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July 15, 2005

Strange but true!

Q. Will a household cat or dog eat its owner who dies and whose body stays undiscovered for some time, leaving the pet unfed?

A. We see instances of pets feeding on their deceased owners (anthropophagy) from time to time, its rarity probably reflecting that the opportunity does not occur that often, says North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner John D. Butts. "In our experience, the animal is usually a dog." Interestingly enough, dogs will target certain parts of the human body first, says State University of New York-Canton criminal investigations and forensic science professor Steve Gilbert. First comes the daily licking of the deceased's face and hands, then an eating away at these parts, then elsewhere. "There is no difference between dogs and cats when it comes to survival: Both will eat what they must."


 
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