Do cats have emotions like humans?

Question

My cat responds toward me in certain ways but does anyone have any idea what they are responding too?

Answer 1

Of course cats have emotions. All aimals do. If you take the tie to learn to comunicate with your feline friend you'll b amazed how well you can understand each other. You canlearn to recognise when she tired, or wants to be left alone, or wants you to sratch her belly. You just need towatch and learn her or his language. She is doing the same back to you. she watchs because she ants to understand. if she comes to see her and your grouchy and edgy with her she will read this and keep her distance, if you are quiet and calm she can read this too.
I had a cat who anytime I was crying, where ever she was inthe house, would coem find me and lick my face. If you take the tiem to unerstand them they will do the same.

Answer 2

The Merriam-Webster dictionary uses this definition of emotion:

a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body

Using this definition, it's hard to honestly claim that cats do not have emotions unless you never interacted with one.

If you claim that cats do not have emotions, whatever reason you come up with, apply the same to a human (who obviously have emotions). I think you'll find it extremely hard to find an argument for why cats do not have emotions but humans do.

While it is most certainly not the same as those of humans, it seems awfully close. Otherwise, how do cats (like humans) sense and respond to others' emotions?

Answer 3

Cats emotions are not quite like a humans. Remarkably, cats have a rather similar CNS to humans, their brains are just smaller. Hence they have less gray matter by which to discern with.

Cats feel love, devotion, anger, fear. All these emotions are manifested in "their" body language.

You cat will respond to your emotional outbursts as well as your quiet, reflective moods. Watch a cat sometime. When you are frantic, the cat is anything, but calm. When you are silent and calm, your cat will also reflect that peacefulness. When you are angry, a cat will most often take a powder and get out of Dodge.

Even when you are sick, a cat tends to show signs of empathy. Cats can be very intuitive to their human's health issues. Or in divorces, cats do pick up on stress.

So in answer to your question, your cat is responding to the emotions or vibes you are displaying or giving off.

When I was undergoing chemo, I was so tired all I wanted to do was sleep. I had a cat that was so intune with me, she would get on my chest and paw and paw and paw till I would finally get up. She WOULD NOT let me sleep my way into a grave. When I had the IV's hooked up, she kept all the other cats away from the tubing. She was indeed a guardian angel.

Some years later, I started having temporal lobe seizures. I didn't know what they were at fitst, but in retrospect I remembered this same cat coming to me prior to a seizure. She would be there maybe 45 minutes prior to the onset of a seizure. Sure enough I would get one. She became my barometer. I knew I was going to have one so I took my meds early to ward it off.

A part of me died the day she passed. She gave me everything she had. So I do know cats sense our emotions and also act with emotions in return.

Answer 4

Cats have emotions, just not the same as humans. We are all animals after all.

Cats, being the social animal that they are, depend on attention from those in their family or group. You are part of that group. The cat responds to things that it likes, a scratch behind the ear, on the base of the tail, in the ear, under the chin, on the stomach, etc.

They also respond to environmental settings too. Laying in the sun on the window sill is one of my cat's favorite things. Laying on my chest as I watch TV. Sitting on the desk in front of the 'Puter monitor' right now (she likes the blinking cursor). All these things bring out that great purr that we love to hear so much.

Kev

Answer 5

Cats have emotions, whether or not they are human can be debated. My cousins' cat was depressed, and their vet told them to take her to an animal psychiatrist! She had stopped eating because they had swithed her food. (They had switched her food because she was extremely overweight.) And I guess my 14 year old cousin and her didn't get along too well.

Trying having a conversation with your cat. I do this all the time with my mom's cat. He'll meow and I'll meow back, it's crazy! Also, try winking at them. My mom's cat will wink back, it's so cute, I think they do it when they feel happy.

Also, I've heard when a cat presses his forehead to yours it means he accepts you as part of his family.

Answer 6

I think they definately feel joy and pleasure, like when you are petting them or snuggling with them. I also think they feel sadness and abandonment because when I'm gone on a long trip and come back, my cat is...pouty I guess is the word for it. He's letting me know he's mad that I was gone so long. I also think they experience wanting something because mine is always meowing to be fed or to go outside or to come in a room if I shut him out of it. They're much smarter and more emotional than people who don't like cats give them credit for.

Answer 7

I believe they do , for instance ,when my cat is in a playful mood , I can tell by the look on his face its playtime , his face becomes mischevious ,so I know what he is thinking and feeling . The same thing when he is bored , he goes in his cat bed , and kind of looks depressed, as soon as I start to start to play with him , he changes .

Answer 8

Cat have the same feelings we do and some can do a lot more for you if just pay attention. I have a cat that knows when I'm upset he cuddles with me and buts his head on mine. He only gives me head buts when I m upset. We have a lot to learn from animals , they are very loving,forgiving and loyal

Answer 9

I believe animals have emotions. they can be sad, happy, scared-even embarassed. I have had both a cat & a dog, just recently my cat kinda fell off the couch & i laughed at him, he looked down & slunk away cause he knew he did something silly.

Answer 10

yawning at a cat is friendly cat body language.
so is looking though halk closed eyes.

just remember you never own a cat, the cat owns you. that is how the seem to think anyway