Serious Consideration! Is a cat's "stepping on you" an "expression of affection" or just "passing through"?

Whether I’m sleeping in bed or lounging in a zaisu chair, if there’s a “space to step on” on their owner, cats somehow always choose to walk over us. While I might inwardly retort, “There are other paths you could take!”, as cat servants, we can’t help but chuckle when our beloved furballs decide to make us their path.

At first glance, the act of “stepping on your owner” might seem like a sign of being treated carelessly. But when you think about it, I can’t help but feel that there’s a hidden form of feline affection behind it.

Stepping is a sign of "no caution"

Stepping on something is something you can only do if you know it’s safe. Just as humans avoid paths they think are dangerous, cats also avoid places that aren’t safe. Cats are especially wary creatures, so I believe they are even more cautious than humans in surveying their surroundings and deciding where to walk.

For such a wary animal, the act of "stepping on" can only happen if they feel it's "safe to approach." So, I believe that a cat stepping on its owner is a sign of "I'm not wary of you," and the ultimate expression of affection.

I feel like even friendly cats have certain faces and behaviors they only show their owners. Stepping on them is probably one of those. Our cats are relatively friendly towards visitors (except for old men) and are fine with being petted, but they absolutely never step on visitors.

Even when my sister, whom I see two or three times a year, is lying down, they only step on me. People around me laugh, saying, "They're treating their owner so carelessly!" but I'm always filled with the feeling of "Thank you for stepping on me! I trust you too!" (lol)

It's also a common cat behavior to step on you because they want attention

Cats aren’t cool creatures at all. Rather, I think they’re attention-seekers who activate their unique thought processes to come up with various ways to get their owner’s attention.

Stepping on their owner is also one of those methods. In fact, our cats only step on me when I’m lying down playing games or watching videos.

Sometimes, they even squeeze their bodies between me and the game console, creating a situation where "all I can see is cat fur!" It's the sight of my beloved cat showing its desire for attention through clumsy actions. To put it mildly, it's unbearably adorable.

Another interesting thing is how varied the period is for cats to start stepping on their owners. For example, our Kotaro (a brown tabby) was adopted at about 1.5 months old, so he often rode on my body from a young age and would step all over me, treating me as a path.

On the other hand, my younger brother cat, Leon (a ginger tabby), was adopted at four months old, a time when cat socialization is typically complete. Perhaps because of this, he didn't climb on me at all for about seven years. He would purr when petted, but he wouldn't step on me. That distance felt a bit frustrating.

However, his behavior changed as we continued to live together. I don't know if he learned from observing Kotaro's behavior or if he no longer considered me a dangerous person, but recently, he's been stepping on my neck when he wants food.

Leon purring and stepping on just the right spot, then looking down at me as I cough. I think being able to see that sight is one of the true joys of being a cat owner.

Tears from the kindness of my beloved cat who stepped on me out of consideration

Just as there are considerate people, I believe there are also considerate cats. My late beloved cat, Gigi, was one of that type. Gigi (a calico) was a cat who would never step on me even if I was lying down. When she felt that "going the long way is too much trouble, I want to step on my servant's stomach," she would jump and leap over me.

…Well, she was a bit clumsy, so her jumps were always a little short. This would often result in Gigi landing directly on me, then panicking because she thought, "I need to get off quickly," which would either put more weight on my body or lead to my face being kicked (lol).

Focusing on the act of "stepping" made me smile, as it revealed my beloved cat's psychological state.

The only time Gigi ever stepped on me was when I developed facial paralysis. A disease that shows symptoms on the face, the most visible part, is heartbreaking. The left side of my face was so rigid and immobile, I wondered if blood was even flowing, and the fear that it might never return to normal was overwhelming.

When half your face is paralyzed, the moving side bears the burden. I would get tired just by reading a little, and days continued where all I could do was sleep.

Then one day, Gigi came near me and, uncharacteristically, stepped on my body. Wondering what was up, Gigi then sat on my body and placed her paw on my eye. At first, I thought she wanted to play, but watching Gigi's actions, I realized, "Ah, she's warming me up."

The day Gigi first stepped on me, I cried at the warmth of my beloved cat, who accepted me as I was, no matter how I looked, and continued to love me.

The act of "stepping," seen out of concern for their owner, like Gigi's, is probably observed in other households as well. Since a cat's "stepping" is surely filled with various feline emotions, we owners should continue to be grateful, saying, "Oh, honorable cat! Thank you for stepping on me!"

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