There are numerous individual reports of pets scavenging found in forensic science journals which provide insight into a situation that many pet owners do not want to think about – would our pets eat us? These reports offer the best window into understanding this unsettling reality. Studies of pets’ scavenging behaviors provide answers and show how we can misinterpret animals’ behaviors when we fail to see their perspective.

One particular report published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine in 2010 tells the story of a woman who died from an aneurysm and was found the following morning. Forensic evidence revealed that her dog had consumed much of her face, while her two cats had not touched her. This challenges the belief that cats have no qualms about eating their owners and suggests that cats may not cause as much damage as dogs do, focusing on soft parts like the nose and lips as they attempt to wake their owners up.

Forensic anthropologist Carolyn Rando of University College London explains that as a cat owner, this behavior is not surprising. She notes that cats may try to wake up their owner by swatting their face, which could escalate into biting. This insight into pets’ scavenging behaviors reveals a complex and sometimes unsettling reality about the relationship between humans and their animal companions.