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Cat Owner's Manual › Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Cat › Communicating With Cats ›How Cats Display Affection
Felines often use subtle techniques to display affection; these signals can be missed by an inexperienced owner. Here are the most common signs. Blinking: Cats usually meet strangers and potential adversaries (feline, human, and otherwise) with an unblinking, unflinching stare. In the cat world, the ultimate gesture of trust and acceptance is for one model to close its eyes in the company of another. A feline that greets its owner's presence with long, unconcerned blinks or languid, half-closed eyes is signaling deep trust. Grooming: The fact that your cat allows you to groom it signifies a deep level of trust and acceptance. In the wild, cats employ mutual grooming as a stress-relieving and relationship-building gesture. Sometimes a particularly demonstrative cat will groom its human owner. Head Rubbing: Cats' faces contain scent glands that they use to mark their territory. When a cat rubs its face determinedly against its owner, it is both displaying affection and "marking" that person as its exclusive property. Kneading: Rhythmically pressing its front paws against its owner recreates the "milk tread" kittens use during nursing to stimulate milk flow from their mother. Stomach Display: Occasionally a feline may roll over and show its stomach to you. Revealing its soft underbelly is as profound a gesture of trust as any feline can provide. Remember, however, that this is not necessarily an invitation for you to scratch its stomach. Indeed, doing so may cause the cat to switch rapidly into defense mode. Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Cat
Comments for This Page (122) | Post a CommentOur Turkish Van hates for his tummy to be rubbed. He'll even go so far as to bite you if you get close. He does, however, roll over on his back when he hears my husband come into the room. Just don't touch. My cat Roscoe has a bad habit of eating my plants,he chews tham and I had to take them out and put them on higher tables. I recently bought a beautiful plant and he started on it,now i won't allow him in my room where the plants are at! Do you have any suggestions? My cat, Shippo, rolls over and shows his tummy only for my dogs. It's so funny. He won't do it for me, and he hates belly rubs, but will allow my Lab to groom his belly. My cat Junior likes to hold my hand with his paws. He will nibble on my fingers or hand, or give my hand a lick, but sometimes just holding my hand with his paws makes him really happy as a way to show he loves me. He'll reach out and pull my hand to him and won't let it go. He does this all the time. It's so sweet! When he is really sleepy and OK with being a Momma's boy, he'll kiss me on the lips (ewwwwwww! Well, I taught him to do it...). My cat, Squeaky does all of these but the grooming part - she's not fond of being brushed - but other than that. And, when a stranger comes to the house - she comes down if she actually likes what she sees and smells Tigger sometimes licks, headbutts us, rubs his cheek against our legs,kneads and belly flops. Our cat doesn't like to be touched at all! He hates to be picked up and wants nothing to do with us unless its early in the morning, he wants his back scratched. Very frustrating! We want him to be a lap cat! Both of our cats will sweetly place their paw on our mouth, as they are lounging on our laps. I assume it's a sign of affection, because it's always done very gently. Our Lynx-point Balinese Romeo displays his affection by kissing on the lips and putting his cold nose on my cheek. The problem is-----he does it in the middle of the night. He also loves to be groomed with his brush and will roll over to have his tummy rubs. My cat, Fehu, washes my ears in the morning and sometimes my eyelids and strangely enough he uses a very gentle touch on the eyes. I've never had a cat that was this affectionate. He purrs all the time too. Regarding cats and how they show affection ... I have two very different cats: Pecan, a female and Pistachio, a male. They are as different as night and day. Pistachio rolls over to show me his belly, and yes, you are right, if I try to rub his belly, he nips at my hand. So, enough of that! Pecan shows how much she loves me in two ways. Fist she buries her head in the bend in my elbow almost as though she's burying her head there. But the best part is when she climbs on my chest and reaches out with her paw and actually "pets" my face with it. OMG even I am in heaven because it is just sooooo adorable. She looks in my eyes and pets my face with her paw. Then she switches paws and pets my face with her other paw. She will do this until she decides to bury her head in the crook of my elbow. Cats are wonderful! My cat Bandit is so affectionate. He butts my face, purrs, licks me, kneads me, loves affection. He loves it when I kiss him making kissing sounds on his head and ears. He even looks at me with adoring eyes. He loves to have his tummy rubbed and I can touch his paws and do whatever I want to him. I have never seen a cat like him before. I have 4 others and they only want me when it's time to eat. Otherwise, they are my husbands cats. LOL! Bandit is strictly mine. Bruiser loves his tummy rubbed! he sleeps that way too. he also rubs aginst my legs,kneads my bedspread and sleeps on my clothes. Baby likes to sit in my lap and sleep next to me and new cat will come and tap me on the leg when she wants affection. Niobe, my red torby, crawls into bed with me and lays herelf right into my stomach. Buddy, 1/2 Siamese,1/2 MaineCoon, grabs ahold of me when I walk by and pulls me over to him. Tanseybelle, a pastel