Do Cats Know When You’re Sad?

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Almost all cat owners will tell you that their furry friends know when they’re sad.

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?

It’s been known for some time that dogs are able to recognize changes in their owner’s facial expressions – now it’s time to discuss whether cats can do the same.

Much less research exists about cat behavior to tell us if cats are as attached as dogs are to their humans, but that is starting to change. 

Keep reading to find out more about our mysterious and sensitive feline companions.

How attached are cats to their owners?

According to a 2019 study from Oregon State University, the majority of cats form secure attachments to their owners.

In the study, they had the cat owner leave the room for 2 minutes and then return. The cats that had secure attachments to their owners continued to explore while paying attention to their owners.

The cats that had insecure attachments to their owners started to show signs of avoidance when their owners re-entered the room.

Based on this study, if your cat greets you when you walk through the door or follows you around the house, that’s a great sign that he/she has secure attachment to you!

Does your cat recognize your voice?

In order to know if your cat can tell when you are sad, first you need to understand if they even recognize your voice. A change in how you sound will signal to your cat how you feel.

A 2013 study by Japanese scientists showed that cats do recognize the voice of their human versus a stranger calling their name.

A cat won’t come running over to you like a dog when you call its name, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.

Cats simply acknowledge their owners in different ways, like moving their ears and head when you call their name.

Does cats prefer spending time with their owners?

This is definitely a pre-requisite to cats knowing or caring if/when we are sad. There’s some really cool research that explains why cats prefer spending time with us.

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.

As you might expect, cats were more likely to pay attention to and play with their owner, while they usually ignored the stranger.

This means that cats clearly like their owner more than anyone else.

Separation Anxiety May Offer Answers

Another hint that cats can detect we’re sad is how upset they get when we’re away. Just like a toddler with a parent, cats can get separation anxiety when their human is away.

They often misbehave, over-groom, or vocalize their displeasure. This suggests that cats are definitely attached to their owners and feel uncomfortable when their owner is away.

But are cats clever enough to detect our mood and comfort us?

How do cats know how we feel?

A  2015 animal cognition study showed that cats behave differently based on if their owners are smiling or frowning. 

The study noted that when the owner was smiling, the cat tended to purr more, rub up on their owner, and try to curl up in their lap. On the other hand, if the owner was frowning, the cat was more aloof.

When the researchers conducted the same experiment with strangers, rather than the cat owners, the cats didn’t respond to the strangers at all.

It didn’t matter if the stranger smiled or frowned; it only mattered when their owner did.

Cats do not understand the meaning behind smiling or frowning, but they do understand how to predict our behavior based on our facial expressions.

The study demonstrated that cats are intelligent enough to recognize these human patterns in expression.

The study also showed that cats prioritize their owners over strangers.

But if they know to approach us when we’re happy and stay away when we’re angry, how do they know when we need their love the most?

That’s a tricky question. Most likely, our cats are learning about us over time based on our past behaviors.

We owners tend to love up on our furry critters when we feel good. We may pet them more, play more, or even give them treats just for being fluffy and wonderful.

So over time, your cat is paying attention to your face and associating your facial expression with your behavior. Cats are no fools!

They know how to get what they want form us: attention, food, and love. Cats get these things by snuggling up to their human, giving us a few head bumps and purrs, and then gazing up at us with those eyes we can’t refuse!

Cats Copy Their Owner’s Emotions 

Another study from the journal of Animal Cognition showed that cats react differently based on their owners reaction.

The way the scientists tested this was simple. The cat and its owner were put into a room with a fan that had ribbons attached to it. If the owner acted like the fan was no big deal, so did the cat.

If the owner panicked and showed fear, the cat took its cue from the owner again and did the same thing.

If you have children, this might sound familiar! Often when toddlers fall over, scuff a knee, or clonk their head, there’s a delayed reaction before they cry or brush themselves off.

The parent runs over and usually tells the kid that they’re okay and magically there’s the crying stops. If the parent rushes over in a panic, screaming, the child is likely to do the same.

Cats have a tendency to do this too!

You might have observed your cat running up to you during a loud thunderstorm, checking in to see if they need to worry.

As long as we play it cool, they usually do too. So it’s no surprise that cats comfort us when we’ve got the blues.

They’re tuned into us just like we’re tuned into them.

Conclusion: Can Cats Sense Sadness?

There’s evidence that suggests cats tune into our moods based on our faces and how we act. Somewhere along the line cats learned that being there for humans when we’re down was in their best interest. Cats learn just as much about us as we do about them!

Do you think cat knows when you’re sad? Tell us in the comments below.

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