Cat Body Language

As we all know, cats are not able to express themselves through words, but they do have their own language. Ever since they are small kittens they learn to read their mothers and brothers body language by finding how to make themselves be understood with the movements of their tails, eyes, ears, and interpreting the gestures of those around them.

Cat eyes: Cats express themselves a lot with their eyes and it's not too difficult to figure out what they want and feel when they use them. Cats are able to squint their eyes, close them to the point where they look like lines, or open them wide like plates when they are staring at something. A cat that is happy has slightly rounded eyes. If at that moment someone were to look into the cat's eyes, the cat would blink very slowly and turn its head. Cats that are scared usually have very wide eyes and their pupils are dilated (the round spot in the eyes becomes large and round). A mad cat will open its eyes very widely but its pupil will be as thin as a plate. It has the shape of a vertical line.

Cat Ears: Although cats have small ears, their ears are very agile. Cats have up to thirty muscles to move them, and they can move them forward, backwards, up and down. Besides this, they can also move each ear individually and this gives them the ability to hear sounds that are coming from one direction and use the other ear to hear sounds from another direction. Normally when cats are in a relaxed mood, its ears are pointing forward. When the cat hears something that catches its attention, its ears immediately perk up and turn toward the direction of the sound. Frightened cats glue their ears against their heads. If your cat does this, stay away from it. When a cat is furious, it shows the back part of its ears, and the outer ears turn to the side. 

Cat Tail: Believe it or not cats even more so than dogs cat use their tails to express what they are feeing. When your cat comes running to you with its tail erect and the very tip bent over you know that it is happier than a lark to see you. And when your cat is relaxed and comfortable then its tail is simply hanging limp. However if your cat is slowly moving its tail from one side to the other it is either furious or about to pounce. And if your cat is flicking its tail from side to side then it is in a heightened state of excitement or aggression. If you have ever seen your cat staring at a bird from inside a closed window you will know what I am talking about.  Cats will also signal with their tails when they are in the mood to play. In these instances the cat's tail takes on the form of a "U" and means, "I am playful." When your cat is extremely scared or angry you will notice that it bristles all the hairs on its tail. This is to give the impression to whatever is threatening your cat, be it another cat or a dog, that it is much larger than it really is and therefore not worth messing with.