How Do You Know If Your Cats Are Happy?

[Etarre]

Totally agree that it's easiest to tell when your cats are unhappy.

Gwen used to express her unhappiness by boycotting the litter box. Not pleasant for anyone involved!

Juniper gets anxious more than unhappy, and while she is normally a busy cat who doesn't stay in one place for a long time ("coming through! official cat business..."), when she is anxious she seems unable to focus on anything, and she seems much less purposeful. She also meows more-- she is not usually a talker.

 

[LuPiZeCo]

I had no idea I had any replies on this! I got emails with my last post... and no emails for this one! Sorry for delay!

Reading through this, I still can’t be certain they are happy. Even before the boys, the older girls walk around the house with their tails in a neutral position unless you call them..

A few things about their behaviour, and maybe my mind could be put at rest, or maybe not because cats are the most confusing creatures on the planet!

No one ever hides, I haven’t known any of them to actively hide unless they are obviously unwell.

Litter trays are fine. 4 trays and no problems going outside the box

Everyone eats

They follow you from room to room

Both the older girls sleep cuddled with me at night.

Sometimes engage in play with each other.

Reason why I worry they are not happy:

The older girls used to sleep together and don’t anymore, in fact will scrap if the other tries to snuggle. They still play though

One cat still hissing on occasion at the kittens

None of them really loaf around the house, only in beds.

Mainly my first girls behaviour has changed since the kittens, which I expected, but nevertheless I feel so sad about the whole situation.

I am driving my husband round the bend with my stress!

 

[tarasgirl06]

I had no idea I had any replies on this! I got emails with my last post... and no emails for this one! Sorry for delay!

Reading through this, I still can’t be certain they are happy. Even before the boys, the older girls walk around the house with their tails in a neutral position unless you call them..

A few things about their behaviour, and maybe my mind could be put at rest, or maybe not because cats are the most confusing creatures on the planet!

No one ever hides, I haven’t known any of them to actively hide unless they are obviously unwell.

Litter trays are fine. 4 trays and no problems going outside the box

Everyone eats

They follow you from room to room

Both the older girls sleep cuddled with me at night.

Sometimes engage in play with each other.

Reason why I worry they are not happy:

The older girls used to sleep together and don’t anymore, in fact will scrap if the other tries to snuggle. They still play though

One cat still hissing on occasion at the kittens

None of them really loaf around the house, only in beds.

Mainly my first girls behaviour has changed since the kittens, which I expected, but nevertheless I feel so sad about the whole situation.

I am driving my husband round the bend with my stress!

Family dynamics can change over time, but all in all, it seems from what you say that your cats are pretty contented!

 

[1 bruce 1]

This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever said, but the expression says a lot over all. When they're relaxed, ears up, purring, soft eyed, blinking, maybe giving a little meow when you speak to them, that tells me they're happy. When they roll at my feet and their entire body language is relaxed and floppy looking, they're happy and relaxed.
(Somewhere I have a short video of 3 of our cats from about 15-20 years ago. They were laying side by side by side, in a little line. Two of the cats in the video were healthy, we thought the 3rd one was too but he was in the early to middle stages of an undiagnosed illness that eventually took his life. I didn't notice it until after he had died, but his expression said it all. The others were bright eyed, engaging, looking at me and looking at the camera, and the sick one was not as bright eyed, squinty, not looking at the camera or at me, just kind of "there". So now, if I see a squinty eyed cat that isn't really meeting my eyes, I notice and watch that cat. If they don't improve, we get some assistance from a vet.)

 

[tarasgirl06]

This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever said, but the expression says a lot over all. When they're relaxed, ears up, purring, soft eyed, blinking, maybe giving a little meow when you speak to them, that tells me they're happy. When they roll at my feet and their entire body language is relaxed and floppy looking, they're happy and relaxed.
(Somewhere I have a short video of 3 of our cats from about 15-20 years ago. They were laying side by side by side, in a little line. Two of the cats in the video were healthy, we thought the 3rd one was too but he was in the early to middle stages of an undiagnosed illness that eventually took his life. I didn't notice it until after he had died, but his expression said it all. The others were bright eyed, engaging, looking at me and looking at the camera, and the sick one was not as bright eyed, squinty, not looking at the camera or at me, just kind of "there". So now, if I see a squinty eyed cat that isn't really meeting my eyes, I notice and watch that cat. If they don't improve, we get some assistance from a vet.)

*"...stupidest..."? If that's stupid, IDK. If people would pay more attention to facial expressions -- of cats, humans, and everyone else! -- it might be a better world.