When A Stray Cat Chooses You: 11 Spiritual Meanings

The spiritual meaning of when a stray cat chooses you can be for many reasons. Animals come into your life for a purpose and that purpose may be different than it is for someone else. Whatever the reason, it is significant.

Cats are extremely intuitive so if a stray cat shows up at your door, pay attention. Your life is about to change and shift in ways that you may never have imagined. This cat is here for a reason, and you are both helping each other.

In any relationship whether it is human to human or human to animal, or animal to animal there is a flow of energy and both people and animals receive the benefits, lessons, and experiences from it.

I had a stray cat show up with her two babies in our yard and she wouldn’t leave. She seemed to trust us immediately and so many new connections were built. It was a life-changing experience and I know that she showed up for a reason. Not just so that we could help her by providing her with food, but her kittens have helped us in so many ways that I never could have imagined.

When a Stray Cat Chooses You Spiritual Meaning

First, it’s important to mention that whenever a cat or any animal comes to you, it is not a bad sign. In fact, it’s a really good omen. I don’t care what people think about superstitions, especially black cats showing up, animals are here to help you even though it may not be obvious how.

A stray cat may show up when you need it the most. You may be going through a challenging time or about to go through one. This is for your own growth and is a good thing. Animals are extremely intuitive and know exactly what you need when you need it.

11 Spiritual Reasons Why A Stray Cat Chooses You

1. You Have a Soul Contract with It

You have soul contracts with people and animals in your life. If a stray cat chooses you, then you definitely have a soul contract with it. It is here to help you with something you want to learn, and you are here to help it. It’s always a two-way street. Animals are great teachers and helpers to help you fulfill your soul’s desires.

Before you incarnated you chose experiences you wanted to have and things you wanted to learn. You may have picked this specific cat to help you with that, or this cat may not have been chosen until after you incarnated. It doesn’t matter when it was decided, the important thing is that it is here to help you fulfill something that you want to learn and experience. This is often a personality trait.

So, if you want to know your soul contract with your cat, look at how it makes you feel as a clue as to what it is here to help you with.

2. It Trusts You

Stray cats don’t trust everyone, and they are very intuitive. So, if a stray cat chooses you, it trusts you on some level. It may not show it right away and it may take some time for it to really warm up to you but there is something about you that it trusts.

Animals have great instincts because they need them in the wild. Even though cats are much more domesticated than they used to be, they still have strong instincts within them. If a stray cat chooses you, take it as a big compliment that it trusts you!

3. You Are Going Through a Major Life Change

A stray cat may come to you to help you when you are going through a major life change or are about to go through one. Life changes can be difficult no matter what they are, and cats bring not only companionship to you but also certain traits that will help you as you navigate your life change.

My stray cat showed up right before my boyfriend broke up with me and I had to move out of a place that I liked. The breakup would have been much more difficult if I didn’t have my cat with me to help me get through it.

Caring for my cat helped to shift my focus from being sad to feeling good and helpful towards another soul. So, I essentially lost one soul in my life, but it was replaced with a new one.

You may be going through a major life change such as dealing with the loss of someone, the loss of a job, relationship changes, or even a big spiritual shift when a stray cat shows up. You may be dealing with big internal changes and shifts, and this cat is here to help you navigate them.

You may not even know what this stray cat is helping you with, but it is very intuitive and knows when you need it and when it needs you.

4. It’s a Totem Animal or Your Spirit Animal

Everyone has a totem animal or an animal spirit guide that guides them through life. Yours may be a cat. If your totem animal is a cat, then it is helping you by bringing the traits of a cat to you.

A cat may not be your main totem animal but a secondary one who comes in to help you at a certain time in your life when you need it and its energy the most.

Look up the totem animal traits of a cat to see which ones resonate with you as these are the ones that the cat totem animal is helping you with.

5. It’s Delivering a Message to You

A stray cat may come into your life for a brief period to deliver you a message. This message may come from your higher self, your angels, your spirit guides, an ascended master, or a deceased loved one.

Animals can sense spirits much easier than us and communicate with spirits telepathically. So, one of your deceased loved ones may ask a cat to come to you to deliver a message. Pay attention to when a stray cat shows up in your life as it has a significant meaning and is a message for you.

6. A Stray Cat May Be Helping to Purge Negative Energy

Cats are great at transmuting negative energy. They can actually absorb negative energy from you, your environment, and others and then release it. Some people do this as well so it’s not only cats, but cats are masters at it. They know how to do it efficiently.

If a stray cat shows up, it may be contracted to help you release some negative energy. Cats are also great teachers so they can teach you how to do it yourself. This isn’t a conscious teaching, it is energetic. By being around you, a cat’s energy intermingles with yours and you can receive information from them.

Often, most people think that they can only learn something by seeing it, hearing it, or experiencing it, but you can receive it through an energetic exchange. In the same way your ear buzzes when you receive a download from spirit, cats can send you energy as well.

7. It Is Looking for a Companion (As Are You!)

A stray cat may show up when it is looking for a friend. It may be lonely and want someone in its life. You may also be looking for a friend. Cats are great companions and even though you can’t physically speak to them like you would another human (although you can telepathically), they are great company.

A cat will cuddle with you, play with you, and like being around you. Of course, every cat is different, but they like companions just as much as humans do. So, you may both want a friend when a stray cat shows up in your life!

