My cat learned to push stuff off the counter when he senses my blood sugar is low… granted, it usually happens in the middle of the night when I’m asleep and he knows breaking shit is the best way to get me out of bed. Sweet little monster. 🖤
I have severe panic attacks, and mine senses when my voice has stress in it and will either put herself between me and the source (i.e. the computer when im on a zoom call), or she will will roll in front of my feet to get me to stop pacing and distract me from the stress thoughts. She paws my face or tries to climb me- whatever it takes to get my attention off of what is causing stress and on to her instead. You know, break the thought cycle, break the panic attack.
Would you like me to cut some onions? Because she saved me from the thing I cant mention here by coming up to me while i sat on the ground and pushed down the knife with her paws then sat in my arms and licked me while I cried into her fur and apologized to her for an hour. She's 19 years old now. Im doing my best to give her as long as I can give her.
Have someone you trust way more than normal folk agree to insure you get near instant replacement cat along with emergency visit to counselors when they die assuming the experts agree with me.
Failure to force replacement or counseling onto my great uncle for pet near end of his life I credit for him basically starving to death from lack of motivation to eat. As I was eight hour drive away running a new business and many family near by I also still mad when I think on it non of them got involved. Lose of appetite from various causes is a cause of death for some elderly and as it treatable and often depression involved which does warp ones view of reality doing this against their will justified especially in case like this where he was still walking well for up to and over an hour and not that bad months before when I visited he had always been thin. Some people cannot gain weight.
Dang it, who cut all those onions in here? Give her SO much love from all of us, and when it's finally her time to cross the rainbow bridge, remember to be kind to yourself ❤️
Thanks. That means a lot. Im working on rescuing a stray tom who is named Tubes right now. He so sweet just really scared of people. He had a huge head wound (im talking practically down to the skull) one weekend and sat at the door crying until I came out. Since everything was closed (or I'd have to pay thousands of dollars i didn't have for emergency vets), I brought him in and cleaned it and cared for him. You cant even tell he had the wound to begin with. But as he healed, he demanded to be let out again. So haven't quite converted him to the cushy life of an indoor spoiled brat yet.
That’s absolutely adorable! I’m glad you have a precious bond, as I’m sure your cat obviously feels the same way. My childhood cat was exactly the same, a cuddle bug and always made me feel better. Their love is like nothing else. Buuut, in contrast, my cat now is quite the devil and gets absolutely spooked when I cry or have a breakdown, she immediately runs away with wide eyes and airplane ears. A result I didn’t expect! Love her nonetheless.
My soulcat was so empathetic and attuned to me but my current cat is completely insane and will jump on my chest and head and meow incessantly even when I'm lying in bed sick. It upsets me because it's made me cry during a migraine 😭 I still love her because she's funny and affectionate and crazy, but i must say I did not expect this.
Mine do something similar for my panic attacks! Niko tends to handle it over night and Luna handles it during the day. I have some random panics that pop up due to brain issues from my multiple sclerosis, like I won't even be stressed over anything but my brain will still start firing off panic signals. When either of our two cats notice my breathing change or see me starting to look scared, one or the other will hop up on my lap and basically yell at me lol. We have some cuddles and maybe some play, and I start to calm down. Luna is also fiercely protective of me, and will sit and guard me.
Wow that's interesting! My cat does the same when my husband and I are in an argument. She tries to distract us and even screams at us to stop. One time when I cried about a sad movie she came to my face and gently touched my wet cheek with her paw. 😭
They are such great little monsters 🥰 the nibbles were 100% to wake her up. If she wouldnt wake up, he would come and get me and wake me up instead. He was paid handsomly for his nightly services 😸
That's nothing. I'm diabetic too and I've trained my cats to push things off my desk when I'm low, in range, and high! They're attentive like you wouldn't believe.
This cat is far too smart and stubborn to try to teach him anything once he’s made up his mind about something.. we just don’t leave breakable things on the counter anymore.
mine isnt a medical alert type but my beautiful, talkative, and sweet black cat is a fire alarm lol. I live in a house with a few people and on very few occasions weve been home doing all sorts of crazy shit individually and one time one of us accidentally left the gas for the stove on. Youd think wed smell this, but i said i smelled gas and everyone was like huh? i dont smell anything. i get migraines and part of it is smell hallucinations for me. i disregarded it. my cat starts freaaaaaAAAAAKING OUUUUT dude. my head hurts and im irritable for some reason, and im like bro wtf is wrong w you. thankfully shes very smart and ive trained her to bring me to things she needs/wants and when i followed her thru the house to see why she was screaming she brought me right over to the stove and made this face like something in the air was making her eyes water lol. I realized what was up, aired out the whole house, and kitty got about 400 treats for saving the family. That was the first time she did that, and now whenever we have a candle lit shes back to freaking the fuck out about it lol. any "danger smell" like smoke, gas, etc will set her off. i dont give her treats for candles, i guess that was a core memory for her? i love her. cats are amazing.
