What your cat is telling you: a little body-language dictionary

The cat's reputation is unfair. People say it's aloof, solitary, that it does whatever it likes. The truth is different: a cat communicates almost constantly, just more quietly and subtly than a dog. It speaks with its tail, its ears, its eyes and the way it sits. Learn to read it and you'll find the "unpredictable" cat was perfectly understandable all along.

Here's a practical glossary. Once you've been through it, you'll start seeing the signals everywhere, and your relationship with your cat usually levels up.

The tail speaks loudest

A cat's tail is a mood traffic light. An upright tail with a slightly curved tip is a friendly greeting, the cat is welcoming you and is pleased. A slowly twitching or lashing tail, by contrast, means tension or irritation; the faster the swish, the stronger the "not right now". And a bristled, bottle-brush tail signals fright, the cat is trying to look bigger because something scared it.

Learn to watch just the tail and you'll head off most misunderstandings. Plenty of "unprovoked" scratches are, in fact, well announced in advance.

Eyes: a slow blink is a kiss

Cats communicate with their eyes too. A slow, lazy blink is one of the loveliest signals you'll get from a cat, it means calm, trust and affection. You can return it: look at your cat and slowly close and open your eyes. Many cats answer in kind.

By contrast, dilated pupils and a fixed stare signal arousal, fear or hunting tension. Narrowed eyes mean calm, wide eyes mean alarm.

Ears like antennae

Quick decoder: what each position means

• Tail up, tip curved → "hi, I like you"
• Tail lashing fast → "leave me be right now"
• Slow blink → trust and contentment
• Ears forward → curiosity, interest
• Ears flattened back ("airplane") → fear or anger, give space
• Purring + kneading with paws → contentment (often from kittenhood)
• Rolling onto the back → trust, not always an invitation to rub the belly

Ears pointed forward belong to a curious, engaged cat. The moment they flatten back into "airplane" mode, the mood has flipped, the cat is afraid or annoyed and is asking for distance. It's one of the most reliable signals for when to pull your hands back.

Purring and kneading: a legacy of kittenhood

Purring usually means contentment, but not always, cats sometimes purr under stress or in pain, as a way to self-soothe. So read it in the context of the rest of the body. Kneading with the paws, on the other hand, is clearly pleasant: it comes from a kitten suckling at its mother, and in an adult cat it means "I feel safe and good". When your cat kneads your lap, take it as a compliment.

When body language speaks about health

One more thing worth knowing: body language is also a window into health. A cat that suddenly hides, hunches, stops grooming or changes its usual behaviour may not be saying "I'm in a mood" but "something's wrong". Cats are masters at hiding pain, so a sudden change in behaviour is among the first signals worth attention. If it persists, contact your vet.

And that's exactly why it helps to know what's normal for your cat. In PetPal you keep a profile and notes on behaviour and health: so when something changes, you have a comparison to hand. The better you know your cat, the sooner you'll notice it's telling you something important.