- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
From their whiskers to their tails, cats are exceptional non-verbal communicators. Understanding feline body language, including the meaning of your cat’s tail movements, can give you insights into your cat’s feelings and deepen your bond.
Context clues also play a key role in deciphering cat tail language. “Cats use their tails to express how they feel, just as humans use facial features,” Dr. Katie Merkatoris, DVM, a veterinarian expert with JustAnswer Veterinary, says.
Read on to learn what your cat is feeling or expressing through their tail language.
Do Cats Control Their Tails?
“Most movement is voluntary, but some aspects of a cat’s tail body language are involuntary. For example, the cat’s tail puffing out is caused by the sympathetic nervous system and is involuntary,” Joey Lusvardi, founder of Class Act Cats, explains.
Despite its humble appearance, a cat’s tail is a surprisingly complex appendage that’s primarily used to help a cat maintain their balance—in addition to communication.
Dr. Merkatoris says cat tails are made up of 18 to 23 smaller bones called caudal vertebrae, surrounded by six different muscles. This unique combination is what allows a cat’s tail to have such a large range of subtle voluntary and involuntary motions, such as side-to-side movements, extension, and flexion.
“The tail is usually one of the more obvious indicators of emotion in a cat,” Dr. Merkatoris says.
Cat Tail Positions Decoded
Here’s what Dr. Merkatoris and feline behaviorists Stephen Quandt founder of Stephen Quandt Feline Behavior Associates, and Joey Lusvardi, founder of Class Act Cats, say about the most common emotions expressed through cat tail positions.
- Straight and upright means friendly: Tail held up with no to very little movement with the tip slightly quivering, or slightly curling or hooking.
- Low or wrapped around the body means cautious: No movement or very subtle movements, often accompanied by a hunched body position.
- Upward with hooked or curled tip means affectionate: Tail with curled tip is held up, or curved around the person or object of affection.
- Pointing back or partially up, sometimes with a curled or hooked tip means playful: While actively playing, tail might alternate between large and rapid movements and slow controlled ones or quiver. Tail will not be thrashing or thumping.
- Upright or partially up means annoyed: This is accompanied by quick thrashing, twitching, or thumping.
- Pointing up means excited, fearful, or curious: Quivering, sometimes puffed out. Sometimes accompanied by spraying or urine marking.
- Low and curled or wrapped tightly around body means defensive: No movement, and the cat may hunch down and make themselves look smaller.
- Pointing back, vertically and flat, means neutral: No to little movement. Tail is relaxed.
In general a high tail that points up signals your cat is feeling good while a tail that poi
A high tail that points up signals your cat is feeling good
“A cat will stick their tail straight up as part of a friendly greeting or because they feel good during activities like petting. The higher the tail the better they feel,” Quandt says. This tail position also could mean your cat feels curious, or is playful and ready to pounce on their favorite toy!
Cats use their tails to display this friendly behavior to humans and to other cats. There are scent glands around their anus and the base of their tail, so offering their bottoms up to another feline friend, sometimes by literally putting their butts in each others faces, is a positive social behavior.
A tail pointing down signals neutral or uneasy feelings
“This is often a neutral position, but may also occur when they are uneasy,” Dr. Merkatoris says.
Some cat breeds, like Persians, carry their tails naturally low, so it helps to consider other context clues. If your cat feels cautious or anxious, you might also notice their head slightly down and their chin tucked. They might also have pinned or “radar” ears, squinted eyes, hunched shoulders, and meow nervously.
How do cats communicate without a tail?
Dr. Merkatoris says cats with missing or nubby tails, like the Manx, bobtailed cat breeds, have other ways to express their emotions to other cats and humans. This includes: eye contact, ear positions, vocalizations like hissing or trilling, back and shoulder positions, and even pheromones.
Why Do Cats Wag Their Tails? Tail Movements Explained
“Tail wagging in dogs is generally thought of as friendly, but the equivalent movement in cats is not,” Quandt says. Let’s take a look at what cat tail movements mean for our cat’s emotions and mental state.
Wagging, swishing, and lashing
If you’ve spent any time around a cat who is wagging, waving, or thrashing, their tail around with rapid and jerky motions, you’d likely get a sense that it’s the way they’re channeling agitation and frustration. “Cats who are swishing or lashing their tails left to right are indicating that they are to some degree of conflicted, stressed, anxious, or upset,” Quandt explains.
Some experts believe this type of tail movement may be a biologically hardwired response to overstimulation or a cat feeling frustrated and conflicted.
