Newsweek has an interesting interview with a cat behaviorist on the subject of whether cats love their humans.
Chantal Howard, a certified cat trainer with Feline Focus Training in Ottawa, told the magazine there are nine primary behaviors that indicate — or confirm — a house tiger loves his or her person. Most of these won’t be new to PITB readers, who are of course among the most cat-savvy people out there and have magnificent taste in cat blogs, but it’s still a handy way to ascertain how your feline overlord feels about you.
So how does Buddy do according to this checklist? Let’s see:
Headbutting: ✅ His Lordship is quite fond of headbutting me and favors me with dozens of headbutts throughout the day, ensuring his pheromones remain on me. You know, in case some other cat somehow comes wandering in and there’s a dispute about which furball owns me.
Kneading: ✅ Considering the fact that I’ve had to toss quite a few t-shirts because of claw rips, I’d say that’s a yes. At least he doesn’t knead my face anymore, as he liked to do when he was a kitten and would take his perch on my shoulder, nuzzle up to my neck and make biscuits against my beard.
Purring: ✅ Nine times out of 10, Buddy’s purr is inaudible, but it’s there. It’s a bit odd that such a talkative, loud cat barely makes a buzz. He likes to lay on my chest and purr up a storm while I rub his head and tell him he’s got admirers all over the world.
Chirping: ✅ Yes! In fact, chirps and trills make up a significant part of the Buddinese language. While meows can be positive, negative or demanding (“I can see the bottom of my bowl! This is an outrage, human!”), trills and chirps are always happy sounds.
Nipping: ✅ Unfortunately, yes.
Licking: ✅ He grooms my hair and my beard, and when I shave he licks my face, which is pretty gross.
Bringing Gifts: ❌ Negative. Then again, what kind of gifts can he bring me when he’s an indoor cat and doesn’t fully understand the concept of hunting?
Exposing Belly: ❌ Does he expose his belly? Yes. Does he feel comfortable enough to snooze in my lap with his belly exposed? Of course. Does he want me to give him belly rubs? No, he emphatically does not. The primordial pouch is not to be touched!
Tail Position: ✅ One of the most awesome things is the fact that Bud’s tail goes immediately into happy mode when I say “Hi, Bud!”, when I hold my hand out for a headbutt, and when I talk to him in general. His tail quivers with excitement when we play with the laser pointer or his favorite toy, and when he catches the first whiff of catnip.
So that’s 7 of 9, or 7 of 8 if we count gifts as N/A due to Bud’s hilarious ineptitude when it comes to even grasping the concept of hunting.
Bud has been known to throw up from excitement when I return from vacation, he often naps by the door when I go out, he talks to me constantly, and he’s rarely more than three or four feet away from me at any given time. All those things, plus our strong bond, have proven to me that he does love me, but it’s also nice to confirm it with a behaviorist’s criteria.
How does your cat perform on the checklist? Don’t forget to share your results in the comments.
Pain In The Bud 
Brilliant post!!!
Bellas responses as follows
Headbutting: X
Kneading: X
Purring: so loud that it drowns out a 747 and is wonderful!
Chirping: Occasionally
Nipping: x
Licking: yes – especially when near feeding times I think its a warning about how tasty we could be….
Bringing Gifts: this is her superpower, always rodents, normally in bits…
Exposing Belly: Yes she does, touching? I still have the scars
Tail Position: Bella pnly shows the upright tail when food is on offer (or about to be offered!)
So a 6 out of 9 for Bella (Miss B)
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Human, you should know you’re quite delicious, so if you run out of food, well, you’ve seen what I do to the rodents…”
That’s interesting that her purr is so loud. I wonder what causes it to be loud or soft, whether it’s physiological or intentional. With Bud, I usually have to put my ear right up to him to hear it, but I know he’s purring because I can feel the buzzing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes I would also like to know why some cats have “monster truck” purrs and others don’t!
LikeLike
Bit confused about the chirping. I see cats doing that near the windows at birds. Not me.
LikeLike
I think they mean those clipped vocalizations that aren’t quite meows and aren’t trills either. You’re right, it’s a bit confusing because chirping is usually the term associated with the chatter at birds.
LikeLike
Gyda gets a perfect score. I love my little panther
LikeLiked by 2 people
Is she/he a black panther?
