25 Signs Your Cat Loves You
Ever wonder if that thing your cat does is a sign of love?
While cats may not express affection as obviously as dogs, they have their own unique ways of showing they care.
Feline love signals come in many forms, and they’re rooted in attachment and the evolving cat-human bond.
These are behaviors of trust, attunement, desire for closeness, voluntary vulnerability, and state of ease and security in your presence.
Here’s your comprehensive guide to decoding your cat’s displays of devotion.
Which ones does your cat do with you?

Photo: Phoebe purring and “holding hands” – impossible cuteness
1. Does the Slow Blink Kiss
When your cat gazes at you and squints their eyes in a languid blink, they’re blowing you a kitty kiss. This gesture represents the pinnacle of feline trust – in the wild, closing their eyes would make them vulnerable to attack.
Return their blink to deepen your bond through this intimate feline love language.
2. Signs of Contentment Via Tail Posture
A cat’s tail is like an emotional barometer, and a gently raised tail with a soft curve or slow, relaxed flick at the tip broadcasts pure feline happiness.
Unlike the sharp, agitated swishing that signals annoyance, this mellow movement – often accompanied by a slight quiver – is body language for “I’m completely content in your presence.”
3. Tunes In With Their Ears
The little satellite dishes atop your cat’s head reveal more about affection than you might think.
When your cat swivels their ears to track your voice as you move around or speak, they’re demonstrating that your sounds are priority listening.
4. Sustained Eye Contact
A cat who willingly meets your gaze demonstrates remarkable trust, since direct eye contact is typically threatening in the feline world.
While prolonged staring can signal aggression between cats, your pet choosing to exchange gentle glances with you shows they’ve developed a special form of communication just for you.
5. Head-Butts and Face Rubs
When your cat rubs their face against you or delivers gentle head-butts, they’re engaging in “bunting” – a behavior that marks you as family through scent glands in their face.
This intimate marking ritual deposits pheromones that tell other cats “this human belongs in my inner circle.” It’s their way of writing their name on you in invisible ink that only cats can read.
6. Leans Against You
When your cat presses their body weight against you while sitting or standing, they’re expressing affection through a subtle yet meaningful gesture.
In feline body language, this physical surrender of balance shows complete faith in your stability and presence.
7. Puts Their Paw On You
When your cat deliberately places their paw on your arm, face, or leg, they’re initiating a tender form of physical connection. Of course velocity matters here – we’re talking about a caress, not a swat.
This gesture is often a sweet request for attention. Phoebe does this every day when she sits right in front of my face as I work on the computer.
8. Kneads On You
When your cat rhythmically pushes their paws against your lap, they’re displaying one of the strongest signs of feline affection.
This behavior, called “making biscuits” or “making bread,” started in kittenhood to stimulate milk production from mom.
The fact that your adult cat continues this instinctive nurturing behavior with you shows they probably see you as a parent figure.
9. Grooms You
When your cat rasps their sandpaper tongue across your hand or attempts to tidy up your hair, they’re showing that they’ve accepted you as one of their own.
This may not be the case if you just spilled tuna juice on yourself.
10. Shows You Their Belly
Rolling over to expose their vulnerable underbelly represents one of your cat’s most profound and endearing displays of trust.
In the animal world, protecting vital organs is crucial for survival, so this position of complete vulnerability is quite a statement about your bond.
Whether your cat actually lets you rub their belly is another matter. If so, it reflects an even deeper bond still. But many cats don’t like it no matter how much they love you.
11. Lets You Touch Their Paws
A cat who allows you to handle their paws is showing extraordinary trust. Consider this: a cat’s paws are their primary tools for survival – essential for hunting, defense, climbing, and escape.
These highly sensitive appendages are typically strictly off-limits to touching. When your furry pal welcomes your gentle paw touches, they’re demonstrating remarkable comfort in your presence.
12. Doesn’t Hide From You
This is the most basic sign of trust. A cat who doesn’t feel like they need to hide is feeling secure with you.
13. Greets You at the Door
A cat who welcomes you home with enthusiastic meows, chirps, or figure-eight weaves between your legs is expressing genuine joy at your return.
