Feline language

Felines say a lot with their body language:

• Eyes: Cats send a lot of messages with their pupils. When they are uncomfortable, their pupils get dilated.
• Ears: Will be lowered and cocked to the side in times of stress.
• Posture: When they feel stressed, cats will slink down and curl up in a ball in an attempt to make themselves smaller.
• A cat’s twitchy tail is a sign of discomfort. A relaxed tail held slightly down means that all is well. Cats will straighten their tails when they are interested in something or someone. A bristled tail paired with raised hair on the back means that the cat feels threatened and is becoming defensive. And when cats are scared, they cower and tuck their tails under their body, going into a crescent position.

As the level of stress increases, cats will adopt even more explicit behaviours. Let’s say an unknown dog enters the house, cats will prefer hiding. They will seek out hiding places where they can see without being seen. If they choose or are forced to fight—for a prey, for instance—they will bristle to try and appear bigger.

Annoyed cats can lick themselves at odd times. For example, if you push Fluffy off her favourite armchair, she will probably take a few steps and then stop to give herself a few licks. A cat that licks himself at an odd time and place may be expressing frustration.

Cats hiss and spit when pushed to the extreme limit. For example, if 2 cats are standing together and one hisses, it means the cat feels bullied and is reaching the end of his rope. This goes against the idea that the hissing cat is the aggressor because it most often is the victim.

We have to act quickly and attempt to change the situation and the pet’s emotional state. Remove your pet from the situation should the signs of stress persist. Once you recognize the signs, try to find the triggers, and limit your pet’s exposure to them until you can determine the best way to manage the issue. Of course, we recommend talking about it with your team of veterinarians.

Prevent the situation from worsening. You are the best person to act on your cat’s behalf and direct the interactions with unfamiliar humans. We wouldn’t want that a constant stressor to affect your cat’s quality of life or to make your feline that he must fight back by biting.

Well, who said they climbed on us to get petted? Cats come to us to snuggle and partake in our heat, or because they enjoy being held. We’re the ones who assume they want us to caress them. Also, there is a good chance that he really wanted the be petted at first, but he had enough and want it to stop. A good tip to see if a cat wants to be petted or not, just do a little test. Every 2 or 3 hand rubs, stop and see if the cat moves toward your hand for more. If the cat doesn’t show a clear interest, stop petting him. A cat knows how to get what he wants, so expect the clear requests!

Not always, but most of the time, yes. Cats will purr to express their happiness and well-being, but they might also purr in times of pain or distress as a way to calm themselves.

Acting like a good pet parent is crucial not only to your cat’s physical but also psychological and mental health. To that end, Passionimo developed a few tools to help you to establish how your companion is adapting to your activities. You can navigate through our articles to find many useful tips and quick tests, to understand your feline better.