Why do cats follow you?

In general domestic cats follow their owner for the same reason they follow each other: friendship. People ask why their cat follows them to the bathroom, toilet or when they go outside. This is one of those instances when the underlying reason is a common sense one: they want to be with you as a “preferred associate” or what we would call a friend. In particularly close relationships cats can be imprinted on their owner regarding them as their mother which is why they follow. I think true imprinting, as it is described, is quite unusual. Normally when either cats follow each other or a cat follows their human companion it is because they like the company. Obvious, yes.

Do cats understand human emotions?
I think cats do understand our emotions to a limited extent. I don’t know the name of the photographer. Sorry. It appears to be in the public domain now.

Personal experience

Nowadays my cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. When he goes outside he wants me to join him whenever it is – day or night. He wants me to explore the outside with him. Perhaps it makes him feel more secure and of course he likes the company. He finds it difficult to understand why I don’t want to hunt all night. Perhaps he is pissed off with me for my lack of interest. This goes against the grain of the concept that domestic cats are entirely solitary animals. They are not because 10,000 years of evolution of living with humans has turned them into quite sociable creatures. There’s no question that my cat likes to be with me and he is able to do so more or less whenever he chooses because I’m retired from the usual 9-5 work and therefore around a lot.

Cats who are very close friends
Cats who are very close friends. Screenshot from video.

Bathroom

There’s an additional reason why cats follow people to the bathroom. The bathroom is a place where their human companion presents herself to their cat in high definition. This is because they’re either wet after a shower or they’ve had a poop or pee. All three activities results in the release of body scents which renders the person in high definition to a cat. This is because they use their sense of smell so effectively and so importantly. A cat’s sense of smell is as important as their eyesight. Scent to a cat is an identifier. Domestic cats often become excited when with their owner in the bathroom for these reasons.

Kitchen

The obvious added reason why cats follow their owner to the kitchen is because they are asking for food. It’ll be part of a well grooved routine. There may be other behaviors such as the meow-demand or other sounds.

Cat friends
Cat friends. Definitely. It is the same for cat-to-human friendships. Photo: Instagram.

Outside cats following strangers

Sometimes when I’m walking outside, on the sidewalk (pavement), I might bump into a cat and that cat might follow me for a while. This cat is looking for company. It is likely that their owner is away all day at work. They’ve gone outside and they’re confident enough to approach a stranger and even to follow them for a while such is their desire for human interaction. However, it is more usual for outisde domestic cats to move away from strangers because they are inherently unsure if they are friendly or hostile.

Cat-to-cat

The answer to the question in the title is readily seen in photographs and videos of cats living in colonies. You will see friendships or what the experts call “preferred associates”. Experts don’t really like to think that cats make friends with other cats. They prefer to label it more scientifically. But you will see these cats walking around together, rubbing their flanks against each other, sometimes intertwining their tails and head-butting each other (scent exchange). Clearly they are friends and as a consequence they follow each other around. It’s the same in the human to cat relationship.

2 thoughts on “Why do cats follow you?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Hello Michael,
    I would share a couple of my cat’s behaviors. When my cat wants something like food or to be let outside, he will come and find me. Usually sitting at my desk he will brush up against my leg, turn and walk a few feet away and stop with his back to me but ears rotated back, listening. If he hears me get up he proceeds to his destination and I follow him, he shows me is food dish is empty or he wants out, etc. If I stop, he will stop, rarely turns to look back, he waits and listens. He is the leader in these situations. If I ignore his initial brushing against my leg he will repeat once or twice before giving me a nip on the ankle to let me know he means business.
    Zander, my cat, also is a social eater. Many times he will do the above, directing me to follow him to his food dish, which has food in it. He wants me present when he starts to feed. My vet says some cats are just that way.

    Best regards and thanks for the work you are doing here.

    Darrel W.
    Phoenix, Arizona
    USA

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