The traditional saying that cats like to approach people who are near death has been misunderstood by many. Cats actually do not approach because they care about people near death, but because cats sense a specific scent from those near death that attracts their attention. Before this, it should be reminded that the idea of cats liking to approach people near death is just a traditional saying, and whether it truly exists remains to be explored.

Cat's Sensitive Sense of Smell

Cats have a very powerful sense of smell, able to detect microbial communities emitting special scents like viruses from the body. Based on this, cats can know whether there is death-related information on a human. Cats may like to approach people near death because there is a specific scent on people near death that attracts the cat's attention. However, humans do not notice this scent, so we think cats actively approach because they care about the dying person.

Cats Seeking Human Warmth

Cats are animals that need warmth and closeness a lot; they often like to be near humans with skin-to-fur contact because humans emit the warmth of symbolized heat. People near death might have excessive warmth, and cats might therefore be fascinated by it. So cats liking to approach people near death may be because they are seeking the feeling of human warmth.

Cat's Curiosity

Cats are very curious animals; in daily life, they always follow human actions and respond accordingly. But this behavior may not be because they care about humans, but rather driven more by curiosity. Loitering around people near death may also be due to similar curiosity. They might just want to find new sensations nearby instead of caring about people who are about to pass away.

Cats Seeking Food

Cats love food very much and are good at finding delicious treats. When people near death appear, cats may look for whether there is food or similar things around this person. This is why cats sometimes run to people near death with a mouse stuck in their mouths. But of course, this is only speculation.

Cats' Understanding of Sad Emotions

Cats have a slight understanding of human sorrow and sadness. They may be able to sense the aura of human grief around people near death, so they run to those near death. But this behavior does not stem from their kindness, but more from curiosity and their own satisfaction (like cats enjoying being filmed by their owners).

The reason why cats like to approach people near death remains undetermined to this day. We do not need to judge this phenomenon with any viewpoint. There is only one piece of advice: everyone should take good care of their own main caregiver, whether we are happy or sad.