Do Cats Feel Embarrassed?
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Has your cat ever lunged after a toy mouse or wand, only to fall off their perch, clumsily skid across the floor, and fail to catch their target? Pet parents often wonder whether their cats feel embarrassed or flustered when things like this happen.
But can cats feel embarrassed?
Key Takeaways
- Because scientific research on pet emotions is still in its infancy, we don’t know if cats are able to feel embarrassed.
- Many feline behaviors that look like embarrassment are likely serving different purposes.
What Is Embarrassment?
Embarrassment is a universal human emotion that arises when we feel we have done something socially unacceptable or clumsy and believe others are judging us negatively. Feeling embarrassed requires two things:
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Self-awareness
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An understanding of how others perceive us
Can Cats Feel Embarrassed?
Scientific research on pet emotions is still in its early stages. While we know that cats share many basic emotions with humans, such as contentment and fear, it’s unclear whether cats experience more complex emotions like embarrassment.
Pet emotions are categorized into primary (basic) and secondary (complex) emotions. Primary emotions are widely supported in animals because of their evolutionary significance and include:
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Joy
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Fear
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Anger
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Surprise
However, secondary emotions are more complex and require an awareness of our own mental state and that of those around us. They also require us to compare our behaviors to social norms. Secondary emotions include:
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Embarrassment
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Compassion
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Pride
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Jealousy
Scientists are uncertain whether cats possess these cognitive abilities.
Studies show that cats do recognize emotions in others, including humans and fellow cats. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean cats experience emotions like embarrassment in the same way humans do. Their ability to recognize emotions might be an evolutionary adaptation that improves their survival rather than evidence of complex self-awareness.
Most studies on feline emotions rely on pet parent reports. Some studies have found that 40–50% of dog and cat parents believe their pets display secondary, or complex, emotions. However, these findings are subjective and based on human interpretation.
A Dutch study found that cat parents who reported these emotions in their pets tended to have stronger emotional attachments to them. Similarly, a Japanese study found that pet parents who considered their cats to be family members were more likely to attribute emotions like embarrassment to them. These findings suggest that the closer we bond with our pets, the more likely we are to ascribe complex emotions to them.
What ‘Embarrassed’ Cat Behavior Really Means
Many cat parents have observed behaviors that seem to resemble embarrassment. For example, cats who slip and fall might widen their eyes, avoid eye contact, lower their body, or scurry away—actions that humans might associate with feeling embarrassed. But these behaviors likely serve different purposes in cats.
For instance, if a cat stumbles and quickly looks around, a pet parent might assume they are checking whether anyone saw them. However, a cat is more likely scanning for potential predators, as a sudden fall can make them vulnerable.
Similarly, when a cat knocks something over and darts away, pet parents might think their feline friend feels embarrassed about making a mess. More likely, because cats are adept at reading human body language and might recognize when we are annoyed or upset, they are anticipating their pet parent’s reaction and want to avoid receiving a reprimand.
Is It OK To Laugh at Your Cat?
While humans might feel embarrassed when others laugh at them, cats likely do not interpret laughter the same way. Instead, they respond to our tone and body language, reacting to how laughter is expressed rather than understanding it as a social judgment.
Misinterpreting cat behaviors can have implications for a cat’s well-being. If a pet parent assumes their cat feels embarrassed, they might respond in ways that don’t align with the cat’s actual emotional state.
For example, laughing at a cat’s stumble or teasing them after a perceived blunder could contribute to stress or anxiety, especially in more sensitive cats.
Recognizing that these behaviors are often survival-driven rather than social allows pet parents to respond with understanding and reassurance. Respecting a cat’s need for space and avoiding overreaction to these moments helps create a more comfortable and secure environment for them.
Ultimately, while cats display behaviors that might look like embarrassment to human observers, these actions are likely rooted in domestication and survival rather than in self-consciousness.
Though cats might not feel embarrassment, they do feel anxiety and fear. If you have a fearful cat, there are a few things you can try to calm them.
Giving your cat a covered bed to hide in or a cat tree to get some distance from people and other triggers can help them feel safer. Pheromone diffusers can also be used to help ease the tension in anxious cats.
References
Quaranta A, d’Ingeo S, Amoruso R, et al. Emotion recognition in cats. Animals. 2020; 10(7):1107.
Pickersgill O, Mills D, Guo K. Owners’ beliefs regarding the emotional capabilities of their dogs and cats. Animals. 2023; 13(5):820.
Morris P, Doe C, Godsell E. Secondary emotions in non-primate species? Behavioural reports and subjective claims by animal owners. Cognition and Emotion. 2008; 22(1):3-20.
Martens P, Enders-Slegers M, Walker J. The emotional lives of companion animals: attachment and subjective claims of owners of cats and dogs. Anthrozoos. 2016; 29(1):73-88.
Arahori M, Kuroshima H, Hori Y, et al. Owners’ view of their pets’ emotions, intellect, and mutual relationship: cats and dogs compared. Behavioral Processes. 2017; 141(3):316-321.
