Cat Behavior And Body Language

Cat behavior is often misunderstood because of our inability to read their body language correctly. Cats, just like us humans, use body language to communicate and broadcast information about their feelings and moods, desires, likes and dislikes. Understanding the meaning of various body signals can help you understand your cat’s behavior better, build a better relationship and even predict its behavior in the future.

Here are a few examples of cat body signals:

Face
language

- ears up and pointed forward: “I’m alert and ready for action”
- ears forward and slightly outward: “I’m at ease but observing”
- ears up and pointed backwards: “I’m angry, confident and ready to fight”
- ears pulled back and molded against the skull: “I’m scared and prepared to defend myself”
- ears down and sideways: “I’m submissive”

- slowly blinking eyes: “I feel peaceful and relaxed”
- dilated pupils: “I’m scared”,  “I’m angry and scared” or “I’m excited”
- narrow pupils: “I’m confident and watchful”

- whiskers forward: “Interested”
- whiskers backwards: “Anxious”

Talking tails

- tail bent forward over the head: “I’m full of myself”
- tail lifted straight up:” all is well, I am pleased”
- tail straight up and quivering:” I am so happy to see you!”
- tail straight up and waving gently: “I am curious, I want to explore”
- tail straight up, tail tip hooked: I’d like to be friendly but not sure if everything is OK”
- tail strait up and bushy: “I’m angry, watch out
- tail slightly up: “Not sure”
- tail mid up, whipping from side to side: “I’m fed up and frustrated, get lost!”
- tail horizontal: “I’m ready to be friends”
- tail down, tail tip twitching: “I ‘m bit annoyed”
- tail down between the back legs: “I ‘m afraid”

Other body messages

- purring and relaxed: “I’m happy and content”
- purring and tense: “I’m nervous and frightened” or “I’m in pain”
- rubbing against your legs: “I love you and you are mine”
- kneading with the paws: “I feel good”
- shaking paws: “Yuk, disgusting”
- giving you head butts: “You’re my buddy and I like you”

By misreading your cat’s body language and by responding to its signals in wrong way your cat could develop certain unpleasant behavior problems, he could loose trust in you, become timid, aggressive and unpredictable. If you already have troubled relation with your cat then observing and understanding his body language can provide important information about his feelings and reasons and can be very helpful in solving your cat’s behavior problem.


 

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