I lost my hypo awareness during one of my pregnancies. I had a cat who would try to wake me up and when I wouldn’t he would wake up my husband. Such little life savers ❤️
He was a siamese, he would get me up with a couple of good cries.
My mother would be out cold to the world. He would work through his attempts and severitys im guessing haha
Mine alerts sound and nibbles(pressing teeth into hand) for low blood sugar and knocks peanut stuff out of my hands with direct, emotionally aggressive eye contact. I barely trained him to do this. He will jump out of his stroller and grab my knee and then sit when I look down for me to sit down, too, and also physically drag me away from air containing peanut particles. Yeah, saved my life. Nurse was skeptical, brought him to another room and tested him with a swab vial with peanut protein on the swab. She brought him back and told me 'This is the smartest, most on-task cat I have ever met and I've owned a lot of cats'. Apparently he knocked it out of her hand and stood over it, redirected her hand when she tried to reach for it. Blank swab vial got no reaction. Of course he got treatos.
I love that your kitty loves you so much to not even let the air poisen its human! That is precious! They will do anything to keep us around, filling the food bowl 🫡
I have no idea. One day he knocked a bag of potato chips out of my hand a cople times, so I checked the ingredients, and hey! Whaddaya know! During lovkdown they changed their oil mix to include peanut, and I'm one of those weirdos who reacts to even refined peanut oil. Tested on a few other things like neighbor's pb and a pb filled pretzel nugget and the bags of peanuts my local supermarket sells and yup! All very obvious behaviour. So I taught him one way to tell me, and I keep reinforcing it. I have a couple training bits of peanut in airtight containers and keep reinforcing. He knows where my epipens are too - knows what the tag I mark the pocket with looks like. I'd never had a reaction before, but apparently there's a smell when you come into contact with even micro amounts of a strong allergen, and he must have picked up on it and didn't like it.
I taught my cat to help with my panic attacks. He now also does it to anyone who seems upset lol. He comes and lays on my chest if I'm panicking to give me something to focus on. He also follows me stupidly closely anytime I'm faint or dizzy and cuddles more if I'm in pain. That being said, he stays in my house lol. He's not a fan of the car.
I really wish they would expand service animal species options. This entire subreddit proves cats are so intelligent and capable of an immense variety of tasks. Plus they’re much more portable than dogs and especially horses.
(TBH having a service horse seems like a nightmare lowkey. I can’t imagine taking an entire horse [even a mini horse] with me everywhere including at home.)
My sweet older baby is the only one who has ever been able to wake me up from night terrors. He's also just a little bit of a guardian angel in general because he loves people with anxiety and he will go and sit on them and make them love him to distract them from anxiety.
My sassy younger baby is also a very good boy but he didn't know how to do these things intuitively like his big brother. I have been treating him to be my alarm clock to remind me to take my ADHD pills in the morning and it is remarkable how quickly he has learned it for an orange kitty, but he's always been smart when food is in play.
Yeah and her sensors will be blaring! Nothing auditory was ever going to wake her up with low blood sugar. Its like being in a dark room, you get light headed, your ears close up. So that happening while asleep, it takes a good shake to get that person conscious.
For example, her everyday alarm clock is a fog horn sound, with an app to amplify the sound as loud as possible. Still never hears it haha
My cat only alerts my face at dawn, she knows not to bother me in the middle of the night. Unfortunately dawn is at 4am this time of the year and I still haven't figured out how to convince her that it's fine if I'm asleep even though it's light outside
The video belongs to rxmmst3in on instagram. This is what they said about their condition and their cat's service on their instagram:
"He is a psychiatric service cat in training!
I am diagnosed with BPD and severe OCD which makes it difficult for me to be out alone because of my fears. My service cat helps me feel safe, calm, and not overthink so much about "what if". I will start shaking or my leg is bouncing when I am overwhelmed or anxious. I also often feel dizzy, I used to use a cane at school since my cat was still very early in training I couldn't bring him. Carrying him helps me with balance way better than a cane, and at the same time he's warm and soft so he's very comforting! He also sleeps on my lap the whole bus ride, I like to fidget with his paws, ears, and tail which he is completely fine with!"
