Have you ever wondered what your cat thinks of you? Does she treat you as her parent? Has she even have any feelings for you? Does she think you are a cat too? All that and more I’ll try to explain in this article.
Do cats think humans are cats?
How could you possibly check that? Isn’t it impossible to see what is in your cat’s head?
Well… it is.
Kind of.
At least according to famous cat behavior expert John Bradshaw. What does he has to say about the subject?
Cats understand us in a different way than dogs do. Nothing new, you say? Dogs are more social than cats, and they follow human commands better. Cats are much more independent. But the real difference lies elsewhere. Dogs interact with humans in a different way than with other dogs. Cats, on the other hand, don’t change their behavior when interacting with a human. They put their tail up in the air, rub against you, or try to groom you. All these things are the things they do to each other. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a super decisive argument but it’s a solid reason to assume that probably cats see humans as their own kind.
Do cats have any feelings for their owners?
Yes, cats have feelings for their owners. If a cat is kept mostly indoors and properly taken care of, it will usually show signs of affection to its owners. Cats that are outdoors a lot, tend to be more independent and less likely to show affection.
A lot depends on the individual personality of a cat. There are cats that are generally more sociable and are more strongly attached to their human owners. The common belief is that cats are less affectionate towards people than dogs. It is true but only to a certain extend. Your cat will probably not defend you from a physical threat like a dog would. But a cat can sense when you are sad or crying and come to you, and rub against you, lay next to you, or lick you. It’s not necessarily done to “cheer you up” (more on that later) but it is a clear sign of affection.
In general, winning a cat’s love is harder than with a dog. Providing tasty food and occasional treats is helpful but most of the time it’s not enough. Cats are complex creatures and need more than that. They need you to play with them or pet them but only when they feel like it. A human-dog relationship can be driven by a human. You are going to your buddy whenever you want to and you’re welcome every time.
With cats, you need to let your furry friend take lead most of the time. Wanna pet him? Let him come to you, don’t force yourself upon him. Always keep an eye on the signs of nervousness. If she is trying to go, it means she had enough. Don’t try to hold your cat then. Cats can get bored very quickly and if you won’t let them go they will start avoiding you.
Also, remember to always leave your cat a safe escape route, especially at the beginning of your relationship. Cats are not as domesticated as dogs and they are always a little more afraid of humans.
If you follow this tips and earn your cats trust then surely it will have all the good feelings for you.
Do cats get sad when you leave?
A great proof of the fact that cats can be more social than we used to think is a study on SAS (Separation Anxiety Syndrom) in cats documented by Stefanie Schwartz. They observed that cats can suffer from being lonely in a very similar way dogs do.
Results suggest that cats can develop SAS. Sex and breed differences in the frequency of particular signs of SAS in cats may exist. Feline SAS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of anxiety-related misbehavior in cats.
The most common way of cats missbehavior were inappropriate urination and defecation. What is interesting though is:
Seventy-five percent of the cats that urinated inappropriately urinated exclusively on the owner’s bed.
This shows high corelation of this behavior with the absence of the human they felt attached to.
There were also a few other interesting factors. One of which was the fact that “psychogenic grooming” was observed only among female cats while “destructiveness” was the exclusive domain of male cats.
Do cats know you love them?
Schwartz’s study (above) indirectly proves that yes, they do. If we approach this question seriously it’s hard to expect from a cat to fully understand the concept of love. But we can safely conclude that cats are aware of the friendliness and caring attitude their humans have for them. Otherwise, they would not suffer from being away from them.
Let’s forget for a second that we are talking about cats. Think of it when you were a really small kid. You were also unable to fully get the concept of love. But you still wanted to be close to your parents. They were the ones who were making you feel happy. You might not fully understand what you felt but you knew that you want your mum to hug you from time to time. That was feeling warm and safe. If something bad would happen to her you felt scared, worried, and anxious. It was not because you’ve been worried who will provide you food now. It was because of that natural bond.
The same is with cats and other animals. They don’t know we love them. They feel it.
Do cats understand kisses?
Have you ever asked yourself: what do cats think when we kiss them? Do cats even like kisses?
Cats have unique preferences for the type of human affection they enjoy. There is no general rule about the preference for being kissed by a human. Some of them will like it or tolerate it. Others simply don’t.
