Does My Cat Know I Love Them? 7 Ways Cats Show Love
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We can’t exactly talk to cats about how much they love us. We just have to make our best guess. It would be amazing if when we told our cats how much we love them (over and over again) that they were able to say it back, but they can’t. Instead, cats show us they love us and that they know we love them in a lot of different ways.
Does My Cat Know I Love Them?
For cats, love has a lot to do with trust. Cats are known for their lack of trust in people they don’t know very well or even people they do. When a cat loves you enough to let you in and open up around you, that’s a sure sign that they know they can trust you to take care of them and that you are a safe person to be around.
So does my cat know I love them? It’s hard to tell exactly. But we can tell a lot about how cats feel about us based on the way they act around us.
7 Ways That Cats Show Love:
Every cat is different and might show that they love us and that they know we love them in different ways. Some of the most common ways that cats show their love for their pet parents includes:
- They Stay Near By - Cats are known for their aloofness or their “can’t-be-bothered” attitude. That's the stereotype anyway. The reality is that when a cat loves you, they often like to stay nearby. They like to observe you, watch what you're doing and pine for your attention. For example, suppose that you go into the bathroom and your cat follows you in. They don’t really know what you’re doing in there every time you sit down, but they sure like to be near you and be included. When your cat follows you into every room, this can be a clear indicator of their love for you. They don’t want to be in a room that you’re not in!
- They Slow Blink - This cat-love indicator is a famous one. Everyone loves to see their cat slow-blink. It always feels so intentional when they look you in the eyes, raise their chin a little bit and blink slowly. Some research suggests that this is your cat trying to communicate to you that they love you.
- **They Push Up Against You -**It’s the best when your cat pushes up against your leg and begs for you to pay attention to them. Maybe you just walked into the door from work, or they just decided they need your attention right this instant, your cat pushing up against you is a sign of their trust and love for you.
- They Rub Their Cheeks on You - Cats have scent glands in their cheeks that they use to mark their territory. When they rub their face on furniture or on their toys, they are looking at that object and saying “this is mine.” So when you cat rubs their cheeks on you, they are marking you as “theirs”.
- They Bring You Things - Does your cat like to bring your presents? If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, you might see different “presents” left for you by the door. Indoor cats might try to bring you their toys. When your cat brings you these things, they want to show off their accomplishments with you, which can be a sign of love.
- They Show You Their Belly - Cats instinctively protect their tummies from everything because that’s where their vital organs are. If they lived in the wild, they would protect their tummy all the time from other predators or from fights with other animals, so they don’t get too hurt. So if a cat is showing you their tummy or letting you pet it, that means they trust you with the most vulnerable parts of themselves. This is definitely a sign of the trust that they have in you. This can also translate to love when it comes to cats.
- They Bathe You- It can feel random when our cats decide that we need a bath or that they need to groom us. They do this for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes cats groom their parents as a way to show them affection or to mark their territory.
While we cannot have a conversation with our cats to know exactly what is on their mind, we can sometimes make a really good guess if they are showing us they trust us and love us in their own way.
Does your cat know that you love them? It's hard to tell but if your cat is showing you any of these affectionate behaviors, you can know that they trust you, and that means a lot to them.
How Can I Show My Cat I Love Them?
There are a ton of ways to show your cat you love them. While you can't groom them as they do to you, you can use a cat brush to brush their fur. You can also shower them with love and affection, give them plenty of playtime and pets and gather the essentials like cat toys, cat food, cat beds, cat treats and other cat supplies to show them they’re special to you. You can also show your cat that you love them by making sure they get all of the best care. Find them a good veterinarian, protect them from cat fleas, give them quality cat litter and do everything else to make sure they live their best life.
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