Ever wonder if Cancer men like to be chased?
You came here for an answer, so I’m going to give it to you straight:
Yes, Cancer men would like for you to do a little chasing.
Just to let them know you really want them.
Because there’s so much confusion around this topic, today I thought I’d clear up some misconceptions about the right way and wrong way to go about the chase with a Cancer man.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to:
- Coax a reserved Cancer guy out of his shell
- Get him to call you
- Encourage him to start chasing you
- Avoid turning him off by sending the wrong messages
Chasing a Cancer man is a little like learning how to tame a unicorn.
You’ve got to approach gently but confidently—no sudden movements, or you’ll spook him—and be heart is pure.
Ready to learn the right moves?
Let’s get to it.
Do Cancer Men Like to Be Chased?
Yes, Cancer men like to be chased—in the beginning.
But you have to know how to read their signals.
A Cancer man has to feel really wanted by you before he’ll pursue you back.
No. I mean really wanted.
You can’t flip your hair and lick the rim of your margarita glass suggestively and expect a Cancer man to drop everything to get your number.
Even if you know how to flirt in five different languages, you need to go further with a Cancer man.
This usually ends up meaning that you’ll have to make the first move yourself.
So I hope you’re not shy!
If you’re an equally reserved Cancer woman, or even a shy Leo hoping to get with a male crab, don’t despair.
That’s why I’ve laid out all the steps below—so you don’t have to overthink it.
Bear in mind, you only need to start the chase.
An interested Cancer man will take it over when he’s seen enough evidence that it’s worth it for him.
So let’s start at the beginning and talk about how to hook the Cancer man in the first place.
Read Next: Cancer Man Sending Mixed Signals
How to Chase a Cancer Man in the Beginning
Get Him Comfortable Around You
The first thing you want to do is get the Cancer man feeling comfy and relaxed.
This is so that he’ll be open and receptive to your feminine wiles.
Cancer men are very psychic.
They receive everyone’s energetic signals, all the time.
Which is great one-on-one.
But in a packed sports bar, he’s probably too busy getting bombarded by all the vibes people are throwing left and right to notice your come-hither stare.
How do you get him comfortable?
By creating a positive, friendly environment.
This will require you to approach him and get the mood going.
If you see him sitting by himself, go up to him and say, “Hi, do you mind if I sit next to you?”
Smile, be sweet and start chatting.
That’s it!
Make Him Feel Special
Cancers feel like wallflowers.
They yearn to be seen for their uniqueness and cleverness.
Yet they don’t have Leo’s star power or Gemini’s lack of inhibition to cut through their shyness.
This creates an opportunity for you.
If you treat a Cancer man like he’s the most riveting person in the room, he’ll eat that up.
Make him the star of the show. Devote your attention to him exclusively.
Not in a creepy way, but in a way that demonstrates he’s not going to lose your attentiveness to someone with more pizzazz.
Show him you’re really listening and interested in what he says.
Give him sincere compliments.
Let him know how enthralling and different (in a good way) you find him.
I promise you, he cannot resist.
Get to Know Him
Cancer men want real connections.
It’s great if you can pump him up and make him feel like a million bucks.
But you have to go even further than that.
Get to know him on a deeper, more emotional level.
Ask him what he was like as a kid.
He’ll get a kick out of that.
The thing is to ask innocuous questions that don’t pry, but which get him to share things that are personal and revealing of who he is.
Even better if you get talking about stuff he has some emotion attached to.
Like his childhood.
It can be a silly conversation—it doesn’t have to be a pseudo therapy session.
Just make it about him.
Read His Body Language
You do have to know how to read a Cancer man’s signals if you want things to go in your favor.
He has to be giving you signs that he’s open to you in order to bite.
If you move to fast, you’ll be casting your line into empty waters.
Use your body to communicate your interest in him nonverbally. Then look for his response.
When you relax your posture around him, does he do the same?
When you look into his eyes, does he avoid the eye contact at all costs, or does he return to your gaze? Maybe blushing a little?
You don’t have to go crazy.
Cancer men have excellent intuition and pick up on little gestures easily.
You just want to be able to notice how he’s reacting.
If he’s not mirroring your actions, he’s not into what you’re doing.
Then you know it’s time to back up and go slower.
If he is responding to your cues, then game on.
This is part of the flirtatious dance with a Cancer man.
You’ll find you start reflecting one another, and then you know you’re in sync.
