BODY LANGUAGE "Cats"
Cats tell us a lot through their bodies. While all cats will have subtle differences in how they
communicate what they are feeling—whether confident, relaxed, fearful, defensive or ready to attack— there are some general signals they use, with both humans and other cats. Many of these signals are inherited from their Raw Cat ancestor, which, as you will see, sometimes creates challenges for the modern cat.
A cat’s tail serves many purposes. It helps with jumping and balance, and can even provide warmth
and protection. But when a cat is sitting, or walking slowly, the tail is free to communicate. The cat’s
tail can send several different messages because the tip can move independently from the rest of the
tail.
In the Raw Cat’s ancestral environment (grasslands), the tail was likely a good long-distance signal
of a cat’s emotional state. Strutting by with the tail in the air is a Mojo moment. The “tail up” with a
curve at the tip is a classic friendly or playful greeting that says “hello,” or “right this way, follow me.”
As the tail lowers, the message might change a little. An ambivalent tail is slightly lowered, at more
of a 45-degree angle.
The tail at “half-mast,” or horizontal to the ground, can be neutral, friendly, or even tentatively
exploratory, and requires more contextual information for interpretation.
A “tail down” can serve a few different functions. Cats slightly lower the tail while stalking prey.
But a cat might also be trying to make himself smaller by lowering the tail, assuming either a defensive or fearful posture. In extreme cases, the lower tail is accompanied by the “army crawl,” or walking away from a potential threat quickly and as low to the ground as they can get.
The tail between the legs is the most extreme expression of fear.
A bristled tail generally signifies DEFCON 1. It can be offensive or defensive, but it is often a
response to something alarming in the environment.
A quivering tail (sometimes referred to as “mock spraying” since that’s exactly what it looks like) is
usually a sign of positive excitement. In my experience, I’ve noticed the “mock spray” directed either at or near a person the cat is fond of. I can only guess that this signifies ownership with a posture that
walks the tightrope between confident (body scent marking, rubbing, etc.) and unconfident (urine
marking) cat language. Either way, I’ve learned to take it as a pretty high compliment!
Tail lashing is often an indicator of impending aggression or defensiveness, while smaller, subtle
twitching movements can indicate frustration or irritation. (See “The Energetic Balloon” in chapter 7
for more on this.)