Cat Body Language 101: How to Read your cat’s body language and improve your relationship with your feline friend
Can you guess how Bitsy is feeling?
As someone who has grown up with cats their whole life, I am pretty comfortable with reading cat body language, but there is always more to learn! By knowing what their body language means you can glean some vital information about your cat’s mood and general well-being. There is an old stereotype of cats being aloof and unemotional, but as most cat owners will tell you, they are very expressive. Even a cat’s “aloofness” may be a sign that they are simply comfortable sharing space with you. Do you know what your cat is saying to you?*
*These are generally agreed upon behavior analyses for most cats. Your cat’s behavior may vary, especially with traumatic experiences in their past, lack of early socialization, or cognitive differences. As with analyzing any animal behavior, context matters.
Signs of a Calm and Relaxed Cat
Miso showing “soft eyes”
Eyes
A calm cat will have “soft eyes” or a soft gaze. A commonly known sign of comfort or affection is a cat’s “slow blink”, when they gradually lower their eyelids. This is often called a cat “I love you”. When cats are comfortable closing their eyes or relaxing their gaze, it is a sign of trust since they are lowering their vigilance of you and their environment. Try doing this to your cat and see if they do it back!
Ears
A calm cat’s ears will usually be in a neutral position. Lots of movement would indicate vigilance of their environment, so still ears tend to mean relaxation or indifference.
Mouth
Similar to a cat’s ears, a neutral or relaxed position of the mouth will usually be found in a calm cat. Some cats may drool if they are very relaxed or thoroughly enjoying the pets they are receiving. If you’re lucky you may see a “blep” or their tongue sticking out slightly, although this can happen other times too, such as during play.
tortie kitten Winnie shows us a blep
Flehmen response: When a cat smells something particularly interesting to them, they may make a silly face with their mouth hanging slightly open and the appearance of a grimace or “stink face”. This is called the “Flehmen response” and happens when a cat is trying to gather more information about the scent through an opening in the roof of their mouth. This often happens in response to pheromones or other scents put out by animals, but can be in response to any smell. Big cats in the wild also do this, as well as other animals such as goats, sheep, and horses.
A tiger demonstrating the Flehmen response
Tail
Standing tall but not tense, curved, dangling, or resting is what you should look for with your cat’s tail. Some cats may “vibrate” their tail when they are happy or excited to see you!
Posture
Loose body, splayed legs, or rolling or laying on their back is a definite sign of relaxation and confidence. A predator animal exposing their belly is a great sign of trust since they are not guarding their soft underside. Touch the belly at your own peril, however, unless you know your cat is chill with belly rubs. I’ve met a few who are!
When a cat faces their backside towards you, this can be an indicator of trust as well since they are pointing their vulnerable side at you.
Our cat Bill looking quite relaxed
Purring
This is probably an obvious one, but a cat purring will usually indicate contentedness. It can also be a self-soothing behavior. This is one of those behaviors that can be tricky since sometimes cats will purr when anxious. Look for other combined signs of a confident, happy, or relaxed cat combined with purring to be sure.
Is this cat enjoying pets?
Farah leaning into some pets
A cat who is enjoying your physical attention will lean in, seek more contact, and keep coming back for more. If you put your hand out and they rub their cheeks on you, or “bonk” against your hand, they are likely enjoying and inviting this affection. Keep a close eye however, since some cats have a small limit with how much petting they enjoy before getting overstimulated— our cat Bill often has a small window of tolerance.
An important behavior with cats is scent marking since they have scent glands in their cheeks. You may see them rubbing their cheeks on objects in your home to claim it as their territory. Rubbing their cheeks on you means they are claiming you as their person (in addition to enjoying the cheek scritches).
Playful Body Language
Since domesticated cats are still technically predator animals, much of the play behavior they exhibit can also be seen in their hunting behavior. It’s important to give your cat an outlet for these instincts to keep them healthy and happy, and to discourage them from destroying your furniture or your flesh! Here are some play behaviors you may have noticed your kitty friend doing:
Widening their pupils
This lets more light into their eyes and helps them see better, a key benefit in hunting
Cody sees something that grabs his attention
Getting low to the ground and wiggling their butt before a pounce
This can be a way to “warm up” their bodies or to check their balance before the pounce
Lightly swishing or vibrating their tail
Hunting, stalking, and getting ready to pounce
Hiding behind corners
For stealth while stalking prey or toys
Chirping at critters outside
To express excitement, entertainment, or readiness to hunt
Carrying a toy off after they catch it
Rose is ready to play!
This can be a hunting behavior, and sometimes is accompanied by crying or meowing. Our cat Bill does this almost nightly, yelling down the hallway and carrying one of his many catnip toys to our bedroom door. It also may be a comfort behavior. Some cat behaviorists say that when cats do this, they may be mimicking carrying around their young.
Panting
Cats will sometimes pant after playing really hard. This is a good indicator of a satisfied cat! Having them play to the point of panting is great for expending their hunting energy. Their breathing should go back to normal after a brief time.
Signs of a Stressed of Fearful Cat
a cat hides behind a blanket
A scared or stressed cat will make themselves as flat as possible, often hiding under furniture. If you adopt a new cat or just have a cat that is scared of new people in the home, you may have experienced this behavior. Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy recommends “blocking the unders” to discourage this behavior i.e. blocking access to spaces underneath furniture or other small spaces you don’t want your cat to hide.
Eyes
Cat’s pupils will dilate when not only when they are playful or hunting, but also when they are stressed. Prolonged or mismatched (different amounts in each eye) dilation can also be an indicator of a health issue.
Ears
Pinned back or flattened
a cat hissing
Mouth
Hissing: The most known communication of cat displeasure
Baring teeth: The cat is attempting to be threatening
Yawning: While this will often be a sign of relaxation, some cats will yawn as a self-soothing behavior if they are feeling tense or nervous. Dogs may also do this when they are nervous or as an appeasement gesture.
cat with a puffed up tail
Tail
Puffed up: cats will puff up their tails when agitated, scared, or threatened in order to make themselves appear larger
Tail swishing: a nervous or agitated motion
Butt wiggling: Getting ready to attack
Posture
Either making themselves as flat and small as possible, often combined with hiding, or making themselves appear as large as possible (puffing up their tail)
a cat with enlarged pupils, hiding
Hiding
Hiding in hard to reach places such as under the bed may indicate a shy, scared, or stressed cat.
Not Enjoying Pets
Cats are generally very good about letting you know when they are not enjoying something either vocally or with their body language. Most cats will give you some kind of warning communication first, such as ducking away, tensing, or nipping at you to tell you to back off. Cats are often cited as good creatures to learn about consent and boundaries from for this reason. They are great at giving a clear yes or no!
Lulu is expressive about her personal space and we love that!
Conclusion
Learning the ins and outs of cat behavior is a valuable tool for you as your cat’s guardian. It can help us discern what our cats need, what makes them happy, and what makes them uncomfortable. There are few things as rewarding as seeing your cat tired from play, happy and relaxed, or affectionate and loving.
Cosette shows off her fluff
As cat care providers, our priorities are making sure your feline friend is comfortable, healthy, safe, and happy. We have experience with all kinds of cat personalities, from the shy cat who we rarely see, to the friendly cat who wants pets the whole visit. One of the best things about cats is their wide range of personalities, and we hope that this post has helped you learn a thing or two about your particular kitty pal.
