There is a basic language to be found in a cat’s tail. A cat uses its tail primarily to aid balance during movement, but a secondary use is to communicate its intention to other cats:
- A tail that is lowered suggests that the cat is calm or submissive.
- A tail that is fully raised suggests that the cat is about to display a dominant form of behaviour such as marking or aggression.
- A tail that is repetitively swaying from side to side suggests that the cat is about to pounce in play or in attack against prey or competitor.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Catherine // Apr 15, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I thought this advice could be more useful if it was preceeded by a list of identifications for a HEALTHY cat. The qualities of a healthy cat must be known first; for example one of my cats displays some of the ill health signs listed however my twice yearly health checks with my vet indicate he is fine…..go figure?
2 Rise // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:04 pm
My cats raise their tails straight up when I call them or they see or hear me coming because they are happy to see or me.
3 Bo // Jun 18, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Not all cats that wag their tails are upset. I have 2 that when they are content we have major tail wagging going on!
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