It can be hard to know whether your cat actually loves you, as they can be rather sassy! When people make jokes like ‘cats have staff,’ it can be heartbreaking to think your pet just sees you as a means to get fed, rather than as a family member.
But thankfully, a cat behaviourist has shared how to gage how your furry friend really feels. Amanda, who posts on TikTok as @kittysittycatbehaviour, explained: “Cat parents – how would you know if your cat loves you, because they’re not like dogs, they don’t wag their tails.”
Amanda said cats show “love and affection in powerful ways” – and apparently, we can decode these ways by understanding their “cat communication”.
“We have to know their language,” she reiterated. Then, she went on to list 11 examples of feline affection.
Just like humans, different cats have different personalities and behaviours.
Amanda said: “There’s been a lot of research done on secure attachment in cats, and how sometimes a cat and a human can be co-dependent on each other. But there are different attachment styles.
“Some cats may want to follow you everywhere and may have real separation anxiety when you leave the room.
“Other cats may not want to sit on you, and they might want to just sit next to you, or just be in the same room as you. But that’s just a different level of attachment that suits that cat”.
Amanda shared that cats can also share affection in “physical ways,” by doing things like “slow blinking, purring, kneading on you, licking you, grooming you, nibbling you”.
She said: “I don’t know whether you’ve ever come in from work or a shopping trip, and your cat’s in the window, it sees you, and it jumps down and it wants to meet you at the front door. It’s so pleased to see you.
“It may even vocalise. That’s another way your cat is saying ‘hey mum, hey dad, I’m really happy that you’re home’. That’s their way of showing affection.
“And if the cat is getting closer to you and will lie on you, it will turn upside down; that just shows their level of trust for you. But again, don’t take it personally if you’ve got a cat that maybe isn’t as confident and doesn’t want to lie all over you”.
Amanda said that even if your cat is just happy to sit next to you, or be near you, then “they trust you”.
11 signs your cat loves you
- Slow blinking
- Purring
- Kneading their paws
- Grooming you
- Affectionate nibbles
- Sitting near you
- Following you
- Vocalising
- Head bumping
- Bringing toys
- Playing
Amanda’s own cats have different ways to show love and affection to her – and she accepts each and every one as they are.
She continued: “For example, Hugo is always head-bumping me, Esker constantly talks to me and throws himself on me, Basil follows me everywhere – the amount of times I nearly trip over him – Rocco likes to bring toys and he likes to play.”
In the comments, someone wrote: “I love it when my cat shows me his belly,” which is a sign of trust.
A cat owner penned: “My cat is so clingy yet so independent at the same time. Follows me everywhere, greets me at the door every time I get home, yet refuses to sleep in the same room as me. Comes to bed with me each night, grooms herself, but once she’s done, she goes and sleeps elsewhere. It’s so strange!”
Meanwhile, another pet owner shared: “All our cats are very affectionate but show it in different ways.”