Tortie, leaps into bed with me and lays her whole body over me and Emma, my purebred Siamese comes over that sits her whole body on my arm when I am watching TV. My cat one-ups all of yours. She pees on my stuff in a display of complete affection. Paka, F3 Chausie, ferociously head butts my face (black eyes have resulted twice) and "tooth drags" one of his canines across any fleshy surface (for bloody and quickly infected wounds). Many a time my husband hears me cry out from another room "ohhhh noooo, the tooth drag, the tooth drag!" My two cats, Chessie ( male) and Stormy( female) are different as night and day. Chessie does all the affection signs. But Stormy rarely displays much affection other than maintaining body contact with me at night, she does rub her head against me then, too she has one STRANGE quirk and that is she rubs vigorously against my feet when I take my shoes off at the end of the day. She can get quite demonstrative while doing that. My cat Ghost shows his affection in rather unusual ways. He'll follow me around the house and lay down somewhere near me, and if I get up and move to a different room, so will he. When I purchased a cat climbing tree, he promptly adopted the habit of jumping onto the second tier where he would be at eye-level with me whenever I walked past it, hoping for some love. My cat Athena is a little more conventional, with one little quirk--she like to touch my face. On nights where she's feeling particularly affectionate, it can be really hard to sleep because she'll keep tapping my face with her claws--not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make it tough to get to sleep. My babe's have rarely purred since my hubby passed away. All the other signs of approval they each have, but purring, is very rare, except when in the winter they're under our bed covers & kneading me. I think they've never & will never get over our loss, but I love them as if they were my own flesh & blood, couldn't have managed these 27 mos without them, for sure ! I also have two very different cats. Max, the 11-yr-old orange tabby, head-rubs, shows his belly, and likes to be held for short periods. Mokii (rhymes with "Smokey"), our approx. 7-yr-old Russian Blue is incredibly affectionate. She head butts (gently), rubs, licks like crazy, and loves to smell our breath (nose right in the mouth -- you have to open wide! -- I know, it sounds gross but there's no contact). She enjoys a "love fest" where Mama looks her in the eyes, rubs her cheeks and talks baby-talk. Cats are, indeed, wonderful, and are a joy to belong to! Ansel does ALL of what's listed above. I never knew the significance of the closed eyes...very interesting. And as far as he is concerned, when he shows you his belly? You had better get over there and rub it! LOL My cats both LOVE having their bellies rubbed. Also, my male cat Chernyy will lick my hand and then very gently take it in his mouth.. he's fallen asleep holding my finger in his mouth. He's very weird. Herbie is my heart cat. He comes to me where ever I am, lets out a soft, half meow and flops on his back for a long belly rub - he loves them. He headbuts me, purrs constantly and loudly, pats our faces and mouths with his paws, lets me hold his paws, gives me kitty-kisses by gentle sniffs on my forehead and will, extremely carefully and gently, "bite" the tip of my nose with his fangs. He never breaks my skin or clamps down. More like just gently touching my nose. No matter when I pick him up, he will snuggle for a bit, even if he really doesn't want to. I can fall asleep with my hand resting on him any night that isn't hot (he's and exotic with thick fur). I've never had a cat who shows his affection in so many ways. He's my heart and sole and I adore him. My 2 cats love to rollover and have thier bellies rubbed. We started rubbing thier bellies when they were little and now they love it! Each one of my cats shows their affection in different ways. My Sapphire (who is now deceased) used to lay on her back with her belly showing and let me give her belly kisses and she would close her eyes. Tiger purrs continuously when he's rubbing against my legs or when he's trying to get my attention and I'm doing something else, he'll plop in my lap and start rubbing his face on my hand. When I'm petting my Star, and I say her name, she'll look at me and close her eyes briefly each time I say her name. Star will also sleep with me at night and lets me hold her in the crook of my arm or put my hand on her fur, when I'm sleeping. She is the only one of my cats who I know truly adores me just by the way she looks at me, if that makes any sense!!!!! My cat, P2, Siamese, shows her belly, but usually doesn't let me rub it. She shows affection by being very vocal, purring, and laying out in front of me to comb her. She loves grooming, she drools and falls over sideways. She also kisses me on the lips, and sometimes lays on my chest (when I'm alseep) puts her paws on my face. I love her so much! My lady cat will come up to me and insist I bet her. If I dont give her the attention she wants she will put her head under my hand. My boy cat will show is belly to me and he lets me rub it alos. Both my cats display these signs very very often. My adult cat absolutely loves to roll over right in front of you as you're walking and stretch out while you rub his stomach. And he's a very large cat so he REALLY stretches out. For all those who say their cats don't like their bellies rubbed, did you do it when they were young? When Cami was little, he'd let me pet his stomach for a minute, then would start biting me softly. I thought that was just playful more than anything. Maybe he didn't trust me as much as he does now, or maybe he's just used to it now and loves to have