8. It’s Helping You to Raise Your Vibration

Cats have a high vibration and can help you to raise your own vibration. I know from experience that when my stray cats showed up, my vibration went up a couple of levels.

You may be about to go through a major upgrade in your consciousness and this stray cat is helping you as you embark on this journey. It knows the perfect timing to show up when it will benefit you the most. You are helping it too as it’s always a two-way relationship.

So, you may be in the middle of a major up-leveling or about to go through a major upgrade when a stray cat shows up for you.

9. It’s Helping You to Tap Into Your ‘Animal Instincts’

Cats have not always been domesticated and are originally from the wild. Over time they have become domesticated and created strong relationships with humans. But their original origin is in the wilderness. They still carry this remembrance and gut instinct within them.

If a stray cat shows up, it may be helping you to tap into your ‘wild side’ and animal instincts. Maybe you’ve been so busy that you haven’t been getting outside much and connecting with your own intuition. This cat is asking you to tap into that part of you that feels free and wild.

Ask yourself, “how can I embody more of my own wild side and tap into my own instincts more?” Notice what answers come up when you ask yourself that question.

10. It Is Helping You to Ground Yourself

Stray cats are outside a lot and are very grounded. You’ll notice that cats like to roll on the ground and their bare paws are always touching the earth. They are very connected to mother Gaia.

If a stray cat shows up, it may be helping you to ground yourself. Just petting a stray cat can ground you since it is so connected to the earth.

It may also be sending you the message that you should make sure you are grounding yourself often.

11. It Is Guarding You

Cats can see spirits and are very good at guarding you against spirits, especially black cats. Cats are tapped into the spiritual realm and can see if something that isn’t good for you is around. They can chase away that negative thing and protect you from it.

If you are having nightmares, having a cat by your side can help ease them while it protects you at night.

So, if a stray cat shows up, it may be chasing away something that isn’t beneficial for you. Since cats have such a high vibration, they can do this automatically by being in your presence.

How Do You Know for Sure if A Stray Cat Chooses You?

• It Keeps Showing Up

If a cat keeps showing up, then it wants to see you. Cats are very picky about who they spend their time with, and they won’t be around people who they don’t want to be. So, if it keeps showing up (even if it’s just for food at first!), then it chooses you.

• It Lets You Pet Them (Eventually)

If a stray cat gets comfortable enough to let you pet it then it likes you. With a stray cat, it will usually take some time to be able to pet it (of course depending on the cat). So, make sure to take it slow and build trust.

It took me quite a while to be able to pet my stray cat. So, I sat with him and played with him by throwing his sticks for hours a day before he trusted me to pet him. It took a few weeks to build up trust.

But it depends on many factors such as how old the cat is and how much time it has spent around humans before. I’ve had my stray cat for a few years now and he still isn’t super comfortable around any human besides me. But he gets more comfortable all the time.

A stray cat may never be 100% comfortable around people which is something to keep in mind. A cat that grew up with humans is much different than one that didn’t.

• It Talks to You (Meows)

When cats meow, they are talking to you. You may not know what they are saying but they are communicating in a way that they know how to with humans. So, if a stray cat is meowing around you, it is talking to you.

Pay attention to its body language and tune into your own intuition to see what it is trying to tell you.

• It Shows You Their Belly

When a cat shows you its belly, it is very vulnerable for them. It would never show its belly if it were worried about being attacked because it contains all its organs and sensitive body parts. So, if it does show you its belly and roll over, it trusts you.

• It Purrs

There are a few reasons why cats purr and it’s not always a positive sign. However, 99% of the time cats purr when they like you, they are happy or anticipating something good.

You can tell if it’s a happy purr or a non-happy one by the way its body language is and the situation that you are in. Generally, if you pet a cat and it purrs then it likes it. My cat always purrs before he gets his favorite food because he’s anticipating a joyful event.

• It Stares at You

Cats may stare at you if they don’t like you or if they do like you, so you have to look at other factors when decoding this sign. A cat that stares at you and blinks slowly indicates that it likes you. If it is staring at you it may be curious about you and interested in you and what you are doing.

If a stray cat is staring at you and seems to have its defenses up then it may be keeping an eye on you and getting ready to run.

As I mentioned, you can tell by the body language and the general energy of the cat. If it looks like a happy stare, then it likes you and is curious about you.

• It Follows You

If a stray cat starts following you, it wants to be around you. It may be curious about what you are doing, or it may want food, but it won’t follow someone who it doesn’t somewhat trust. So, if a cat is following you, it is trying to get to know you better.

• It Plays with You

If a stray cat plays with you, it definitely like you. Cats are very picky about who they play with. With my stray cat, it took him a while to warm up and let me pet him but the more I played with him, the more our bond grew.

If a stray cat wants to play with you, it definitely chooses you as many stray cats will run away from strangers especially if they get too close.

Final Thoughts – When a Stray Cat Chooses You Spiritual Meaning

When a stray cat chooses you, it is for a spiritual meaning. It is not a coincidence or a random thing. This cat wants to help you with something in your life and you have a soul contract to work with it to help both of you grow and evolve.

Look at how this cat makes you feel as a clue as to what it is helping you with. What are the traits of a cat? This animal is bringing those traits to you.

You may be going through a big life change or about to go through a big change right after this cat shows up. It is here for a reason. It may be helping you through it. You are always helping it too. Every relationship in your life is a two-way street where both souls gain wisdom and higher knowledge from the relationship.

~Meghan