When it comes to overtly showing love to your owner, dogs top the charts. No one can beat pet dogs in the ways they express their feelings towards their owner – be it wagging their tail, barking when they see you or licking your face constantly, even if you’re not all that receptive.
However, cats have always been criticised for their lack of emotion. Cats have always been associated with acting like a royal entity, owning the house they are living in. Over the years, there have been several complaints by cat owners regarding the lack of emotion or love showed by their feline friends.
Well, this is not true! Though cats may not be as overt and expressive as dogs when it comes to showing affection towards the owner, they surely do have their own ways of expressing love. These are tiny cute ways in which a cat would show how much it loves you from their actions.
Cat owners often fail to identify the little ways in which their cats show their affection, the worst being their comparison to dogs. You must have had friends telling you that dogs are way better than cats as they can show their love nicely.
This is never the case. All you need is good attention and an open mind. Cats are equally capable of showing emotions as dogs or any other animal. Let’s make the task easier for you. Here are some of the most prominent and expressive ways in which your feline friends can show affection towards you:
When They Knead On Your Legs
You must be familiar with the process of kneading dough. Cats have a weird way of showing love by doing the same action to your legs. As cats make great lap pets, it is common for any cat owner to have them on their laps.
If they tend to knead your legs while you pet them on your lap, they definitely love you. This is rarely noticed by cat owners as they see it as a sign of them wanting to run away. According to an interesting analysis made by PetMD, the kneading action performed by your cat on your lap is a way of them returning your love.
Also, it may get a little painful if your cat loves you a bit too much! This is because the kneading action intensifies with their affection and they might dig their nails deep in the process. However, their way of showing affection can never be denied.
When They Bring You Presents
This is the most human way of cats showing their love to their owners, of course in their own unique ways. Just like you would purchase a gift for your loved one, your cat would fetch one for you in order to show how special you are for them.
Their gifts have a great range – be it a plastic rug, a broken toy, fish remnants (if they don’t eat it themselves!) or even a dead mouse. This gesture often shows how much your cat loves you as an owner and how special you are for them.
The Head-butting Gesture
This is when your cat comes really close to you and bumps their head to yours as a sign of affection. Though this is a common phenomenon, few cat owners know that it is a sign of cats showing their love and care.
You can try going closer to your cat when they are sitting (or lounging!) near you. If they come forward and strike their head with yours or hit your nose with theirs, you’re the lucky one! A cat wouldn’t head-but anyone unless they really care for them.
When They Rub Their Bodies Against You
You must have seen a cat rub their cheeks or their body against an individual’s legs. This comes off as an irritating gesture for certain people, but it surely is a way of cats showing their affection. Cats have certain secret glands that are located at certain parts of their bodies, such as their heads and cheeks.
When a cat rubs its cheek, head or body against yours, it means they’re trying to rub their scent on to you and mark you as their family member. They rub their scent against your body as a sigh of familiarity and affection. The gesture therefore is a definite sign of your cat being in love with you!
Also, cats might repeat the rubbing action if they want to ask you for getting some work done. As a responsible owner, you should catch the hint and get the demand fulfilled as soon as possible. If they keep pointing towards their empty food bowl, give them food. If they are feeling uncomfortable with excessive hair, get them trimmed with the best pet clippers. Whatever the need is, make sure you fulfil the same for your cat, especially after all the love you receive from them!
When They Stare And Blink Slowly
If your cat curls up near you while you’re sitting on your couch and keeps staring into your eyes, you can safely assume that they love you as their owner. In majority of the cases, the stare is followed by a slow blink of their eyes. This is also known as a ‘cat kiss’.
If your cat keeps staring at you even when you’re looking away and gives you a cat kiss when you look at them, you can easily tell that your cat is very fond of you.
Show Of Their Belly
Cats have this unique way of saying ‘I love you’ by flashing their tummies to their owners. Cats love belly rubs and they would only expect one if they feel comfortable with the people around them.
The show of belly is also a sign of your cat feeling secure around you. This is because they can render themselves defenceless when they are lying upside down and showing them your belly. Rub their bell and they would twist further, showing how much they’re loving the action (and you!)
Gentle Bites (Nipping)
If your cat takes your fingers into their paws and starts biting them gently, it doesn’t mean they hate you and want to push you away. It is totally the opposite. Also known as nipping, cats tend to gently bite the owner’s body parts to show their affections towards them.
Though this is not as painful as it seems, it might get a little rough as cats never hold back! Their habit of nipping comes from them gently biting other cats (generally their parents) to show them their affection. Hence, if you receive the same treatment, you better feel lucky!
