How Do You Know If Your Cats Are Happy?

LuPiZeCo · May 3, 2019

i will preface this by saying I have anxiety around my cats, always worried if they are happy and if I can do more for them! When I had a single cat, I didn’t really have these worries, but he was killed by a car and since then I’ve not been able to let go of the worries about my current cats..

I have four. Two who are 19 months and two who are 4 months. We are 4 weeks into introductions (I have a thread about this too!).

Really I’m just wondering what are some things that help you to really know they are happy? I feel with my old cat I just instinctually knew, but he was outdoor and I think that probably helped, and my current 4 are indoor only. We have spent a lot of time catifying the house to try and make up for them being indoor!

The one I worry about the most is because she is quite aloof. She is Burmese so it’s against her breed profile! What the difference between aloof and unhappy? I don’t know how to do emotes but if there was a scratching head one it would be here!

She and my second cat used to snuggle a lot as well but not so much now. They still play together and spend a lot of time in the same general vicinity but also squabble if they both try and get under the covers together.. how do I know if they like each other?!

This is long, I’m sorry. I feel like I can’t ever relax because I don’t know the answers and I wish Jackson Galaxy could come to my house and tell me haha!

verna davies · May 3, 2019

We all want our cats to be happy but as they cant talk to us we have to look at their behaviour and how they are with us and other cats they share their home with. There are some indicators for you to read in the attached.
How do I know if my cat is happy?

5starcathotel · May 3, 2019

Hi and Welcome!

I also have 4 cats....1 elder male who generally does NOT like other cats, and a much younger female, and her 2 kittens.

TL;DR version: it might be hard to spot a "happy" cat, but an unhappy cat is *obvious*.

"Happy" does not mean always cuddling, or playing with other cats or humans. Sometimes "happy" just means not fighting, or not running away in terror when you enter the room. "Happy" can just mean taking a nap or hanging out in the same room as you or other cats!

So let me give you my experience, because I can say that all of my cats are happy, at various times of the day....but they are not happy every hour of every day......

Hobo is my 11yo male, who hates other cats. He would probably be happier being an only cat again (he used to sleep on my chest/neck, but hasn't done this since he has had to share the house with other cats). But he spends *hours* each day on my desk between me and my keyboard, getting cuddles. And will sleep peacefully on the foot of my bed, or on a cat tree, with *any* of the other kitties.

Dory is a 3yo female, and mother to my other 2 cats. I named her Dory because, from the moment I started feeding her and letting her inside, she was the happiest cat I've ever seen!! When I met her on my back patio, she was skinny, mangy, and could barely feed her two kittens. Now, give her a comfy and warm place to sleep, and regular feedings, and she is so content!! (she is the only one of my cats to show *zero* interest in the outdoors! She's like, "yeah, been there, done that, slept in the mud...not going back outside, ever, I don't care how long this door stays open!!!")

Blue is kitten #1, and a very energetic Siamese/Tonkinese. She just needs something/someone to play with, often. If other cats are "unhappy", it's because Blue is trying to play with them, and taking things too far! (Followup for Hobo, his worst relationship is with Blue...he usually growls and hisses and swats if she is too active or comes too close. And yet, every day, I catch him playing with / chasing her! So he might protest, but deep down, I think he loves it, and it's good for him!)

Violet is kitten #2, and is still semi-feral. Not sure if I can call her "happy", because she still does not let me walk up to her and pet her, ever. And yet, every day, when my alarm goes off, she will hop on my bed and beg me to pet her, vigorously, and purr loudly in response. And also lick my head.

duncanmac · May 4, 2019

5starcathotel said:
TL;DR version: it might be hard to spot a "happy" cat, but an unhappy cat is *obvious*.

This pretty much nails it.

I can tell my cats are happy by how they react to things - they come running when called to dinner or play time. They stalk birds through the windows of the sun room. They play and wrestle with each other a lot but not too much - no one is menacing any of the others (I have 3). And I know this sounds gross - but their pee and poop is in the boxes and normal.

GaryT · May 4, 2019

I think the best sign that Theodore is happy is the fact that he wants to be around me all the time. He sleeps with me (if not on the bed, he is in the room laying on something). He is excited when he sees I am getting up (he races around the place like a wildman!) The way he always makes me smile and even laugh out loud. I think he can tell I am happy and that seems to make him happy too.

weebeasties · May 4, 2019

I watch body language a lot. Ours walk with their tails up in the air, their heads are up, quite often they trot. When I say their name, they look at me with ears forward and just seem perky in general.
Cats sleeping together and grooming each other is a good sign.

