While cats might not communicate in our language, they have adorable ways of showing us who they love and trust most.
Showing belly
When your cat rolls over onto their back, showing you their soft belly and completely defenseless underside, they trust you more than anything else in the world. Your cat’s belly contains all of their vital organs that they would naturally want to protect from anything that may cause them harm.
So when your cat shows you their belly, they’re telling you that they feel 100% safe around you and aren’t scared to let their guard down around their favorite person.
Bunting
When cats push their heads against you, rubbing their cheeks and forehead (or sometimes their whole body), it’s called bunting. This creates a place where your scent and theirs are mixed together to create what cat experts call a group scent, signaling safety and membership.
This means they see you as theirs, literally marking you as theirs.
Vocalizing
Your cat may use normal meows when speaking to general humans. However, they often develop their own distinct private language just for you.
This could be a series of cute purrs, chirps, or maybe there’s a certain high-pitched hello that they only say to you and nobody else.
Blink
The slow blink has been described as the equivalent of an emotional declaration of love and total trust by your cat.
When they meet your gaze and slowly close and open their eyelids in a slow, relaxed motion, they are expressing that they are at ease around you and aren’t guarding themselves like a hunter would.
Grooming
If your cat licks your skin, hair, or clothes, it’s considered a great compliment. In cat family groups, grooming is a way of affirming relationships.
Your cat is grooming you as part of their inner circle. They rub their bristly tongue over you, cleaning you and marking you with their scent.
Napping
Cats have to be constantly vigilant to threats in their environment. It’s hardwired into them. That is why they are very particular about where they sleep.
If your cat sleeps on your lap, chest, or right beside your head all the time, they consider you their safest ally and allow themselves to be totally vulnerable.
Kneading
This constant back-and-forth kneading with their paws that cats do (some call this behavior making biscuits) is instinctual right from kittenhood. As kittens, they would push against their mom to stimulate milk flow.
As adults, pressing their paws into you is an intense physical expression of utter security, feelings of being completely safe, and pure happiness.
Shadows
Stalking you from room to room, even when they seem wholly oblivious to your activities, is another strong sign that they have formed a primary bond with you.
Cats displaying this velvet shadow behavior follow you just because they want to be near you most of all. They enjoy the comfort and security of just knowing you are nearby.
Gifting
Your cat bringing you their killed prey, big bugs, or random things like socks and hair ties is a behavior of great honor. It is a high-status feline ritual reserved exclusively for their primary caregiver. In the wild, mother cats will bring injured prey back to their family to teach them how to survive.
So when your kitty is leaving you gifts at your feet, they’re telling you that they see you as part of the family that they need to take care of.
Lap sharing
Wanting to sleep in your lap more than anyone else’s and not even considering other family members’ or visitors’ laps is a very public way of showing you are their favorite. Cats can sense a person’s individual scent, body temperature, and energy vibe.
They will subconsciously rank family members by who they feel the safest and calmest around. If they skip past every lap in the house and make their way to you, they know who their favorite person is.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.