Give Him Your Number
When you’re attracted to a Cancer man, you have to do something about it.
Don’t assume he’ll make a move on you just because you’re hot.
A Cancer man wouldn’t dream of getting in a woman’s space unwanted and uninvited.
Which means you have to put the message out there very clearly for him to pick up on.
Go on and give him your number.
Wrap it in a compliment, like this:
“I think you’re adorable. Let me give you my number so we can chat and get to know each other.”
Or if you’re nervous about being that upfront, you could get a little more creative:
“I’m a film photography enthusiast and you have great charisma for the camera. Would you be interested in letting me take your portrait at my studio? Here’s my number.”
Anything that puts your digits in his phone.
This will erase any doubt in his mind that you don’t like him that much and he’s making it all up in his head.
With the green light given, he’ll probably be texting you later on that day.
Allow Him Some Space to Contact You
Whether the Cancer man asked for your number or you gave it to him unsolicited, allow him some time to text you at first.
A lot of times, Cancer men will text you straight away.
But sometimes they don’t want to seem desperate and will hold off.
Not for long. Probably a day or two max.
But don’t jump the gun.
If you haven’t heard from him in a couple of days, then reach out to him with a friendly text.
Let him know you’re thinking about him and you’d love to hear his voice.
Giving him the opportunity to call you first is crucial because Cancers don’t really like to feel forced into anything.
Even if they’re really into you, they can get squirrely at the drop of a hat due to a mood change.
And it’s a real buzz kill to feel smothered.
I know, that’s rich coming from a Cancer.
Hey, I didn’t say this zodiac sign made a whole lot of sense.
Be Aware of His Moods
Pursuing a Cancer man shouldn’t feel to him like he’s being hunted.
For as clingy and attached as he can be, a Cancer also needs a lot of space.
His moods will guide you.
If he’s getting quiet and less responsive, give him a day or two to recharge.
When he says he needs alone time, respect his privacy and resist the urge to bombard him with “Are you OK?” texts.
Consistency is good with Cancer men.
Pressuring is not.
They don’t like feeling like explaining their every mood and reaction is a second job.
Which is why it’s important to provide that room for them to do what they need to do and then respond to you when they’re ready.
Give Him a Little Token of Your Affection
As the caretakers of the zodiac, Cancers love giving gifts—which is why flipping the script and making him the beneficiary of your generosity will work.
Give the man a present.
Make it sentimental somehow.
And vintage.
Like a vintage comic book he mentioned from his childhood.
Cancer men are very attached to the past and anything you get that allows them to reminisce will put them on Cloud 9.
Cook him a meal.
Cancer men’s hearts are attached to their stomachs. No joke.
Pick up a donut for him from his favorite donut shop on your way to meet him.
Or bake him some banana bread if he says how addicted he is to banana bread.
Anything you do for him that shows you’re listening and you just want to make him happy will strike him as adorable and win him over.
Let Him Take It from There
Once the Cancer man is sure you want him to chase you, he will.
You’ll know once he starts reaching out to you often, texting you to continue your conversations and calling you for long, late-night chats.
He’ll be singing your praises and showing you lots of affection—probably bombarding you with it.
At this point, he’ll also be trying to emotionally connect with you by opening up to you, telling you things that are on his mind and showing you more of his depth.
You want to focus on fostering that openness with him.
At the same time, strike a balance between doting on him and smothering.
Let me show you how to do this in the next section.
What Makes a Cancer Man Chase You?
Receptive Communication
Worried about over-texting?
Not texting enough?
The simple answer is to match the Cancer man’s texting vibe and frequency.
If he’s texting you daily, it’s totally fine to text him daily to keep the banter going.
If he’s a once-every-few-days texter, don’t panic.
By no means should you send him frantic texts or give him the cold shoulder to punish him for his silence.
He might not be that big on texting.
Respect his pace and allow your communication to develop naturally.
Cancer men never text out of obligation.
They text when the mood strikes, or they have something to say.
If you follow his texting wisdom you’ll fall into a natural communication rhythm with him that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.
A Cancer man chases a feeling, not a chore.
Initiate
Keep initiating with the Cancer man, even if he drops the conversation for a few days.
If you don’t, he’ll think you’re not interested.
Sometimes Cancer men test their romantic interest to see if they’ll reach out on their own, without being prompted.
It proves to the Cancer that you’re genuinely into him.