LikeLike
Sounds like Gyda is a little love bug
LikeLike
That’s an understatement! She’s always close to her people and she’s always got something to say about anything. She’s also got a very strong motor for such a little girl
LikeLike
Another shocker of an article telling us if our cats love us. I can start with my first cat Kitty but will be here all day. May she RIP. Nipping? He did that few nights ago. I thought he wanted another churro treat. My clients cat Zelda licked my cheek last week. I guess she likes me. 😻
LikeLike
Ramses often gives me love-nips followed by a kiss. Now that the weather is getting nicer (read: warmer for moi) he does not seem to want to stay in the Concrete Jungle unless I’m out there with him. When we are both out there, he is absolutely beside himself and constantly checks in with me as if to say “I’m glad you’re here with me.” He’s very attuned to my moods, as well, and knows when something’s amiss. Plus, that soulful look in his eyes when he gazes at me says it all: “I love you, Maman.”
Now I have a question for you, Big Buddy: Do you tell Little Buddy that you love him. Out loud?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I do!
“I love you, Bud!”
“Mrrrrp!”
“People across the world love you and like hearing about your adventures.”
“Mrrrrp!”
As for Ramses being attuned to your emotions, it’s like that Bill Burr skit when he talks about how he belatedly realized his dog was picking up on his emotions, and how he was getting his dog riled up every time he yelled at the TV during a baseball or football game.
When you’re a cat or dog’s person, the one who feeds them, cares for them, gives them the most attention and time, they become remarkably attuned. It’s a special bond for sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cats are so individual! Two of my most loving cats never gave head butts. Another cat actually slams his head into my face to the point where it’s painful. He’s also very quiet and doesn’t give many tail signals. His signature tail gesture is an annoyed twitch when I do something he doesn’t like.
As for love nips … my poor late Googoo had the hardest bite and she applied it often.
Belly touching is OK with my indoor cats. One of the barn cats is a cat trap – touch at your own risk.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Do any of your cats like to be picked up? I’m always amazed by those videos of cats who actually want their humans to pick them up and hold them.
More proof of your point, that cat personalities are singular. They have strong opinions about what they like and don’t like, and they’re not shy about expressing them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My cat did not want me to pick him up when i rescued him from my garden. He was a dump. I was told most dumped cats are not keen on being picked up. I tried so many times through the years but the claws and teeth came out. Now that he is getting older i can pick him up for about a minute or two.
LikeLike
Btw. When i said another shocker of an article about cats i meant Newsweek.
LikeLike
One of my cats wants uppies – he reaches out for me to pick him up, then drapes over my shoulder for a while, applying his claws liberally. Another cat grew out of her hate of being picked up. She’d screech her rage when I held her like a baby belly up.
After four years of practice she tolerates it now – for a moment. Then a back leg comes up to underscore her desire to be let go with a kick. The rest are in between. It’s the whole spectrum: from loving it to barely tolerating. 🙂
LikeLike
We got 10/10 here. My little girl is also an indoor cat and lacks the ability to bring “live gifts”. However, she has one little toy that she brings to me every time I go to a different room. She begins to announce her victory the moment she closes her mouth around said toy and doesn’t stop until it has been delivered. If I don’t leave that room soon enough, she will pick it back up, screaming her victory yell, take it to another room, and bring it back to me, still singing her victory song. Storm is almost 7 years old.
LikeLike
“Human, listen to the song of my people as I commemorate my hunting prowess!”
Storm sounds like an awesome little cat.
LikeLike
She totally is. In nearly 7 years she has never once bitten, scratched or even hissed at anyone. Well, not in anger. My upper back and shoulders have born a few punctures when she decides she wants to sit on my shoulder and leaps up while I’m doing dishes. Every little scar is worth it.
LikeLike
Aww. He does love you. When Angel moved in, she was a little traumatized and resided in the sun room for a bit. (My daughter was leaving an abusive situation.) When Angel was resocialized, she started doing what I call “love gnaws.” It’s not too bad on the hand, but pretty rough on the face. 🙂 It was the first time I’d seen it.
LikeLike
You and a few others I’ve met through the cat blogoverse are pros at integrating new cats to household prides, so if I ever get a companion for Bud, or try fostering, I know who to ask for advice.
Still, it never fails to amaze me how you and others can achieve domestic harmony with so many of the little ones running around, claiming territory, fighting over prime spots…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It takes a while. It’s been a year and a half to full integrate my daughter’s cats. And I’m not sure there will ever be more than grudging tolerance between Snoops and Sgt Stripes.
LikeLike