Domestic cats communicate in many ways including body language, vocalizations, movement and touch. We can learn a lot about cats by watching their body language and understanding what their signals mean.

The tale in a tail

A cat that is willing to engage in a social interaction will raise its tail high for the world to see. On the other extreme, a cat that wraps its tail tightly around its body while crouching down or moving away is showing "closed" body posture, indicating she wants nothing to do with an interaction. A tail that is moving freely back and forth generally means that the cat is relaxed and comfortable while a jerky or twitching tail can be a sign of agitation or anticipation. If the tail isn't moving or appears rigid, the cat may be reacting to a stressful situation and is either deciding how to respond or is trying to avoid detection.

On the defense

Defensive body language cues can include puffing the hair on the tail, arching the back, turning the ears to each side, hissing, yowling or raising a paw in preparation for swatting or moving away quickly. If you see these signals, it isn't a good time to interact with a cat. Instead, allow it to retreat or give it some time to settle down before you try to pet it. In extreme situations, it can take a cat several hours or even days to fully calm down, so it's important not to rush this step.

Some cats become over-stimulated very quickly with physical petting, especially over the lower back and base of the tail, and may respond aggressively as a way to end a physical interaction. If you pay close attention to a cat's body language and stop petting her when you see dilated pupils or a slightly twitching tail, you should be able to avoid getting scratched or bitten.

Belly Up

If you have ever reached down to pet a cat's belly when it approaches and rolls onto its back, you may have already learned that this is one of the ways that a cat initiates play sessions and it may respond by kicking, scratching or biting as it would with a playmate. Cats often roll over and expose their bellies when they are feeling relaxed and comfortable, but they can also display this behavior as an extreme defensive posture. Make sure you take a look at the rest of the cat's body language before deciding how to respond.

Leaving its mark

Cats share information with each other and interact with their environment by marking with urine (back up to vertical surface, tread feet, twitch tail, release urine spray), by bunting (rubbing cheek area against objects to deposit pheromones) or by scratching with their claws. Urine marking can be a territorial display but is often more related to spatial organization than aggression. Bunting is a friendly and relaxed behavior that is associated with a calm or social emotional state. Scratching leaves a visual signal for other cats to see, but this behavior also functions as part of claw maintenance, stretching and may also include pheromone communication.

One of the most important things to remember is that communication is a dynamic process and interactions can change quickly from one second to the next. Watch carefully - you may be surprised at how much you can learn about your cat by observing her body language.