Cat body language 101: What your feline friend is trying to tell you

By Lauren Rey

If you’ve ever looked at your feline friend and wondered what they may be thinking or feeling, you’re not alone. Every pet parent has been perplexed at one point or another over their cat’s behavior. Whether you thought they were inviting you to pet them only for your hand to be promptly swatted away, or they’ve knocked something off the counter for the tenth time — cats certainly know how to keep us on our toes.

Many common cat behaviors are often dismissed as “just cats being cats” but often, there’s a reason why your cat is acting the way they are. A cat’s behavior and body language can be a reflection of their thoughts, feelings, health status, and more.

While cats may not be able to speak and verbalize their thoughts in the way that humans can, if you pay close attention, you’ll learn that they have plenty to say. Let’s dive into how to decode your cat’s behavior and body language and find out what they’re trying to tell you!

The basics of cat body language

Cats use nearly all parts of their body to communicate, from their eyes and ears to their whiskers and tails. Let’s break down some of the most common cat body language signs and their potential meanings.

Eyes

In humans, they say the “eyes never lie” but this can be true of cats as well. A cat’s eyes may show changes in pupil size, eyelid position, and the look of their overall “stare” may change in response to their emotional state.

A soft, squinty eye expression, typically accompanied by narrow, slit-like pupils, often indicates a happy, relaxed, or content cat. A widened eye expression with dilated pupils can indicate a cat is feeling alert, playful, or even fearful, depending on the accompanying body language, so it’s important to look at the whole picture.

The way a cat stares can also have many meanings. A cat may stare intently at their human companion, while giving soft, slow blinks, to show trust and affection. Or they may stare intently at a person, object, or toy, without blinking, to indicate they are feeling playful or are in “hunting” mode. This is typically accompanied by a crouched body and a flicking tail. Cats will also stare intently at anything they perceive as a threat; this can be accompanied by a wide range of fearful or aggressive body language signs such as an arched back, erect fur, and flattened ears.

Ears

Like the eyes, a cat’s ears can be a good indicator of how they are feeling at a given moment. A cat’s ears can change position based on their emotional state and indicate a wide variety of feelings.

Relaxed, forward-facing ears often indicate a happy, relaxed cat, whereas flattened ears or ears held low and backward, known as “airplane ears,” can indicate a stressed, fearful, or agitated cat.

Deciphering cat ear expressions can be difficult on their own, as cats will also lower their ears or rotate them in response to sounds and other stimuli — so it’s important to look at what other body language and behaviors your cat is displaying for more clues.

Whiskers

Whiskers, or vibrissae, as they are known scientifically, are important sensory organs that help felines (and other animals) navigate through darkness and small spaces, detect movement, and even communicate. The position of a cat’s whiskers can change based on environmental stimuli or what type of behavior a cat is engaged in.

A happy, relaxed cat will often have relaxed whiskers, fixated in a neutral position. But when a cat is interested in something, like a prey animal in the wild or a toy mouse at home, their whiskers will face forward and fan out, readying them for the hunt!

Similarly to the ears, a cat’s whiskers will also pull back or become flattened when they are stressed, fearful, or agitated. You’ll often see these two types of body language happening simultaneously when a cat feels threatened.

Body

While the eyes, ears, and whiskers all come together to form facial expressions that can offer great insight into your cat’s emotional state, they are only one part of the equation. A cat’s body posture can also offer clues to how your cat is feeling.

A calm, content cat will have a relaxed, loose body posture. Similarly, a cat that is stressed or fearful, may have a stiff or tense posture and crouch closer to the ground.

When a cat feels threatened, they may arch their back and raise their fur, in an attempt to look larger and more intimidating to their perceived threat. This is a cat’s way of saying “go away” to whichever person, animal, or object is in front of them.

Tail

While most people are familiar with the idea that dogs showcase many emotions through their tails, this is often overlooked in cats. But when it comes to cat communication, a cat’s tail has its own language in a way.

Cat tail language can be one of the hardest to decipher, as some tail positions can look very similar. However, if you pay close attention to your cat’s tail, alongside any other body language signs they may be displaying, it gets easier to figure out.

A cat that is feeling confident and friendly will often walk with their tail straight up; and if they’re feeling particularly social, they may even rub or wrap their tail around you, as a friendly greeting. But if a cat is feeling frightened or ill, their tail may be held low or curled up to the body, displaying a defensive position.

When a cat is feeling playful or in “hunting” mode, they may swish their tail from side to side or twitch the ends, often while in a crouched position, preparing to pounce. Cats may also twitch or flick their tails when they are agitated, so this is where looking at the whole picture of your cat’s behavior and body language becomes important.

Common cat behaviors and what they mean

While cats can each have their own unique personalities and quirks, there are some common cat behaviors that nearly every cat will display at one time or another. Let’s break down some of the most common cat behaviors and what they might mean.

Scratching behaviors

Scratching is a natural cat behavior expressed by all species of felines to cover their litter, mark their territory, and clean and sharpen their claws. Some cats may also scratch or claw excessively due to boredom or stress — a sign they need more enrichment or a change to their environment.

Many first-time cat parents make the mistake of thinking they can train their cat not to scratch or even attempt to have them declawed. Neither of these will solve the problem of scratching and may even end up creating worse behavioral problems and health problems down the line. Rather than trying to suppress a cat’s natural instincts, give them a safe outlet to express them. You can find a wide variety of cat scratching posts, boards, “cat trees,” and other tools for your cat to scratch.