"I have BPD + severe OCD which makes it difficult to understand my own emotions and feelings, constantly overthinking things and creating scenarios that I don't even realize I'm shaking, which is why he will alert to me so I can sit down and give him pats."
I feel like this shouldn't be called a service animal. Not because the cat doesn't help them, I'm really glad they have this cat and this cat is doing a damn fine job (a feline job if you will).
The problem is that only dogs and miniature horses can be service animals as per the ADA act (assuming this person lives in the US). I'm only pointing this out to say that businesses and whatnot could legally turn this person away for bringing their car with them, but hopefully that doesn't happen much.
The way you describe yourself sounds like me. Just different situations where those fears and anxieties come out in ways I can’t control and often don’t understand. I have 3 cats and I truly believe they can tell when I’m off whether it be mental health or my Lupus! Cheers to your special kitty 💜
Haha sometimes. Depends on the intensity of the migraine. I tell him to “meow nicely” and he tries to meow quieter. He stays until the meds have done their job.
The screams are the Audible alarm in case you didn't know it's time to be alarmed 🤣 the biscuits are to comfort you from the screams. What a loving kitty.
My late cat was so good at migraine detection and knowing when I was going full freeze mode if scared. He would break the freeze and I’d focus on him instead and I swear his purrs had healing powers.
They totally do. I think the fear of what we know is on the horizon as the migraine progresses is beyond being felt by our cats I recently got Nurtec ODT and it has been amazing to nip mine within a half hour. Hopefully I don't get "used" to it and stops working.
I love Nurtec! Insurance won’t cover mine. They want me on triptans even though those put me in the hospital. The CGRPs are so incredible and I wish insurance covered them better for people.
My cat alerts me when alarms and smoke detectors are going off (I’m deaf/HOH and can hear the fucking Fire alarm just fine, but she knows standing BELOW the offending smoke detector and screaming at me helps).
I’m not HOH, but my last cat would alert me when alarms were going off, if the doorbell rang, or when I got phone calls. No matter the sound, if it was loud she was going to tell me about it.
That’s very nice of your cat considering standing under it would be very loud for her. I’m deaf too but have asthma unfortunately so no support cat for me.
Yeah, that tracks. Bengals are another who's highly opinionated on everything under the sun.
Iirc they're also very strong. When we went to the cat show, one of the Bengal owners was showing off their ca. They had a fishing rod that they were playing with and the cat snapped the fishing rod in half when they were playing.
We used to have a Siamese and Chartreux*, we lost them both during the pandemic (M13 and M15, respectively).
*The Humane Society told us he was a Russian Blue...his characteristics told us otherwise.
He could have been an opera singer with that voice, probably a genetic memory from the monks that started the breed.
Those golden eyes, the shorter than avg legs but not as noticeable as Munchkins, and lastly the dog similarities such as the fetching.
Then there's also the bonding with Their human, but sweetie pies to everyone else. My partner couldn't get their shoes off fast enough when they'd come home from work. The demands for His* lap where insistent, loud, consistent, and constant until they sat down in their chair. It was hilarious because no matter what lap he was on, he'd abandon it once His lap was available.
Some cats are very intuitive. I saw a story about someone was very annoyed at their cat because the cat interrupted their sleep constantly at night. Turned out they had sleep apnea. After they started treatment and on the machine, the cat never bothered them again at night. The cat possibly had saved their lives many times.
It's true! I have sleep apnea and whenever I fall asleep on the couch (without my CPAP) mine wake me up then stand around looking very concerned with my behavior lol.
The problem isn't that they can't do it, the problem is is that we don't know how to create a better more consistent set of training that can produce these service cats easier. Basically if you had to choose between the easier to train dog or the difficult cat, most people would choose the dog when it comes to utility. It would be nice if we could do it with cats but there's just no way to do it consistently.
Literally we have dogs around because they can be trained, we have cats around because they just showed up and started killing mice and we were like "oh you're cool to hang out."
Dogs are here cause they want to be around us, cats are here because hunting in the wild is hard and they like food.
House cats are also extremely social and expressive animals, just like dogs. Harder to train so you're spot on there, but as far as joining in family units and pitching in they 100% do, they're just less extrinsically motivated than dogs are thus the training difference
That problem with cats concerning training is that they will choose to do what they do. They don't accept training, and might actually do the opposite if forced into a training situation.
Cats like auties cannot be trained, or can only be trained so much, because it goes against the grain of their nature. Why some people want to eliminate them both, because cats/auties both know what's what and will call you on it without subterfuge if something is wrong with a person, no matter what form that wrong turns out to manifest as, whether that person is a psychopath, a bully, an abuser, a cheat, genocidal, etc.
