If your cat sits with its back to you, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my cat sit with its back to me? Likely reasons why your cat sits with its back to you are that it finds the position comfortable, it does not want to be bothered, or that it feels safer by facing away from you.
There are a number of reasons why your cat might sit with its back to you and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can do about it and there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause.
Reasons why your cat sits with its back to you
Below are likely causes and what would make them even more likely.
Comfort
It might be the case that there is a particular way that it likes to sit or lay down in a certain spot. This would be more likely if your cat does face you when you sit in a certain spot but less likely if it sits or sleeps facing away from you even when you are in a different spot
It does not want to be bothered
The reason why it does it might also be that it wants to avoid being bothered. This would be more likely if it does not always sit or lay facing away from you and if it does it more when it wants to sleep.
In this case, it would help to make sure that it is able to sleep easily at night since it could be the case that it is trying to get extra sleep during the day due to issues sleeping at night.
It feels safer
It could also be the case that it does it because it makes it feel safer because you are behind it and it can see what is coming from the other direction.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat always sat with its back to you
If your cat has not always sat with its back to you, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be the case that it learned that the behavior gets rewarded, it learned that it likes a particular spot or because you started bothering it when it was trying to sleep.
If your cat always sits facing away from you
If your cat does not always sit facing away from you, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not do it. If it does it more at a certain time, the timing might have something to do with it. For example, if it does face you when you sit in a certain spot, it might be the case that it sometimes faces away from you because it is comfortable.
What to do about your cat sitting with its back to you
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Let it do it
If your cat seems to be doing it because it just likes sitting in a particular spot and it does not seem to be avoiding you, the easiest option would be to allow it to continue sitting the way it wants to.
Encourage it to sit facing you
Another option would be to encourage it to sit facing you by rewarding it whenever it does with attention and rewarding it less when it does not face you.
Be calm with it
If it seems like it might be doing it due to avoiding you, it would also likely help to change the way you interact with it. It would help to be calm with it and to pet it in a gentle manner. It would also help to consider the body language it shows and to stop touching it when it seems to be wanting you to stop.