This behavior is much harder to earn with cats than it is with dogs, making it that much sweeter.
14. Plays With You
When your cat initiates playtime by dropping a toy at your feet or playfully pouncing near you, they’re extending a special invitation into their world.
Interactive play is a complex social behavior that builds trust and strengthens bonds.
15. Talks to You
Adult cats only rarely meow to each other – they’ve actually developed this special vocal language specifically to communicate with humans.
Your cat’s repertoire of chirps, trills, and meows represents a unique dialect they pretty much share only with their favorite people.
I love the way all three of my cats will answer me back with a little purr-meow when I say something to them.
16. Sleeps Near You
Among the countless cozy spots in your home, when your cat deliberately chooses to snuggle up against you, they’re expressing profound trust through physical closeness.
Of course, cats are constantly seeking heat sources, so sometimes it might just be out of opportunism. But if your cat curls up on you every chance they get even on hot summer days, you know it’s love.
17. Shows Different Ways of Snuggling
Your cat’s snuggling style reveals volumes about their bond with you.
Some wedge themselves under your arm while you read, others press their entire body against your leg while you work, and the bold ones might drape themselves across your shoulders like a living scarf – which is exactly what Gandalf does with me.
Each unique position is a way of saying “you’re my person.”
18. Sits On Your Stuff
When your cat parks themselves squarely on your laptop, book, or fresh laundry, they’re not just being deliberately annoying – they’re expressing ownership and affection in classic feline style.
These items carry your scent, making them irresistible to a cat who adores you. By planting themselves on your possessions, they’re simultaneously soaking up your familiar smell and marking these treasures with their own scent.
Of course, if sitting on your keyboard has worked in the past to get food, that could also be the reason.
19. Loves Stuff that Smells Like You
A cat who gravitates toward your worn clothes, burrows into your recently vacated seat, or claims your pillow as their favorite napping spot is showing a deep attachment to your unique aroma.
While humans might find dirty laundry unappealing, your cat finds your personal scent deeply comforting and reassuring.
This action indicates they may well be imprinted on you as their trusted family member.
20. Comforts You When You’re Sad
Many cats show remarkable emotional intelligence when their favorite humans are distressed.
A cat who responds to your tears or distress with extra attention, gentle headbutts, or increased physical closeness is demonstrating empathy in their own feline way.
I have fond childhood memories of our family’s cat, Chessie, coming to sit with me when something made me cry.
21. Waits For You
A cat who maintains a patient vigil by the window or door until you return is showing remarkable devotion.
This anticipatory behavior – whether perching by your bedroom door until you wake up or claiming their designated “lookout spot” each day until you arrive – demonstrates that your presence is central to their daily rhythm.
It’s a sure sign of attachment. And sometimes also definitely hunger.
22. Follows You Around
Especially when their belly is full – a mark of true devotion. Bean has a window of time every day where she seems to go into hyper affection mode, and she will follow me anywhere.
23. Purrs Upon Interaction With You
Some cats develop such a bond that merely making eye contact or saying their name gets their motor running. For me, Phoebe is the one of mine that will begin purring just from knowing that I’m talking to her. It is impossibly sweet!
24. Likes to Curl Up Under the Covers With You
Another gesture of extreme trust and desire to snuggle up close. Interestingly, Phoebe and Bean like to do this, but Gandalf always goes in but comes right back out.
25. Likes Being Picked Up and Held
Talk about willingness to be vulnerable, this is a big one. And if the cat purrs in your arms, an absolute love signal.
Last Meows
So, what are the ways your cat says I love you?
I should say, a cat that does all the things on this list is rare, so you should definitely not be disheartened if there are things here your cat doesn’t do. And of course it doesn’t mean they don’t love you if that’s the case.
Some of these behaviors emerge over years. And some behaviors are most likely to occur when quality socialization with humans began very early on in kittenhood.
For example, my cats actually do most of the above behaviors, but I don’t think that would necessarily be the case if I hadn’t fostered them as one-week-old kittens.
And even still, it took several years for some of the signs of love and trust to come out.