Throughout a person’s life, a very important question worries - is there life after death and where does our immortal soul end up after the end of earthly existence? And what is that soul? Is it given only to people, or are our beloved pets possessing this gift? From the point of view of an atheist, the soul is a person’s personality, his consciousness, experience, emotions. For believers, this is a thin thread connecting earthly life and eternity. But is this inherent in animals?
So many cat lovers are interested in whether their fluffy companions have a soul? Indeed, in cats, like in no other domestic animals, one can see clear personality traits. They are independent and demanding, have a sense of self-esteem, understand the speech of the owners, have an individual character and experience vivid emotions. All this together indicates the presence of a soul. But where the cat’s soul gets after death remains a mystery. Is there any chance we have to meet our favorites in a better world? We will consider different opinions, since neither scientists, nor religion, nor even psychics penetrating into the secrets of being can give an unambiguous answer to this question.
Does a cat have a soul from a scientific point of view?
Many of us are firmly convinced that modern science rejects the thesis of the existence of the soul as such, even in humans, not to mention the lower forms of life. However, science recognized the existence of a psyche in a person that reflects the surrounding reality and is a form of perception by the subject of the real world. But in ancient Greek, the word "psyche" means "soul." In other words, possessing psychological signs, the subject, logically, also has a soul. In such a mysterious domestic animal as a cat, zoologists unequivocally record the presence of the psyche and its influence on the behavior of the animal. According to scientists, the soul of a cat, person or other living creature is some electromagnetic impulses, an energy clot, a special aura that does not disappear after the end of the earthly existence, but returns to the general energy field of planet Earth or even to the field of the Universe.
The opinion of scientists
So where do cats get after death, according to scientists? This energy clot, according to their conviction, after being released from the body of a dead cat, is transformed into another energy form that feeds all life on earth. According to scientific minds, this new energy is held in this world by a powerful electromagnetic field, therefore the souls of cats do not move to another dimension, but remain next to us, existing in a different quality.
Where cats get after death. Orthodoxy
In religious canons, too, nothing directly answering the question was found. The Orthodox Bible mentions many different animals and birds, but there is practically no mention of a cat - only once it is casually mentioned in Jeremiah 1:21. But this does not mean a negative attitude of the church to this amazing animal. Just the Israelis were very annoyed by the cult of cats in Egypt and their servile worship of this animal. But, despite this, the church treats cats very favorably and considers them clean before God. They are treated with reverence, they cannot be expelled from the church, they are even allowed to sleep on the altar.
However, the theologians have not yet been able to come to a consensus about the possibility of the animals' afterlife, and it is still unclear where the cat’s soul goes after death. Paradise is prepared for them, or this place is only for human souls - furious debates are still being held about this. On the one hand, the Holy Scripture notifies that the souls of cats and humans are two completely different matters and exist separately. A person with decent behavior falls into heaven, and the soul of an animal only ceases to exist. Based on this statement, it can be assumed where the cats go after death, ceasing to exist. The soul of a cat does not go anywhere, but dissolves in a common energy source to feed other souls living on earth.
But here it is not so simple. For although the Holy Scriptures say that there is no paradise for animals, many saints are depicted in the neighborhood with different animals and birds, even some descriptions of Heavenly Paradise contain mention of animals. Therefore, they have a place in paradise. The priests do not clearly state this, but research by the clergy on this issue does not stop.
Opinion of Nectarius of Optina
Where do cats go after death? As a follow-up to the debate about the exceptional status of cats, the words of Hieromonk Nektarius of Optina should be mentioned. He claimed that all cats go to heaven in gratitude for the merits of this animal during the Great Flood. According to legend, the mouse was going to gnaw through the bottom of Noah’s ark, than she could destroy all the living things on earth, taken by Noah to the ark. But the timely intervention of the cat saved all the inhabitants of the ark from death, for which its descendants were given the eternal privilege of staying in Paradise. But this statement was not confirmed or refuted by the official church. At the moment, none of the church leaders have clearly answered the question of where the cats get after death. Orthodoxy is not able to clarify this issue.
Perhaps other clarity will bring more clarity. Consider the point of view of the largest and most popular religious movements - Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam - and try to isolate the rational kernel from very different positions.
Hinduism
According to Hindus, where do the souls of cats go after death? According to their belief, the soul of a cat, like any other creature, goes either to heaven or to hell - there is no other way. But where exactly the soul will go depends entirely on its karma. If karma is bright and positive, the soul, as a reward for its good deeds, settles in paradise, and the evil energy accumulated over the course of its life is punished with hell and eternal torment. In other words, there is only one paradise for humans and cats, since Hindus consider the soul to not belong to humans or animals. She can live in any of the 8.5 million different incarnations, becoming a plant, stone, insect, animal, human, the smallest microorganism, and even an inanimate object (according to Christian canons). The answer of Hinduism is clearer - there is paradise, the soul of a cat after being in paradise or hell returns to this world again, only in a different capacity.
In buddhism
Buddhists are also not bothered by the question of where cats get after death, but for a completely different reason. The cat in Buddhism is also considered as just one of the incarnations, but not the soul, since this religion completely denies its existence. According to Buddhism, instead of the soul, there is only a mighty stream of Consciousness, which takes the most various forms of both living beings and inanimate objects. Particles of this Consciousness are placed in the mortal shell and are there until the physically shell becomes unusable.
