Did My Cat Feel Guilty?

[coriib]

So last night my kitten, Thumper aka Thumps (he's between 5-6 months old), broke my gf's bong and she was PISSED. My guess is that Thumps picked up on the energy and kinda freaked out because after my gf left for a breather, and to calm down, he was meowing, purring, shaking and climbing on top of me so I can hold him and let him suckle.

it kinda made me sad for him, but I was hoping if anyone knows about this behavior and can describe it for me or something lol.

 

[Kieka]

First of all, from a health stance, is she smoking in a room that Thumper is in? If so, cats can be affected by the smoke just like humans are. Except Thumper won’t know what is happening or why so it can have a more significant impact. Cats also have a lower tolerance level for THC then humans (mostly due to smaller size). So his exposure could have toxic side effects if she is using a high THC strain. Not to mention the whole smoke is bad for his lungs issue. I am really hoping you meant your girlfriend left for a breather because she was mad her bong was broken not because the room was smoky. I use CBD oil (yes, from a dispensary not hemp based) for my cats arthritis so I did read up on it. There is a real health risk to cats exposed to marijuana smoke that you should be taking steps to keep him in another part of the house and away from the smoke as much as possible.

But to answer the root question. Cats are different in their perceptions and emotions. We really don’t know if they feel like us or not. For example, a cat doesn’t differentiate between attention. Good attention of praise or bad attention of scolding is the same to them, it’s attention. It’s one of the theories why some cats knock things off shelves, for the attention. Shoot, if your girlfriend was paying attention to the bong he could have knocked it over because he wanted that attention (assuming chain of events of course). I doubt he felt guilty for his actions; if anything he was scared by her reaction and seeking comfort from you. More likely he was high both when he broke it and after. In which case, I wouldn’t hold him accountable or responsible for what happened when he was involuntarily high. At its core guilt is a human concept based on a concept of good and evil which cats simply don’t have.

 

[coriib]

First of all, from a health stance, is she smoking in a room that Thumper is in? If so, cats can be affected by the smoke just like humans are. Except Thumper won’t know what is happening or why so it can have a more significant impact. Cats also have a lower tolerance level for THC then humans (mostly due to smaller size). So his exposure could have toxic side effects if she is using a high THC strain. Not to mention the whole smoke is bad for his lungs issue. I am really hoping you meant your girlfriend left for a breather because she was mad her bong was broken not because the room was smoky. I use CBD oil (yes, from a dispensary not hemp based) for my cats arthritis so I did read up on it. There is a real health risk to cats exposed to marijuana smoke that you should be taking steps to keep him in another part of the house and away from the smoke as much as possible.

But to answer the root question. Cats are different in their perceptions and emotions. We really don’t know if they feel like us or not. For example, a cat doesn’t differentiate between attention. Good attention of praise or bad attention of scolding is the same to them, it’s attention. It’s one of the theories why some cats knock things off shelves, for the attention. Shoot, if your girlfriend was paying attention to the bong he could have knocked it over because he wanted that attention (assuming chain of events of course). I doubt he felt guilty for his actions; if anything he was scared by her reaction and seeking comfort from you. More likely he was high both when he broke it and after. In which case, I wouldn’t hold him accountable or responsible for what happened when he was involuntarily high. At its core guilt is a human concept based on a concept of good and evil which cats simply don’t have.

Oh ok thank you. She left because she was the bong broke. She hadn't smoked yet, just packed it and he walked by it tipping it over. We blow our smoke away from the area Thumps is in but with your information I'll make sure Thumper is in a diff room.

 

[Kieka]

With the updated scenario, he probably didn’t realize he could knock it over and it was pure accident. Him being cuddly was probably scared with her reaction and looking for comfort.

 

[coriib]

 

[5starcathotel]

I doubt it was anything close to "guilt". I've never seen a cat express anything remotely close to guilt, because that implies both morality and a sense of time, neither of which are strong in a cat's brain! Cats, by and large, exist entirely in the present moment. They don't worry about the future, or stress about/pine for the past.

What Thumps knew in that moment, was one of his humans was angry, and he wanted some protection / validation / soothing / comfort, so he could still be comfortable in his territory.

But did he associate her anger with his own actions? Not likely.

EDIT: Wow, such a handsome boy!

 

[coriib]

Thank you!

 

[1 bruce 1]

He probably didn't realize he broke something. I'm not so sure they're "sorry" like we are, but sometimes I think they sense someone is mad, and someone else is feeling bad that someone else is mad, and they want everything to be OK again. The comfort seeking is just like a little kid not knowing why everyone is so upset and just needs some reassurance.
If possible, I'd designate a smoking room where he's not allowed access too, period. It won't completely cut down on him being affected (smoke of all kinds comes through doorways, seals in the walls, etc.) but it would affect him less.
Most big box stores carry inexpensive fans you can put in your window that have a switch. You can turn the switch to blow air in, or turn the switch to blow air out. If you have a designated smoking room and keep the fan in there, you could turn it on to blow outwards and take most of the residual smoke with it. Just a thought