The head bump. It's their way of saying hello, by using the oil glands in front of their ears to greet you as if you're a cat and leave their scent on you. They see you as one of their clan, so bump them right back.
Short meow or mew: Standard greeting. “Hello!” Multiple meows or mews: Excited greeting.
The majority of research conducted on cat communication focuses on how they communicate with humans. When speaking to their owners, cats employ a handful of distinct cat language sounds, including purr, hiss, howl, chirp, and, of course, meow.
From a young age a cat's mother would not only lick them as a way of grooming them, but also to show affection. Cats then replicate this behaviour with you as a way of showing their own affection – it simply comes naturally. This licking behaviour is not just exclusive between pet and owner.
Meowing is all-purpose; your cat may be using "meow" as a greeting, a command, an objection or an announcement. Some people have observed their cats walking around the house meowing to themselves. Chirps and trills are how a mother cat tells their kittens to follow them.
Will My Cat Understand If I “Meow”? Sorry to break it to you, but human meows mean nothing to cats. At most, you can get your cat's attention and they may even appreciate your attempts to communicate by purring or even meowing back. But to most cats, human meows sound like human language.
Using ^ marks (hold one of the shift keys and press 6 on the numbers above the first row of letters) make good cat ears, and you can use either a w for a cat's mouth, two underscores and a period in between them, or just a period for a nose.
They include, Approaching you (it's a little gesture, but it means they feel safe) Head butting and rubbing. Purring.
Cats only make eye contact with people they like and are even known to make 'eye kisses'! This is when a cat will stare with half closed eyelids and slowly blink, repeatedly. It's a gesture that can be reciprocated, so if you notice your cat giving you a 'kiss', why not give them one in return?
Cuddles and Kisses. When your cat is snuggling up to you, it's pretty obvious she's displaying her thanks for all that you do. Kisses, in the form of gentle licks or full-on grooming, are that extra special way she shows you thanks. In a cat's world, to groom is to be grateful.
They're Making “Small Talk”
Sometimes, your cat meows back at you for the same reason your neighbor reciprocates small talk about the weather—they're just being friendly, and as social beings, good communication is important to them.
Cat meowing is a way of actively engaging you in conversation. When cats meow, they might be just saying hello, but sometimes they're letting you know what they need—right now!
Cats often greet humans and other animals with slow blinks to communicate affection and trust.
Every cat is different. While some cats enjoy being kissed, others will not. Some will feel love, while others will not see kissing as a sign of affection. There are better ways than kissing to show a cat affection that they will understand.
In most cases, cats will purr when they are in a relaxed environment, sending out waves of calmness. This may also occur when you stroke them, and if this is the case, your feline friend is feeling happy or sociable. However, cats purr to communicate other emotions and needs, too.
According to a study1 published in 2019 in the journal Scientific Reports, cats do, in fact, recognize their own names. The lead author of the study is a behavioral scientist named Atsuko Saito from Sophia University in Tokyo, whose prior research2 demonstrated that cats can recognize their owners' voices.
As humans, we mostly rely on our sense of sight and sense of hearing to determine whether a person approaching us is familiar or not. With cats, their sense of smell takes over first.
Sniffing your face allows your cat to familiarize themselves with your scent so that they can recognize it, and you, in the future. Once they commit your scent to memory, they are better able to identify you going forward.
Don't Stare at a Cat
For cats, staring is a sign of aggression. You can make brief contact then look away and to the side. Offer the cat long, slow blinks, which translates to "I mean you no harm." The cat may reciprocate the blinks.
And even though feline friends may seem indifferent to the adoring chatter, a new study in Animal Cognition suggests they really are listening. Researchers in France subjected house cats to recordings of their owner or a stranger saying various phrases in cat- or human-directed speech.
To summarise, cats don't think about their day or how they feel. But they do think about previous situations they have encountered. For example, when your cat is chilling out, it's not thinking about anything in particular.