Caturday felid trifecta: How do you know your cat loves you?; do cats hold grudges?; the effect of music on anesthetized cats; and lagniappe

We’re back with Caturday posts, though I’m not sure how many people read them. We have three this week and two—count them, two—items for lagniappe, including a nice book on big cats from the University of Chicago Press that’s about 80% off.

From Newsweek we have the key signs your cat loves you, but I should append a trigger warning: What if you find your cat doesn’t love you? Proceed with caution, and click headline (or link in the preceding sentence) to go there

Here’s the whole list, and you probably know it:

Headbutting

Some cats might rub their head back and forth across your legs or arms as you pet them. Owners might think nothing of it, but this process is a cat’s way of marking their territory.

“Cats have scent glands on their heads, so when they headbutt you, they’re leaving their scent on you,” Howard said.

They’re claiming you as part of their social group, Howard said. Take it as a compliment, especially since they won’t do it to everyone. You’ve made it into the inner circle of cat love.

Kneading

Also known as making biscuits, kneading occurs when a cat rhythmically presses its paws in a back-and-forth motion. This can be done on a blanket, pillow, or even a person’s arms and legs.

Howard said this behavior starts when they are kittens. Cats use their paws on their mother’s stomach to signal they want milk, which helps stimulate milk production.

This is my favorite one since there are lots of videos showing cat kneading in conjunction with a Mexican song featuring Tin Tan that I love, “El Panadero” (“The Baker”). Here’s one of the videos, but do listen to the “El Pandero” song too, or even watch the movie it’s from (“¡Ay amor… cómo me has puesto!”); it’s for free here on FB.

@peachie.cass

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