Dogs and cats can experience genuine grief responses when bonded companions — animal or human — are lost. Recognising and supporting grieving pets is an important but often overlooked welfare responsibility.
Animal grief is not anthropomorphism — it is documented, measurable, and requires welfare-aware response. Animals experiencing grief suffer from the same disruption to attachment bonds that causes suffering in humans, albeit expressed differently. Failing to recognise grief in companion animals can lead to misattribution — labelling a grieving animal as ill, depressed for unknown reasons, or behaviorally deteriorated — with inappropriate interventions. Welfare-positive responses to companion animal grief include maintaining routine, providing additional human support, and allowing sufficient time before introducing new companions.