KarenKat · May 4, 2019

We had three cats, and lost one at the end of last year to lymphoma. They each had different ways of being happy, and were very different cats.

Gohan is our serious cat - not a huge player and he does nothing with wild abandon. But he has his human - Randall - and his favorite spots and activities that make him happy. When we adopted Olive, he stopped going to some places and retreated more to the upstairs. I’d call that unhappy but he eventually perked up and started going to his spots after he adjusted.

Trin was an odd duck. He was happy - purring, writhing, being entirely relaxed - on the bed only. Other times he seemed anxious - he would have Kitty panic attacks and yowl until you found him and reassured him. So we could tell he was happy sometimes and unhappy others. As he got sicker, he stopped playing, grooming Gohan and other activities he liked. We could tell he was becoming unhappy.

Often with cats I look at happiness and confidence as the same - if the cat hides all the time during normal activity in the house, or sneaks around and avoids everyone as a regular occurrence I would call that unhappy. But seeking out comfort, even if that means a solitary nap is happiness too.

Purr-fect · May 4, 2019

verna davies said:
We all want our cats to be happy but as they cant talk to us we have to look at their behaviour and how they are with us and other cats they share their home with. There are some indicators for you to read in the attached.
How do I know if my cat is happy?

Well, according to the article, my boys are happy.

Things I do to help ensure greg and arnold are content and happy:

Interact with them, this includes, playing with toys, talking to them, physical contact, eye contact, "listening to them". This has paid off. They now often greet me at the door when I come from work.

Taking them outside as often as possible.

Grooming them.

Having routines for feeding, outside time, cuddling, watching tv together, ect. This gives them a predictable day, certainty and security.

Keeing them healthy. Feeding them good food. Watching for altered behavior. Checking them for injuries, bites, ticks (found one on arnold last year, first time I had ever seen one in my life)

Giving them activites. Installed bird feeder about 12 inches from the dining room window. Cats love it and birds are safe. In bad weather the cats have "garage time" and prowl thru the garage. The boys watch videos for cats on our tablets. Arnold even has a favorite tv show, "kitten rescue". He actually watches it!

Safely introducing them to neighbours dogs when they walk by. I find it brings interest into the cats lives and it helps socialize the cats with other animals, increasing their confidence.

Having guests over to our home and introducing the cats to them. Again, it helps the boys socialize with people. Its at the stage now that when the guests leave, I can call greg and he will come to the door for a goodbye pat.

Always treating both cats equally. Each time I feed the boys, I alternate which cat gets fed first. Both cats are petted, cuddled and have one on one time with me.

Ensuring the cats each have their own favorite places to sleep and lay. When arnold decides he wants gregs favorite place as well, I move him and put greg back in his own space.

Ensuring both litter boxes are clean and large enough for the cats. We had to get an under the bed storage bin for their litter box as they cant fit in a regular one.

Having multiple scratching posts, many toys and favorite blankets for the cats. Arnold even has a blanket we call his "girlfriend". Seems arnold never was told that he has been fixed.

Respecting the cats feelings and giving them space when they want it.

Having a quiet, peaceful household and treating others in the house with calm and respect. I think this environment helps reduce behavioral problems with people and animals.

And of course.........cat nip..........but with enough for each cat and we keep them well apart, because that is the one thing they will actually really fight over.

verna davies · May 4, 2019

Purr-fect . Sounds like a full time job.
I have just made the attached for my cats out of odd bits of wood.....I'm in trouble, I have three cats.

Purr-fect · May 4, 2019

verna davies said:
Purr-fect . Sounds like a full time job.
I have just made the attached for my cats out of odd bits of wood.....I'm in trouble, I have three cats.

View attachment 283444

But at least 2 are happy.

tarasgirl06 · May 4, 2019

LuPiZeCo said:
i will preface this by saying I have anxiety around my cats, always worried if they are happy and if I can do more for them! When I had a single cat, I didn’t really have these worries, but he was killed by a car and since then I’ve not been able to let go of the worries about my current cats..

I have four. Two who are 19 months and two who are 4 months. We are 4 weeks into introductions (I have a thread about this too!).

Really I’m just wondering what are some things that help you to really know they are happy? I feel with my old cat I just instinctually knew, but he was outdoor and I think that probably helped, and my current 4 are indoor only. We have spent a lot of time catifying the house to try and make up for them being indoor!

The one I worry about the most is because she is quite aloof. She is Burmese so it’s against her breed profile! What the difference between aloof and unhappy? I don’t know how to do emotes but if there was a scratching head one it would be here!

She and my second cat used to snuggle a lot as well but not so much now. They still play together and spend a lot of time in the same general vicinity but also squabble if they both try and get under the covers together.. how do I know if they like each other?!

