No doubt cats are loving, affectionate, cute, and endearing, and when properly socialized and introduced, they make fantastic pets. Any experienced cat parent will endorse this. However, cats are not very expressive. Unlike dogs, they have subtle signs of love for you (like purring, meowing, head butting, gazing at you, etc.). Now the question arises of how you tell your cat that you love him.
In this article, we will discuss five ways to tell your cat “I love you” in cat language. If you follow these tips, your feline friend will surely come to know that you love him.
1 Gaze lovingly with partially open eyes (Cat-Kiss)
Your cat will feel uncomfortable and annoying if you try to kiss his cheeks or head as an expression of love. What do you have to do? Partially close your eyes and then look into your cat’s eyes softly and lovingly.
This behavior is named “cat kiss” by cat behaviorists. When you continuously gaze into their eyes like this, in most cases, cats will do the same in return, saying, “I love you too.”
Remember that never gaze at your feline friend with open eyes because staring directly with open eyes is decoded as a “threat” in the cat’s language, while “cat kiss” is a fantastic way to express your love for your cat. In fact, this technique is used by cat therapists to calm down and soothe aggressive or fearful cats.
2 Vocal cues / imitate her voice
Recent research about feline behavior has revealed that a cat’s vocalization is much more diverse and complicated than we thought. In addition to this, usually, domestic cats vocalize a lot more than their wild counterparts, which is a sign that they have a strong desire to communicate with humans around them.
Interestingly, many experienced cat owners will tell you that cat’s meow, purr, or chirp in a specific and loving tone for the person they love that they do not use for strangers.
Feline experts believe that when your cat tries to talk to you, at that moment, if you imitate your cat’s sound and use the same tone and pitch, he will perceive it as “I love you” or will take it as a gesture of love and affection.
3 Let your cat rub on you
Cats have the instinct to rub their body or butt their heads against different objects in the surrounding environment or the person they like. It’s their way of spreading their scent on you and various things through the scent glands on their heads and cheeks. That’s how cats claim that this place or person belongs to them.
You can express your side love by not moving and allowing your cat to rub against you. You can bend down to let him rub his head with yours.
Although you may start sneezing, your cat will perceive your love gesture.
4 Grooming
Grooming works in two ways. Occasionally, cats lick their loved person as an expression of love. It is another way to spread their scent on you. Although it is a bit irritating, if you can tolerate it, you can allow him to continue for a while as a gesture of love.
In return, you can’t lick your feline friend (pretending); however, you can show your love by grooming your cat in human style. You can use specific cat grooming brushes or gloves. Rubbing your cat’s head and back with a thick cloth dipped in warm water is also a great idea because it gives him a feeling as if his mother is licking him with her tongue.
5 Spoil your cat with some treats
This one might not be surprising, but we all know it works. Find the treats your cat likes the most and spoil them a little. Finding the treats your cat will enjoy might take some time, but it’s worth it. You know you hit the jackpot when you shake a pack and your cat shows up.
When your furry friend joins you to chill together, pet them and give them some tasty treats. They will understand that you care about them and love them.
Conclusion
Do you have a favorite way to show your cat that you love him? Whether it’s gazing lovingly at him with partially open eyes, vocal cues or imitation of her voice, letting your cat rub on you, or grooming him, each of these will help strengthen the bond between you and your furry friend.
Don’t forget – cats love getting treats too! So be sure to spoil them every now and then. If we missed your favorite way to show love to your cat, let us know in the comments below. We always enjoy hearing from our readers.
