How Do You Know If Your Cat Likes You?

Coming from someone who has historically been a dog person, cats are weird.  Don’t deny it, they are.  Straight up psycho would be putting it nicely.  I’ve been a dog owner for many years (still am), I guess I have primarily become accustomed to their mannerisms, which are nothing close to being those of a cat.  Usually pretty easy to tell that your dog likes you, he shows excitement, wags his tail, jumps up and down, etc.  Cats show you they like you in different ways.  I emphasize like.  Love, to a cat, is just too much of a commitment.  Right?

We adopted Rascal, the kitty you see pictured here, in August last year, and boy are we learning some things.  I have not had a cat since I was a child, and that cat was primarily a barn cat.

We have learned that he likes to tip over the water bowl because he sees his reflection in the bowl, so we bought a kitty water fountain.

We have learned that he loves to scratch, mostly stuff he shouldn’t be scratching, like my good leather boots.  Thanks Rascal.  We bought him a cat tower with scratching post.  He likes it pretty good.  He does spend a good amount of time there.

He likes treats, that’s for sure.  He can hear the rattle of the treat container from a mile away.

But how do we know he likes us or appreciates us?  Or just tolerating us?

I did the research and this is what I have come up with.  It doesn’t mean your cat will do every one of these things.  All cats are different, but if he is doing a couple of these things, then they are likely ok with you being around.

Head butting – When people do it, it is usually not a good thing, but feel privileged if your cat does it to you.  It means they feel close to you and you have gained their trust.

Purring – This one has been pretty obvious for years.  However, the only time we hear Rascal purr, is in the morning when he wants to eat.

Love bites – He does do this, but it’s not too hard.  Not hard enough to hurt.

Tail twitch – You can definitely see this.  The very tip of the tail will twitch to and fro.  If you see this, it’s a pretty good sign he may be ok with having you around.

Shows belly – This is a big attention getter.  They only do this to those they feel they can trust.

Licking your hair or ears – Most cats choose to do their own grooming, so if they groom you, you should feel very special.  This is one of the most obvious signs of friendship and trust.

Kneading – Experts believe this behavior is nostalgic of when they were a kitten and they are reliving happy moments they experienced then.

Slow blinking – Cats generally save eye contact for people they know and trust.  If you get eye contact with slow blinking, consider yourself loved and adored.

Sleeping – If your cat decides to nap close to your, or on your lap, feel honored.  Cats are most vulnerable when they are sleeping, so if they do this close to you or on you, they trust you.

Gifting – Ah, love these right?  If you have ever received a gift from your cat, mouse, bird, bug, etc., consider yourself worthy of their presence.  This ritual is a way for them to share their prizes with you as a sign of true friendship.

So, for the few months that Rascal has lived with us, we are both learning about each other.  We’ve learned how to deal with his quirky habits and he has kind of sort of learned not to jump up on the sink to steal a drink from the faucet.  Lucky for me he hasn’t learned to turn the thing on…yet.