When a cat presses on your leg or knee alternately with its paws, it is not just to sharpen its claws! If you observe its behavior carefully when it sharpens its claws on the carpet or the armchair, it has nothing to do with it. It is a way for it to show you its affection.
You can always place something between your cat and your knee, like a blanket, to prevent this display of love from turning your leg into steak tartare…
2. He brings you a gift
For a cat, it is the ultimate demonstration of love. By giving you gifts, he shows you that he cares about you. Your cat can bring you small dead animals, or even toys. The nature of the gift will depend on his personality and whether he is an indoor or outdoor cat, but the intention behind the gesture remains the same.
Since the cat doesn't see you hunting, it thinks you're starving, so it worries about you and tries to bring you prey. This is exactly what mother cats do to their kittens!
Amy Shojai , an animal behavior consultant, writes that "Cats show their love primarily through gifts. Good hunters catch everything from toys to insects, mice, and frogs, and often share their spoils with loved ones. If your cat gives you the spoils of his hunt, it's no small thing: he deserves to be praised and expects your gratitude in return."
For us humans, head-butting may seem quite strange. However, once again, it is not insignificant: this simple gesture proves that your cat really cares about you, and that you matter a lot to him!
Cats often do this among themselves, among members of the same group and especially within their family. In fact, cats have hidden scent glands, concentrated in certain parts of their bodies, and in particular their cheeks and heads. This is a social practice that aims to establish a common scent within the family group. By sharing this scent with you, your feline friend seeks to create a sense of belonging and strong social bond between you.
When a cat rubs its head against you, it is trying to mark you with its scent and claim you as a full-fledged member of its family. Leaving this olfactory imprint on you is a source of well-being, familiarity and trust for your cat.
4. He stares at you for a long time
If you share a strong bond with your cat, you may have seen him stare at you and blink slowly. Know that this is a sign of great affection! In cat language, this means that he has absolute trust in you, and he encourages you to trust him as well: it is the equivalent of a smile in humans, a sign that one individual sends to another to tell them that they are friendly and that they will never hurt them.
Le Dr. Karen Becker writes that "This is perhaps the easiest manifestation of cat love for humans to understand. If your cat starts by staring at you, then blinks, opens them wide, then blinks slowly a second time, he is simply telling you that he loves and trusts you."
5. He shows you his belly
When a cat shows you his belly, it is one of the many ways he says "I love you."
Like most animals, cats do not show their bellies to just anyone. It is a sensitive, vulnerable point and a cat in this position could be easily attacked, which is why they will only do it with a person they trust completely. If your cat turns on its back and gives you a view of its belly, it is a sign that it feels good with you. It feels loved and protected by you, and it shows you the extreme trust it places in you by making itself vulnerable and thus lying on its back.
6. He bends the tip of his tail
Observing your cat's tail can be a good way to gauge the extent of his feelings toward you.
In a contribution to the Catster website , Marilyn Krieger, an animal behaviorist specializing in cats, explains that "Cats express happiness and warm feelings by puffing up the base of their tails and making them quiver slightly. At the same time, they hold their tails upright with a slight curve at the tip."
According to her, it is a kind of "happy dance" that the cat performs with its tail.
7. He nibbles and licks you
Don't get upset: gently nibbling your finger is just one way your cat is telling you he loves you.
According to Dr. Karen Becker , "This display of love from your cat may be slightly painful… But your cat doesn't really understand that this loving nibble isn't always pleasant for you."
This gesture can also be observed when your cat interacts with other cats. In fact, cats have a habit of biting each other affectionately, and their skin is tougher than ours.
When a cat licks you with its rough tongue, it is, according to him, trying to rid you of parasites and dead skin. In nature, cats do this to each other to help each other. Even if it is a safe bet that a bar of soap will be more useful for your hygiene than your cat's tongue, the reflex remains.
According to Karen Becker, it's an extreme sign of affection. "It's the equivalent of being kissed."
8. He rubs against your legs
When your cat won't stop rubbing against you, it means he cares about you a lot.
Dr. Karen Becker writes that "rubbing against an object or other living thing is a cat's way of scent-marking things they care about. If your cat rubs against your leg...he's giving you his scent to claim you as his." It's a bit like head-butting behavior: he wants to leave his scent on you.
According to Karen Becker, "It's important to your relationship with your cat to allow him to rub against you. It can only strengthen your bond."
9. He purrs in a specific way around you.
You've heard your cat purr before. In fact, purring is a behavior that is not yet fully understood by ethologists [scientists who analyze animal behavior, editor's note]. What is certain is that it is something quite astonishing: cats purr ONLY in the presence of humans. It is therefore a privileged way of communicating between them and us.
According to expert Amy Shojai , "Cat purring can mean a lot of things, from happiness to concern. And cat purrs can range from soft and subtle to as loud as a tractor-trailer."
However, he may purr at a specific frequency in your presence. If so, this is an ultimate demonstration of his love for you.
10. He follows you everywhere
This behavior is not that common in cats. But if your cat seeks out your presence and follows you around the house to stay close to you, it means you have a very strong emotional bond!
According to Mother Nature Network , "If your cat follows you from room to room, jumps on tables and counters to be near you, and always seems to want to be under your feet, he clearly enjoys your company."
To know if your cat is following you because he is looking for your company, just look at the time: if it is not time to eat but he is still sticking to you, then you share something unique!
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