Why are cats so fond of some of us?

RestlessSeeker

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something odd but sweet and ask what you think. Cats are unusually warm towards me. The female ones especially. Nearly half the cats that hear my voice come over to me, rub against my legs, and some even lean in towards my cheek. Even cats that don't know me do this, as if they've met me before.

Honestly, I'm curious about why this happens. Is it the tone of my voice, the fact that I stay calm, or something else that cats can sense? If anyone here understands animal behaviour, I'd love to hear your take.

I've also been wondering whether this says something about me that I don't notice myself. Maybe calmness, body language, or some kind of energy. Perhaps cats pick up on a side of me I'm not aware of.

And of course the thought does cross my mind: I can't help wondering what it would be like if this same fondness came from women rather than from female cats. For now it seems this talent only works on cats.

Do any of you experience something similar? Do you have a strange bond like this with animals?

Andi66

Yes animals cats and dogs mainly can tell if someone would be nice to them. I've taken on 2 that turned up in my garden. No chip not neutered. One semi feral, the other a stray really malnourished. I'm feeding a un neutered male at the moment. My brother s and sister the same .

Rosie_Scope

@RestlessSeeker Ah that's so sweet that you're a cat magnet! I think animals definitely pick up on a calmness or kindness in humans. Animals are very senses-driven so it makes sense that they'd warm to people who look, smell and act calm and safe.

I had a friend who was really into animals but she'd be so excited that lots of the animals she met didn't immediately warm to her - maybe because her vibe towards them was too intense or something. Whereas people I know that are more chilled out and gentle are often more popular with the animals they meet.

Do you find it's just with cats or other animals too?

RestlessSeeker

Thank you both, I really enjoyed your replies.

@Andi66 it's lovely that you open your home to stray cats . I think they really can sense who they can trust.

@Rosie_Scope I laughed at "cat magnet", that's spot on.

To answer your question: I actually had cows and dogs when I was a child, but I was so young back then that I can't say I observed them well. On top of that, as a child I used to panic and make sudden, exaggerated movements, and I think the animals read that as a kind of threat and got startled. Just like that excitable friend you mentioned. She was probably moving around too much out of excitement, and the animals were wary of it. To me it feels less like some abstract "energy" and more about movements being sudden and unpredictable. Animals seem to find slow, calm movement safe.

As an adult though, I've been much more involved with cats, and every one of them was surprisingly clever. They could open doors by jumping up and hanging off the handles, and they even learned to open the fly screens on the windows, pushing them from the inside and pulling them with their paws from the outside. That's why they always made me think cats are observant creatures who understand far more than we give them credit for.

Maybe that's exactly why they sense calmness in people so clearly. Do you think a cat's intelligence might be connected to their ability to "read" humans?

Ross1975

Hi RestlessSeeker, I think animals are able to sense when someone is a genuinely good person, they also tend to stay away from people who have a 'bad energy'.

I too have a strange bond with cats and dogs, most seem to really like me and will choose to come up to me and stay around me over the other people who are there.

Amberpearl

Ive hada strong bond with animal s all my life

I had 2 horses at 18

Alwaya had pets at home dogs cats rabbits hamsters

I'm. Very drawn to cats, been given the nickname crazy cat lady

I. Used to. Have 19

I have 15 now

Not all cats come to. Me, some are timid

I. Have a calm soft approach to cats, a few are lap cats, many rub round my feet and in fact sleep onmy head

They are beautiful animals and deserve love and respect

I. Only wish they lived as lomg as us

RestlessSeeker

@Amberpearl what a wonderful life , full of animals. I smiled at "crazy cat lady", I think it's a compliment. Looking after fifteen cats takes a big heart.

Not on your scale, but I also lived with a crowd of cats for a while, at one point we had seven. There's a special kind of joy in that chaos, you never get bored.

Nobody has ever given me a cat-related nickname, but maybe there's a bond between me and cats from birth: I'm a Leo, and on top of that the football team I support has a lion as its symbol. A lion is basically a giant cat after all, so maybe this fondness is just written into my fate.

I wholeheartedly agree with your last line though. I wish they lived as long as we do. I've lost cats too early myself, and that emptiness stays with you. But I think the fact that they fill even the short time they spend with us so beautifully is exactly what makes them so precious.