Before we proceed with further explanation a small note. If you were trying to kiss your cat on the lips then you should not be surprised that she didn’t like it. Lips to lips contact may be far too invasive for your cat. It’s also not very healthy as your feline friend, no matter how sweet she is, can have parasites in her saliva. This is especially true for young kittens.
Read more about how safe is kissing your cat.
When trying to kiss your furry friend look at the body language of your cat. Does she purrs, closes her eyes, and leans towards you? If yes, then most likely she likes it. If she behaves neutral, not doing anything special, then she probably tolerates it. But if you see your cat is leaning or turning her face away from you – stop! Forcing your cat to do things she doesn’t like can harm your relationship.
What to do then? Is there any solution?
There is. You can still kiss your cat and she may enjoy it! The only difference is that it won’t be the kiss you know…
…It’ll be the cat kiss.
Wait! What? What is a cat kiss?
We used to define kisses as touching lips with each other. The cats kiss looks a little different. Have you ever noticed that your cat closes her eyes when happy or relaxed? Like in the picture below?
Now, try to recall a situation when your cat looked at you and slooowly closed her eyes…Has it ever happened? Yes? Then you were kissed by your cat!
According to cat experts, this kind of behavior is very often referred to as “cat kiss”. When a cats’ facial muscles and ears are relaxed, and she is slowly closing her eyes while looking at you it is a sign of comfort, trust, and most likely affection. It is time for you to do the same!
Next time when your furry friend slowly blinks at you be sure to kiss her back!
Do cats have a favorite person?
Yes, very often cats have their favorite humans. In most cases, they choose a person who feeds them or plays with them the most. Some other factors might be your smell, your voice, or even the colors you are wearing.
Despite the above factors, it’s also very important when the relationship with your cat has started. Was it in its early kittenhood? If yes, then you are ahead of anyone else. Your cat has had enough time to get used to your smell, your looks, and your behavior. Think of how human-to-human relationships are evolving. You are far more likely to have a close bond with someone you’ve known since childhood, right?
It doesn’t mean you can’t befriend with your cat if your relationship started later. You may just need more time. And remember – cats are animals. They can’t be “trained” to like someone. Neither to switch their favorite person. You need to do your best and observe your cats’ reactions.
What can you do to make your cat like you?
- Give her an occasional treat, especially when she did something nice
- Be the one who feeds her
- Keep things slow, don’t rush
- Don’t try to pet your cat if she doesn’t want it
- Don’t hold your cat if she is trying to escape
- Play with her and pet her when she comes to you
Even if you feel like you fail because your feline still prefers company of someone else, don’t panic. Despite what some people are saying, there is plenty of room in your cat’s heart. Your furry friend can love more than one person, even if it’s not showing everybody the same amount of affection.
Does my cat think I’m its mother?
There are many similarities between how young kittens are displaying attachment to their owners and how human children are displaying attachment to their parents. Although it’s not clear whether or not cats think humans are their parents it’s proven that cats interact with humans in a very similar way they interact with other cats.
A recent study showed that most of the kittens, when moved to the new place, felt more comfortable with the owner than without one. Human owner was fulfilling a very similar need for support and safety that a mother cat would otherwise provide.
Cats, like people, have different personalities and can see their owners in many different ways. If you want to see if your cat really does see you as a parent then you need to take a closer look at his behavior. Certain things that cats do are considered to be related to their kittenhood and to relations with their mother. Such things are kneading her and following her. Licking or rubbing against each other are things that adult cats also do to each other. Also, cats don’t rub against the ones they perceive as inferior to them. So if your cat rubs against you he certainly doesn’t think you are his servant. 😉
There is also another thing to consider when trying to understand how your feline friend sees you. Cats are solitary animals. They hunt, pray, and eat alone. Sharing is not in their nature, they don’t always see other cats as a friendly companion. Another cat is a competition. The only sure, natural friendly cat-to-cat interaction within every cat’s lifetime is a mother-to-kitten relation.
So, if your cat kneads you and follows you everywhere, he might really think of you as his mother. On the other hand, if he is just rubbing against you or lick you it means he feels comfortable around you and he probably thinks of you as of another cat. A friendly one. Very big and clumsy, but friendly.
Do cats miss their parents?
Yes, cats miss their parents if separated too early. Usually, a kitten needs 12-16 weeks before it becomes more independent. If possible kittens should not be separated from their mother sooner.
Is it the same for all the cats?
