Do Cats Feel Guilt and Remorse? (Learn Feline Emotions!)

Cats are known to be mischivious. They keep doing things that they should not. They scratch your valuable furniture and other things. They deliberately knock down your valuable things from the table, and they pee or poop outside the litter box. But – can cats feel guilty? Do the cats feel remorseful? Let us try finding out.

Do Cats Feel Guilt?

Cats do not normally feel guilty. However, when they find they have hurt their owners in some way or the other, they may try comforting you. Cats typically feel a sense of belongingness towards its family members and may feel apologetic when they think they have done something wrong. 

There is a debate among the experts on whether cats are capable of feeling guilty. Some of the experts believe that they can feel complex emotions such as guilt, while others believe that they do not have the ability of such human like motions. A few of the factors that you would find indicating to the fact that cats do feel guilty can include

• Hiding from you
• Avoiding eye contact
• Seeking forgiveness

However, you would not find cats as much remorseful as the dogs appear to be.

In most of the cases, cats do understand that they have done something wrong. They would attempt to hide and thus avoid punishment. But, that should not necessarily mean they may be feeling guilty.

What Emotions Do Cats Show?

There are several emotions that a cat is expected to show. Some off the prime emotions that cats can exhibit would include happiness, anxiety, sickness, annoyance and sadness. They can at times reciproacate the feelings of the owners. Cats are known to be sad when the owners are sad or vice versa. A cat that has lived for several years with you can gel well with your emotions. Of course, it may not be easy to find if cats  can feel guilty, but cats do show a few other emotions. 

Some of the emotions that cats can exhibit can include

Do Cats Apologise?

Cats do not apologise as we humans do. Since they do not feel guilt or remorse and thus do not understand the concept of misbehaving. However, they may alter their behaviour seeing the response of their owner. Some days that they may show their apology can include snuggling beside you, licking you, rubbing against you, purring and talking to you. 

Cats typically attempt changing their behaviour after they have done something nasty. It may take a while for your cat to come back to you, but when your cat comes back to you, remember to reward it. Develop a good relationship which may make them help them change their behaviour.

Can Cats Experience Jealousy?

Yes, cats can experience jealousy. The extent of jealousy shown by the cats may differ from one cat to another, or even between different breeds. Some of the reasons that may induce the sign of jealousy would include presence of another cat, arrival of a new housemate, or lack of attention to your cat.

Jealousy in a cat is its way of displaying its dominance over anoehr animal or even another human. This is the reason some cats feel jealous when a new baby arrives in your home and becomes the centre of attraction. Imagine you are petting you dog, and the cat begins lashing out at you or the dog, it is telling you that it is herself who needs to be receiving your love. When ccats are jealous, they are vying for your attention, but they are not hateful about the other animal.

Do Cats know When they have Done something Wrong?

Cats cannot differentiate between right and wrong. Thye do not feel guilt, remorse and other such complex emotions like we humans do. However, they can understand that they have done something wrong that has made you unhappy. When they realise that they have done something wrong, the attempt getting back to you after a while. 

Cats are intelligent. They can understand the cause and effect of an act. They would associate the actions and how they can affect you positively or negatively. This can make their behaviour according to the situations. If you are wondering if cats can feel guilty, this should ideally answer your question.

How Do I find My Cat is Sad?

Cats do exhibit the signs of emotions They are the most complex creatures and understanding their emotions is quite difficult. Some signs to indicate that your cat is sad may include sleeping overtime, showing lower levels of energy, decreased appetite, and changes in the grooig behaviour. 

When your cat is sad, you will find a sudden change in behavior of your cat. They may begin showing the signs of lethargy and begin to show withdrawal symptoms. Your cat may also show an excessive meowing which may get louder.

Can Cats Feel Your Emotions?

Yes, cats can sense human emotions. Even when they may not be able to capture every complex emotions of thee human psyche, they can understand when their owners are sad or angry. Cats tend to be observant and can pick the minor changes in the human behaviour or mood. They can pick up your emotions from your facial expressions and changes in your voice. 

My cat always comes and sits close to me whenever I am sad or anxious, or even angry. It also rubs its body to me as a mark of perhaps comforting me. If any of us at home are having vocal arguments, she just comes in between and yells at us, perhaps trying to stop us from fighting.

What Emotions Do Cats Not Feel?

Cats cannot show the same range of emotions like us humans. they can show stress, anxiety, happiness and fear. But, they cannot have the emotions like jealousy, resentment, embarrassment, or hurt feelings. These are complex emotions and they may not be able to experience such feelings.

The cats cannot feel the complex emotions like guilt, embarrassment, and jealousy. They cannot feel the urge to take revenge. Same goes for the emotions like disappointment, compassion and shame. Cats are only capable of the basic emotions such aslove, happiness, boredom, fear, anger, sadness, jealousy, and curiosity. 

The Concluding Thoughts

Well, you are not going to experience any sort of apology from your cat. It does not feel guilty and remorseful. However, if the cat finds that you are not happy with its behaviour, it may change its behaviour. They may sense your pain and displasure and may begin seeking your forgiveness.