Recognizing, Understanding, and Interpreting Cat Body Language
Unlike us bipeds, cats cannot simply tell us what they like, what bothers them, and whether they are happy, angry, or stressed. Hardly any four-legged friend has such a distinct and diverse body language as cats. Learning this requires some know-how, practice, and a trained eye. Show your cat love and learn its language - you will see that this will benefit your harmonious coexistence in every case.
How Does Communication Work in Cats?
Cat communication occurs through every little detail of body language. Whether it’s a quick blink, a slight twitch of the tail, or the shape of the back: Those who want to understand cats must look closely. Thanks to the special attention of our furry friends, they can react lightning-fast, which is why cats are sometimes known for their particularly quick mood changes. The combination of eyes, ears, tail, facial expressions, and overall body posture expresses a cat's mood.
Everyone knows the hissing cat that signals reluctance with its contracted face and crouched body posture. This is the basic course in communication theory - but there is still much more to understand. Whether you want to get to know your cat better or →be well-prepared for your future cat, with our overview you have important information about cat language at hand.
Body Language with the Tail: What Cats Want to Express
The position of the cat's tail can tell you a lot when it comes to mood. An tucked tail means your cat is submissive. An upright, twitching tail can indicate joy or nervousness, while a straight, bushy tail expresses anger and readiness to attack. The differences can be subtle, and for laypeople, aggression can quickly be misread as joy.
A relaxed, horizontally held tail signals goodwill, and your cat is open to contact with you. Even if your cat holds its tail slightly up, it is looking forward to you. However, you should be cautious if it sits and lightly swishes its tail back and forth. Here, your furry friend is on high alert.
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Achte bei deiner Katze auf den Schwanz, denn er sagt viel über die Stimmung aus.
Understanding Your Cat's Mood: Here's How
First, observe your four-legged friend closely. Certain behaviors and looks indicate a specific mood that you can "read" in your cat.
Joy and Affection
There’s nothing more beautiful than your cat’s cuddly mood. If it is happy to see you and wants to →show you its love, you can recognize this by...
- an upright tail
- frequent blinking and purring
- showing its belly
- walking back and forth, accompanied by "Meow!"
- rubbing against your legs and head-butting ("head rubbing")
- relaxed, forward-facing ears
- kneading its paws on your body
- licking your hand
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Sanftes Blinzeln, aufgerichtete Ohren und eine entspannte Haltung: Deine Katze freut sich, dich zu sehen und ist in wohliger Stimmung.
Receiving love, giving love - the best way to give your cat a piece of love back is to have a suitable snack ready in such moments. When selecting, pay attention to a healthy composition with a short ingredient list. Sugar, grains, and artificial additives should have no place in a tasty snack.
Come, Play with Me!
Your cat wants to play and is really in the mood to grab the next toy mouse. Preferably with you! You can tell your cat wants to play when...
- it zooms back and forth quickly
- it rolls around on the floor
- it comes to you and nudges your leg or hand with its paw
- it stands on its hind legs and tries to catch something with its paws
Fear and Fright
In some situations, your cat can become fearful. This is completely natural and can sometimes save its fellow creatures in the wild. To ensure you don’t overwhelm your cat when it is scared, you can watch for the following signals:
- crouched body posture
- ears directed sideways, "hanging"
- hanging, bushy tail
- tucked, bent tail
- wide pupils
Aggression
If slight fear turns into anger and aggression, caution is advised! The difference between fear and aggression can be recognized by the pupils. Your cat is ready to defend itself by any means if...
- its fur bristles
- it snaps at you or →bites
- it arches its back ("cat arch")
- its tail is down and bristled
- its tail is stiff and horizontal
- it has narrow, slit-like pupils
- it stares at you without blinking
- it flattens its ears and hisses
- it shows its teeth
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Die Ohren hängen leicht, der Blick ist starr und die Zähne einsatzbereit: Deine Katze ist wütend und jederzeit zum Angriff bereit.
Stress
Is your cat stressed? Stress is more than just unpleasant for your cat and is a risk factor when it comes to →frequent urinary tract infections in cats. If you pay attention to the following signals, you can easily recognize stress in your cat:
- hanging tail that swings back and forth
- yawning can indicate uncertainty and restlessness
- lowered body posture and ears
- scratching furniture instead of the scratching post
- frequent hiding
- excessive grooming
- →loss of appetite
Cat Body Language: Often Ambiguous
Not always does, for example, the position of the tail and ears in cats stand for exactly one mood. Similarly, staring can mean joy or aggression depending on the intensity. The overall situation often provides insight into what your cat really means. Misunderstandings are normal, and sometimes your cat reads a behavior or mood from you that may not be accurate.
However, if you listen to your cat and observe it closely, you can quickly get a sense of when it wants to tell you something. Just because you don’t speak the same language doesn’t mean you can’t communicate with each other. And those who know their kitty well know how sociable and talkative our four-legged friends really are.