his belly rubbed. ;D The other sign that he shows constantly is the blinking thing. Like someone said above, every time I say his name and we're just staring at each other, he'll blink. He looks very intelligent at these times. The trusting look. For my second cat, Cowboy, who's still just a kitten, kneading, owner-grooming, and headrubbing are much more common from him. xD I haven't really noticed too much blinking, but he also loves to have his belly rubbed already. He's a very affectionate cat, which I know is partly from still being a baby. I spend a lot of time with my cats, and I think this really shows in the level of trust they seem to have in me. And oh! They often show affection to each other in many of the same ways, which is funny to see. xD (My huge like two foot long cat rolling over on his back with his paws in the air in front of my tiny kitten. It's a little weird.) The big feline family I'm a member of show me they love me in ALL of the above ways. Lauren Murray, your cats REALLY love you. ;) in re: exposing the stomach. Our clever and bad-tempered female, Freya, will get behind a piece of furniture where she knows the dogs can see her but can't get to her; and then she'll flop on her back and wave her paws in the air, taunting them. in re: exposing the stomach. Our clever and bad-tempered female, Freya, will get behind a piece of furniture where she knows the dogs can see her but can't get to her; and then she'll flop on her back and wave her paws in the air, taunting them. My 7-year old female Birman mix, Sitka, is incredibly special. She follows me everywhere. I'm a graphic designer and work at home and she is always lying on her kitty bed next to me. She loves to talk. I speak to her and she seems to talk back with little whirring raccoon noises. When I pick her up and cuddle her like a baby, she purrs loud, puts her paw on my mouth or my cheek and looks right into my eyes. Often, she does what we call "the rearing bronco-move" standing up on her back toes to get her head under people's hands which seems to just tickle the heck out of most folks because it's so cute. Though she only weighs 9 lbs. 8 oz., she still manages to take up the entire right side of the bed. She's just recently gotten into the habit of giving kisses on the elbow, or the hand. Lots of times when we're falling asleep, she reaches out her paws to grab my hand and will often fall asleep with my hand pulled up under her head like a pillow. We've always been close, but this last year, she had to have an emergency bladder surgery. It was a very difficult process for her (and me) -- very painful and it seemed that even when she was sleeping, she was having nightmares. Neither of us slept long or well for about a two weeks while she was recovering. I was afraid that she'd be angry with me for it, but instead, it seems like we're closer now than ever. It's such a privilege to have such a precious, loving friend as she is. Why can't cats live forever? My Allelle kitty doesn't like me to sew. She lays over the top of my sewing machine and hangs over enough that she bites my hands when I try to touch the wheel or the foot lifter. I absolutely cannot sew with her there. I guess that is the purpose. Our two cats do the belly display about a million times a day!!!!!Here is our cat Shadow's(http://www.catster.com/cats/334687) page and our other cat's Bella's page (http://www.catster.com/cats/1002417) They are big on all of these even the kneading. Shadow likes to bite my nose in order to wake me up in the school year!!! Do your cats do that? Or anything like that? We always thought it was a bit odd..............and PAINFUL!!!!!!! Marzipan lies down on my chest and tucks his head into my neck on one side. Then he reaches over with his paw and pulls my chin over so my jaw presses hard against his head. He'll fall asleep like that. Both of my cats, Squirrel & Mini, do all of these habits. They both will show their belly & roll around- like a dog- when they are really happy. Squirrel wants my husband to rub his belly & he will clean my him. However, he is very much a Mommas Boy. He will mark me with his scent glands in his mouth & this is such a pungent odor that I immediately have to shower. They are both cuddlers & its a toss up as to who gets the most cuddling, cat or human. One of our male cats, Razzle, will nod his head down when he wants us to "knock" heads with him. We put our foreheads on his and "knock noggins". He starts purring very loudly! My Rikki T. Kat will do the head/cheek stroking but she has an unusual display of trust/affection that doesn't seem to be mentioned here. If I am at the kitchen counter or stationary somewhere, she will lay next to my feet and caress me with her tail. It is oddly soothing and reassuring for both of us, even if we are two independent women! My kitty Melby does everything and more, I swear to god he's so affectionate it almost drives me nuts. He purrs constantly, rubs up against my hand, my leg, and he ALWAYS wants to sit in my lap, and considering I have a laptop computer, it's a little hard. He will paw at my face when I'm sleeping (not annoyingly, it's incredibly cute), and he loves to be groomed, and he follows me around the house. I'm wondering if he thinks he is a dog? LOL my cat Megatron does the Head Rubbing Stomach Display and Kneading. when I get home from work, he runs to greet me with a purr and head rub, plus he will weave in around my legs purring like mad man. he also will stare straight at me while grunting. my other cat Smokey is the same way just she does the Blinking and she also will come up to me and lick my arm/leg or tap my arm with paw. Cool! Thanks for the insight. I'm feeling so special because my Matty does all of these things! Some times