Why do cats bite when you rub their belly?.Why does my cat grab my hand and kick me?."The Inner Life of Cats." Scientific American, 1 October 2018. "How Do Cats Show Affection to Humans?" Psychology Today, 17 September 2018. "Your Cat Thinks of You Like a Parent, Study Suggests." Vice, 23 September 2019. If your cat's still a little nervous at times, you can use pheromone products to help him feel more secure.ġ. It has to spill out in purrs, kneads, and slow blinks. Cats feel so much love in their tiny hearts, they can hardly contain it all. You don't need to wonder anymore if cats feel love. They knead to show they are relaxed and content, just like when they were kittens. Cats groom each other to mix their scents and show trust. If your fur baby grooms or kneads you, that's another sign of love and affection. 3 Your cat may greet you with happy meows when you get home and give you shorter, more persistent meows when he wants your attention. Cats may develop a " meow language" unique to their owners. Yes, even the meow can be a sign of love. They know you're up to something interesting, and they don't want to miss out! Your cat may also choose to sleep near you, even if not necessarily on you. Some cats will follow their owners from room to room because they love them. Showing a belly is true vulnerability, and a cat will only do this when he really trusts and loves you. He may roll in front of you happily or just lie on the ground lazily, belly up. Belly Flopsįlopping in front of you and showing his belly is a sign of trust. These pheromones can help your cat feel secure, happy, and relaxed. Calming diffusers mimic your cat's natural calming pheromones to signal that the area is familiar and safe. She's transferring pheromones onto your body to mark you as part of her family. If your cat bunts you with her head or rubs her cheek against you, she's trying to put her "scent" on you and show the world that you belong together. But if your cat holds his tail high, he's confident, secure, and happy to see you. Cats with a puffy tail or a tail that's held low may be nervous or stressed. Tail Held HighĬats have an extensive body language that can take some time to decipher. She may lay on you because of the security you give her or as a way to show that you belong to her. If your cat sits or lays on you, that can be a sign she loves you. If he's snuggling up to you and purring, it's all love. Purrs can have all kinds of different meanings in cat language, but in many cases, a purr means your cat is happy to be near you. It's a great way to tell your cat you love her too. A good translation of the slow blink is, "I am very happy, content, and peaceful right now." If you ever notice your cat looking at you and blinking very slowly, try blinking slowly back. The slow blink is a cat's classic language of love. Some show these signs frequently, and others are more independent, only showing the signs from time to time. But just like people, each cat is unique. If you understand this cat "language," you can see their love displayed in many ways. Cats have their own way of communicating that is very different from ours. So now that you know cats truly do feel love, how do they show it to us? Humans are expressive, employing body language, hand gestures, facial expressions, words, and tone to show how we feel. The responses were similar to how human children react to their parents. They still acted this way one year later. Kittens in the study acted distressed when their caregivers left and happy and secure when they returned. A 2019 study revealed that cats have the same attachment to their owners that babies show to their parents.
Cats See Us as ParentsĬats don't just think of their owners as food machines. From slow blinks to purrs, kneading, and following you from room to room, cats show love in many unique and wonderful ways. Have you ever asked yourself, "What do cats think about their owners?" The answer is that they think pretty highly of us. They're just sometimes a little more subtle about it than dogs.
And the answer is a resounding yes! Cats often feel love quite strongly for their owners and other companions. Do cats feel love? It's a question that many cat owners have wondered.