Of course not. It can vary from case to case. But you can be sure when you separate a 4-weeks old kitten (or younger) from its mother and siblings it will be extremely sad, may cry and eat less for several days. It will grow and adopt to the new situation eventually but it’s unneccessary suffering for the little guy.
If you have to take such a small kitty then take more than one from one litter if possible. It will be a little easier for them.
How long will a cat remember a person?
Cats can remember people and other cats for years. Cats have both short-term and long-term memory. If a person has been interacting with the cat for a long period of time, the cat will most likely remember this person for the rest of his life.
I have read many articles about the subject and I’ve been constantly running into blogs saying that the cat will remmeber you for 16 hours or for many years. 16 hour period is an average short-term memory span for cats. It’s still much more than short-term memory for most of the other animals.
The truth is, that cats’ memory is more complex. It can’t be described just as two pillars: short-term and long-term. Cats have also spatial memory, smells memory, sight memory, and few other types. All these types can be both short- or long-term, depending on the circumstances. It’s also not as binary as we tend to think – it’s a simplification. If you’ve been interacting with some friendly feline for a day it doesn’t mean she will remember you only in her short-term memory (or only in her long-term memory). Except for some really brief interactions, it’s usually a little bit of both. Humans also have short and long-term memory. But would you divide your memories as either 100% permanent and the ones you forget completely after a few hours?
Of course not!
Has it ever happened to you that you didn’t recognize someone on the street? Or in some social situation, when the other person clearly seemed to know you? Maybe then, after some time it suddenly hit you – “Oh, we met before!”
The memory of cats works in a very similar way. They can remember events, experiences, and people for years. But if it’s something that didn’ matter to them, they don’t care. They’ll forget. Maybe you were starring at this furry little guy for the whole evening at your friend’s house, but the furry little guy didn’t really give a … thing about you. You were not that interesting to him as he was to you! So, don’t be surprised he doesn’t remember you two years later.
If you want to be remembered by your feline friend make sure she actually notices you. Don’t rush and don’t force anything, but try to play with him a little. Give him a treat, let him come to you. Let him remember you not only by his sight memory but also by your smell, by interaction and fun, and by feeding.
Last but not least. If you are the owner of the cat he will remember you, don’t worry. Make sure these memories are good for him.
Do cats know when you cry or when you are sad?
Yes, cats have the ability to distinguish different moods in humans. They can act differently when seeing a smiling person than when you are sad. They can learn when you cry and associate it with the differences in your behavior.
Do cats care if you cry?
You may wonder – if my cat can tell when I’m crying, does she care? Do cats worry about their owners?
Unfortunately, the scientific answer is not as tender as you wish. Cats have the ability to learn your mood by reading your facial expression and picking up on changes in your habits, but most scientists agree they are not capable of compassion or giving you comfort when you feel down. At least, according to most experts, not on purpose
How so? My cat always comes to me me when I’m down.
It’s possible for your cat to come to you when you are sad. If your behavior changes, i.e you are always going to bed or to your sofa to lay down and listen to the music your cat may want to use the warm spot near you to take a nap.
It can also be the case that you may be more willing to pet your furry friend when you are a little depressed. She senses that and comes to you to get some scratches or an extra treat.
For those of you who are a little disappointed by this – don’t be. The behavioral scientists are known to change their minds all the time and their conclusions in that matter are far from being final. Very few serious studies were done on cats’ behavior. On the other side of the spectrum, there are stories where it’s really hard to believe that a cat didn’t have a deeper understanding of the emotional state of its owner.
Do cats apologize?
No, cats do not apologize in the sense we understand the apology. Cats do not feel guilt and they don’t act like they did something wrong. However, if a cat is highly attached to you, it may feel a little disconnected when you get angry. A cat may come to you and try to re-establish this bond by purring, head butting, or rubbing against you.
Remember that a cat is an animal. Animals don’t know the concept of right and wrong. They act, feel, some of them are even capable of compassion. But they are not able to tell if what they did was wrong. Everything an animal does, in its mind, is ok. After all, why the heck would they do that? They can’t feel guilty about anything they have done. They can only suffer from you being mad.
Even if your furry friend doesn’t know what is a big deal and why you are so mad, you can be happy that he wants some sort of reconciliation with you. It shows that your cat has feelings for you and feels good around you. After all, isn’t it what it is all about?