when she sits on my lap we'll just look at each other and slowly blink. Then she'll roll on to her back and let me rub her belly, or start licking my arm. I call this our special time! I'm so glad my cat knows I love her so very much! I own 6 cats or rather they own me and they all have different personalities and ways to display affection. Cheech loves me totally (she is the Queen) she is also my therepy cat. Baby Bear lives in my long thick hair and loves it. BooBoo or he comes to Doobie also loves my ear lobes and he kneads me. Sophie is a bumper and Nick is and tummy display artist and last but certainly not the lesser is our 6 month old baby(Toodles) I call her Squirtal and she loves to be close to the heart and she has instant on purring. I have two black cats Saba (he) and Schwartzie (she) they are so affectionate. Saba purrs constantly, rubs up against my hand, my leg, He will paw at my face when I'm sleeping (not annoyingly, it's incredibly cute), and he loves to groom me and he follows me around the house. Schwartzie she loves to knead on me, rub her head against my hand, They both love to blink and show their stomach. They are delightful. Our cat Remy LOVES his belly rubbed. He will lay all day on his back purring waiting for someone to rub it. He is very affectionate and will groom my forehead and gently around my eyes. He also licks hands and gnaws on them a little and he loves to rub against you purring. Maggie is a little more selective about when she wants attention, but when she does, watch out! Every night before bed, we call it "Mag attack" time. She jumps in bed kneading our duvet and head butting us as much as she can. She usually ends up in my lap while I read. She also will end up sleeping on my head at night so she can head butt me and purr whenever she wakes up. Dear Purred: Rather than banishing your cat from your room full of plants, have you searched for which plants are cat safe(on the net) and if your kitty wants to chew eat and destroy your plants have you considered Catgrass(you can get it at your nearest pet store). I put black pepper in my garbage cans so the cats do not dig and I do this with my plants also. But I keep my kitty litter box clean and fresh and My cats have kitty heaven here. My cat Shadow does alll of that. He only does it to me though. He is my baby. He Wakes me up every morning by licking and gently biting my arms and sometimes my nose, Whenever I'm on the computer (including now) He is always laying on the desk in front of the screen sleeping. He follows me everywhere I go sometimes even in the shower...lol...he is constantly head butting me and rolling over. He lets me groom him but ,only for a little bit. I'm so happy he chose me out of my family of 8 He is the best cat anyone can ask for =] My Ragdoll, Andy, does the tummy display. He jumps on the bed at 3:00 A.M. (!), rolls over, and expects a belly rub. So cute! My Siamese, Precious, blinks his eyes at me and kneads. Love them both! I'm lucky because i have all my cats but one that is affectionate. They love to give me hugs, kisses. I have one cat Ms. Binx at who just follows me all over the house and when i sit down gets on my lap and just rolls over for her belly rubs. I have another cat Maui who will lick you so much you swear she will lick the skin right off of you. My boys Pudge & Murphy are just momma's boys and will lay on their backs forever to have their tummys rubbed. The only cat who doesn't like affection except on her terms is Jasper, and she will nail you if you look at her the wrong way. lol My cat Daisy does all but the stomach showing. Now Forrest does them all and I cannot remember a day he hasnt rolled over showing his tummy. When I come home from work he rolls over to greet me. Daisy looks at him like "Are you NUTS!" I found my yellow boy, Ricky Bobby, in a dumpster at around age 3 days. We fed him and his sisters with a bottle so they are very attached to us. He shows his affection by laying on my husband's chest with his paws on either side of his neck and nuzzles under his chin. He does drool when does this but it is sooo sweet who could complain. My cat "Baby" is a real cuddler! When I'm talking (baby talk) to him he'll wink at me or close his eyes half way. Also you know that he really loves you when he lays on his back and lets you rub is belly.When I"m laying in bed watching tv he puts his head under my armpit.. Our cats do most of them, but one of cats does something I can't figure out. Our 4 yo Butter, will wait till my husband puts our soft, fluffy throw on him, while he is lying on his side, and climbs on him. Once she is on top, she grabs the blanket in her mouth, and then does the kneading, as well as some sort of kicking. It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen, I just can't understand why she holds the blanket in her mouth, as she does this for about 15 - 20 minutes at a time. Does anyone else have a cat that does this, or can explain what this means? We call it "mauling", and she will only maul my husband. I have been looking for an idea of what this is about for almost a year now, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated. My cat Socks kneads all the time and I love it. She'll be lounging on my lap/stomach when I'm laying down and will knead my stomach and it's like a little massage!! She really does all of these, but she especially likes to rub her head up against my hand when I'm petting her. My "Bonnie" will roll over when I', grooming her, which she loves, and let's me scratch her tummy. "Clyde" will roll over but he does not like anyone to touch his tummy. He doesn't bite but just gets up and moves to a new spot. Bonnie usually kneads me in the morning when she notices me starting to stir. She also enjoys walking