Hence, it doesn’t come as a surprise that cats can feel and sense the emotions of people around them, just like us. This study clearly shows that cats can understand our feelings and can adjust their behavior according to it. My husband dug a splinter out of my finger one time . Required fields are marked *. How your cat is going to react to your emotions is completely dependent on her personality and the bond between the two of you. Please keep this cat! Do cats know you're sad? A cat’s limbic system which is responsible for connecting emotions with a thought process works in a similar way with ours. They snuggle up against you or lay in your lap . Furthermore, this experiment shows that cats are affected by our emotions and that they use them to guide their actions and behaviors. There’s some really cool research that explains why cats prefer spending time with us. I still have his Mom and she has made It known that she loves me. He’s never been a cuddler but when I am super down he will let me hold him and cuddle with him. I had a cat years ago who would get so upset when I would cry. Do you think your mood changes have any effect on her? Click here to learn more. Without his love and encouragement I don’t know what I would do. - Jean de la Fontaine. He was still in my lap . Plenty of pet owners are comforted by a pair of puppy-dog eyes or a swipe of the tongue when their dog catches them crying. When the researchers conducted the same experiment with strangers, rather than the cat owners, the cats didn’t respond to the strangers at all. I lost my husband 5 years ago and I don’t know what I would have done without my 5 wonderful cats. Some cats will try to cheer their owners by purring or jumping in his/her lap for a petting session, while others will remain unaffected and wonder if dinner will be on time. My current cat, Maxine is now 7 years old and I’ve had her a little more than 6 1/2 years. University of Southern Mississippi. Of the 9 cats I have she is most attuned to my moods. You might have observed your cat running up to you during a loud thunderstorm, checking in to see if they need to worry. Another study from the Journal of Veterinary Behavior tested to see if cats engage more with their owner or a complete stranger when left alone in a room with them. Things just feel different and chaotic, and the sight of a big, conspicuous suitcase in the middle of the living room floor is a pretty big hint, too! Cats don’t expect us to be always-on or perfect. All cats can sense when their owners are sad, happy, or anxious, but not all of them will show the same amount of consideration. If you're engrossed enough in what you're doing, however, she'll send that item crashing to the floor. Cats also have an acute sense of smell. This thread is archived. This same experiment was also conducted on dogs and showed that almost the same percentage of cats reacted to human emotional gestures when faced with an unfamiliar object. Cats can sniff out any chemical changes that occur in our body due to illness. But sometimes when I pet him or brush him, he’ll just swipe at me. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. From this study, Galvin and Vonk concluded that cats are, in fact, able to read human facial expressions and that they obtained that ability over time. In reality, even if it is very difficult to identify to what extent cats are sad, happy, or fearful, ethologists agree on the fact that cats have a very rich emotional life.Those emotions can be divided into two types: positive and negative, with various intensities. In the wild, this instinct can protect them from predators or other cats that might be a threat. My 2 year old male tabby cat (neutered) Is very affectionate with me but lately i've been through a lot of stress and sadness.He never leave my sight.He rubs on me a the time and he's always next to me. Excessive sleep: Cats normally sleep a lot but sad or depressed cats sleep even more. How do cats show you that they know you’re sad? When other cats are around, you may see your cat slow blinking a lot. Today, thanks to the newest studies into feline behavior, we start to understand that cats have emotions and can detect changes in ours. In another research that was conducted by Isabella Merola at the University of Milan in Italy, 24 cats were studied to see if they use emotional information provided by their owners to guide their behavior. I adopted him when he was almost 4 years old. Siouxsie: Yes, April, we cats absolutely can tell when our people are sad! When someone in my house is sick our house panther Sly is in the room checking on them. No, your cat is not likely to scratch you when he's mad. They know when I’m upset and comforts me! Sending prayers! It was his way of calming me down because I would look at him and say why did you do that? . The cats were put in a room with a screen at one end that also served as an exit and an electric fan that had green ribbons attached to it. Some mate for life and will die of a broken heart. But do cats know when you are sad or happy? See Also: What Does It Mean When Cats Wag Their Tail. That’s when I could figure out what to do. It’s almost like cats have a sixth sense because they seem so in-tune with us, but can they really tell when we are sad? Read more: 'Cat people' and 'dog people' are so different that it can affect everything from your job to your hobbies; 7 things you're doing that are making your cat secretly hate you The cat and its owner were put into a room with a fan that had ribbons attached to it. 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