Have you ever heard of a dog named Hachi? He was a very famous Akita dog, who was extremely loyal to his owner. His owner was a professor at the University of Tokyo. Every day Hachi went to Shibuya Station to wait for his owner to return from his work. Even after his owner passed away, he kept waiting for his owner over for ten years. The poor dog didn't understand about the death. After Hachi passed away, people were impressed by his attitude. They put a Hachi's statue in front of the station where he used to wait for his owner. This story was made a film, and Richard Gere played the professor.
Today, I'd like to introduce a cat version. When I watched the video, I was impressed by it. I think cats are generally more timid than dogs and are easily frightened by loud noises or unknown people. However, it doesn't seem afraid of anybody. It patiently waits until its owner shows up. What's even more amazing is that it waits in front of a convenience store. I don't think my cat could do that and I don't want him to do like it does. I worry about the cat might be hurt by mean people or be hit by a car. I truly hope the cat can a live long and happy life with its owner.
Here's the video.
These photos below are my cat, Jiji.
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https://imgur.com/hronZV1 from my personal collection.
The Hachiko movie is a real tearjerker. I don't think I'd ever rewatch it.
I heard that animals do understand death in their own way. But they have to see the body for themselves. People do that sometimes — when one pet dies, they let the other one sniff the body to realise their friend is dead rather than missing. Although it can be tricky when a person passes away.
@quassnoi Thank you for sharing. I haven't visited Shibuya for years, so I'm happy to see it again. I think Shibuya Station has changed and the statue has moved to a different spot.
@BalaGi Thank you for reading and commenting. I watched a YouTube video clip about how animals understand the death. Dogs don't eat their owners' corps, but cats eat them! I'm not sure if dogs understand their owners had passed away, but it was quite shocking.