all over me at this time too. This article makes me very happy. After asking advice on whether or not I should get a cat (and most said no) I ended up getting one anyway. His name is Checkers and he is a tuxedo cat. I don't have any idea how old he is but he loves to sleep and eat. He's not one for playing. He does all these things to me and my family members. I made the mistake once to scratch his belly. He immediately nipped at me. It hurt but it helped me understand what he wanted or didn't want. It looks like he loves my whole family! We have 5 indoor cats who all display effect in many of the ways listed above. The most amazing was this past winter. I had just come home from a two week stay in the hospital. I was sick, weak and put right to bed. The worst for my girls was that I smelled like the hospital. They went to work cleaning me up cat style! My head and hair were licked and petted, my face and hands were licked, my breath was smelled. After I passed inspection they all took turns staying in bed with me. Each liking a certian area to sleep on or next to me. Phil, my 6 y/o Russian Blue, was abandoned in my front yard when he was only about 2-3 weeks old. We bottle fed him and he was literally raised by my basset hound male and cocker spaniel female who let him nurse her (she had no milk). Needless to say, Phil is very poorly socialized, and his favorite way to show affection for a few years was to come up behind me and bite me in the achilles tendon. He's finally quit doing that as much now, and simply hops in my lap, head butts, and will give me his belly. both of my cats loved to be brushed,. my little one ,madison actually puts her mousey in my purse or brings to bed. she greets me at door and follows me everywhere. the older misskitty gives kisses. if i point by my mouth and say kisses , she will give me a nose kiss. both of my cats loved to be brushed,. my little one ,madison actually puts her mousey in my purse or brings to bed. she greets me at door and follows me everywhere. the older misskitty gives kisses. if i point by my mouth and say kisses , she will give me a nose kiss. I have Cleo, Caesar, Sheba. When I took Cleo out of the shelter she spent the 1st week w/her head nuzzled into my neck & she would lick my ears, nibble on them & bite my chin & her paws were wrapped around my neck every nite. We would both actually sleep like this. She is very attached to me. Sheba I can only pick up & hold baby style so she is belly-up in my arms. I cannot pick her up & carry her around. She loves to be brushed. Cleo hates it. I have had Sheba since she was a baby & I picked her up & carried her around a lot but she will not tolerate it now. Caesar constantly shows his belly & loves to have it rubbed. When I get into bed he waits for me to get settled & then insists on having his butt closest to my shoulder. He does not like to be brushed but is very intrigued when I am brushing Sheba. Interestingly enough, Sheba is the most responsive to my voice & her name, always coming when I call her & always seeming to be the most eager to please, but the least affectionate. I still recall fondly the day my cat Taminar backed up to me and sprayed my leg. I could easily have scolded him, but I felt like he wanted everyone to know that I was his, and I thought that was really sweet. Both my cats do all of the things on the list. The 7 year old (Ramzee) loves any physical attention including belly rubs. As soon as my husband comes home from work Ramzee jumps onto his back while he takes off his boots. He will stay there until my hubby takes him off for a few "nose bumps"! The 2 year old is especially fond of licking us and even snuggles and licks our pit bull (Ace). They're so affectionate that my husband says I have my own animal train. Whenever I move the two cats tag along and the dog mopes along behind. I couldn't have hoped for better pets. Buy Roscoe some wheatgrass from the store (sprouts in soil in small container) or blend of cat grasses from a pet store and he'll leave your other plants alone. If he is an indoor cat, he is probably craving it. Jack's usual pose is to lie on his back, legs splayed out. He used to use his back legs in a disemboweling move when I petted his fluffy tummy, but he learned that will make me stop petting him, so now he just lets me rub and pet away! I have 2 cats that show affection in different ways. My "Torby" (Emily) will lie on my chest in the morning and give me kisses. She also gets on a counter and jumps on my shoulder so I will hold her like a baby. My "Weegie" (Annie) is VERY affectionate. She will come to me and just drop into my arms or any other part of my body that she can get to. She rolls over and leans into me and just looks up at me and cocks her head to the side. Then, she will reach out with her paw (claws in) and touch my face, very gently, all the while, looking up and purring uncontrollably! What a lover cat! I see all of those displays daily from Blackie. Raised her from a kitten. She openly accepts belly-rubs, sleeping in the bed, and showing each of those affections to my two dogs as well. They dislike that kneading though. My kat KikiBB lays on her back displying her tummy just about all the time. She also purrs loudly and nuzzles my neck as well as the eye thing... I have 5 cats, 3 boys and 2 girls, and each of them has his/her own distinct character. So I get all the range of affection signs, kneading, licking, head-bumping, nibbling, nuzzling, drooling and so on. The problem is that when I go to bed, they all jump on me and want to do all these things together, even fighting to get the best place! I let them do it, they are too sweet.. My cat does show her tummy very often, sometimes I can scratch it, usually while brooming. She