You might love cuddling your cat, but do you know why do cats like to cuddle?
Just imagine you had a rough day at work, while going home you get all sorts of thoughts about how everything is going bad for you! You reach home in order to feel a bit better, all of a sudden your cats come running to you! Ok, we know they won’t do that as they are not like dogs!
Let’s change the scenario for our cat owners, you go to them, and they snuggle up like a furball in your arms! Isn’t that the most wonderful feeling in the entire universe! But do cats like to cuddle?
Let’s find out why do cats like to cuddle!
5 Interesting Reasons,Why Cats Cuddle
Cats can juggle from being totally cold to being too needy, there is nothing in between! Sometimes they love to cuddle up as much as you do! Do you want to know why? Let’s see some interesting reasons why cats cuddle.
1. They Want to Bond with You
Though your cat can understand the language you speak or vice versa, there is one language that you both can mutually understand. And that’s the language of love!
It’s true, you both can mutually express the bond of love by just a few gestures! And cats do that by cuddling with you! Yes, cats enjoy cuddling with you when they want to express their affection.
So whenever you see your cat coming close to you and snuggling all near to you, just understand that she wants to show her or tell you that she loves you!
Also, cats are very territorial, so when they just come and sit in your lap with snuggling habits they want to show their dominance.
It’s surprising because whenever you try to pick them up in your lap, they will try to escape, but when she’s coming and asking you to do so, umm, something is fishy! Cat is telling, or trying to show her love and possession, how cute? Someone gets possessive about you!
2. Seeking Your Attention
So, we do understand that cats make an amazing pet with a cute combination of bit loner and attention seeker’s kind of attitude!
And the funny thing is you might find your cat juggling from both moods from time to time!
Well, that’s the cat for you! While most of the time you will find them in the unbothered phase. But when they come up to you looking for your consideration and affection, they want your attention.
There are some strange ways your cat follows when she needs you to pay attention to her!
This might include leaving disgusting gifts under or on your bed, by disgusting I meant that be ready to find a dead mouse or a bird or any other creepy thing!
Headbutting and rubbing against you is another way of asking for attention. You should pet her and give her some extra pampering if you find her doing this.
3. Snuggling for Warmth
Being a cat owner, you must have noticed multiple times that your cat just loves to sit on your laptop, does that means she doesn’t want you to work?
Probably no! She wants you to work and earn well so that you can give her more tasty treats and cat toys!
She’s seeking warmth! In spite of having thick fur, you will find her hiding under vehicles, trees, holes. To maintain the right body temperature, she needs warmth. An adequate amount of sunlight and some warmth from you will make your cat a purrfect cat!
4. Cuddling for Safety
When your cat was a kitten, she learned many types of behavior, from which, one was being close to you whenever she gets scared!
She will hop in your lap as that’s the most comfortable and safest place for her to be!
So when you find your cat cuddling in your arms or lap more frequently, she’s seeking safety, which probably isn’t there in the current environment! This could happen if you introduce new pets in your home, especially if it’s a dog! Make sure your cat feels safe.
With that, the best thing is that your cat has trust in you, and she knows that you will protect her from anything! Isn’t that the best feeling ever!
5. Cuddling Is a Learned Behavior
Cat cuddles, It is believed that cats learn to perform cute activities in the initial stage of their life!
When kittens are not separated from their mothers, they learn to lick, bite, chew, and cuddle from their cat moms!
Also, when a kitten is handled and petted by humans, they turn out to be liking cuddles. A healthy kitten would know how to socialize with other kittens through what they learned as kittens!
The early months are considered to be very important as they play a major role in the development of your cat. So, you might consider it as a healthy sign if your cat is cuddling with you.
Cat Breeds That Love Cuddling
If you landed on our page in search of cat buddies with whom you can cuddle, then you made no mistake! We had jotted down a list of cat breeds who would also love to cuddle with you.
To be honest, you should be surprised by this, as you know that most cats are known for their loner attitude. In such air, there are cats who are extremely affectionate and loves to express it through cuddling!
But keep in mind one thing that cats are individual beings, and they can behave according to their surroundings! So you should not expect flowers if you’re giving only thrones!
Let’s have a look at cat breeds who love to cuddle:
- Persian
- Birman
- Tonkinese
- Russian Blue
- Siamese
- Maine Coon
- Scottish Fold
- Ragdolls
Cat Breeds That Dislike Cuddling
Did you know that the socialization period for cats starts early in kittenhood and is very short.
So your kitten doesn’t spend a good time with the mother cat or near humans.
We hate to break it up to you that cats are as such who won’t love to be cuddled as much as dogs do! They are less expressive in terms of physical touch.
So this section includes cats that are either separated too early from their mother or have a traumatic experience with humans. It can be cats of any breed.
Why Some Cats Dont Like to Cuddle?
This is the hardest part of our job, to disclose the fact that cats are as such who don’t like to cuddle or snuggle up with their humans that much!
So you need to cherish those moments in which you find your feline hoping and resting in your lap!
The main reason behind this is, cats are not designed as such where they find it extremely necessary to be cuddling with their humans.
They love spending most of the time on their own and would come up to you when they need food or some petting. They will show their affection for you by trusting you or letting you near them.
That’s all, that’s how they show their affection and thankfulness for feeding, giving shelter, and protecting them.
The other reason behind this behaviour is if your cat, in its kittenhood has faced traumatic experiences with humans or other cats she will probably maintain a boundary with its owner.
In the same way, if a kitten is separated from its mother it could not learn the behaviour, of licking, cuddling, chewing, etc.
It is the case mostly with adopted cats. So you need to make sure that if you are adopting a kitten, it should not be separated from its mother too soon!
The Right Way to Cuddle Your Cat!
If you have a cat who doesn’t like to cuddle with you at all, then there can be things which you might be doing wrong!
Let’s see how to rightly cuddle your cat.
Belly rubs: Cats love it the most when their human rubs on their belly. It’s the only thing where they won’t say no. However, if it’s hurting them or causing an extremely ticklish sensation, they might react.
If you want to build up a repo with them, you can always start with the belly rubs to see if they are enjoying your physical touch or not.
Be gentle: though cats might look like they would tear up anything in millions of parts. But when it comes to touching, they will be this fragile flower that won’t take a rough hand!
So be always extra gentle to them while cuddling or petting them.
Follow the right way to cuddle: to ensure the feeling of safety, while holding your cat doesn’t just pick her up from the stomach out of nowhere. She will not just get scared, but her stomach could also get hurt.
The right is to think that your cat is as fragile as a newborn baby. You need to pick her up firstly holding her head and bottom with gentle hands, caressing his tummy with a single finger, or cradling his belly and hindquarters right-side up.
Remember no squeezing or grasping! Adult cats can be held in the same way as a kitten, but may prefer a bit more wiggle freedom to find the perfect cuddling posture.
While you simulate a massage therapist, stroking magic hands on her head, chest, and sides, your kitty may nestle against you or choose to sit regally on her own.
Conclusion
We all know how our precious cats are! They run away from you whenever you try to be mushy with them, most of the time, so in such situations where your cat is asking for cuddles, you might think,
Why Do Cats like to cuddle? There are many such events where she might feel the need to express her affection through cuddles. Unless you have a cat who has been through a traumatizing experience with humans or other cats, she would be very sceptical of any sort of physical touch!
References
- Why has formerly cuddly cat changed his tune? – Hartford Courant
- The Cat Socialization Continuum: A Guide to Interactions Between Cats and Humans – Alley Cat Allies
- Should You Let Your Cat Sleep in Bed with You? – Health Line