In general, you want to initiate at least as often as he does to show you’re not half-assing it.
Cancers like to see effort.
What if you find that you’re the one initiating more often, though?
In the beginning of courtship with a Cancer man, that’s OK.
He may need more time to come out of his shell and see that you’re not toying with him.
There’s no need to put him on ice or play hard to get.
In fact, that would make him close off and stop talking to you altogether.
Nurture, Nurture, Nurture
Cancer men go crazy for someone who takes care of them.
Seriously, they love it.
I can’t emphasize enough what it means to a Cancer man to get soup hand-delivered to him when he’s feeling under the weather.
Show him your mothering side.
Cancer guys love their moms, moms in general, pregnant women and all things maternal.
If he gets emotional in conversation, give him a nurturing and supportive response.
Hug him. Hold him.
Check on him.
Be there for him.
He’ll get used to that kind of pampering real quick and come back looking for more.
Show Independence
As long as you’re not artificially restricting your availability to the Cancer man, it’s a good thing if you’re maintaining your independence while he pursues you.
What I mean is that you don’t want to be hounding him all the time to pay attention to you.
Cancer guys have a strong need for personal space and will retreat when they feel it’s being invaded.
However, it can be hard to know when you’ve crossed that line because they’re so eager and communicative when they’re starting to show their interest in you.
The best way to combat this is to simply maintain your lifestyle, routines and schedule.
You don’t have to turn down your friends’ requests every weekend just in case the Cancer man calls.
If you’re devoting one-on-one time for him, being responsive and showing him how into him you are, you’re giving him what he needs.
It’s OK to have your own life.
In fact, it’s encouraged.
That way, the Cancer man won’t worry that he’ll have no privacy or time for himself in a relationship with you.
And, he’ll feel all the more special that you’re creating opportunities to give him attention and spend time together.
Be Vulnerable With Him
As the Cancer man shares things with you, share back with him about your own wants, fears, pains and pleasures.
Cancer males’ attraction deepens with the feeling of safety created by sharing openly between you.
You have to have the courage to expose your most fragile self.
Scary?
Sure is.
But your vulnerability gives him a sense of your sincerity.
For Cancers, they’ll accept nothing less than your brutal honesty.
Besides, you’ll activate the Cancer man’s inner protector by giving him this special privilege.
He’ll just want to keep you safe and happy.
Stick It Out
While all of the things I’ve been talking about are important if you want a Cancer man to chase you, the most fundamental aspect is consistency.
As they get to know you better, Cancer men will observe you closely.
They’ll test you, see how you react and look for signs that they can depend on you.
They need to know that in the end, you’re not going to abandon them.
All Cancer men are ultimately looking for true love and commitment.
If I had one piece of advice with Cancer men, I’d say to show them that your care and affection for them is pure and unconditional.
Even if the Cancer man pulls away for a bit because life threw him a big curve ball, the biggest statement you can make is to be there for him.
To not fade away or ignore him because he can’t be “on” right now.
That level of genuineness is all he really wants and once he finds it, he won’t ever want to let it go.
What You Should NOT Do
Avoid Being Aggressive
While Cancer men love some assertiveness in bed, they don’t like being approached with aggression.
Whether sexually aggressive or otherwise.
No lewd comments, roasting him or crude jokes.
It sounds lame, but just be nice to a Cancer guy.
That’s way more effective than any other “trick” you’ve heard to get a guy’s attention.
Never Spark Jealousy
What happens when you make a Cancer man jealous by giving your attention to someone else?
He gets really hurt and offended and retreats into his shell.
All this will do is make him feel bad for himself and stop talking to you.
I wouldn’t.
Don’t Downplay Your Feelings
With a Cancer man, there has to be absolute certainty on his side if your romance is going to take off.
He will not stake his emotions and reputation on someone who is giving him lukewarm signals.
Or being super into him one day, then ignoring him the next.
If he gets even the slighting hint that you’re not all about him, he’s out.
Don’t Overwhelm Him
Sending him round-the-clock texts without waiting for an answer is overwhelming to a Cancer man.
There’s a difference between showing you care and stifling him with constant bids for his attention.
If you’re mirroring each other and matching his texting vibe, this shouldn’t be a problem.
But if you have a tendency to overcommunicate and demand replies, you will absolutely be met by a wall.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cancer Men
Does a Cancer man like a clingy woman?
A Cancer man likes a woman who’s not afraid to show her feelings for him.
