Cat Care – Does My Cat Love Me

Does My Cat Love Me

Does my cat love me? As a long time cat owner I can see when my cats love me. As this moment Soxs the office cat is curled into my arms here at the key board and grooming me. He loves his time alone with me and really demonstrates it when we are alone. The cat personality can be understood if we just take the time to watch.

Before we get into some of the tell tale demonstrations of cat love I want to introduce you to an unnamed cat that was just rescued from the cold. The picture above was taken a day ago by my friend Janet who is actively rescuing cats from the winter cold. Today in Manitoba it was minus 34 c overnight. This kitty is going to be loved and cared for now.

I am going to document  several things your cat will do to demonstrate their love and trust to you. If you are new to cats it will be interesting to observe these acts of kindness. If you have just brought home a new cat don’t be surprised that the kitty is not ready to trust you yet. Be patient and let the cat come to you. The adoption of a senior cat might take months for the kitty to warm up to you. If you have adopted a senior cat you have done a tremendous service to that feline. For those of you thinking about adoption please don’t overlook the senior cats.

Lexi is one of those senior adoptions that took a long time to be comfortable with her new family and to this day she will let you know when she has had enough attention with a good swat, but she loves us and shows it regularly. She has adopted my son and does many loving gestures to him.

Now lets look at some of the ways a cat will show their love and trust to you.

Head butts

When you lean over and get close to your cat and they respond with a head bump, its love. Coupled with some head rubs you are experiencing feline compassion and trust.

Slow Blinks

These are the same as kisses , do one back.

Tail Up and Rubbing Your Legs

This means I am happy to see you and I am leaving my scent on you.

Kneading

When you are laying down and kitty gets on you and starts using their front paws on you they are back to kitten mind and its like being with their mother. You will then find out if your cat need their nails trimmed. This could be followed by love bites and turning their bum to you as a sign of trust. They are saying sniff me I am your friend.

Showing Their Belly

When I come in the house and their are multiple cats laying around with their tummies exposed it means they feel safe and comfortable in their surroundings. Its peaceful enough to expose my most vulnerable part of my body. This changes fast when I tell the dogs to come and I take them out to pee. My Husky “China” has to make lots of noise and there are cats moving everywhere.

Sleeping With You

For me the best example of trust is when a cat comes to sleep with me. Tenzin sleeps with my wife regularly. Esther comes and goes in the middle of the night. She will come to bed and groom me, lay down beside me with a paw on my arm and purr herself to sleep. Purring is relaxing for the cat and I love hearing it.

All these gestures means that you cat is comfortable and happy with you and their home. While it may take a long time for a new cat to warm up to you remember that you are providing a home to a kitty and taking them out of a shelter or recuing them from a cold winter. Some cats cat get rough when playing or kneading, especially to young children who don’t know any better. Please pay attention and provide guidance so everyone is happy. Please don’t swat the cat and using a squirt bottle is as a cruel method of discipline. A freighted cat will dig in with all four claws and knock down any thing in its way.

Cats are a joy. They add a peace to my life  and they always make me smile regardless of the events of the day. I read the other day about the number of cats that are disposed of due to shelter overcrowding and lack of homes. Its everyone’s responsibility to maintain their cats. Spaying or neutering needs to be done. I don’t believe in free roaming cats for many reasons.

For 2018 please think about adopting or donating to a shelter. Don’t forget about the senior cats. Maybe bring two home for the cat to cat friendship. Consider rescuing a cat from the cold or fostering for a shelter.

That’s my story for today. If you have any questions I encourage you to leave a comment below. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. If you would like your Kitty featured as a guest cat send a picture and a short bio to catinthecradles@gmail.com.

Trevor