Do Cats Judge Character, or Do They Just Judge You?
Saturday, August 9, 2025.
You may think your cat loves you. Or at least likes you.
But here’s the sad truth of it: your cat is less like a loyal friend and more like that quiet neighbor who waves politely, notes your every move, and files the information away in a mental folder labeled Useful or Not Useful.
It’s not weighing your moral fiber — it’s weighing whether you’re worth standing up for when the tuna runs out.
Cat owners everywhere have wondered: Do cats judge people the way humans do? Or, more pointedly, does my cat secretly think I’m a terrible person? The answer is more scientific (and more selfish) than you might imagine.
The Science of Feline "Judgment"
Animal behavior researchers have explored whether cats evaluate human “character” in the way dogs seem to.
The verdict? Cats can recognize familiar humans, read emotional cues, and remember which people are worth approaching — but they don’t keep moral scorecards.
A 2025 PLOS One study found cats could identify their owner’s scent over a stranger’s, lingering longer when presented with an unfamiliar smell — a sign they were filing “friend” or “unknown” into their mental database (Takagi et al., 2025).
And yes, cats notice your moods.
They often gravitate toward calm, predictable humans, even curling up with people who are sad. Not because they’re feline empaths, but because sadness usually comes with stillness, quiet voices, and fewer sudden movements — all highly rated features in Catland.
Why We Think Cats Are Judging Our Souls
Anthropomorphism — giving animals human thoughts and motives — is our favorite pastime.
A dog ignores a rude person and we call it moral intuition. A cat gives you a slow blink and we decide it’s approval from the High Council of Felines. But that narrowed gaze might mean:
You smell like another cat.
Dinner was late (again).
You are in the spot it wants.
Cats aren’t making moral pronouncements — they’re running a perpetual cost-benefit analysis.
Attachment, Not Ethics
Cat behavior expert John Bradshaw notes that cats may see us as extra-large, socially acceptable cats.
Rubbing, kneading, and purring are the same gestures they’d use on a trusted feline companion.
A slow blink? Cat for “You’re fine, for now.”
A belly flop? An experiment in whether you can resist messing it up by touching the stomach.
So, Can Cats Judge Character?
Perhaps in the limited way you might “judge” a new restaurant:
Was the service (feeding) prompt?
Was the food fresh?
Was the seating (lap) warm and available?
To your cat, good character is simple:
Feeds me on time.
Doesn’t smell like trouble.
Provides a warm, quiet lap without sudden movements.
Final Word for Cat People
If you’re hoping your cat thinks you’re a good person — stop.
Your cat thinks you’re either a good resource, an unpredictable gamble, or not worth getting up for.
And in the cat world, being a “good resource” is the highest compliment you’re ever gonna get.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Bradshaw, J. W. S. (2013). Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. Basic Books.
Takagi, S., Arahori, M., Saito, A., & Kuroshima, H. (2025). Cats’ discrimination of owner’s scent from strangers: Olfactory recognition of familiar humans. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288027
Vitale, K. R., Behnke, A. C., & Udell, M. A. R. (2019). Attachment bonds between domestic cats and humans. Current Biology, 29(18), R864–R865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.036