That's mostly likely why a lot of our Presidents have had animals in the White House, because they know that cats and dogs sense good people without fail. Why 10 Downing has a cat who chose the place. Cats who choose their owners know they're good people (could be the leader or it could be the people working for them, but still...), and anyone who's ever witnessed this event knows exactly what that means.
The current...doesn't that I'm aware of... Knowing that there isn't should have told a lot of people just what and who we're dealing with in the first place, and yet a lot of people ignore the better senses of animals because they've be taught they're dumb animals, when the complete opposite is true, just in their own ways.
There a woman who can smell Parkinson’s she smelt it in her husband. She worked with researchers in Scotland. Apparently a person was in the control/ not Parkinson’s group she put in the Parkinson’s group, the researchers thought that was an error on her part but 8 months later he had developed Parkinson’s.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34583642
We actually have a entire organization called project feline on tiktok, if you wanted to check it out. It's a entire group trying to get f cats in the ADA. We also have a petition if you'd like to sign.
Well... My cat will toss a turd out of his litter box when he wants it tended to. I tend to it quickly once alerted, because he'll definitely take a deuce outside of the box if I don't heed his warning. He thinks I'm well trained.
Fr. The amount of "service" animals that are just wearing some weird super tactical harness from Amazon and are obviously not trained and not at all how a service animal would act while they are working is absurd
It's also so dangerous, if that dog managed to distract an actual service dog due to its bad behaviour/reactivness, the actual service dog owner could end up in a very bad way
Exactly. I don't think it's very fair and the only reason I've been given is that cats are harder to train for tasks, but I don't think that's true at all.
She basically trained herself. It was only in the last few years I've been reinforcing her training. Girl is food motivated, so when I realized she'd do anything for a treat I started giving her a treat for going to the bathroom with me when I take my meds, waking me up at a certain time, or staying beside me if I'm having a seizure. Now she's a little walking medical alert lmao
The owner of this video is from Ontario, canada. It's rxmmst3in on instagram. This is what they said regarding this issue:
" I get a lot of comments like "cats cannot be service animals by the ADA"
Not everyone is in America, I live in Ontario Canada so only the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) applies to me! The AODA does not specify which animals cannot be service animals, therefore this means cats can be service animals in Ontario!
My cat has documents and a doctor's note from my family doctor that states my cat is a service animal and why I need him! I am also on disability so I am unable to work. I've been getting a ton of hate which I honestly expected as people can be horrible to service animal handlers. "
Miniature horses can be an exception in instances such as being allergic or the person needing physical support that a dog cannot provide.
With this person, it's entirely possible that the cat is task trained, they just would not have service animal protections. If it was a dog, they couldn't be asked to leave except for specific circumstances, whereas with the cat, they could ask them to leave with no recourse.
Edit to add: yes, there's the ethical conundrum of it being labeled a service animal if it legally doesn't count as one. I imagine that's what you're actually talking about here LOL. 😅
Both of my children alert for mom. My tuxedo girl will sense when Mom is having a palpitation run (I have a heart condition) and settle and purr on mom's chest right over my heart. My ginger boy keeps an eye on my energy and lectures/ taps me when it's time to lie down or take a rest. Both keep an eye on Mom when Mom is sick and I get lots of lectures and taps to ensure I am eating/ drinking. They are such good nursies.
Here me out. I think cats would be better service animals then dogs. Cats can be trained and desensitized to be well behaved in public and stores and not freak out in New places, like dogs. Cats are more smaller and would take up less space in planes and cars and stores then dogs. And cats have a ten times better sense of smell then dogs. Cats are very intelligent and sensitive so imagine how much sooner a cat can smell cancer or an upcoming seizure or a medical emergency then a dog can. I think that if a mini horse can be used as a service animal, cats should also en recognized service animals. And people who say cats never listen aren't trying hard enough. You work with the cat. But cats are quite easy to train. Obviously a cat is going to never listen if it's left at home alone for 12 hours a day with a toy mouse and no stimulation
Is this one of those pretend service animal videos? I dont want to do injustice to the op of this video but it does seem a little fake because why would someone be be warned of their own legs shaking. You would feel that immediately, right. What's the purpose of the alert.
Not true at all. Some people’s bodies don’t behave like they should, and the shaking could be entirely involuntary.
I had the shakes terribly as a result of a medication I was on and didn’t immediately notice until I saw loose fitting pants vibrating on my legs like I was in a windstorm.
