Gift #1--Affection
Cats Love with Sleeping. As sleep champs, felines typically sleep up to 16 hours a day. Because they are most vulnerable during sleep, the place your cat chooses to snooze must be a secure and trusted location. There is no greater loving compliment than a cat choosing your lap for a favorite sleep spot.
Cats Love with their Eyes. A kitty’s eyes are proportionately very large—if human’s eyes were the same proportion, our eyes would be eight inches across! As such, cat eyes are important assets for survival, yet extremely vulnerable. Cats that place their faces and wide open eyes near a human express great trust and love. A slow “eye blink” from across the room is considered a cat kiss.
Cats Love with their Tails. In a similar fashion, the “elevator butt” pose invites you to give special attention. Simply scratch her/him above the tail. Cats also signal their love when they approach you with the tail held straight up, and the end slightly tipped over. Kittens use this to greet their mother—and adult cats continue to treat their favorite humans like a beloved mom, with tails flagged high in respect.
Cats Love with Meowing. Cats rarely meow at other cats. Kitty uses these vocalizations specifically to interact with their people. Do you make a point to talk with those you dislike? Neither do cats! Even when kitties pester you with lots of meows, they're interacting with you out of love.
Cats Love with Grooming. Cats spend an enormous amount of time self-grooming. They also groom each other, but shared grooming behaviors only happen between friendly cats. Kitties that groom their human by licking your skin or hair, or even nibbling or sucking on your clothing, indicates great affection. This spreads familiar scent and helps mark you as an important part of their family group.
Cats Love with Spraying. Say it ain’t so! But it’s true—if your cat has decided to baptize your bed or other belongings with urine, you should consider it a back-handed compliment. Cats use their own scent to calm themselves down. Kitties feeling upset over separation anxiety or other issues often target areas that smell the most like their beloved owners…such as the bed. (Not posting a picture for this one.)
Cats Love with their Butts. This is another “back handed compliment” that cats offer to only their most trusted, beloved people. Because kitties identify each other by scent, butt-sniffing is the equivalent to a very personal hand shake. When your cat jumps on your lap and presents their tail in your face, the invitation is obvious—not that you need to sniff. (No picture for this one either)
Yes, cats DO show affection. Many people think cats are too independent to do that, but they just don't realize how many ways affection can be shown. Here is a video clip for you to enjoy.
If you think cats don't love their owners, watch this!
Again, would love to hear from my readers about the ways your cat shows affection. Next week, we'll talk about another gift our pets give us.
Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book
describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his
family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a
paperback or Kindle edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667
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