This is long, I’m sorry. I feel like I can’t ever relax because I don’t know the answers and I wish Jackson Galaxy could come to my house and tell me haha!

Hello L LuPiZeCo and welcome to TCS! Thank you for caring about your cats' happiness. We all should! After all, they are our beloved family members and they are in our care.
Jackson Galaxy is certainly an expert when it comes to cat language and communication, and what he has to say about the subject can be taken as gospel, I believe.
Thank you for keeping your cats indoors-only. As you probably know, being outside, unless on a cat harness and leash or in a safely enclosed catio, is NOT good for cats! Cats can be very happy indoors as long as they are well loved, well fed and watered, and given good stimuli like bird feeders outside to watch, lots of windows to look out, vertical surfaces (cat activity centers and cat furniture, or general-use furniture, or a fully catified room or home), good cat toys including interactive toys you use to play with them (cats LOVE "wand and lure" toys like Cat Dancer and da Bird) and catnip/silvervine, in toys and sprinkled on a good variety of scratching posts and pads, brushing, etc. Jackson Galaxy has quite a few videos up on YouTube and between those, his series, "MY CAT FROM HELL", and his books, you can get a lot of great ideas for keeping your cats happy.
*The emoticons are up at the top of the posting shell; click on the smiley and you'll see them!*

Graceful-Lily · May 4, 2019

weebeasties said:
I watch body language a lot. Ours walk with their tails up in the air, their heads are up, quite often they trot. When I say their name, they look at me with ears forward and just seem perky in general.
Cats sleeping together and grooming each other is a good sign.

I agree 100%. For me, I can definitely tell how Felix is feeling by his facial expression. You can see the tension in his face and you can also tell when he's relaxed by his expression.

dustydiamond1 · May 4, 2019

KarenKat said:
We had three cats, and lost one at the end of last year to lymphoma. They each had different ways of being happy, and were very different cats.

Gohan is our serious cat - not a huge player and he does nothing with wild abandon. But he has his human - Randall - and his favorite spots and activities that make him happy. When we adopted Olive, he stopped going to some places and retreated more to the upstairs. I’d call that unhappy but he eventually perked up and started going to his spots after he adjusted.

Trin was an odd duck. He was happy - purring, writhing, being entirely relaxed - on the bed only. Other times he seemed anxious - he would have Kitty panic attacks and yowl until you found him and reassured him. So we could tell he was happy sometimes and unhappy others. As he got sicker, he stopped playing, grooming Gohan and other activities he liked. We could tell he was becoming unhappy.

Often with cats I look at happiness and confidence as the same - if the cat hides all the time during normal activity in the house, or sneaks around and avoids everyone as a regular occurrence I would call that unhappy. But seeking out comfort, even if that means a solitary nap is happiness too.

maggie101 · May 4, 2019

Every time I put Coco on my lap she knead her paws or crawls up to my face and rubs against it. Peaches has always been a happy cat. Maggie I worry about the most. Its clear when she is unhappy and when she's not. Partly because she has been jealous ever since I brought Coco in a year ago. After I feed them in the morning Maggie meows for me to come to the living room. Later she meows again and stops when she hears my voice. When she is upset, she stares at coco ,lays down staring at the floor, or has no interest in her toys. I do play with them all day since I quit my job

maggie101 · May 4, 2019

Had to leave out my face

dustydiamond1 · May 5, 2019

Gypsy

tarasgirl06 · May 5, 2019

Well...

Baby Su is VERY happy in her room, on her "throne", while Elvis is nowhere in sight :hearthrob:

tarasgirl06 · May 5, 2019

Graceful-Lily said:
I agree 100%. For me, I can definitely tell how Felix is feeling by his facial expression. You can see the tension in his face and you can also tell when he's relaxed by his expression.

Isn't it so true! I don't get it when people say cats have no facial expressions. Anyone who lives with, loves, and knows cats knows this not to be true. To me, cats are more expressive than humans and certainly more authentic and truthful in their emotions than a lot of humans.

calico man · May 5, 2019

I think if a cat is around you they are happy. Lulu is definitely not a lap cat but she does allow me to give her some lovin' and petting but when she's had enough, that's it and she's not happy. Luckily I know when to stop because as we all know, their claws are sharp! But she is always around me and seems to be happy!

DreamerRose · May 7, 2019

When Mingo is really happy, he rubs against my legs and twirls around them. Lily jumps into my lap every time I sit down. And they both purr while they're doing it. Purring shows they are content and happy.

How Do You Know If Your Cats Are Happy?

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