Cats and emotions

As some of you know, I share my life with two cats, and have been around cats for most of my life. Having lived so closely with them, it didn't surprise me at all when research found that cats actually do have emotions.

I have had a cat that grieved, truly grieved when her brother was hit by a car and died. She would just sit in the hallway, sighing, and wouldn't eat...

I'm convinced that cats can feel love. One of my current cats is especially skillful in expressing that, to the extent that it gets really annoying at times! This same cat also has a talent for showing when he's unhappy. He kinda lowers his whiskers and I swear that he knows how to lower the corners of his mouth to make him look even more upset.

Having shared my life with multiple cats at the same time, I've most definitely also seen jealousy, when one cat thought the other was getting too much attention.

Anger or fear I noticed recently when I tried to douse a cat-burglar (neighbor's cat who likes the food my cats have better and tries to visit us) with a bucket of water. The first time I tried dousing the cat with water I ended up bleeding to such an extent that I almost needed stitches. But the second and third time I won, and the cat ended up soaking wet... He still tries to visit, but as soon as he sees me he runs. Ha!

Below a picture of my current two sweeties when they were still kittens...