We often declare that we love our pets. But do they love us? It turns out that they do, even if they don’t show it at first glance. Meanwhile, there are scientific studies that confirm the existence of a deep bond between cats and their carers. It is therefore difficult to question the validity of the claim that a cat can love us.
Cat man’s best friend?
For years, the dog has been firmly established in this sentence – as a social, helpful and often almost fond of its owner. The cat, on the other hand, is associated by a large group of people with a certain distance, sometimes even with haughtiness and with treating the environment “down”. A dog literally floods us with love, while a cat’s attention and interest must be earned. But is this really the case?
Yes, cats are predisposed when it comes to the time and type of social contact with humans, but this does not mean that they are not interested in their owners. The relationships these animals have with their human family members can be extremely deep and complex. Here are some examples:
Cats that greet their keeper when they return home: meowing, curling up under their feet, rubbing, purring. This is nothing more than an expression of joy at being reunited. So if the cat is happy, it means that the human is important to it.
Cats that lick their keepers – especially on the head or face. In cats, social contact is primarily concentrated in the head area, and mutual washing of this area is a testimony of great intimacy combined with a sense of security. So if a cat washes us, we can safely conclude that it cares about us and wants the best for us.
Sleeping together (e.g. in bed) – cats sleep near those they feel comfortable around and can afford to relax deeply. So if our cat lies down next to us at night and falls asleep cuddled up to our arm or side, this is another way of showing us their deep attachment and affection.
Observations of cats suffering from separation pain confirm another point – separation between a pet and its carer can cause identical psychosomatic symptoms to those of a break in contact between mother and child. The panic that then engulfs the pet can lead to physically palpable pain, and only regaining contact with a beloved human gives a rapid result in the resolution of symptoms – physical as well as psychological. And while cats obviously do not consider themselves our offspring, the very relationship that binds a pet to its guardian is something incredibly strong and can have far-reaching consequences.
So if we become the guarantors of our pets’ safety and they, in turn, feel a real joy in our company, it seems legitimate to speak of mutual, feline-human love. In order to dispel these doubts, it is worth referring to research.
What does science say about cat-human relationships?
Animal behaviour researchers have been tempted to conduct several studies designed to test feline reactions when interacting with their caregivers. The conclusions are as follows:
79% of socialised cats who are close to their keeper show so-called social reference – this means that cats observe us in moments of uncertainty and decide their own behaviour based on our reactions. If we are nervous and frightened, they will react similarly. On the other hand, if we remain calm and relaxed, they will also follow our lead.
Another study involved a group of 28 cats, aged between one and seven years, with no gender distinction, which were subjected to a so-called ‘Stranger Adaptation Test’. During the test, elements such as exploration and movement were recorded, as well as alertness and inactivity in the presence of a carer or stranger. Analysis of the data obtained showed that the cats were significantly more interested in exploration when accompanied by a supportive caregiver. In contrast, when caregivers left their pets alone in the room, the pets immediately reduced activity.
It is therefore worth paying attention to the subtle signals that our pets send to us and that we may also send to them.
How to say “I love you”?
We have long known that there is a way to cross-species communicate mutual affection and good emotions. In feline language, this is done by a slow, prolonged blinking, combined with a momentary tightening of the eyelids. When cats do this while looking at someone, they are signalling that they trust and love them. Let’s then not forget to ‘blink’ our cats to let them know they are important to us.
We can also speak to our pet in a calm, warm voice and offer them a gentle caress around the head. For we should remember that cats are strongly empathic and understand these kinds of additional messages very well.
Does my cat love me?
This is a question every carer must answer for themselves. However, it is worth realising that cat attachment does not always require direct physical contact or words. If a cat likes to spend time in the same room as us, follows us around the house or sleeps with us in the bedroom (without necessarily pushing us off the pillow), we can successfully assume that we are important to it. And from there, it’s only a step to cat love.
