Friday, February 4, 2011

What Does That Mean?

By Dawn Kavanaugh


All of us cat owners at one time or another has asked ourselves, "why is my cat's tail going a mile a minute?" There have been many explanations but let us take a look at some of the cat's emotional reasons. Just as humans use their body language to express a mood, so do cats. The movement of a cat's tail communicates its emotional state. Here are a few of a cat tail movements and explanations.


When a cat's tail is held erect, this indicates that the cat is offering an intense, loving greeting and completely trusts their human companion. You probably have observed this when arriving home from a long day of being away. However, if the tail's tip is bent over, they may have some reservations. This is often the case with a newly adopted cat from a no-kill shelter/rescue. "But I've seen my cat's tail fully erect and it looks twice the normal size!" This means the cat is in an aggressive mood and often occurs when they are "hunting" or "stalking" prey. "Prey" can be a toy, an animal outside your window or even during "play" with another fur buddy.

If the tail is held still, but tip is twitching vigorously it usually means the animal is irritated. If you are stroking your animal companion, notice this tail behavior and fail to stop petting, you can expect a bad-tempered paw swipe. This is not meant to harm, but rather to say; "leave me alone".

When a cat's tail is fully lowered and may be tucked between hind legs this is an indication that he/she is signaling defeat or trying to avoid a confrontation. This may occur if you have another cat in the household who is the "dominating" cat. Seldom will you see this display in a one cat home, towards their "human parent". This should not be mistaken for when a cat is laying near you and they have their tail completely wrapped around themselves. This is a sign that they are completely at peace with you and to also keep their paws warm. You may observe this behavior more during the winter months when your home may not be as warm as in the summer.

Finally, you may notice a combination of several tail signals when climbing, playing or jumping on or off cat condos, cat furniture and even window cat perches. Cats love to have something to climb and the taller the object, the better. Ever come home to find your cat on top of the refrigerator or at the top of the pantry? Ever spend hours looking for your cat only to find they are as high as possible? So, it may be a good investment, (for your cat's mental health), to get a high cat perch. Watch your cat's tail and marvel at how they communicate through their body language.




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