Dr. Merkatoris says a swishing tail can also appear in cats stalking prey. If you engage in predatory play sessions with your kitty, you may see them swishing their tail before they pounce on or snatch their favorite toy!
Quivering
A quivering tail that’s pointed up and held high is usually a feline declaration of happiness and excitement. It’s usually paired with other body language and verbal reactions like rubbing against your legs, enthusiastic head butts, and purring.
While tail quivering is often a positive reaction, Quandt warns in some situations a quivering tail is a sign that a cat is about to urine mark. If your cat raises a quivering tail and immediately backs up to a vertical surface like wall they might be about to start spraying.
Thrashing, thumping, or slapping
A thrashing, thumping, or slapping tail generally means annoyance, conflicted emotions, or uncertainty. The intensity and force behind their tail movements can offer more clues to their emotional state, but it’s also important to consider your cat’s individual limits.
“Some cats will progress from a mild lashing directly to swatting without giving other warning signs, including a more severe thrashing of the tail,” Quandt says. “Other cats may thrash fairly hard and still not progress to swatting or other methods of defense.”
If you notice dilated pupils, ears flattened against their head, and vocalizations like growling or hissing while your cat is moving their tail like this it’s best to give him or her some space.
Bouncing
If your cat’s tail is pointing up and gently bouncing, it’s usually a sign of curiosity or excitement. Sometimes the tip of your cat’s tail may give a gentle wag or curl when they explore a new environment or investigate something interesting—like that big cardboard box you just opened!
Other signs of a curious cat are whiskers are pointed forwards, ears are perked up, and a forward-leaning body.
Hooking and wrapping
“A ‘hooked’ tail, like a question mark, can indicate playfulness in some contexts,” Quandt says. Sometimes cats use their hook-shaped tails to directly and physically interact with you. This is a friendly gesture and a sign of affection and companionship.
Lusvardi says this curvy tail position could also resemble a half-heart.
Beyond an expression of playfulness, cats whose tails look like this might also feel curious and happy and you might also notice them purring or rubbing against you.
Cats will also hook or wrap their tails around other cats they’re friendly with. Sometimes, you may even spot closely bonded cats with their tails entwined!
Puffing
“This is called ‘pilo-erection’ and is similar to what a porcupine does,” Quandt says. “When confronted by something scary they puff up to appear larger and more dangerous so as to scare off the perceived threat.”
This involuntary reaction isn’t limited to just your cat’s tail. Quandt and Lusvardi explain that the fur on your cat’s face and back might also puff up or bristle out. Other fearful body language like an arched back and dilated pupils also often accompany a puffed up tail.
However, a puffed tail isn’t always a red flag. Sometimes a playful or energetic cat will have a puffed-up tail in response to heightened emotional arousal. “One of my friend’s cats will puff out her tail before she pounces during play,” Lusvardi says.
Wrapping or tucking
Quandt says when cats hold their tails like this, it means they’re attempting to protect themselves from injury.
Scared or uneasy cats will likely try to make themselves as small as possible, and Dr. Merkatoris says they’ll tuck themselves into a tight ball. Some fearful cats might take a stiff crouched body position with hunched shoulders. They might also have flattened or twisting and turning “radar” ears.
Is It OK to Pet a Cat’s Tail?
Lusvardi says that cats sometimes use their tails to directly and physically interact with us. But just because they’re touching us they might not necessarily want us to touch them back. “However, just like a leg, this is an extension of the cat’s body and any sort of grabbing or latching on, can be extremely stressful for the cat,” adds Dr. Merkatoris.
“If a cat’s tail is wrapped around us, that usually is a friendly gesture. It might mean the cat wants you to pet them, but they may also just want to be near you so don’t take it as blanket permission to start a snuggle fest,” Lusvardi says.
In contrast, if a cat is hitting your with their tail or tapping you with it, Lusvardi suggests taking it as a sign to look for what might be causing them stress or fear.
Other Ways to Interpret Your Cat’s Mood
Fear, curiosity, frustration, and happiness are universal emotions cats feel. Along with their eyes, ears, vocalizations, cats use their tails to communicate their mood to us and other cats.
“Cats may also display different body language due to their individual learning history,” Lusvardi says. When it comes to interpreting your cat’s mood, Lusvardi advises to look at the full context of the cat.
If they rub against you or purr as you pet them, you’re probably fine to continue. If they stop purring, swat or nip you, or tense up, try taking a break and letting them have some space—they’ll come back for more attention when they’re ready.
According to Quandt, cats might adopt different postures and positions in response to the social exchange. Body language and verbal cues help ensure cats receive the intended message loud and clear.
