A Pet's Place of Clearwater Inc.

How cats say ‘I Love You’

We all know most cats can’t say those three little words ‘I Love You!’ Many people wonder and make jokes about cat behaviors. Many misunderstand a cat’s behavior of wanting attention to mean they want to be fed, and we get overweight cats. Here are a few ways to tell you that your cat loves you.

Cats like to rub each other mostly using their faces. With people they will rub your feet because your face is a little too high. Some cats like getting up on things to get closer to your face. They also rub doorways, chair legs and other furniture when you are close by. It’s true that they have multiple scent glands on their heads. They have glands located around their mouths, chins, sides of the face, neck and ears. When a cat rubs his face on an item, he leaves his scent behind. The act of a cat rubbing his head on objects is called “bunting.” This bunting and rubbing are reserved for bonding, social, comforting and friendly purposes. When your cat engages in head bunting or head rubbing, he is placing his scent there as a social and affectionate gesture.

When you watch your cat move about, generally the tail is up with maybe a kink at the tip. When your cat holds its tail high in the air as he moves about his territory, he's expressing confidence and contentment. When the tail sticks straight up, it signals happiness and a willingness to be friendly.

When cats are found curled up sleeping on one another even when its warm and they don’t need the heat, this is another way of the expressing affection. Similarly, when you sit and they jump in your lap, curling up contented, you know you are loved. Grooming is another expression of fondness. As you pet them, particularly along the head and back, it marks your friendship. Some cats even will try to groom you back, which can be startling with the barbs on their tongues.

The purr as you approach your feline friend intensifies, showing his love. The main period for kittens to be socialized is between 3 and 8 weeks. So being in contact with multiple humans tends to create a much more adjusted social cat. There is even a gene expressed in most male cats called the boldness gene, that helps them prefer human companionship.