Many people love having cats around as pets – and it’s understandable why. For one thing, cats can make you feel better even if you’re having a bad day because they love you unconditionally. Cats are also easy to take care of so you won’t have to shell out much in dollar terms, which adds to their appeal.
But can your cat really sense if you’re feeling bad? Jimmie O’Chutt from CatPet.club shares a couple of tips that you may find interesting.
How Your Cat Can Sense Your Emotions
- Recognizes Facial Expressions Of Cat Owner – A study by Oakland University researchers Jennifer Vonk and Moriah Galvan in Rochester, Michigan, showed that cats do have the ability to sense the facial expression of their owners. The same study revealed that cats are more likely to resort to “positive” behavior – meaning purring or rubbing against their owners – if they see that their owner is smiling. If their owner seemed happy, the researchers saw that the cat would stay around the owner for a longer time.
- Seeks Emotional Cues From Cat Owner In An Ambiguous Situation – If you – the cat owner – and your cat
happen to be in a risky or uncertain situation, your cat will automatically check you out to see how you respond. If you seem stressed, tense, or fearful, your cat will react to that based on your body language, your speech, and yes, your facial expressions. This is because your cat sees you as its parent, so it wants reassurance that you will respond appropriately to the new aspect which both of you are encountering for the first time. - Listens To The Tone Of Your Voice When You Are Angry – Your cat will definitely run away and hide when it senses that you are angry. This could be because it has very sensitive ears, so when you get angry you tend to raise your voice and that tells your cat that it is best to seek a safer place rather than to stay around you. You might also be very tense and on the verge of an angry outburst so your cat can sense that.
- Reacts When You Seem Fearful – You may notice that when you are frightened or upset your cat will start to pay more attention to you. This is because your body language shows that you need reassurance. There are some testimonials of cats reacting when they sense their owner – or even other members of the family – seem to be in trouble or in danger. This may show that cats are not just territorial but also behave as actual members of the family.
How Your Cat Attempts to Help You Get Relief
- Releases Love Hormone When Near Its Owner – A team led by Claremont Graduate University professor Paul J. Zak discovered that your cat will start producing oxytocin, or the so-called “Love Hormone”, when it is near you. Oxytocin is a chemical produced in the brain of cats which apparently makes them want to cuddle and act more loving towards their owners. Cats react the same way when they sense another cat around that they are friendly with. So when your cat jumps up to sit on your lap, or lies down beside you when you are sleeping, it is probably feeling the effects of oxytocin at that moment and wants to show its love for you.
- Mimics Kitten Behavior Towards Its Mother – When your cat jumps on your lap and then starts to knead its paws on your legs while purring, that means your cat sees you as its parent. It is trying to say that it likes you a lot; since you don’t speak cat language, the next best option for the cat is to mimic the way it behaved back when it was still nursing from its mother. If you happen to be upset when your cat sits on your lap and kneads, you will probably notice that your bad mood tends to go away and both you and your cat start to feel more comfortable with each other.
- Purrs So You Feel Calmer – Although your cat probably doesn’t purr just so you will calm down, the truth is that when your cat starts to purr while lying on your belly or beside you, then you do tend to calm down more. This is probably why cats are said to be good destressors. One source here noted that this kind of cat behavior may even help you avoid certain illnesses such as hypertension.
- Indirectly Causes You to Laugh – Many cats are curious by nature and may go exploring around your home to satisfy this curiosity. Though they don’t directly intend to make you laugh, some of the funny situations they encounter and react to may literally cause you to burst out laughing. And you can’t be in a blue funk and laugh at the same time, so this is good for you in the long run.
- Helps People With Autism Socialize Better – These days many adults and children are being diagnosed as autists, or people with autism, with one hallmark of the disorder being the inability to socialize well with others. The good news is that autists who have cats as pets are eventually able to relate better to people who are not autists because autists tend to socialize with animals better than with humans.
Conclusion
If you are a cat owner, you might think that cats are the most wonderful creatures in the world because cats can help you feel better just by being themselves. The truth is that we need cats as much as they need us, so being a cat owner is actually very rewarding. Yes, to some extent, your cat does relate to you both in good times and in bad. And when you are in a bad mood your cats can make you feel better in different ways. Take good care of your cats so that they will want to stay with you for a long time, and this will turn out to be a mutually beneficial situation for the both of you.