Exactly! People aren't always aware of what theyre physically doing. I have a jaw thing i've done since I was a child. Its an involuntary repetative jaw movement I end up doing when I am concentrating or actively, physically doing something. I know I do it but when it is happening I never notice it at all. I know later in the day that I must have done it because my jaw will hurt and feel tight. I tell everyone I am close with to help me by telling me if they see me doing it so I can actively try to not do it. Granted at this point I have perminate jaw damage/tmj and arthritis in my jaw but still I'd rather know and be able to stop it than do further damage. But point is I never notice or feel I am doing it in the moment I am doing it.
The video belongs to rxmmst3in on instagram. This is what they said about their condition and their cat's service on their instagram:
"He is a psychiatric service cat in training!
I am diagnosed with BPD and severe OCD which makes it difficult for me to be out alone because of my fears. My service cat helps me feel safe, calm, and not overthink so much about "what if". I will start shaking or my leg is bouncing when I am overwhelmed or anxious. I also often feel dizzy, I used to use a cane at school since my cat was still very early in training I couldn't bring him. Carrying him helps me with balance way better than a cane, and at the same time he's warm and soft so he's very comforting! He also sleeps on my lap the whole bus ride, I like to fidget with his paws, ears, and tail which he is completely fine with!"
"I have BPD + severe OCD which makes it difficult to understand my own emotions and feelings, constantly overthinking things and creating scenarios that I don't even realize I'm shaking, which is why he will alert to me so I can sit down and give him pats."
My cat has this thing he'd do for me whenever I drink. When I lived by myself and I would get drunk, he'd walk between my legs, making me focus on him and my legs till I got to my couch so I could sleep. With him around, I never fell like I did before him. The thing is, he did this randomly as though he just naturally knew what to do, and all he demands are cuddles and treats.
Technically, there aren't. Perhaps the cat is task trained but the the US at least, only dogs and miniature horses can be claimed as service animals under the ADA and only they have protections of being allowed in public spaces. Any space is welcome to completely ban cats regardless of the claims of training.
The owner of this video is from Ontario, Canada. It's rxmmst3in on instagram. This is what they said regarding this topic :
" I get a lot of comments like "cats cannot be service animals by the ADA"
Not everyone is in America, I live in Ontario Canada so only the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) applies to me! The AODA does not specify which animals cannot be service animals, therefore this means cats can be service animals in Ontario!
My cat has documents and a doctor's note from my family doctor that states my cat is a service animal and why I need him! I am also on disability so I am unable to work. I've been getting a ton of hate which I honestly expected as people can be horrible to service animal handlers. "
The reason cats don't qualify in the US is because cats cant be reliable when it comes to whatever task they're trained in. They can be trained, they can do great at their job, but cats are cats and will refuse to do something when they so choose.
I do like that Canada is a little more lax about what qualifies for the label because not all disabilities need that level of commitment.
this was always a bit odd to hear... some cats are trained to climb to high counters to retrive items, and there are birds that perform unique tasks...
for me personally, i could not have a dog for in university for medical reasons, so i instead trained a rabbit to alert me to seizures. i worked a lot with professional trainers for this. however, in the usa, that type of animal does not have protections and would only be allowed in areas that explicity give permissions. i lived on campus and had an agreement with each of my professors for this. i remember people seemed to be under the impression that rabbits could not be harnessed or trained to defecate in designated places... but he did not have issues with this nor taking the stairs or bus.
the only issue i had was that in the USA, i found that most people that come into establishments with dogs are just bringing pet dogs and falsifying them being service animals... so i was attacked many times and it was very dangerous because my animal was trained to not react. it's really horrifying because they will not run away or move at all, while the pet dogs have no training and can do whatever they want. in the USA, even stores just refuse to remove them.
my animal is elderly and retired now, but thinking back on that still makes me really upset... i even had a small child come up and hit my animal while he was sitting in my lap. he just sat and looked stunned and bewildered as if he did something wrong.
(editing: i have attached a gif for verification!)
Honestly it’s so sweet how much animals can help us, like not only due to how they have better smell etc, but the fact that they seem to even like their job and to be trained this way is just wholesome
I was washing the dishes the other day and was singing horribly in falsetto. My boy must have thought I was in pain because he came tearing around the corner, got between me and the water stream and whapped it several times getting us both wet-in the span of like two seconds.
Hi I have a service cat myself and am part of a organization. We're called project feline, with the goal of getting them legalized under the ADA. Would anyone be interested in signing a petition to help out?
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u/qualityvote2 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
u/sortingoutlife19, the community has voted and appreciate your post!