Owning a cat can be like dining in a fancy restaurant. The service can be snooty, and you can spend a long time waiting for your meal to be prepared, but if you’re patient and polite, you’ll be treated to a subtle, complex rainbow of flavours that few other cuisines can match. By following these tips, you’ll earn the love of your cat before they can slow-blink!
The Tail Tells a Tale
Let’s start with the tail. A cat’s tail serves as its own set of traffic lights. If it waves up and down in a whip-like motion, you’ve hit a red light. When this happens, you should give your feline friend some space. If it’s standing upright, proceed with caution. If it curls towards its back and starts vibrating, you’ve made your cat ecstatic, and have been given the green light. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!
Chin Up
Discerning creatures they are, cats are very particular about where you stroke them. The paws are best avoided, and the tail shouldn’t be touched unless you have a death wish. While some kitties enjoy having their bellies rubbed, for others it will land you on their hit list.
Fortunately, there exist a few manoeuvres that can earn your way into your kitty’s good graces. A well-placed tickle under the chin will normally earn you favour. A gentle pincer-motion massage behind the ears will also show your kitty how much you care.
However, much like humans, there are times when your cat will simply not want to be touched (regardless of how many candles you’ve lit or Barry White albums you’ve been playing them). In these cases, your cat will create some distance between you. By respecting their boundaries, you’ll earn more trust from your cat than you would have with a million chin rubs.
Blink Once for Love
As we’ve previously discussed, your cat will often show its love by looking you in the eyes and slow-blinking. The good news is, you don’t always need to wait for your kitty to take the lead with this. By locking eyes and blinking slowly, you will show them, on their terms, that they’re special to you.
Don’t be deterred if you’re cat doesn’t blink back. In fact, if they retain eye contact without blinking, it’s their way of saying: “I’m not ready for this level of commitment…but give me time, and I’ll get there.”
Do you really want to show your cat some love? Book them a Cat Sitter next time you’re out of town!
1 comment
I love this post! My kids wonder why the kitties come talk to me, lay on me, follow me around, etc. I told them to quit picking them up or forcing them to cuddle. Cats, unlike dogs, make you work for their affection. As a Scorpio, I completely understand this initial distrust. 🤗🤗