Dogs, cats, and other companion animals show behavioral responses to the death of animal companions that suggest genuine grief-like states. Understanding and supporting grieving animals improves their welfare during a difficult transition.
Companion animal grief is increasingly recognized as a genuine welfare consideration requiring active management. The behavioral changes seen in dogs, cats, and other animals after losing a bonded companion — reduced appetite, lethargy, searching behavior, altered sleeping patterns — reflect genuine emotional states that cause real suffering. The welfare response to these signs should prioritize the surviving animal's needs: maintaining routine, providing additional human contact and reassurance, and allowing time for the natural resolution of the grief response rather than forcing premature normalization. Whether to acquire a new companion for a grieving animal depends on the individual — some animals benefit from new companionship while others are distressed by the introduction of a stranger. Attention to the surviving animal's welfare in the period following companion loss is as important as attention to the human's grief.