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Do Your Cats Know You Love Them?
They may not understand the words, but they recognize the feeling
The first time I told my cat Callie “I love you,” she blinked slowly, tilted her head, and pressed her forehead into the back of my hand.
It felt like an answer.
I know she doesn’t understand English. She doesn’t know what “love” means in the literal sense, or why I sometimes call her my “crispy Callie croissant” or “the babiest baby I ever did see.” But I’m convinced that she feels it.
Because cats may not speak our language, but they’re fluent in tone.
There’s a certain way I speak to both my cats—lilting, soft, playful — that I reserve for them alone. In return, they’ve taught me that communication can transcend grammar or syntax. It lives in the small, quiet moments like a paw stretched toward your leg when you sit down.
A tail curled gently around your arm.
The way they close their eyes when I lean in to kiss the top of their heads.
Not every cat is cuddly, and not every cat enjoys goodnight kisses (mine tolerate it). But even the more reserved ones seem to understand when they’re being spoken to kindly.