also often seats down and looks at me closing her eyes, so sweet! However, she will never lie/seat on my lap again (she used to do that when she was a kitten)even though I call her, she always chooses herself where she will sit or lie or sleep, it's her way of independence I think. One of my cats, Pookie, does all of these things and then some. The only one I'm not sure of is the grooming one because he's just a kitten with short hair, and seems to do that good enough by himself for now. He regularly curls up next to me when I am on my laptop, and as I speak, he is laying on my arm. Another thing that he does, which I think is a sign of affection is that he will sleep on me. When I go to bed at night, he will curl up on my chest and back and purr the whole time. My female tabby, Lily shows her affection only when SHE is in the mood, but she "pets" me on my face, rubs all over me, and shows her belly, doesn't like too much belly rubbing. my other cat an orange tabby male named Sammy, purrs very loudly , head butts under the chin, rubs on me and tolerates a belly rub for a few seconds, I love them both so much. When Im getting ready for work in the morning I can tell when my male japanese bobtail wants some attention. He jumps up on the vanity and will walk back and forth, then he will come in front of me, and flop his front legs over my shoulder and just stay there. He never licks, nor shows his belly. This is the only way I know he wants some a lovin. So I pet him, talk to him, and then lift him up and hold him. I love when he does that. Okay so all of my cats (except dahlia) do all of the above, all of my female cats (except dutchess) have kind of been crab apples. Now all of the male cats I have had, very loveable, couldn't get enough! Now there is one kitten I have in particular that is such a momma's boy, will follow me, try to sit behind me on the toilet, then he will try to kill me by dashing out before me to go to the couch. He is a needy weirdo but I love him! My kitties do all of these things except for the grooming. They won't bite me or anything but they will try to bite the brush and then run. However, Sassie, in addition to all of the above minus grooming, loves to burrow in my hair and purr until she falls asleep. She's so obsessive that she'll just push my head out of the way to get to the hair resting on my neck. I love it. My kitty Buster likes to take my fingers gently in his mouth and gently chew on them. It doesn't hurt, and I think it would be offensive to him if I pulled away. Also, when I blink slowly,(I read in a cat magazine that it's Cat Language for 'I Love You',) he'll blink back at me. :) Most of my cats do all of these. They love to lay on their backs with their tummies in the air. They sleep that way most of the time. Savannah is the only one who does not really show affection. She and her three brothers were rescue kittens when they were about 3 weeks old and their stray mother carried them to the house. They have been together every day and had the same experiences, but the boys are very affectionate and Savvy hates to be bothered in any way. She stiffens up her muscles and holds her breath. Nature vs. nurture-nature wins. I even have a feral who has lived on the porch for about 8 years. He does not want me to touch him much, but whenever I go out, I have to allow time for Orange Man to rub on my legs. I have to stand still until he is finished or he will slap me. Even he will lay next to the front door and sleep on his back. Most of them like to be groomed, but especially Kris and Tammy want to walk back and forth rubbing on me while I am grooming them. My Liza loved to put her paw on my face, hold me down and wash my neck and face until it hurt. They all blink at me, and they all love to knead on me, except Savvy. Sophie is semi-feral, so I was thrilled when she came around. I trapped her at 3 months and she took some work. Gabriel follows me with his arms reaching up, wanting me to pick him up. Nick is a sweet boy and likes for me to raise him in the air and then lower him and kiss his head. What I really love is that when I walk in the room and they are sleeping, most of the time, they do not even open their eyes. I am glad they trust me enough to continue napping. I have never had 7 cats before, so sometimes they seem to be competing to see who can show me the most affection (unless they think the other cats are having fun and then they are off to play with each other, not the hired-no pay help). I have been blessed to have some extremely affectionate kitties in my life! Most recently we've had Gus (Rainbow Bridge) and Spike, who are/were both big male tabbies and the biggest mooshes ever! They do/did all the above, plus other wonderful gestures. Gus used to do what we called the "shoe rub" - when we would come home from work, he was always waiting at the front door, and as my husband would remove his shoes, Gus would rub his chin and face against the edge of the sole, purring like crazy. He would also "hold on" to the shoe with a paw! Whenever I would go to bed, I'd say "come on Gusso, it's bed time," and wherever he was in the house, he'd come running into the bedroom, lay on my chest and get his nightly ear rubs. He was also a face-patter, and a groomer - he would groom our hair while we were lying in bed - he preferred my husband's as it was the same length as his fur. He would try to groom my head to, but get a little frustrated with all the hair in his mouth! Spike is just a giant baby. He meows and reaches his paws up to say "pick me up!" Once you do, he sits in your arms like a baby, and actually wraps his forelegs around your neck in a hug! He'll nuzzle your neck while being held, and actually pulls himself up for tighter hugs! He also is a