Cats use body language and movement to communicate a wide range of feelings and information. There are various responses such as when cats arch their backs, erect their hairs and adopt a sideward posture to communicate fear or aggression. Other visual communication can be a single behavioral change (as perceived by humans) such as slowly blinking to signal relaxation and comfort in their environment. Domestic cats frequently use visual communication with their eyes, ears, mouths, tails, coats and body postures. The change in a cat's facial features can be a strong indicator of their communication. •
Relaxed – The cat is seen lying on the side or sitting. Its breathing is slow to normal, with legs bent, or hind legs laid out or extended. Its tail is loosely wrapped, extended, or held up; when a cat is standing but calm (
i.e., at a moderately low level of neurobiological arousal), its tail tends to be still and may hang down loosely. •
Loafing – The cat has paws tucked in its body, with its body low to the ground, and tail underneath or around the body. Cats may do this when they are relaxed or cold. •
Stretching – This posture also indicates that the cat is relaxed. When cats lie on their back with their bellies exposed, they are in a position of vulnerability. Therefore, this position may communicate a feeling of trust or comfort. They may also roll onto their backs to defend themselves with their claws or to bask in areas of bright sunlight. •
Yawning – Sometimes combined with a stretch, this is another posture of a relaxed cat. Having the mouth open and no teeth exposed indicates playfulness. •
Fearful – The cat is lying on its belly or crouching directly on top of its paws. Its entire body may be shaking and very near the ground when standing up; Breathing is also fast, with its legs bent near the surface, and its tail curled and very close to its body when standing on all fours. As such, a fearfully defensive cat makes itself smaller, lowers itself toward the ground, arches its back and leans its body away from the threat rather than forward. Fighting usually occurs only when escape is impossible. •
Aggressive – The hind legs stiffen, the rump elevated, but the back stays flat; while tail hairs are erected. The nose is pushed forward and the ears are pulled back slightly. Since cats have both claws and teeth, they can easily cause injury if they become involved in a fight, so this posture is an attempt to elicit deference from a competitor without fighting. The aggressor may attempt to make the challengers retreat and will pursue them if they do not flee. •
Confident – The cat may walk around in a more comfortable manner with its tail up to the sky. Cats often walk through houses with their tails standing up high above them, making them look grander and more elegant. •
Alert – The cat is lying on its belly, or it may be sitting; Its back is almost horizontal when standing and moving; Its breathing normal, with its legs bent or extended (when standing); Its tail is curved back or straight upward and may twitch when positioned downward. •
Tense – The cat is lying on its belly, with the back of its body lower than its upper body (slinking) when standing or moving back; Its hind legs are bent and front legs are extended when standing, and the tail is close to the body, tensed or curled downward; there can be twitching when the cat is standing up. •
Anxious/ovulating – The cat is lying on its belly, while the back of the body is more visibly lower than the front part when the cat is standing or moving. Its breathing may be fast, and its legs are tucked under its body. The tail is close to the body and maybe curled forward (or close to the body when standing), with the tip of the tail moving up and down (or side to side). The tail is also moved to the side when ready to be mounted by the male cat.
Ears Cats can change the position of their ears very quickly, and continuously. They are erect when the cat is alert and focused, slightly relaxed when the cat is calm, and flattened against the head when extremely defensive or aggressive. In cats, flattened ears generally indicate that it feels threatened and may attack used as a defense or attack posture.
Eyes A direct stare by a cat usually communicates a challenge or threat and is more likely to be seen in high-ranking cats; lower-ranking cats usually withdraw in response.
Tail Cats often use their tails to communicate. For example, a cat holding its tail vertically generally indicates positive emotions such as happiness or confidence; the vertical tail is often used as a friendly gesture toward people or other cats. Additionally, a cat may twitch its tail when playing. A half-raised tail can indicate less pleasure, and discontent is indicated with a tail held low. A cat's tail may swing from side to side, and if this motion is slow and "lazy", it generally indicates that the cat is in a relaxed state. Cats will twitch the tip of their tails when hunting, alert, or playful. A stalking domestic cat will typically hold its tail low to the ground while in a crouch, and twitch it quickly from side to side. This tail behavior is also observed when a cat becomes "irritated" and is about to lash out and attack typically done by biting or scratching with the claws extended. When playing, a cat, usually a kitten, may raise the base of its tail high and stiffen all but the tip into a shape like an upside-down "U". This signals great excitement, to the point of hyperactivity. It may also be seen when younger cats chase each other, or when they run around by themselves. When greeting their owners, cats often hold their tails straight up with a quivering motion that indicates extreme happiness. A scared or surprised cat may erect the hairs on its tail and back. It may stand more upright and turn its body sideways to increase its apparent size as a threat. Tailless cats, such as the
Manx, which possess only a small stub of a tail, move the stub around as if they have a full tail.
Panting Unlike dogs,
panting is a rare occurrence in cats, except in warm weather environments, or after delivery. Some cats may pant in response to anxiety, fear or excitement. It can also be caused by play, exercise, or stress from stimuli, such as car rides. Panting in cat-moms after delivery is normal and not related to temperature, female cats may pant for several days up to weeks postpartum. However, if panting is excessive or the cat appears in distress, it may be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as a nasal blockage,
heartworm disease, head
trauma, or drug
poisoning. In many cases, feline panting, especially if accompanied by other symptoms, such as
coughing or shallow breathing (
dyspnea), is considered to be abnormal and is treated as a medical emergency. ==Tactile communication==