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They can’t hide their feelings forever (Picture: Getty)

Cats, as their owners will know, are pretty mysterious creatures.


Now that we know the signs that mean a dog loves you, cat lovers will inevitably be wondering how their beloved pet feels about them.

With the help of cat behavioural expert Anita Kelsey, we sought to find the answer to the question we all ask: how do I know if my cat really loves me?

Or, as Anita says ‘feels affection’, because love is a human emotion we put on to our pets. Cats will be affectionate when they feel ‘comfortable’ and ‘relaxed’ around you, she says.

But anyway, here are six signs your cat really loves you. In their unique way.


1) Rubbing against our legs

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Think about the way your cat interacts with you when you first enter the house. How likely are they to rub their body against you?


It’s because they need to remark their territory with their scent after you’ve been gone for so long and some of the active and important glands that do this are located on the side of its body.

‘Rubbing against our legs is to mark us with their scent,’ explains Anita

So in a way, it’s like they’re marking you as theirs. Awwwwww.

Well, at least they don’t pee on us, which is the other way they spread their scent.

2) Purring

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Some purring, we should say.

Anita says it’s ‘usually’ a sign of one happy cat.

‘This is usually connected to a happy relaxed cat,’ she says. ‘Although purring can also be connected to pain.’ 

It can be a form of self-soothing during stressful moments, such as during a vet visit. Your cat is basically trying to block out other sounds with its own vibration to calm itself down.

3) Headbutting

Close-Up Of Cat On Table
(Picture: Getty)

Cats really seem to like you to pay attention to their head for some reason. And if you don’t, they’re going to let you know with a casual headbutt.


‘Headbutting us is a sign of affection,’ says Anita. It’s basically another way of them trying to say to other cats that you belong to them.

Like a jealous lover, almost.

4) Kneading

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It’s the one of things we’ve always wondered about cats – do they know that it hurts like hell when they knead you with their claws?


Do they know and… enjoy it….? In a weird, sadistic way?

Anita says that while it hurts, it’s actually a sure sign of affection.

It’s basically behaviour they learned from their mother: ‘Kneading is a sign of contentment. Cats did this to express milk from their mothers teat.


So…they love us like they love their mother? Well, guess that’s sweet.

5) Lying on our laps

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If your cat does this, it shows they’re very comfortable around you says Anita.

However, it’s not true for all cats.


So you shouldn’t be too upset if your cat just won’t settle on your knees or doesn’t linger long. Chances are they’re just a bit warm.

6) If their tail is upwards when greeting you

Rear View Of Cat On Grassy Field
‘Wait…is it you?!’ (Picture: Getty)

If combined with some of the above – like them rubbing against you and headbutting – have no doubt this is a clear sign they are happy to see you.

‘Sometimes the tail quivers also showing excitement,’ says Anita. 

Bonus: Your cats bringing dead animals to you are not gifts. Sorry

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‘Surprise!’ (Picture: Getty)

The mice and birds they leave on our kitchen floors are a primal instinct rather than a gift, according to Anita.

To call it a sign of love is just us sugar-coating the grisly gesture, apparently.


It’s an evolutionary behaviour that they haven’t left behind after being domesticated, says Anita.

‘Cats are hard-wired natural born killers and are excellent hunters, she says.


‘Our domestic cats have lost none of their evolutionary behaviours. We just see and label their actions with human meaning.’

While it’s a gift of sorts, it’s primal and it’s got nothing to do with love, we’re afraid. Just food.