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Understanding Your Cat
Cat Sounds & Body Language
3 min readOct 9, 2022
Understanding your cat will help you connect better and bond with your cat. Here are some in-depth insights into your cat’s body language and sounds that will help you understand what your cat is telling you.
Relaxed
- Sleeping
- Resting
- Alert or active (maybe playing)
- Lying down on side or belly or sitting
- Breathing is slow to normal
- Tail is extended or loosely wrapped
- Head is laying on surface or over body, some movement
- Eyes are closed to open & Pupils are slit to normal size
- Ears and whiskers are normal to forward
- Sounds: none or purring
Alert
- Awake or actively exploring
- Lying on belly or sitting
- Back is horizontal, if standing or moving
- Normal Breathing
- Tail is on body or curved back or tense backward when standing (may be twitching)
- Head is over body, there is some movement
- Eyes are opened normally & Pupils are normal
- Ears are normal, erected front or back
- Sounds: none or meow
Tense
- Resting or alert, may be exploring or trying to escape
- Body is lying on belly or sitting (if standing or moving — the back of the body is lower than the front)
- Breathing is normal
- Tail is close to the body — tense downward or curled forward, may be twitching when standing
- Head is over the body or pressed to the body, little or no movement
- Eyes are wide open or pressed together & Pupils are normal or partially dilated
- Ears are erected, front or back
- Sounds: none, longer meowing, or meow
Nervous
- Alert or may be actively trying to escape
- Body is lying on belly or sitting — If standing or moving, the back of the body is lower than the front
- Breathing is normal or fast
- Tail is close to the body (may be curled forward close to the body when standing. The tip may move up and down or side to side.)
- Head has little or no movement
- Eyes are wide open & Pupils are dilated
- Ears are partially flattened
- Sounds: none, longer meowing, growling, or yowling
Fearful
- They are motionless, alert, or crawling
- The body is lying on belly or crouched directly on top of all paws & if standing, the whole body is near the ground (may be shaking)
- Breathing is fast
- Tail is close to the body, curled forward close to the body when standing
- Head is near to surface or motionless
- Eyes are fully open & Pupils are fully dilated
- Ears are fully flattened
- Sounds: none, longer meowing, growling, or yowling
Terrified
- Motionless alert
- Body is crouched directly on top of all paws, shaking
- Hair on back and tail bushy/ bristled
- Breathing is fast
- Tail is close to body & fluffed out
- Head is lower than the body
- Eyes are fully opened & Pupils are fully dilated
- Ears are fully flattened, back on head
- Sounds: none, longer meowing, growling, yowling, & hissing
Happy
- Tail erect and stiffly vertical
- Face and body are relaxed
- There may be a smile
- Purring
- Stretching
- Kneading
- Licking
- Although, if his tail flicks or his body ripples, it means that the cat wants the stimulus to stop
Sadness
- Lethargy
- Dull fur coat
- loss of appetite
- Weird toilet habits
- Scratching or pawing at skin
Aggression
- Sounds: grunting, growling, hissing, screaming, & spitting
Content
A purr is usually heard
Calls & Cries
Mating, fearful & loneliness
LOOK AT THE TAIL
Worried
- Tail tucked between legs
Irritated
- Tip of tail twitching, while the rest of the tail is still
“I’m glad to see you”
- Tail is erect with tip stiffly vertical
“I adore you”
- My tail erect with length quivering
“I’m friendly”
- My tail is erect with tip tilted
Beware!
- Tail is straight and bristled