Cats Who Want to Die: A Myth?

I've had a couple of experiences lately, that suggest when a cat wants to go, they'll go. The most recent, a neighboring cat in an apartment complex seems to sit around underneath cars, when I'm almost positive it knows what they do. I stopped on my way home from lunch to come back to it to drag it out. I'm not sure if this kind of thing is a myth or what, but its not a pleasant sight to see, especially if you're working..

Comments, suggestions?

I know dogs will runaway before they die, its part of their instincts so as to not attract predators to the den. I however have no idea about cats, I assume they would have a similar instinct but *shrugs* I hate cats anyway

cats do sit around under cars anyway, especially if they need shade or cover. cats often try to hide to die, just as dogs do. don't know if it's any knowledge of death or knowing they're vulnerable and feeling a need to hide.

My cat has been asking for it lately:

Cats don't even exist.

seems like your cat hates your guts O.o

If you have a hose nearby squirt water under the car, gets them out right away without having to drag them. Mostly all they want is a sheltered place to hide out in the shade and don't realize that the car moves.

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You opened the box???

I don't believe in the box, myself. I have never seen any definitive proof that the box exists.

Well we've had a cat that hid in a storage space when it was dying. I was told that they'll hide so as not to alert others to their weakened state, in hopes of recovering.

Mostly cats hide under cars for: shelter, shade, warmth.

But if you didn't open the box, how do you know if the cat exists?

The feeling is mutual.

http://mycathatesyou.com/

My cat lives in half a box. Is he then half a cat? I can see both halves of him, though.

I only know of one cat that committed suicide. He had been harrassed by a dachsund for the better part of 3 years - the dog had chewed off part of this poor cat's tail. My friends lived on a fairly busy road. That cat WAITED for a car before he ran out into the road.

Cats like warm spots. Warm, not hot. Hence their attraction to car hoods, engine compartments of cars that had been sitting for a while, pavement under a car, the top of a tire, and for kittens, the cavity where the tire meets the road. In the case of the cavity, it's because the pavement and tire sort of wrap around the kitten.

That's why so many cats have broken tails. Those are the ones that survived.

I think most cats know cars move. But most cats think they also know WHEN they are going to move.

My dying cat was given a subcutaneous re-hydration shot at the vets. When she saw the syringe at home, she became wary. After my spouse actually used it once, next thing we know the cat's run away. We're pretty sure the cat knew what the quality of life would have been at home, and chose to die on her own terns.