat. The cat can result to eating your remains immediately you die if you always starved it even while you were alive.
Conclusion
Like other cats in the wild that feed on the flesh of rodents, birds, rabbits, etc. to survive, the domesticated cat is not left out.
However, the mere fact that we have domesticated the cat does not take away its natural instincts to eat any flesh it finds when hungry. And that includes the owner’s dead remains. To the cat, the dead body is just food.
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