Wholesome Anecdotes of Caring Cats Working in Shifts to Tend to Their Sick Hoomans

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kalila courban
Feb 11, 2024 12:00 PM EST

Cats are the sweetest little creatures we humans could ever be so blessed to call our pets and four-legged friends. Today we will be shining our famous ICanHasCheezburger spotlight on a beautiful and wholesome thread that started by one person asking if it is a thing for cats to 'take shifts' to care for their sick humans, and the results were an abundant show of feline goodness. 

The original poster of this thread describes a scenario in which their two cats have been taking turns caring for them after OP broke their ankle and began a difficult healing process. They then asked, 'Are my cats taking shifts?' This question inspired a flurry of feline enthusiasts to pour in from every corner of the feline-loving world wide web and answer that the cats are indeed taking shifts. Not only that, but this is a popular phenomenon amongst feline friends of ill humans. Our hearts have officially been warmed. 

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  • 01
    Posted by u/Plenty-Okra-5488 5 days ago Are my cats taking shifts?
    via u/Plenty-Okra-5488
  • 02
    Long story short I broke my ankle 3 days ago, the first day both of my cats were with me when I got home from the hospital, today I realized that it seems as though my cats are tagging each other on who is watching me. Last night it was my 2 month old baby Marsali who stayed with me all night then today it was my 2 year old Ahsoka who again stayed all day, now that it's night again Marsali is back. Is this even a thing? I know cats can tell if you're hurt but the shift thing is kind of surprisin
    via u/Plenty-Okra-5488
  • 03
    Laney20 5 days ago It's absolutely a thing! Mama cats often raise their babies together with other mamacats in the colony. I adopted a pregnant cat and when she had her babies, any time we went in her room to visit, she'd get up to do her business and have a snack, maybe even take a nap in the window while we humans babysat. She totally saw us as coparents (and now her babies do, too, lol). Cats trading shifts to care for the vulnerable members of the family is definitely a thing, and it sounds
    via u/Laney20
  • 04
    Plenty-Okra-5488 OP 5 days ago · I love that so much Marsi was just adopted 2 weeks ago and luckily her and Ahsoka have gotten along great after the first week so that also makes me happy knowing they're working together like they're supposed to
    via u/Plenty-Okra-5488
  • 05
    aiawaremu 5 days ago Cats are incredibly sensitive to their humans' wellbeing. This happened many years ago when I was a teen. I was diagnosed with cancer (it's in remission, so I'm fine now). We had outdoor/strays that we befriended and would patch up and feed regularly. One of the older ones at the time was 10+ years old, he was the alpha male.
    via u/aiawaremu
  • 06
    The thing was, early in my treatment, my mom wanted me to maintain some activity to prevent or slow muscle wasting. So we'd go on short walks in the neighborhood. One day, she couldn't come with me at the moment, so she said just go down the hill and come back up. As I walked down the driveway, three cats including the alpha male followed me. The minute I hit the street, the alpha male was in front of me, the two others were behind me on either side, in some sort of cat triangle. They maintained
    via u/aiawaremu
  • 07
    It was the weirdest thing. I've never seen anything like it, and I swear I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.
    via u/aiawaremu
  • 08
    hartley 5 days ago One of my cats broke his hip and then had surgery on it recently. He's always been very clingy, but god, he'd scream his head off without stopping for over an hour if you left him alone in his quarantine dog crate apartment. He'd only calm down if I was holding him, then he'd sleep, and that's when I'd put him down in there and try to take care of everything else.
    via u/hartley
  • 09
    After three nights of very, very little sleep, I snapped a bit and just cried and cried on my bed, out of his sight, while he screamed his head off with me. My other cat was deeply concerned by this. She's always been very aloof but she was so loving and snuggly that night. I'd've been a wreck for twice as long without her calming me down.
    via u/hartley
  • 10
    Every day after that, whenever I left my boy cat to go use the bathroom/eat/shower/go out, I'd come back to his sister in my comfy spot beside his crate. If I went to settle there, she'd tap out and go do her thing. But she'd stay if I went to do something else in the room. He was completely calm as long as she was there. And when he was sleeping and could be left alone, and I was by myself on my bed? She'd come be with me instead, still incredibly affectionate.
    via u/hartley
  • 11
    It's like she knew I needed help taking care of him, and that I needed help myself. We work in shifts with each other. It sounds kinda pathetic, but I don't know how I would've coped if she didn't help me.
    via u/hartley
  • 12
    Plenty-Okra-5488 OP 4 days ago I guess they decided to share duty tonight lol
    via u/Plenty-Okra-5488
  • 13
    Delicately Twisted 4 days ago Yep, they are looking after you. Whenever I am ill (autoimmune flare ups, issues from a spinal injury, seizures and post seizure issues from a neurological condition, and the list goes on, lucky me), my boy won't leave my side. When my husband comes home, he will wander off on his own for a bit but is always back after his "break". He definitely doesn't think my husband is capable of looking after me the way he does. It's the sweetest thing ever. I taught him to sta
    via u/DelicatelyTwisted
  • 14
    eeeljo 4 days ago Cats have an amazing sense of intuition. My baby will hardly ever leave my side when I'm going through a depressive episode. And she'll purr 24/7, like she's trying to heal me. It makes such a huge difference.
    via u/eeeljo
  • 15
    Monarach 4 days ago My cats did this with me once when I stayed home sick. I felt awful and was stuck on the couch. I noticed that one of them would cuddle with me for a while, then the other would walk up and they'd switch out. This happened throughout the day and I joked that they were taking shifts with me. Those two didn't get along most of the time but somehow coordinated their "nursing" shifts.
    via u/Monarach
  • 16
    sorrymizzjackson 4 days ago My husband had a bad dream the other night and woke up making noise. Our guard cat rushed over to him to make sure he was ok. He's been really coming around to us since he's been inside. He's a very good boy.
    via u/sorrymizzjackson
  • 17
    Calm_Winter_6113 4 days ago Cats are the most intuitive, intelligent things on our planet, they en meditate, they know and they are indeed taking shifts to watch over you. Enjoy you lucky human
    via u/Calm_Winter_6113

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