serious head-butter, licks our faces like crazy, and likes to sleep under the covers with us. He also does the belly flop when we come home to show us how excited he is to see us. He doesn't like his belly to be pet, but he will do the belly flop to show us that he wants to "wrestle" - he and my husband play-fight/wrestle and he purrs like crazy the whole time. When he's REALLY excited/happy (like right before dinner!) he does what we call the "Squirrel Tail." He holds his big bushy tail upright and it quivers like crazy! I've never seen anything like it, but it's hilarious! Teacup will jump in my lap and nuzzle between my arm and side. After a bit, she looks up at me with dopey eyes, gently grabs my cheek with her paw, pulls my head down and will lick and nibble at my chin. This just kills me everytime... Patch displays these signs to but he will also head butts me Simba gives me "blinky eyes" and this morning he was belly up and treading in mid air. Boosie is a head bonker. Rita follows me all over until I pick her up and give her some lovin' by rubbing me with her head & she's always rolling onto her back. Pat will also come up and snuggle into my arms like a baby and kneading and rubbing his head. My cat Goose likes to sit at the top of the cat tree during the day. When it's time for me to leave for work, I look up at him to say bye. I say absolutely nothing. I blink. He blinks back. :) Maizy does the blinky eyes and will chirp at me, she will also turn around & put her tail on my leg, when I walk by she will jump up and pat my behind. Tigger blinks at you and will meow at you. He will flop over for the belly rub and knead while you are scratching him. He does not like to be brushed though, but Maizy will come & get you to be brushed. They are my babies. Our cat, Little One, would love to be held . He would put his paws and either side of my neck and snuggle. My Mona(lisa) grooms me all the time, and always tries to rub her head on my hair and groom it. She also does something really cute: With people she is comfy with, if sitting close or on your lap, if you say "I love you," she'll quickly lay her head on you as if in response, like "I love you too." My two cats Goldi and Jeepers greet me t the door when i get home from work and will follow me around the house the whole time i am home. Jeepers likes to wash my arm when he lies next to me. Goldi likes o get right in my face and chew my beard. They always take turns lying next to me. But both sleep with me everynight. They know they are loved and i feel there love in return My cat Casey just likes to be rubbed on his chin but my other cat Blackie loves to come over and be petted and stroked usually while I am on the computer . If I get distracted and stop petting him Blackie will let me know by biting my arm just hard enough to remind me that he's still waiting for more rubbing I will start with Cheyenne, my oldest and dearest of friends and my Heart. During the day she sleeps a lot she is 14 yrs old. At night though she comes to bed with me and sleeps by my head. Her purring is so loud that it vibrates my pillow and face and puts me to sleep. In the Morning I reach out and start rubbing her belly, she will lie on her side and back and purr even louder if it's possible. She does the blinking and the cuddling, Shadow, my 7 yr old male cat sticks out his tongue a fraction of an inch while purring and blinking and also loves to cuddle in bed. he will come to me whenever he wants attention and jump up on me purring. CATrina will wait till I come out of the shower and want to be picked up... she will then knead my face gently while licking and sucking my lips, Tiggr will head butt me till I drop what I'm doing and pet him... He doesn't want his tummy touched but he enjoys being groomed. George is strange... he will head butt and stand on his hind legs and grab your hand to pull it down to him... if you have a brush or a comb in your reach he flees for dear life! However, he will let me clean his eyes! Feather will blink and the tongue comes out and she insinuates herself between me and any other cat I'm currently loving up. She has a nice loud purr also and kneads as does Tiggr. Sabreena is another Kneader and lets me briefly rub her belly... most of my cats will let me hold their paw while they drift off to sleep like we are holding hands. Cinnamon is a drooler a drooler and will try to suck my neck but leaves me dripping... also he is a big kneader and doesn't care to have his belly rubbed but just gets up and runs away. His brother Kenzie however is totally opposite. Kenzie will jump on me whenever he wants attention and snuggle close for some one on one purring loudly and blinking slowly at me His paw will lighly brush my face and he gives hugs. Mistie has gotten more affectionate and purrs and blinks but prefers one of the other cats to groom her. Precious is strange... she wants to be petted constantly but NO PICKING UP or Holding! She will reach out with her claws and snag your fingers to pull them close to her, she has drawn blood many a time. she will also bite my thumb to get attention. She was a stray my neighbor rescued but coudln't keep. she's a very pretty med haired Tortie but it's frustrating not to be able to cuddle her as she is so affectionate otherwise. Emmie is a NO TOUCH cat... she sits and stares at me and might or might not blink depending on her mood.. she is more feral than domestic but I have hopes that patience will win her over. My newest is Sammie, a 2 yr old Cream Point Siamese/ragdoll mix who came to me 2 weeks ago hissing and growling to beat the band... had been badly neglected and ignored and was suffering from receeding gums due to hair being tightlly wrapped around 2 teeth. She head butts me now, purrs and