Hi Thera,
What good suggestions! How funny that human expressions are so subtle and
complicated. I found that an indirect way to tell human emotions is from
their behaviors. The same way that cats will brush against people when
happy, or pee in specific places when attention is absolutely necessary,
human behaviors may indicate their mood and needs as well. For example,
when they give out lots of treats, they are probably feeling contented with
their world. And surprisingly, when they curl up in a sunny bed during the
day, they're sometimes not at the height of contentment as cats would be,
but actually feeling sad. This is a great opportunity for cats to take care
of their humans by providing warmth and reassuring purrs.
Ebony
Dear Ebony,
Good to hear from you! You're dead right that humans exhibit clues to their emotions in their behavior. In fact, I often find it helpful to compare a facial expression with the simultaneous behavior so as to get a clearer understanding of either the expression or the behavior. A third clue comes from the tone of the voice.
You bring up a good point about human napping behavior. They do far too little of it, except when they are kittens. (Human kittens are known as babies.) Sleeping in the middle of a sunny day is often a sign of emotional or physical distress. As you suggest, we should not let the fact that they are taking up space on our beds during the daytime prevent us from joining them. A cat's presence will do no harm at such a time and may do a whole lot of good. If they have a slight fever, so much the better--you will get an especially warm nap.
Thanks for writing,
Thera
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