Signs Your Cat Loves You

Jane MillerCat Care1 Comment

Signs Your Cat Loves You - SweetieKitty

Last updated: January 16, 2020

Cats are notoriously well-known to be the most snobbish pets humans can have. Amidst the gazillion number of images online of cute and adorable cats and their antics is the constant tirade of how selfish and unfeeling they can be even towards their own owners and others. They are almost always compared to the contrastingly loving and ever so loyal dogs, who so freely meet their owners with so much happiness and excitement. For the longest time, cats have been portrayed to be without a care in the world, and have given most people the notion that they are more independent and therefore, need less attention than dogs do.

However, as most cat owners would know to be true, cats are actually one of the most emotionally attached and loving pets in the world. Cats might not act the way dogs do and in usual ways that humans are used to seeing in terms of showing affection, but that doesn’t mean that cats are heartless and unfeeling. Just like most animals out there, cats express themselves in their own unique way.

Gifting

One of the most bizarre ways a cat shows their love is by gifting you their own version of presents. They are bizarre because when humans think of gifts, gift-wrapped boxes filled with material things come in mind, but when cats give their humans their gift, it would usually be in the form of dead animals. In fact, they’re not just any dead animal, but they’re usually vermin at that. No wonder humans get mixed signals from cats! Just remember, cats are natural born hunters and sharing their bounty with a human must mean they are entirely smitten with them.

Signs Your Cat Loves You - Kitten Nipping Mother - SweetieKittyNipping

The idea of a cat biting a human would make cats seem quite ferocious with their sharp teeth and their sharp claws. However, cats, especially when they’re still young and just little kittens, can be very playful and love to bite their owners. This bite isn’t the type where they dig in their teeth and make humans bleed; this is a really playful bite that’s referred to as nipping otherwise known as love bites. Cats would usually do this to other cats, but the difference is they have tougher skins than humans do and it can get quite painful, but nevertheless, nipping is one of the strongest signs of a cat’s love.

Licking

Along with nipping, cats would also tend to lick their humans, most often on their hands. Like most mammals, cats participate in allogrooming; wherein, they would be licking other cats on the head and neck area as a form of socialization with the added benefit of convenient grooming. The same goes for when cats lick their owners. It’s a sure sign of their love for them, as licking them signifies their trust in them and how the cat has accepted them as one of their pack.

Kneading

One other thing that cats love to do is kneading. Yes, you heard that right! Kneading! Just like when bakers knead dough when they are making cakes and biscuits. Often done by kittens on their mother’s breasts for milk production, kneading is truly a sign that a cat loves their owner. They also do this on their beds before they go to sleep since they feel most comfortable and relaxed there, which is also how they perceive humans. They would usually knead their owner’s laps, purring and making strong eye contact with them, the clearest signs of pure and utter satisfaction.

Bunting

Maybe due to the fact that cats aren’t exactly able to communicate with humans through words and can only meow, they find physical ways to express how they feel. They are also very territorial and the best way they are able to communicate and mark humans at the same time is through bunting or simply, head butting them. For others, this might seem like a really weird way to show somebody how much they love them, but for cats, bunting their humans is just like hugging them. It makes them feel protected and safe. Plus, they also transfer their facial pheromones to their owner’s skin to really seal that bond between them.

Snuggling

In the mornings, cats would often act aloof and go about their day as usual, most likely ignoring their owners. Humans are easily offended by this. However, at the end of the day, especially when it’s time to sleep, is when cats have their claws retracted, their teeth tucked in safely inside their mouth and their guard down. This is also when owners feel the love of their cats the most. As their cat snuggles in bed with them as they sleep, comfortably purring their way through the night beside their owner whom they obviously love the most.

Signs Your Cat Loves You - Kitten's Happy Tail - SweetieKittyTail-twisting and Rubbing

One other sign of a cat’s love is their tail-twisting. Just like dogs whose tails wag when they are excited and happy, a cat’s tail is also the best way to determine their feelings. When their tails are all upright with the end slightly curved at the top, a cat owner knows that their cat is feeling happy. This escalates even more when they walk around in circles on their owner’s and legs and start rubbing themselves on them as well. It’s a sure fire sign that a cat is feeling so much love and affection for their owner.

Belly-showing and Rolling

Although cats often do this when they are in Heat, during normal days, a cat that rolls around on the ground, stays upside down, and shows their belly is another clear sign of loving their owners. Being in this position renders a cat to be vulnerable and unguarded and would only sacrifice their sense of security to those that they love, such as their owner. This rare action would often leave owners thinking that it’s safe to rub their cat’s belly too, but in this case, and unlike with dogs, this would turn into a nasty scratching session as cats can be pretty unpredictable.

There are many other ways that cats are able to express and show their love to their owners. They might not be able to talk like humans do, or they might not be as enthusiastic as dogs can be, but they are obviously not as heartless as they usually seem. I like to see cats as pets with trust issues, and just like introverted humans it takes time for them to open up to humans and even to other cats and just like many relationships, it takes constant love and attention to win the affections of a cat, but when you do it will be the most rewarding and heart-warming feeling in the world.