Interpreting Your Cat's Body Language

Animals, including humans and cats, use a lot of body language to communicate. Your cat probably understands a lot more of your body language than you think, but how much of your cat's body language do you understand? And how much is lost in translation? 

For example, much of the cat's marking behavior is misunderstood by people. While humans claim their territory by erecting fences and scrawling graffiti, cats more often claim their territory with scent markers. Cats have scent glands on the chin, lip corners, temples, foot pads and around the anus. They also produce individualized scent along with its urine and feces. Even when the cat licks himself, he distributes individualized scent all over his body. This scent is then distributed on any surface he rubs against. When greeting, a cat rubs his head, flank and tail against the person or other cat to exchange odors. By holding his tail upright and even elevating his rear, the cat invites the other to sniff his anal area to get to know him better. Other ways cats distribute their scent are: 

• Head butting: A cat will push his forehead and cheeks against objects, including you, to distribute his scent on them. Chin rubbing is also used to mark territory.
• Furniture scratching: When a cat "sharpens his nails" on your sofa or preferably, a scratching post, he's distributing scent from glands in his footpads to the sofa or post, marking them as part of his territory. The scratched area also works as a visual signal. Cats that feel threatened by newcomers will often scratch more.
• Urine spraying: Intact male cats are especially prone to mark with urine. When spraying, the cat turns his rear toward a vertical surface such as a wall, holds his tail erect and sprays. You can see his tail twitching when he does this. Neutered males may also spray, but less commonly than intact males, and female cats may also spray, but rarely. Spraying is more common in multi-cat households.

Understanding your cat means combining all aspects of his body language, often along with the context in which he's doing it. For example, a cat who's walking directly toward another cat, staring at the cat with his head held low and his rear held high, all the while swiveling his ears, is acting aggressively. He may not fight, but he's probably not backing down easily. A cat whose hair is fuzzed up, is hissing, and is either standing with arched back or hunkered down, possibly easing away, is on the defensive. Given a chance to retreat, this cat doesn't want to fight. Following are some components of cat body language: 

Posture:
Straightened rear legs, with rear end higher than front: aggressive (or being petted).
Arched back, sideways stance: defensive display
Slowly retreating: defensive retreat
Crouched with head turned: fearful, submissive
Rolling over: playfulness or appeasement, depending on context
Rolling repeatedly: female in estrus soliciting
Sprawled out: relaxed
Hunched up: relaxed, or possibly, sick

Fur:
Erect ridge of hair on back: aggressive, or slight fear
Erect hair all over: fearfulness

The Paws:
Kneading: contentment
Scratching on vertical surface: marking territory
Unsheafed claws: play, aggression

The Tail:
Straight up: friendly, content
Straight up, hooked tip: friendly, unsure
Straight up, fuzzed: aggressive, scared
Level with back: relaxed, neutral
Tip twitching: interested, stalking
Thrashing: irritated, excited

The Head:
Stretched forward: Greeting
Held high: assertive
Lowered: aggressive or submissive
Turned to the side, chin tucked: lack of interest
Chin tucked: relaxed
Head-but or rub: friendly

The Eyes:
Open wide: alert
Half mast: relaxed
Prolonged stare: assertive or threatening
Slow blinking: less threatening
Dilated pupils: fearfulness, excitement, aggression, pain, or in low light
Slit pupils: concentrating, relaxed, or in bright light
Nictitating membrane (third eyelid) showing: sleepy, sick

The Ears:
Facing forward with a slight tilt back: relaxed
Facing forward, some swiveling: attentive
Slightly back and flattened: anxious
Far back and flattened: scared
Sideways: aggressive
Sideways and flattened: scared and aggressive

The Whiskers (vibrissa):
Pricked forward: interest
Flattened backward: fearful

The Mouth:
Yawn: anxiety, non-threatening intentions
Hiss: threatened, defensive
Agape: Flehman response (sampling scent signals from other cats)
Lip licking: anxiety