Do you want to become an expert in cat body language? Our guide today will reveal to you how to read that from top to toe. Hurry to check them out to understand your kitties.
Similar to humans, cats can expose their innermost emotions through cat body language. With different signals like body poses and facial expressions, cats find no trouble in conveying their intentions. By finding out how to translate those postures, you can build a tighter bond with your feline buddy. More than that, it’s possible to dodge unwanted temper or aggression of the pet.
Body language is the name of this game, right? Thus, you should learn how to play it right. It helps all cat owners spot whether a cat is scared of something or feels comfy. Based on these indicators, they can change the way they interact with cats. And the final goal is always to gain a good relationship with our pets.
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7 Ways your cat is trying to communicate with you
First of all, keep in mind that don’t apply dog body language to that of a cat because the issues soon arise if you do that. It might be hard to understand that kind of language, but don’t worry since we’re here to help you interpret those cues.
When your cat shows its belly
The tummy is one of the most vulnerable body parts of cats. In other words, cats display their tummies to those they rely on. But remember that a cat showing its belly won’t mean an invitation to other pets at all. At that moment, your pet feels comfy or relaxed. Next, it tends to stretch out and roll around. The cats might not feel threatened.
More importantly, your feline buddy tries to show that body part, come to pet it on the head. Why do we do that? It’s because the tummy of a cat’s body is easy to get injured, so don’t touch it if you don’t want to get attacked. Try to observe it, especially as a cat lies on the back and shows the belly. This is the time when your pet feels secure enough to do that, and probably think like “I know you won’t hurt me.”
When your cat holds its tail high and vertical
Once a cat holds its tail vertically high, it probably wants to tell you more about how confident it feels. Or when you see it curling around your legs, it means friendliness. If the cat lies between the legs, it translates the insecurity and worry. In another context, an upright tail can be seen as a sign that your cat feels insecure or threatened. When you’re not sure, watch other signs to come to the final decision.
How about the vertically high tail mixing with the arched back? And its fur along the spine goes upright. If so, then you need to back off. Also, a high tail of a cat tells that it feels comfy and happy. Meanwhile, a low tail reveals the anxious and fearful emotions. Aside from that, a puffed-out tail of a cat exposes to you that the cat wants to make itself larger. It desires to threaten other animals.
When your cat starts flicking its tail
As you know, a wagging tail reveals more about the cat’s concentration or playfulness. In contrast, a whipping tail from side to side indicates that your pet is scared of something or becomes more aggressive. If that’s an instant flick of the tail, it could be a warning your cat wants to give to other animals and even you to stay back.
On the other hand, this cat’s body language is considered an indicator of alertness. Make sure to watch your pet’s expressions since they offer clues at each stage. What if a cat’s tail suddenly vibrates? It’s a sign of great excitement. Don’t mistake it with the quivering motion before the cat marks something with its urine. Again, context should come first as always. If it greets you with that posture, it’s happy to see you.
When your cat’s ears go forward
The position of the cat’s ears would be another sign not to miss if you want more clues about its mood. Forward ears tell us about its confidence and relaxation. As mentioned above, context is always the key to understand everything.
As both ears go up straight, then the cat is trying to boost its exposure, but don’t think that it’s easy at that time. Occasionally, that upright ear could mean the cat’s interest in playing around. Meanwhile, a cat with ears turned back is feeling unhappy and scared of something. How about when it starts guarding their ears? If it does that, it will flatten them to one side. At this movement, you can tell that they’re feeling fearful.
When your cat starts blinking
So now you’ve known how a cat’s tail, tummy, and ears want to say to you. But if you remain uncertain, let’s take a look into its eyes. If it believes in you and feels relaxed around you, the cat would blink at you soon. The slowly blinking eyes mean the cat is comfy and happy. Another great way to tell how comfy it is will be its pupils. Are they relaxed enough? Take a closer look to get the answer.
The pupils start getting larger and dilated, your cat is being stimulated. In this case, it’s not bad and good at all. A playful pet always owns dilated pupils, so keep that in mind. But in some contexts, those dilated pupils reveal your cat’s fear or anger. Once the cat blinks at you, you can do it back by blinking at your cat. It helps communicate that you know about its presence and will pose no threat to it.
So try to do it next time to make your pet feel safe around you again.
When your cat purrs loudly
Purring is a common sign showing that a cat feels pleasant. However, you still see a sick cat purring as well. A meow meow sound could mean anything. For example, it might like to play, enter a closed room, get bored, or even give a warning whether it’s worried or not. It’s essential to learn how to distinguish those sounds. Doing that can help you better understand your beloved feline friend.
Then how to know if the cat gets depressed? Simply listen to its grumbling sound or a growling. You need to be careful and keep your distance.
When your cat howls
What if you spot your feline friend howling for a long time? That shows how painful it feels when getting locked in a room or place it doesn’t like. Meanwhile, the chirping sound of a cat is a great way of bonding with each other or its owner. It wants to eat at that time.
When your cat rubs its head on you
Have you seen your cat rubbing its head on you? This is one of the most common ways that your pet likes to mark its territory. When the cat does it at home with other cats, it only gives the cat a chance to familiarize the pheromones.
How to know if a cat wants attention?
A few cats want to be the center of attention, and if your cat is not the exception, observe it instantly. It probably hops on or sits on the laptop while you’re working. In another case, it weaves through its owner’s legs when he or she’s cooking. Or the cat tries to hit the magazine you’re checking out of the way.
Such manners could be a bit frustrating, but it only wants to show that it loves your company and concern. If you want to make the cat lose patience, don’t care about it anymore, or feed it with treats. Remember that better understanding cat body language might take your time and effort, it’s worth doing it!
There are big differences in postures and manners between cat breeds. In detail, a Persian cat commonly holds its tail low while Siamese breeds love playing fetch. Each pet will have its typical postures. All you need to do is keep patient, pay more attention to your cat, and care for its hobbies and preferences.
Final words
Has your cat ever held its tail down or between the back legs? If it has done that, it’s feeling worried and scared of something. In contrast, when the tail of your feline buddy keeps vibrating, it must be eager when seeing you. For its wagging or swishing movement, the cat only wants to tell you to stay back. After reading our cat body language guide, we’re sure that you soon become a feline body language professional.
