The Top 3 (Less Commonly Talked About) Ways Your Cat Shows You Love

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Remember the real-life story of the orange cat named Gepetto, who’s persistent yowling saved his owner, Phyllis Birch, from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning? We know there are many other Pet Heroes like that right here in our beautiful home of BC, and we want to hear and share yours too.

In honour of our favourite felines, we thought to share the top three, less commonly understood, ways they show us love.

Bunting - The behaviour that is often described by cat parents as “head butting” is actually head bunting. Cats have scent glands all over their body and they use them to leave a scent mark on objects (and in this case, YOU). The bunting and rubbing are reserved for bonding, social, comforting and friendly purposes. Love.
Gifting - Whether it’s an outdoor cat who brings the real thing, or an indoor cat who lovingly disembowels a toy mouse and leaves it on the bed, our cats are actually paying us a great compliment. They are showing they want to feed us. They are showing off their hunting skills. They expect a fuss. This is an act of love for you, from them.
Grooming - Cats spend an enormous amount of time self-grooming. They also groom each other, but shared grooming behaviours only happen between friendly cats. Kitties that groom their human by licking your skin or hair, or even nibbling or sucking on your clothing, indicates great affection. This spreads familiar scent and helps mark you as an important part of her family group.

*Insight courtesy of wayofcats.com, cats.about.com and catbehaviorassociates.com