Beyond just meowing, cats have various ways of interacting with other cats, animals, and humans.
When a cat lives with a human, it quickly learns to read their mood from their body language, the sound of their voice, and eye contact. Cats are adept at picking up on emotions such as nervousness, fear, affection, and joy. Cats use these forms of communication too, so mutual understanding is possible if we observe their behavior closely. To interpret a cat’s body language properly, it is important to notice changes in posture, including some that are very subtle.
Cat body language is often inconspicuous. Clear physical signals are usually only present in fully developed emotional states, making it crucial to learn to observe and recognize increasingly subtle signs. With practice, you can become an expert in cat language, possibly even responding back!
Tail’s Transmissions
The tail is a cat’s most important balancing rod in situations of emotional conflict, although it can be challenging to discern its emotional state from the tail’s position and motion:
- Tail upright: This is primarily a sign of greeting—kittens greet their mother this way. However, this position can also express extreme rage and readiness.
- Tail moving rapidly to and from: Indicates excitement, either positive or negative.
- Tip of the tail twitching, rest of the tail relaxed: Indicates slight excitement.
- Whipping: If a cat feels aggressive, its tail whips from side to side.
- Tail puffed up: Indicates a high level of fear, usually accompanied by the cat drawing its tail between its hind legs.
Scent Communication in Cats
Cats possess an extremely well-developed sense of smell, which they use extensively for communication. Chemical signaling can be very specific, lasting for a long time and spreading over considerable distances. This form of signaling is crucial for cats to identify their territory, recognize other ‘friendly’ individuals in a colony, and indicate sexual receptiveness. Many complex and poorly understood messages are likely communicated through scent. In colonies, scent not only facilitates communication between individual cats but may also lead to the development of colony-specific odors for interacting with other groups.
Body Talk
A cat’s overall body posture reveals everything from confidence to fear or submission. To fully understand the message, you need to read the body talk in conjunction with the eyes, ears, tail, fur, and vocalizations. A relaxed and happy cat will have ears pointed slightly forward, relaxed eyes, and whiskers also pointed forward. The more you pay attention to your cat, the easier it will be to read its body language and understand what it’s trying to tell you.
Eye Talk
Cats communicate with their eyelids and pupil dilation. Sudden pupil dilation indicates arousal from fear, interest, or strong emotions. Wide-open eyes show trust, while narrow eyes can signal fear or aggression. Droopy, sleepy eyelids indicate relaxation and trust. Try a slow blink to see if your cat blinks back, a “kitty kiss” of affection. However, if your cat stares at another cat without blinking, it signals dominance or aggression.
Ear Talk
Cats express emotion and intent through their ears. Forward-facing ears indicate interest. Generally, the more a cat’s ears swivel sideways and backward, the greater the arousal or distress. Backward ears, often accompanied by a hiss or swipe, are a clear sign that your cat feels threatened or dislikes what you’re doing.
The Width of the Pupils
A cat’s pupil size can signal its mood, but light intensity must also be considered, as low light causes pupils to dilate regardless of mood. Excited or agitated cats will have dilated pupils even in bright light. During a confrontation, the dominant cat’s pupils may be vertical slits, though mixed emotions like fear can cause subtle fluctuations in pupil size throughout the encounter.
Vocalizing With Meows, Purrs, and More
Cats use vocalizations to express emotion. Their repertoire includes meowing, purring, hissing, growling, and more, each with specific meanings depending on the context. While adult cats typically don’t meow at each other, domesticated cats have learned to meow at humans. Some scientists believe this is a manipulative behavior cats adopt to get what they want from their owners.
‘Murmuring’ Sounds
These sounds, mostly formed with the mouth closed, are used for greeting, attention, acknowledgment, and approval. This includes purring, which occurs in various contexts and forms. Kittens purr while nursing as a sign of contentment, and mother cats purr to reassure them. Later, purring serves as a greeting, a care-soliciting call, and during allogrooming. It may also signal non-threat. Domestic cats purr at 25-150 vibrations per second, and all Felidae family members can purr. However, unlike smaller cats, larger cats like lions and tigers can only purr while exhaling.
The ‘trill’ or ‘chirrup’ sound, used as a friendly greeting, also falls into this category.
How cats communicate with humans and other animals
Cats are social animals and greet each other with nose touches. They show affection by rubbing their heads and bodies together, sometimes even hooking and rubbing their tails. Understanding your cat is great, but how can you get them to understand you? Unlike dogs, cats are less responsive to commands and voice, but this doesn’t mean they don’t understand you. Scientists have found that cats are as capable as dogs in interpreting human language.
Even if your cat pretends not to hear you, it’s important to communicate with them. A soothing voice can encourage a shy or frightened cat and motivate them to cuddle. Conversely, a firm voice can discourage unwanted behaviors like scratching furniture.
Conclusion
Understanding cat behavior and communication is essential for fostering a healthy and harmonious relationship with these fascinating animals. Cats communicate through a combination of vocalizations, body language, and behavior, each serving as a unique indicator of their emotions and needs. From the subtle flick of a tail to the melodic purring or assertive meowing, cats express their feelings and intentions, allowing attentive owners to respond appropriately.
Recognizing signs of contentment, stress, or illness can help ensure a cat’s well-being and strengthen the bond between cat and owner. Ultimately, appreciating and interpreting these behaviors enhances the human-cat connection, promoting mutual respect and companionship.