He likes it when she follows her heart and allows it to guide her in her interactions with him.
This means not holding back or playing games.
She shows vulnerability and she doesn’t hesitate when she needs him.
If that’s a clingy woman, then that’s what a Cancer man likes.
Cancer man turn-offs
Cancer men are turned off by cold, calculated, emotionless behavior.
They don’t like to be ignored and they stop being interested when someone acts too casual and aloof.
I wrote a whole list of Cancer man turn offs you can check out!
How does Cancer man test you?
A Cancer man tests how interested you are in him.
He’ll wait for you to reach out to him, or he’ll wait for some type of action from you that shows you’re invested.
In a relationship, he’ll continue to test you from time to time.
He’ll check to see how loyal you are to him, your response to affection and how emotionally open and receptive you are.
Read my guide on the ways in which Cancer men test you.
What attracts a Cancer man the most?
Femininity attracts Cancer men the most.
I’m not talking about being submissive or doing your hair and makeup in a certain way.
The femininity that Cancer men are attracted to is an energy.
The type of femininity that’s emotionally intense.
Nurturing.
Protective of family and loved ones.
Cancer guys are also very attracted to naturalness.
Minimalism.
Understated beauty and bedhead.
Recommended for You: How to Attract a Cancer Man
Cancer man likes and dislikes in a woman
Here’s what a Cancer man likes in a woman:
- Softness
- Sensitivity
- Emotional openness
- Kindness
- Reliability
- Nurturing energy
- Great at cooking/baking
- Thinks nerdiness is adorable
- Nice to children and animals
- Emotional honesty
And here’s what repels a Cancer man:
- Loudness
- Rudeness
- Meanness
- Treating him like a side piece
- Being a poor listener
- Selfishness
- Emotional coldness
- Superficiality
- Wishy-washiness
Signs a Cancer man has feelings for you
If a Cancer man has feelings for you, you’ll know by the sudden change in his behavior.
He’s no longer shy and reserved.
You’ll probably be stunned at how open and communicative he’s being with you.
Every chance he gets, he’ll try to spend time with you, do things for you and become part of your life.
He shows protectiveness and concern for you, and you can feel that he trusts you implicitly.
This means that he’s ready to show you how he feels about you.
Cancer men can’t hold it in for long.
What makes a Cancer man miss you?
It’s not your looks, your talent, your salary or even dating someone else that makes a Cancer man miss you.
It’s the strong, supportive connection you once had with the Cancer man that will be what he misses when he thinks about you.
There’s nothing more potent than an emotional bond for a Cancer.
Once created, it’s never completely severed.
How to know if a Cancer man is obsessed with you?
A Cancer man gives it away when he’s obsessed with you by how much he tries to be around you and talk to you.
He’ll be texting you a ton and trying to be in your orbit as much as possible.
Lucky for you, he’s quite bad at playing it off like he’s not that interested.
What is a Cancer man’s weakness in love?
The greatest weakness Cancer men have in love is their inability to let go of assuming they’ll get hurt.
That’s right, they assume from the start that it’s just a matter of time that someone rejects them, loses interest in them or gets tired of them.
This fear often follows them into relationships and can cause problems as a Cancer man becomes overly sensitized to every little thing his partner says and does.
He reads too much into things and convinces himself he’s not loved, wanted, etc.
When a Cancer man cheats on you?
If a Cancer man you’re dating cheats on you, he’ll start retreating from you.
Spending time away from you and seeming emotionally unstable around you.
He might treat you like the enemy for no reason.
He may get crankier around you, pick fights and have trouble giving affection back to you.
This happens because he feels guilty for what he’s doing and he can only invest his emotions in one person—either you, or the person he’s cheating with.
Recommended for You: Do Cancer Men Cheat?
Do Cancer men fall in love quickly?
Yeah, Cancer men have a tendency to fall in love quickly.
It happens all at once, like lightning striking them.
The emotions start flooding in, and they’re intense.
What makes a Cancer feel loved?
A Cancer feels loved when you give them enough attention and affection.
This usually includes spending a lot of quality time with them and prioritizing them in your life.
Make their needs important to you.
Support them and be there for them.
Initiate affection often and don’t forget to do nice stuff for them.
They love being taken care of.
I'm a professional astrologer and psychology enthusiast. I offer lots of free relationship advice and astrology dating tips as well as private consultations at decodethezodiac.com.