Observe you cats behavior when you do things he likes and doesn't like and that will give you an answer.

Cats do not experience anything like people do. They do not have the brain capacity to do so. They are not cognitively self aware (sentient). Only humans and a handful other species have been demonstrated to be cognitively self aware. However, 'emotions' as we experience them, are the closest that humans may get to feeling like animals. This is because the brain areas that are most active during emotional situations are located in the basal ganglia, or lower brain. We have a vastly larger cortex (the grey matter) than most other animals, and this adds an entire new level of processing that is absent in non sentient organisms. The basic instinctive behaviors that interact with emotions are highly conserved between species, so for instance the joy of 'winning' at anything probably 'feels' similar to what a cat may 'feel' when it catches a bird, or a Gazelle. This also applies to love, fear, and anger. The difference lies in the fact that you are aware that you exist and that you are angry. The cat is not aware of itself, or its anger, it only responds to the anger and expresses it in its behavior. It cannot ponder upon its own existance, like you can. Cats do have emotion, but the experience of it from the perspective of the cat is nothing like it is from your perspective. What you are doing is called Anthropomorphism. You are interpreting the behavior of another organism in light of human traits. The behavior of a cat as it interacts with you is not sentient (self aware). They DO NOT have the brain capacity to interpret the world in the way that you do.

depends on how close you are to your cat.

Ive never seen a cat cry, so I would say they don't experience emotions like people do. Most of their emotions are based on an instinctive nature. You pet the cat and he's happy and purring, you pet the cat the wrong way and he's not going to be happy with you and use you for a clawing post.

yes cats have emotion, when a cat curls it's tail in the shape of a question mark, then the cat is curious of something, or frisky, if a cat lays on it's side (this most likely appens when cats are fighting and one wants to stop), it's like a person saying uncle while arm wrestling

They don't have a large range of emotions. But I love them anyway.

Hi i do have to say this is very true, we raise are cats, as we would treat are selfs. there ajustable, and be very mean at times, if you dont like someone the cat will treat that person like trash. they are very smart.

I have 2 cats and have seen them both cry. I thought the first time it must have been allergies because a cat crying out of emotion doesn't seem realistic to me. My cats and I are very close though. Last night one of them was locked out of the house and when she was finally let in after being out for about 2 hours (they are house cats that don't go outside unsupervised), she was crying, again. I was shocked and saddened by it because it seem like a time when a person would show an emotion such as crying. I don't know if she was crying out of emotion or not but it sure seemed like it could have been.

Mammals like cats and dogs are selm aware and do show emotion one standard used for there self awarness is the mirror test. Cats and Dogs know there own reflection and thus know who they are and what they look like. As for emotions cats show a wide number of emotions they are one of the most bonding mammals on the planet to humans even Charles Darwin said this in his accounts when he studied mammals such as cats, They are not just a Flesh,blood and bone with Electroic impulses like some of you are making them out to be !!! More scientist will agree that house hold animals started out with only limited emotions to survive but over thousands of years being domesticated there brains have picked up emotions and thus feelings for there human companion/owner !!!!

No because as lovely as they are and as emotional as they appear- they are simply not that intelligent. The best site for information on cat behaviour is the Feline Advisory Bureau, link below: http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/index.php

Until recently I would have said I didn't think so but 3 weeks ago we lost our beautiful 12 yr old cat Dash. Our other 3 cats were acting strangely for several hours before we found him and it was their odd behaviour that made us go look for him. We found him dead around the side of the house. All 3 other cats were sort of standing guard around him. They watched as we buried him and they have all started just sitting around that area of the garden with what I swear is a sad look on their faces. All 3 ( all related to Dash, he was their dad) are still reacting as Dash was head honcho and now they are trying to work out their place. Yes cats can indeed show emotions.