For cats and other creatures, heaven or hell is a certain psychological state that everyone creates for himself, choosing his life path. When asked about where the cats go after death, Buddhism replies that they are reborn and fall into one of the worlds - the world of hell, animals, hungry spirits, people, lower deities of asuras, higher deities of deva. And the place of their future incarnation also depends on the purity of karma.
In islam
Where do cats go after death? Islam has its own interesting interpretation. In general, Islam is very loyal to animals in general and teaches its followers justice, tolerance and mercy towards the animal world. The cat herself in the Muslim world is very revered, because the great prophet Muhammad himself allowed her to sit on his lap when he read his sermons, and also drank water from one dish with her and even cut off his sleeve when the cat fell asleep on it - did not want her to disturb.
However, according to the Qur'an, cats are not allowed to paradise, even though they have a soul, for it is a divine reward for thinking righteous people who choose the right path in life. Since the cat has no choice, she is not responsible for her actions and does not need forgiveness from Allah. Their soul is mortal, and when the earthly path is passed, it turns to dust with the bodily shell.
Beautiful myth
There is a beautiful myth that cat owners will like. It is believed that he came from Scandinavia, but no one knows for sure, although this touching legend was translated into many languages of the world and enjoyed constant success. Loving owners of animals that they love dear from this world want to believe in the happy life of their pets in a different reality, therefore they believe in it sacredly and hope to meet their beloved one after their death. The essence of the legend is as follows.
If an animal that was very beloved by someone in earthly life dies, it moves to the Rainbow Bridge. This magical place has beautiful natural views, endless fields and meadows, hills and mountains. There, cats and other animals frolic in the open without problems with food, water, and sunlight. There they feel warm and comfortable. Sick and old animals become young and energetic. Time does not matter to them, and they don’t notice it if they remember them here and continue to love them. And one day your pet will leave his comrades, having seen his master on the Rainbow Bridge, and you will joyfully meet and finally reunite, so that you will never leave. This greatly comforts the grieving owners of deceased animals and gives them hope for a happy afterlife.
Do cats have a soul and where does it go after death? Opinions of psychics
Today more and more people began to trust people with special abilities - psychics, who often act as a connecting thread between the world of the living and the dead. Already, few doubt that these people are endowed with special knowledge and superpowers, so they turn to them on various dark issues related to otherworldly forces. You can have a different attitude to the words of psychics. Indeed, very often different impostors and charlatans use our credulity in such sensitive issues, but we must take their opinion into account when figuring out the answer to the question of where the cat’s soul falls after death. Psychics believe that a cat is a special animal that can calmly move from one world to another.
It is no coincidence that in the chilling stories about witches and their transformation into black cats, information from ancestors is transmitted for centuries to descendants. And although these stories are significantly embellished by storytellers, there is still some kind of rational grain in them. Clairvoyants believe that life after physical death is inherent not only to human beings, but also to various animals. Their opinion will help us better understand where cats get after death. Psychics are sure that these amazing animals, leaving earthly life, can make reverse transitions to our world and help their owners or pursue them depending on their relationship with a cat during their life together.
The feeling of cats at the time of transition
Clairvoyants, communicating with cats that have completed their earthly journey, describe their sensations at the time of transition. According to them, this is like rolling down a steep hill, and at that moment they did not experience any unpleasant sensations. Psychics claim that death is simply a transition from one dimension to another, these dimensions exist mainly in parallel, but sometimes they can intersect, and then dead souls may be with us. Of course, we cannot see them, because our vision is not adapted to see energy bodies, but they can be felt, sometimes even stroked with a full sense of reality.
Psychics tips. Preparing for the transition to another world
If you believe in the existence of parallel worlds, it becomes clear where the cats go after death. Psychics are not only sure of this, but they also advise preparing their lesser brothers - pets - for the transition from our dimension to the neighboring. They claim that cats understand human speech well, they just don’t know how to answer. If your pet is on the verge of death, tell him what awaits him in a parallel life. About how he will feel good and fun there, which of the departed relatives he will meet there and how joyful their meeting will be. Mention that you love and will remember and that when your hour strikes, you will meet in a better life. It will be easier for them to leave, and this will brighten up their expectation of a meeting.
The opinion of the owners of cats about where their pets fall after death
Since a person has a desire for faith in the best, inveterate cat-lovers who don’t dwell on their pets, of course, tend to believe in life after death and in the opportunity to meet their kitty in another, more perfect life. Since no one has been able to give an intelligible answer to the questions about whether cats have a soul and where it disappears after their death, the owners' opinion on this issue echoes the ideas of the religion they profess. In any case, the choice is theirs, but each of them is convinced that he can still walk in paradise gardens with his beloved cat, otherwise what is the point in all our earthly affections?
Conclusion
Which of the options to take and whether to take a word for religious leaders or psychics is up to each of us to decide. But the bitterness of loss is always easier to experience when you are sure that the creature you love has not disappeared into the depths of universal energy, but remains an individual, and even if it is not here, then it exists in another world where you will meet sooner or later.