If a human were to suddenly turn their back at you mid-conversation, it would be a bit rude, wouldn’t it? But cats do it all the time. It’s no wonder they often get described as being aloof. One minute you’re having a good-old cuddle session, next thing you know, they get up without prompt, and walk away with their backs turned towards your sad, confused face – even more, they’ll even raise their tails, as if to present you with their behind. Should you be insulted, or worried that your cat does not like you after all? Absolutely not.
Cats are notorious for being hard to read for our human brains. Sometimes they do things like stare at a blank wall for hours on end like it’s the most interesting thing they’ve ever seen. Other times they zoom across the halls as if their lives depend on it for no reason whatsoever.
Today let us uncover some of the reasons as to why your cat acts the way it does, specifically, what does it mean when they turn their back at you.
They’re not trying to be rude to you, and they’re not tired of you either. If you notice, they’re still listening to whatever it is you’re doing even with their backs turned. Cats simply have a different way of communicating how they feel and what they thing. In fact, when cats do this, they are presenting you with the highest of praise.
This is the height of feline etiquette. Right now, what they’re trying to say with all of the furs on their spine is that they trust you.
Cats have a multitude of ways to tell you that they adore you. Turning their back to you is just one of their ways. Among those ways is when they lie with their bellies pointed at you as if asking you to give them a belly rub – which by the way, is not at all what they want from you. Another way is when they give you some slow blinks. It’s dubbed by cat behaviorists as the “cat-I-love-you.”
All of these things are your furry companion’s way of saying that they trust you implicitly. In the wild, they’re both predator and prey – so they’re always keeping one eye open for danger. When their backs are turned away, they show that they trust you to not attack them from behind. Then they slow blink at you, they’re trusting you to keep them safe for those couple of seconds. Same goes with the belly show – which is why you shouldn’t betray them by touching their most vulnerable body part.
By presenting their backs to you, they’re also saying that they love you and want to care for you. When they’re facing away from you, they’re both looking out for danger that may attack you, and also to catch prey for you, ensuring that you both survive.
So the next time your cat does this to you, don’t be shy to say I love you back!
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What do I do when my cat’s back is turned?
You don’t have to do anything. All your cat wants you to do at this point, is just to relax. No need to grab them and turn them towards you. They’ll end up turning their backs away from you again anyway. Just sit back, relax, and if you’re both feeling up to it, give them a little pat on the back.
How else does my cat say he loves me?
Cats have a very specific language that they use to communicate their feelings and thoughts. If you’re used to being with dogs only before having cats, throw everything you think you know about cats away. The cats’ way is very different. Aside from the ways discussed in this article, another very common way for cats to show that they do care is by bunting. Bunting is the act of them bumping their head at you so spread their scent to you – saying they own you and they’re happy about it.
You’ll especially notice this behavior after you’ve come home. If your cat is not the bunting time, they may also, very elegantly approach you with a straight tail that curls a tiny bit at the end. This is their way of saying hello to someone they love.
How do I tell my cat I love them?
Same as how cats have a different way of saying they love you, they also have their special way of feeling and receiving love. There is a multitude of ways for you to tell your cat you love them.
Here are some: play with them using interactive toys like wand toys to keep them healthy mentally and physically, give them dedicated scratching posts because they do need to scratch, give them comfortable spaces to sleep and hide in, and lastly, slow blink at them and watch them slow blink back.
It may come as a surprise to you, but becoming a caregiver of a cat means you should learn how to speak their language. Learning how to communicate well with your fur-ever companion will honestly be one of the most rewarding things in your relationship. So next time your cat presents you with their back, feel the love.
