How to interpret your cat’s
body language 101




    This page goes along with How to interpret your cat's body language 202.  This
    page is about friendly and normal behavior.  How to interpret 202 is about angry
    and fearful behavior.  Both pages feature the importance of communication.  

    What we don't know
    There are certain things we don’t understand about a cat’s behavior.  And the cat
    doesn’t understand why we’re so dumb.  
    Cat crazies?  That’s when the cat suddenly runs around like crazy for no seeable
    reason.  Why?  We don’t know.  Perhaps the cat hears an annoying sound that is
    beyond our range of hearing.  
    Kneading us with their paws?  Why?  People have come up with ideas, but, in the
    long run, we just don’t know.  
    Rolling in dry dirt and sand?  Is it to camouflage themselves from prey or does the
    dry substance feel good on their fur?  We don't know.  
    Even purring is questionable.  We like to think that the purring cat is content.  But a
    cat may purr even when it should be anything but content.  So, why do they do it?  
    We don’t have a clear idea.  

    Friendly behavior
    But some of the cat’s friendly body language is clear.  It’s up to us to learn how to
    interpret it by checking out their actions, or non-actions, their position and their
    eyes, whiskers and tail.     
    A cat exhibits friendly behavior when it rubs against us.  It’s depositing its scent on
    us and “claiming” us.  In the same way, a cat rubs his head against furniture to
    deposit its scent there.  When it scratches on a post, it deposits scent, too, and
    also sharpens its claws and removes the dead parts.  
    When it walks toward us with its tail high it’s being friendly.  The tail is almost
    quivering in excitement.  Its whiskers are out and relaxed.  When it leans against
    our legs, it wants something from us, food perhaps.  When it moves its body closer
    to our hands, it wants contact with us.  When it lies down and turns belly up, it’s
    inviting us to play with it.  Perhaps it would like a belly rub, but some cats don’t like
    that.  Maybe the cat just wants admiration and attention.  
    When it touches our nose with its nose, its smelling us and is being affectionate.  I
    call it “kissing” and ask my cats to give me a kiss.  They reach their noses up to my
    mouth and sniff.  They don’t lick like a dog would do.    
    Cats have the same behavior with each other when in a friendly mood.  In addition,
    they smell butts in a friendly way.  They lick each other’s faces to clean them.  They
    greet each other with tail up and rub against each other.
    Look at your cat's eyes.  They can signal when your cat is happy and friendly.  
    They're wide open and alert, almost mischievous.  If they're half-open, your cat is
    relaxed.   























    Everyday normal behaviors
    Here’s some other body language that you'll learn to recognize---  
    Cats licking themselves all over is one of their most common actions.  They do so
    after using the litter box, after eating or drinking, when awakening and when going
    to sleep.  If you pet them when you have hand lotion or some other scent on your
    hand, they will lick that scent off them.  In fact, if they smell the scent soon enough,
    they may not let you pet them.  They also lick themselves when they haven’t
    decided what else to do in a specific situation.  Cats normally respect each other’s
    privacy while they’re using the litter box, eating or drinking, sleeping or licking
    themselves.  So this licking action gives them a chance to rethink a situation.  
    Before and after sleeping, they use a system to their grooming.  First they lick their
    paws and wipe their face and behind their ears with them.  They wipe in a circular
    motion.  They lick their front legs and then the rear legs.  They lick their entire
    body.  Finally, they lick beneath their tail.     
    Cats are not necessarily nocturnal.  They take short cat naps throughout the day
    and night.  They have different levels of sleep.  The deepest sleep is when the cat
    is curled up in a ball or stretched out flat on their side.  
    When we're away from home, our cats sleep more than usual.  When we're home,
    it helps to try to keep a balance between giving our cats the attention they crave
    and maintaining a self-reliant cat.  
    Cats like routine, but anything new interests the curious cat.  If we move a piece of
    furniture a foot away from its usual spot, we'll have our cats sniffing it all over.  If
    we bring in something new, our cats will get busy investigating it.   
    One evening, I was getting the living room ready for a group that was coming in
    the morning.  I brought the six deck chairs into the living room.  The next morning,
    when I went into the living room, I saw six cats each sleeping on one of the chairs.  
    It seemed a typical example of cats liking variety.   
    You can browse through images of my cats by clicking on my page, Order Cards
    and Prints.   
    Cats like to sit on high places so they're able to observe everything.  When cats go
    underneath furniture, such as a table, it’s because they are feeling unsafe or even
    ill.  If they settle down on their haunches, they’re checking out a challenging
    animal.  
    When cats breathe with their mouth partly open it’s because they are trying to
    detect an unusual odor, such as a female in heat.  
    When you touch a cat’s upper rear, near the base of its tail, it may raise up on its
    hind legs.  This is especially true of females.    
    If cats don’t use the litter box, they may be telling you that it’s not clean enough.  
    If it is clean, try isolating that cat in a room with the litter box in it, along with its
    food and water to help the cat relearn proper use of the box.  
    Cats normally are picky eaters, so an occasional rebuff of whatever food you
    offered is normal.  When that happens, put the food aside and serve it when you
    think your cat is hungrier.  No need to go out of your way to keep changing your
    cat’s food in order to find its favorite.  The cat will eat when it’s hungry enough and
    knows there’s no other option.  But, if there are continued major changes in a cat’s
    activity, eating, drinking or litter use, it may be ill.  Observe and tell your vet what’s
    happening.  
How to Interpret Your Cat's
Body Language 101