Human parents often worry, asking themselves, “Is my cat happy?”
First of all, you need to know that it’s essential to avoid going down that road. Constant worrying complicates things really fast, and aside from the fact that anxiety is not a wise counsel, your cat senses that, and it can’t relax and enjoy its life. At least not while you waste time and energy trying to make your cat feel good.
Quite often, the more you try, the more tension you create because everything revolves around being reassured that your kitty is having fun.
Take a deep breath!
Does it feel good?
Perfect!
Rest assured that are many signs to indicate whether your kitten is really happy. Read this article carefully and learn how to notice them:
How do I know if my cat is happy?
1. Vocal Clues
Kittens practically ‘scream’ that they are happy (learn all about feline sounds here). More specifically, cats who tend to express themselves through sounds can show you that they are happy. Usually, thin, high-pitched sounds indicate happiness, while low-pitched sounds indicate annoyance, dissatisfaction, essentially telling you that your cat needs something.
The low-key cats sometimes express their happiness with silence and displeasure with various sounds (for example, I don’t talk much, but when I’m hungry or noises disturb me, I mumble in low tones).
Even though purring isn’t always a clear sign of happiness, for the most part, it indicates that your cat is content or even happy.
2. Body Language
There are many telltale signs of your cat’s feelings. From its eyes, ears, fur, posture and whiskers’ position, you can understand whether your cat feels discomfort/restlessness or satisfaction. For example, a relaxed, satisfied cat usually rests with its front paws hidden inward, the ears facing forward, and the eyelids half-closed. Blinking as a response to the human’s gaze is also a sign of feline happiness.
Sudden sharp stimulation of the eyes (troughing) may be a sign of sudden joy at the sight of a full bowl of delicious snacks, but it can also be indicative of sudden dissatisfaction, for instance, as a response to a sudden loud sound (or when Taz, for example, rushes into the palace).
Happy cats’ whiskers are slightly turned forward while their fur and tail are loose. Also, when the cat’s tail is turned upwards, it’s a clear sign of joy and a way of greeting its humans and other cats it considers friends!
3. Highly Energetic and Confident
A genuinely happy kitten is interested in its surroundings. It can be the “cat-inspector” checking anything new at home, or it can observe calmly from afar. Although cats generally treat strangers with suspicion, their reaction may denote caution rather than fear. Also, the best example of happiness is when a cat is confident!
4. Playful
Healthy and adequately socialized kittens play all the time. The game is an overwhelming sign of happiness. When the cat matures and later gets old, it’s only natural that its mood and playtime duration wanes but doesn’t go away. Tag, hide-and-seek, and playful slaps are signs of happiness. It’s worth mentioning that kittens play with other animals and humans as long as they trust them.
5. Sleep
Cats may sleep more when they’re sick or depressed, but sleep can be a sign of happiness (snoring too). Sleeping with other cats or even choose to do so indicates a happy relationship between sleeping cats. But what’s even more wonderful is if your cat chooses you as a sleeping companion. This means your cat trusts you and is happy with you.
6. Grooming – Cleanliness
Cats that are in a good place emotionally always take care of their grooming. Neglecting this sacred duty is a sign of illness, injury, bad psychological mood. Licking and grooming other cats or their human shows trust and a pleasant, tender mood. However, not all kittens are in the mood for such tenderness.
On the other hand, excessive grooming (which can result in spot “baldness” in its fur) signifies tension and stress.
7. Food
Happy cats have a hearty appetite. Sometimes, they even bluff (for example, they run enthusiastically toward their eating spot) to trick their human into offering them a treat. But even this kind of discreet manipulation shows how much they care about being happy, and you should take it as a positive sign.
Now that you’ve learned how to identify the signs of happiness in your cat, I urge you to calmly observe your kitten’s behavior. This observation will likely bring about spontaneous action that can result in many happy stimuli for your cat.
… a simple example… if you notice that your kitten is upright, with its eyes vivid and wades near you with the tail upright, you’ll likely start playing with it, sharing a happy moment with your cat!