If your cat’s scratching behavior is becoming problematic, seek professional help from a veterinarian, behaviorist, or trainer.

Hunting behaviors

Cats are natural predators and will often display hunting behaviors such as stalking, chasing, and pouncing. Sometimes this manifests in ways like your cat stalking objects around your house and knocking things over, or “attacking” your feet when you walk by.

You can help fulfill your cat’s need to hunt (and maybe reduce the number of objects they knock over around your house) by supplying them with a variety of toys. Things like toy mice, balls, wands, and even interactive toys that you can fill with food or treats, so your cat can “hunt” for their food, can all help satisfy your cat’s need to hunt.

Climbing and perching behaviors

Climbing and perching are two very common and completely normal cat behaviors. In the wild, cats will climb trees and perch themselves up high for safety and to gain a better view of potential prey. If you have a feline friend at home, you’ve likely caught them climbing the kitchen counter or perched on top of the bookshelf on more than one occasion.

Similar to scratching and hunting, the best way to deal with your cat’s climbing is by giving them a safe space to do so. You can find cat trees, window perches, and other safe options for cats to climb and perch at pet stores.

Playful and contentment behaviors

Cats that are happy and content may showcase playful behaviors like chasing, rolling, and random bursts of energy, or “zoomies,” or contentment behaviors like kneading, playfully known as “making biscuits,” purring, or curling up next to you or on your lap. These are all good indicators that your cat is happy and content!

Fear, anxiety, or stress-related behaviors

Fear, anxiety, and stress in cats can manifest in a variety of behaviors, everything from hiding or shying away from a person, animal, or object that makes them uncomfortable, to taking an aggressive or defensive stance (in a multi-cat household, you may notice cat-on-cat aggression), or even engaging in destructive behaviors.

You may see some signs of stress such as avoidance, changes to appetite or elimination habits (like urinating outside of the litterbox), or restlessness. These are often accompanied by some of the body language signs we’ve outlined above, to indicate fear, stress, or anxiety.

If your cat is struggling with fear, anxiety, or stress it’s important to get to the root cause and make changes to your cat’s environment to make them more comfortable. Sometimes this may require the assistance of a veterinarian, behaviorist, or trainer.

Common cat vocalizations and what they mean

While cats can’t speak in the human sense, they do have their own form of vocal language, and it's much more than just meows. Here’s a breakdown of some common cat sounds and their meanings.

• Meow: The most common form of cat communication; cats might meow as a greeting, an invitation to socialize or play, an objection to something, to beg for food, or simply “just because.”
• Purr: When a cat is purring, it’s most often a sign of contentment. A cat may purr while interacting with people or other pets in the household that they enjoy spending time with.
• Yowl: The feline version of a howl, cats may yowl when they are experiencing fear, anxiety, or stress. It’s often considered a call for help, however, cats who haven’t been spayed or neutered may also yowl as a mating call.
• Hiss: Cats will hiss when they feel frightened or threatened by something. Consider hissing a warning to give the cat some space.
• Growl: Growling is an advanced warning; this means a cat is ready to defend itself against a perceived threat. It can often come with or after hissing and is another key indicator to give the cat some space.
• Chirp: Chirping, or sometimes called chittering or chattering, is a high-pitched sound that cats make when they are excited. You might observe your cat chirping at birds outside the window or while stalking their toy mouse around the living room.

Understanding cat communication through body language, behavior, and vocalizations

The key to understanding cat communication is looking at the whole picture — a combination of your cat’s body language, behavior, and vocalizations. For instance, a happy cat may appear with a relaxed, loose posture, engage in playful behaviors, and purr when petted. On the other hand, a cat that is feeling stressed or afraid may shy away from human touch, display tense body postures, “airplane” ears, and may hiss or growl when approached.

It’s also important to observe how your cat reacts to changes in their environment, such as moving to a new home, adding a new baby or new pet to the household, changes to their food or litter, more frequent visitors, or anything with loud noises (like a remodeling project). These can be sources of fear, anxiety, and stress for some cats.

When to call the vet

Sometimes cats may exhibit body language, behaviors, and vocalizations that don’t seem to make sense, such as suddenly becoming withdrawn when they used to be very friendly and social or urinating outside of the litterbox when they’ve been litter-trained for years. In many cases, this could indicate a potential medical problem.

When cats are dealing with pain or illness, they may exhibit stressed body language, avoidant or aggressive behaviors, or changes to their eating habits, water consumption, and litterbox habits. It’s always a good idea to contact your vet if you start noticing these types of changes in your cat.

Learning your cat's language

While we may never really know what our cats are thinking or feeling, by learning their “language,” we can better understand them, strengthen the bond we share with them, and ensure they live a happy, fulfilled life.

Keep your cat safe, comfortable, and happy by ensuring they get regular veterinary check-ups for optimal health, have current ID tags and microchips in case they ever wander off, and have access to toys, scratching posts, and perching places where they can express their natural feline behaviors.

For added protection, you can also consider a Lifetime Protection Membership from 24Petwatch. You’ll have access to vet telehealth for any questions that might arise, discounts on pet-sitting services, and lost pet recovery specialists standing by 24/7, to help bring your cat home quickly, should they ever get lost.