Do Cats Really Have Emotions? Understanding Your Cat’s Feelings Beyond Behaviour

Dr. Amaya Espíndola, MRCVS is a holistic, cat and nutrition specialist, veterinarian based in Mallorca and the current president of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society. She offers online consultations worldwide, focusing on nutrition as the first line of therapy. With a background in psychosomatic medicine, Amaya approaches each case by considering the deep connection between physical symptoms and emotional wellbeing, aiming to support feline health from a truly integrative perspective. You can find her at felvet.co.uk and on Instagram at @felvetforcats.  

A science-based guide to how cats experience emotions, express them with humans, and why their “naughty” behaviour is not manipulation but adaptive communication.

Introduction: Through Human Eyes

When we speak of cats and their emotions, we are always interpreting. Every meow, every affectionate rub, every sudden swipe of the paw is something we, as humans, translate into words like “happy”, “angry”, or “jealous”. Yet these labels are not absolute truths. They are our attempts to make sense of behaviours through a human lens.

Traditionally, science has done the same: measuring what can be observed, classifying behaviour, and drawing parallels with human psychology. But if we use animals to understand the human brain, why not reverse the process? Why not use the knowledge from human neuroscience to better grasp what is happening inside our cats?

Modern research tells us that emotions are not abstract ideas floating in the mind. They are embodied, arising first in the body and only then becoming experiences. The microbiome, hormones, neurotransmitters, and immune system all play a role in shaping what we call “emotion”. And because cats live so closely with us, sharing environments, routines, and even bacteria, our emotions and theirs are more deeply interconnected than we often realise.

This perspective invites us to go beyond the surface: to see feline behaviour not as random quirks or deliberate manipulation, but as expressions of internal states, what some thinkers call affective dispositions. These are the underlying drives that orient the cat’s life towards safety, exploration, play, and connection.

Do Cats Have Emotions?

The answer is yes, but perhaps not in the way we usually think. Instead of picturing cats as small humans who feel jealousy, guilt, or pride, it is more accurate to imagine them as beings guided by affective dispositions. These are embodied states, rooted in physiology, that shape how the cat relates to the world.

Modern neuroscience confirms this. Emotions are not hardwired “circuits” in the brain, but dynamic constructions. They emerge from interoception, the continuous monitoring of the body’s signals: heart rate, breathing, digestion, hormone levels. A cat’s sense of hunger, the pressure of a full bladder, the ache of a joint, or the comfort of warmth on a windowsill are all elements that build into an affective state.

Biochemistry provides the scaffolding. Dopamine fuels play and exploration, oxytocin strengthens bonds through touch, cortisol rises in moments of stress or unpredictability. These molecules of emotion do not belong to humans alone; they are part of the mammalian heritage.

In cats, emotions are less about narrative, no inner dialogue of “I am angry because…”, and more about sensation. Emotion is lived directly in the body and expressed outwardly in behaviour.

How Cats Express Their Feelings with Humans

Cats have developed a unique grammar of communication tailored to us. Some of their signals are evolutionary, others are learned through living with humans. Together, they form a complex language of connection.

Meows and vocalisations are one of the clearest examples. Unlike adult wild cats, domestic cats use vocal communication extensively with humans. Each meow can vary in pitch, rhythm, and intensity, carrying information about need or urgency.

A relaxed slow blink is not just charming; it is a signal of trust and an invitation to bond. Responding with your own slow blink can reinforce the connection.

When a cat presses their head against you, they are both leaving chemical messages and affirming social closeness.

Waiting at the door, following you to the sofa, or joining bedtime rituals are forms of synchrony that express affiliation.

Chasing a string or pouncing on a toy with you is not mere entertainment; it channels predatory dispositions in a safe and social context.

Behind each of these behaviours lies a physiological reality. Oxytocin increases during physical contact, dopamine surges during play, and cortisol rises when routines are broken. For the cat, emotion is not separate from the body, it is inseparable from it.

Can Cats Be “Naughty” to Get Attention?

Many cat parents describe their cats as “naughty” when they knock objects off tables, scratch furniture, or vocalise at inconvenient times. From a behavioural perspective, however, these actions are not mischief but strategies.

Cats learn through reinforcement. If a meow at midnight brings food or comfort, it will be repeated. If knocking over a pen leads to human interaction, the behaviour is reinforced. What looks like intentional troublemaking is often the result of unmet needs such as stimulation, interaction, or environmental control, combined with the cat’s ability to remember what “worked” before.

There is another dimension: frustration. When a cat’s natural dispositions such as exploring, climbing, or hunting are blocked, frustration builds. In an indoor environment with limited outlets, this may manifest as behaviours we interpret as naughty. In truth, these are adaptive ways of expressing need.

Do Cats Manipulate Their Humans?

The idea of manipulation suggests intent and moral calculation, but cats do not operate on this plane. What they do is predict. Like us, their brains are constantly forecasting what actions will meet their internal needs.

If a behaviour reduced discomfort or increased comfort in the past, it is likely to be tried again. This is not deceit; it is learning. A cat repeating a meow that led to being fed is not plotting, it is predicting based on experience.

Moreover, the emotional lives of cats and humans are intertwined. Our stress, calm, or affection alters their states, and theirs alter ours. Cats reflect the emotional atmosphere of their homes, sometimes literally through chemical cues, sometimes through learned synchrony. Rather than manipulation, what takes place is co-regulation, a mutual adjustment of affective states between species.

Welfare vs Well-being

Meeting a cat’s basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and veterinary care is essential, but not sufficient. This is welfare, the minimum standard for survival. True well-being goes further: it means allowing the cat to express their affective dispositions fully.

That includes opportunities for structured play that mimic hunting, environmental control with places to climb, hide, and observe, predictable routines that reduce uncertainty, and freedom of choice in where to rest or when to interact.

Indoor living, while safe, often restricts these possibilities. Without outlets for exploration or predatory play, cats may develop signs of deprivation such as hyperactivity, stress behaviours, or emotional flattening. Promoting well-being means enriching the indoor world so that affective dispositions can unfold.

Conclusion

Cats do have emotions, though perhaps not as we usually imagine them. They live affective states rooted in their bodies, shaped by biochemistry, expressed through behaviour, and co-constructed with the humans they live alongside.

Their meows, blinks, rubs, and routines are not random signals but elements of a shared grammar of communication. Their so-called “naughtiness” is often a search for stimulation or connection, while their “manipulation” is simply predictive learning.

When we recognise this, we move from seeing cats as little tricksters to understanding them as companions navigating life through embodied emotion. And as their guardians, we hold the responsibility not just to meet their basic needs, but to create environments where their dispositions can flourish, ensuring not only welfare but genuine well-being.

References

• Clark, C. A Professional’s Guide to Feline Behaviour.
• Gates, S. Catology: The Weird and Wonderful Science of Cats.
• American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Decoding Your Cat.
• Marchesini, R. La scienza del gatto.
• Dodman, N. Pets on the Couch.
• Barrett, L. F. How Emotions Are Made / The Secret Life of the Brain.
• Pert, C. Molecules of Emotion.
• Dehasse, J. Tout sur la psychologie du chat.
• Little, S. (ed.) The Cat: Clinical Medicine and Management.