Nerd Movie Reviews

Reading Your Cat’s Tail

A bengal cat tee shirt

Cats are such mysterious creatures. Unlike dogs, which heed our every command and understand our emotions and even make faces like we do, cats are otherworldly. They’re whimsical, fickle creatures. Cats can change their mood suddenly. They can snub you for a long and then take a liking to you out of nowhere. And many of the things that cats do seemingly have no explanation at all. This is one reason they’re so fascinating, and why they appear in so many memes and on meme shirts.

But, a cat’s emotions are not entirely opaque. By looking at your kitty’s tail, you can tell all sorts of things about her. Just as humans carry our emotions in our body language, cats carry their emotions in their tails. Keep an eye on your kitty’s derriere to learn all sorts of things about him.

When your cat holds her tail high and crooks the end slightly, she is friendly. You will notice that your cat often greets you by raising her tail and running up to you when you come home. Holding the tail high is a way of saying hello. You may notice that your cat also mews or trills when running up to you with her tail held this way.

When your cat is frightened or anxious, her tail may become puffy. The hair on just her tail stands on end so that it appears fatter. She may also behave erratically, making quick motions or overreacting to small sounds. When your cat is behaving like this, she’s anxious and may need some reassurance. If her tail becomes thick and she arches her back and hisses, she’s absolutely terrified and should be left alone until she can calm down a bit. Get out of the way and let her find a place to hide!

If your kitty holds his tail low to the ground, keeps his head low, and looks side to side slightly while walking forward, he’s hunting. There may be a small mouse or other edible little creature around. One really entertaining fact about this body language is that it’s also common with lions and other big cats. If you watch a lion or tiger hunting, you’ll see that they frequently adopt this posture.