what’s your pet’s love language?

We all know the five human love languages – words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch – but what about the love languages of the furry (or feathered, or scaly) members of the household? If you’ve ever woken up to your face being lovingly smothered by a dog at 5am or had a cat give you a mysterious dead animal, you’ll know pets communicate affection in ways that Dr Gary Chapman (the guy who first wrote about the idea of love languages) never imagined.

Together with Knose pet insurance, let’s unpack the sweet, strange and occasionally annoying ways our animals say “I adore you”. (And remember, you can show your love back by keeping them safe and cared for with award-winning pet insurance.)

THE CUDDLING CLINGERS
Some pets are soft, warm blankets with a heartbeat. Others show love by standing directly on your spleen (what is a spleen and do we even need it?). The physical-touch pets like to melt onto you, worm their way under your arm, or position themselves so you can no longer move, work or reach your cup of chai. It’s their world now.

THE GIFT-GIVERS
Dogs bring their favourite toy (or shoe). Cats bring… ‘nature’. Chooks might be the most useful givers, in that we can turn their fresh egg deliveries into pavlovas or lemon curd. Whether it’s a sock, a leaf, or something you’d rather not identify, the message is always: “I thought of you.”

ACTS OF SERVICE Forget doing the dishes (damn it) – pets express love by ‘helping’ with whatever you’re doing. Dogs supervise laundry by stealing undies. Cats perform elaborate tail-swishing routines during your Monday WIP video calls. Rabbits reorganise your electrical cords. It’s heartfelt, albeit a little chaotic.

QUALITY TIME ENTHUSIASTS
These pets follow you everywhere, including the bathroom, like you’re a VIP and they’re a tiny, furry bodyguard. They sit on your keyboard, wedge their nose inside your jacket, or stare lovingly (and unblinkingly) while you’re trying to eat toast. If you leave the house to check the mail, they act as though you’ve embarked on a six-month Antarctic expedition. Rude!

MEOWS OF AFFIRMATION
Meows. Chirps. Snorts. Grumbles. The triumphant barks when you walk through the door. The yelps of joy when you pick up their lead or how they understand English and finish your sentence when you say “do you want to go…” Pets have their own entire emotional vocabularies – you just have to translate! Or not, if you own that dog who went viral because it can legitimately say “I love you”.

ROUTINE This is a new love language that is very popular in the pet world.
Like your most organised type A friend, pets often show devotion through schedule. They know exactly when it’s breakfast o’clock, walk o’clock, zoomie hour, and “time for you to clock off and pay me attention” o’clock. If you can keep things on schedule, your pets will feel so safe and loved.

CHAOTIC DEVOTION
Some pets express love by being tiny cyclones – sprinting from room to room, knocking over plants, hurling themselves into your shins and performing surprise parkour off the couch. Is it helpful? Not really. Is it affectionate? Weirdly, yes (or at least it helps to think of it that way).

HOW TO FIGURE OUT YOUR PET’S DOMINANT LOVE LANGUAGE
If they sit on your laptop: quality time (and sabotage).

If they bring you trinkets from the garden: giving gifts.

If they supervise your every move: acts of service.

If they steal your seat while you’re sitting on it: physical touch.
If they meow/bark/chirp at you: words of affirmation.
If they are your clock: routine.
If you need to replace homewares constantly: chaotic devotion.

This article was produced in partnership with Knose pet insurance. Whatever your pet’s love language, show them you care by protecting them with award-winning pet insurance. Sign-up and get your first two months free on the Knose website.
_{Knose Pet Insurance is issued by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL 523921).}