An aqueous fabric softening composition is described having its rheological properties of flow elasticity and viscosity capable of being readily modified as needed independently of each other to satisfy a consumer preference, said composition comprising:

• a) from about 0.01% to about 25%, by weight, of a cationic fabric softener;
• b) an effective amount of a mixture of cationic polymers capable of modifying the aforesaid rheological properties, said mixture comprising:
  • (iii) from about 0.01% to about 90%, by weight, of a cationic linear homopolymer that is derivable from the polymerization of acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid or a linear copolymer that is derivable from the polymerization of acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid and acrylamide or methacrylamide, said homopolymer or copolyer having a molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 30 million; and
  • (iv) from about 10% to about 99.99%, by weight, of a cationic cross-linked polymer that is derivable from the polymerization of, from 5 to 100 mole percent of cationic vinyl addition monomer, from 0 to 95 mole percent of acrylamide, and from 70 ppm to 300 ppm of a difunctional vinyl addition monomer cross linking agent, the respective amounts of (i) and (ii) in said mixture being selected to provide the desired rheological properties of viscosity and flow elasticity in said softening composition; and
• c) balance water.