jumps on me for cuddles, her tongue sticks out about 1/4 inch and her eyes shut as she lays against me., I've never seen such a turn around in a cat in my life! Plus she get along well now with the other 12 cats, she even allows her belly rubbed for a second or two but has a spot on her side that seems to be tender. Will have that checked as soon as I get her spayed. I Love each and every one and they are ALL indoor cats, my cat fuzzy winks at me i thought i was training her , i say wink & she does . but maybe shes training me lol she loves to have her ears & under chin brushed too . she rubs & turns over on back sometimes letsd you rub other times not Sebastian begins to nuzzle my shoulder and then, quite suddenly, takes a bite! Fortunately, he lets go as soon as I cry out. :) He also enjoys climbing onto my head as I awake, making sure that his rear end is as close to my face as he can get it. If the covers are too high, he meows for me to remove them before he pulls them away with his claws. My cat, Superkitty, Does all of the things you listed. But he does one very cute thing I'm unsure of. He kneads my very soft blanket, But he uses his claws and licks the blanket. But even though it's cute, when I go to sleep my blanket is wet. my mom and i always wondered why our cat sits there and stares at us, and blinks, blinks, blinks LOL or even closes her eyes halfway or all the way hehehe. did not know that was a sign of affection! we already knew about all the others, and she does em all. yay! i My cat, Smokey, loves to be groomed, and he nibbles on my fingers while I'm doing it. He often lays on his back, but does not like to have his belly rubbed. On the other hand, my Dusty kitty, lays on his back and loves to have his belly rubbed. Does not like to be brushed though. They both rub against me, and Dusty sometimes drools when he is really loving the attention he's getting. Each cat is different in his own way. I love them both. My cat shows me all 5 signs listed...we have a very strong bond, always have, since he was born. And, he loves and trusts me fully, as his companion and caregiver...currently, even more so, because he is fighting for his life and knows how much I am there for him and love him, so our bond has become even greater and when he recovers, I know that he will be even more devoted to me, as I am with him. LOVE is a 4 legged word...spelled CAT!!! So my cat George has some of the oddest displays that I have ever experienced -- from a cat. He does all of the usual things -- except for the belly display -- he head butts, rubs his head against my cheek, rubs his tooth against my cheek, purrs, blinks, etc. But when he really wants affection he gets right in my face and stares into my eyes -- never looking away until I pet him and tell him how wonderful he is. Then he will flop down on the floor and expect me to pet him until he gets up and walks away. When I am talking to him and telling him what a good boy he is he frequently swishes his tail, walks in circles on his toes, and lets out little chirps -- he appears to be extremely happy. My cat Mykey shakes the tip of his tail at me, I've heard that this display is the highest display a cat can give you. My kitty Kasha does all of these. She even likes her belly rubbed when she rolls over. And her feet too. She's on me and kneading me and giving head rubs almost constantly. The other 3 kitties, do some of these sometimes. Mostly showing of the belly and kneading. My cat Murphy flops down on the floor inviting me to rub his belly then he kneads and makes tribble noises. One of my cats, Lilly, though she is four years old, still acts like a kitten, and mews through the house until I answer her. She will then come into my office and rub through my legs as I rub her head, neck and back. Finally, she jumps onto the back of my office chair, and onto my shoulder, then climbs onto my chest, where she knows I will put my arm under her, and we will cuddle like that. my cat loves to rub agaist my legs, and to the rolling onto his back to show his belly, he also loves to do the kneading one and head rubbing! he is so adorable! I have 4 cats. One will hop up (I have to catch him) on my shoulder and lie on the back of my neck and rub his face on my shoulder. He will also sit on the arm of my living room chair and sniff my mouth to see what I've been eating. On occasion he will sit on the back of the chair and groom my hair. Another does the "paw tap," but I think that's more to get my attention. My cat Aruru walks by our legs and then rubs her body up and down and then slides down our legs on to our feet until she is upside down with her belly showing. She also stands on her hind legs and taps my hand when I snap my fingers ( no claws of course). For a fifteen year old cat she's still just like a kitten. my cat will drool and lick and then he lays on your chest Fozzie got his other name, "Chewie" because of his little lovey trait. He does the hard rub up against you - your hand, arm, or whatever you hold up for him to be affectionate to, and follows it up with a "chew chew chew!" like he has peanut butter or something tasty in his mouth. Besides being cute to watch, it's noisy too, he sounds like he's saying "yom, yom, yom!" My sister's cat Rebel is getting older and is getting more affectionate with her every day, is this because of him growing or is he just liking her more? Post a Comment for This Page
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The Cat Owner's Manual is a basic guide to cat care.
My cat, Abe, does the "Stomach Display" alot and its so cute because even if he's walking, sometimes when he sees me he just falls on his back and loves having his tummy rubbed (but only for a few seconds or the teeth end up on my hand!) :)