You could play some really nasty tricks in that nursing home if you had a little catnip...

Wow. That's very fascinating, kind of creepy, and also quite nice.

That's a sweet story. On occasion, over the years I've noticed similar behaviour amongst my own cats. When one of them is approaching the end, the cats, one by one will go sit right next to the old cat, do some gentle ear licking, and just generally be some quiet, warm company for the cat who is on the way out. I've always put it down to the other cats saying their goodbye's to their feline friend.

When I've been sad, I've often had cats come over to comfort me, cats I didn't know. It's happened several times. Even sitting by this small brook near my parents' home, a cat appeared and meowed and rubbed my legs.

I would welcome such a visit in my final hours.

Is it wrong that I got distracted while reading the article and clicked on this link?

My widowed friend said that one night when she was feeling a little uneasy in her house, she mentioned to one of her cats "Hey, Remy, let's go to bed. I'm feeling very weirded out tonight." The cat followed her into the bedroom and stayed all night. Which in itself is a bit odd for that cat.

And like Pips said, I am often "found" by cats, no matter where I am. On our honeymoon in Bermuda, my husband and I were touring an old fort there when we were befriended by an orange cat. He followed us everywhere, even jumping up on my lap when we sat on a bench. I, too, would feel comforted by the visit of a cat in my last hours.

And no, Specklet, that's actually a lovely distraction. Damn her.