Cancer cats: personality, quirks and how to love them

A Cancer cat is born between 21 June and 22 July, under the water sign ruled by the Moon, and they are the keeper of the home. A Cancer cat sees you off at the front door, sits there while you're gone and treats the jumper you just took off as a bed laid out in their honour.

Cancer's symbol is the crab, and a Cancer cat has the same instinct: a soft heart inside a careful shell. With their own people they're cuddly and chatty; with anything new, they retreat first and decide later.

Cancer cat personality

Everything a Cancer cat does comes back to keeping home safe and soft.

• The door escort. A Cancer cat follows you to the front door, watches you put your shoes on and stays sitting on the mat, facing it, after it closes.
• The warm-clothes claim. A dressing gown on the bed, a scarf on a chair, yesterday's jumper on the floor: a Cancer curls up on it within minutes, kneading it into shape first.
• The secret nests. A Cancer cat keeps two or three hiding places around the house and rotates between them, so there's always somewhere snug to vanish to.
• The homecoming chirp. When you're back, a Cancer cat trots up with a short, rising trill and a head bump against your shin, then leads you to wherever they've been waiting.

Cancer is a cardinal sign: they take the lead, quietly. A Cancer cat decides where the cosy spots are, and you'll find yourself sitting in them.

Cancer cat quirks and habits

Why does my Cancer cat sleep on my clothes?

Because they smell of you, and a Cancer cat builds their nest out of their favourite people. A jumper that's still warm is the best bed in the house, and the kneading beforehand is them making it properly theirs.

Why does my Cancer cat walk sideways at me?

Cancer is the crab's sign, and a Cancer cat sometimes moves like one. The sideways hop, back arched and tail fluffed, is an invitation to play, delivered with all the drama of a creature defending its rock pool.

Why does my Cancer cat hide when visitors come?

A crab goes into its shell to think. A Cancer cat slips under the bed when the doorbell rings, listens to the voices for a while, then reappears in the doorway once they've decided the visitor can stay.

Why does my Cancer cat sit in the moonlight?

Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and a Cancer cat seems to know where its light falls. Late at night you might find them on the windowsill or the bed, sitting very still in the one silvery patch on the floor, as if it was put there for them.

The tricky bit: the shell comes first

A Cancer cat meets anything new from inside their shell. A rearranged sofa is watched from behind the curtain for an evening. A suitcase in the hall sends them to the back of the wardrobe until it's gone. A favourite blanket that comes back from the wash smelling of soap is sniffed, then pointedly ignored for the night. It isn't sulking: a Cancer cat simply needs home to feel like home again, and in a day or two the shell opens.

How to make a Cancer cat happy

Cancer cats want a safe base, familiar smells and you, nearby.

• Give them a covered bed in a quiet corner. A cave bed or a box on its side lets a Cancer cat watch the room from the safety of a shell.
• Leave them something you've worn. An old jumper folded into their bed is better than any new cushion.
• Keep the welcome home the same. Say hello in the same spot every time. A Cancer cat likes a ritual and will be there waiting for it.
• Play close and gentle. A feather wand trailed slowly round the edge of their hiding spot coaxes a Cancer out to pounce without rushing them.
• Let them come out in their own time. When visitors arrive, leave their hideout alone. A Cancer who feels safe will come and see who's there.

Best matches for a Cancer cat

Cancer cats bond most easily with the other water signs, Scorpio and Pisces, who love a quiet night in and never mind a cat on their lap. The earth signs Taurus and Virgo suit them too, with the soft blankets and steady routine a Cancer finds reassuring.

Aries is the wild card: a square to Cancer, so an Aries owner's dash in and out of the door can send a Cancer cat to their nest. Give it time, though, and the cat becomes the one calm thing the Aries comes home to. See all twelve owner signs on the Cancer compatibility page.

If your Cancer cat shares the house with another animal, give each one their own nest. A Cancer cat is happy to share a home, much less happy to share the warm jumper.

Cancer cats and Cancer dogs: the nest and the nest-builder

A Cancer dog drags their blanket to wherever you are. A Cancer cat stays with the blanket and waits for you to come back to it. Both are guarding the same thing, a home that feels like you, but the dog brings it along and the cat keeps it warm.