Love can be expressed both through words and actions. However, there are instances when genuine affection is most felt through gestures. For this reason, it’s more touching when animals express their love for you. It’s because they try to make you see and feel that you are important to them. Despite the language barrier, pet parents can attest to how animals recognize and respond to emotions. Animals are empathetic, especially those that thrive in social groups. They can determine if you’re sad, happy, distressed, and more. For instance, dogs can read a person’s facial expressions. Research also discovered that canines can distinguish their owner’s emotions with their sense of smell. That’s why they make good human companions — a commendable emotional support.

Photo: Pexels/Vlada Karpovich

It’s not only dogs but cats can show you the sweetest gestures as well. Having pets at home is like free therapy — everything feels better with their loving presence. Whether it’s a small or big gesture, they’ll be giving you so much joy after a very tiring day. It’s a shared experience between pet parents. A Redditor started a discussion with an AskReddit post. Casual_Cherries wrote, “What’s the sweetest thing your pet has done?” The answers below OP’s post will touch your heart. And if you are not an animal person, you’ll understand the perks of having a pet at home after reading the comments. Listed below are a few of the sweetest gestures pets have shown their beloved humans.

Photo: Pexels/Zen Chung

Healed from Trauma

For a pet parent of a rescue animal, it means so much when they show healing progress. FlatulentDwarf shared, “I rescued Chewbacca from an abusive home. When he first came home with me he had a lot of health and emotional issues from his previous home. One of which was fear of eating. It took a ton of coaxing and positive reinforcement to get him to eat any food and slowly get up to a healthy weight. I guess he really connected with how happy it made me seeing him eat his food. Now any time I'm having a bad day he'll take a mouthful of food, walk up to me, drop the food on the floor, and eat it one piece at a time while staring at me and wagging his tail. Making sure I see him eat every bite.”

Listens Well

Your pet can sense if you are in distress. They’d approach you first once they confirmed that you’re in a sad state. Most owners would rant to their pets or open up about whatever bothers their minds. While letting everything out, they’d just sit beside you and make you feel that you are heard. “My dog, Sandie, would always sit with me while I talked about any anxieties or problems I was having. She’d look at me and I swear she could understand what I was saying,” TheOverseer-14 wrote. Everyone needs a good listener. If you can’t reach a friend, then your pet would willingly hear everything about your day.

Photo: Unsplash/Chewy

Accompanied While Sick

Trust a pet to never leave your side, especially when they know that you need them the most. They can extend care to a sick human just like what S_204’s dog did. The Redditor had meningitis and felt extremely weak at that time. “There was a day when I was just past my weakest point that I was in the kitchen. When I sneezed the pain crippled me, buckled my knees, and sent me the floor. On the floor, I threw up all over myself. I was too weak to get up, too weak to even take my puke-laden sweater off. He laid next to me and licked my face clean and then licked my sweater clean and then just waited with me for about an hour until I could get myself back on my feet. Followed me back to my chair and laid with me for the rest of the day.”

Photo: Pexels/Meruyert Gonullu

Offered Comfort

Animals are capable of acting on their own when needed. Once they sense loneliness, expect them to be there for you even when they’re not trained. “Every time one of us is sad, one of the cats sits on one side, and our black lab sits on the other. It's the best,” OtakuShogun answered. It’s the sweetest gesture, especially when they willingly accompany you during a tough time. Their action conveys that you are loved and not alone. Spending quiet time with your pets is sometimes the best solution to chase the dark clouds away.

Show appreciation for your pets who have stood with you through thick and thin. Their ability to express comfort and love in the sweetest gestures must be applauded. Animals are undeniably impressive in terms of emotional intelligence. That’s why they deserve every good thing in this world. You might want to acknowledge your pet’s sweet behavior by sharing a story in the comment section. Engage in a heartwarming discussion with other pet parents online.